Splice, a sample library and music creation platform, has expanded into representing the tapestry of South Asian music with the launch of its new label, Aaroh.
The platform — valued at nearly USD $500 million after raising $55 million in February 2021, according to Bloomberg — has been a key player in the DIY music-making space since its inception in 2013.
To mark the launch of Aaroh, Splice has released five distinct sample packs that offer a “sonic exploration” of the diverse musical styles and instruments from South Asia. Aaroh aims to provide a collection that caters to the demands of digital creators worldwide.
Dani DiCiaccio, Splice’s VP of Content, highlighted the strategic importance of India as a growing market for the platform.
“We know our users have been searching for Bollywood sounds and South Asian instruments, but we didn’t have great representation until now. This collection provides a growing community of digital creators more of what they’re looking for, created by some of the most talented producers and instrumentalists in South Asia, including composer Ishaan Chhabra, Sitar player Mehtab Ali Niazi , Tabla player MT Aditya Srinivasan, composer Dhruv Goel and many others,” said DiCiaccio.
“This collection provides a growing community of digital creators more of what they’re looking for, created by some of the most talented producers and instrumentalists in South Asia.”
Dani DiCiaccio, Splice
“We will continue to work with incredible players like these to offer singular sounds to Splice subscribers around the world.”
The Aaroh label introduces five original soundpacks:
- Vintage Bollywood — A curated collection highlighting four decades of Hindi Film Music soundtrack, recorded by a 15+ piece orchestra
- Sitar — Showcasing the stringed instrument as played by master musician Mehtab Ali Khan
- Tabla — Featuring the dynamic percussion stylings of MT Aditya Srinivasan
- Konnakol — A pack highlighting the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music, featuring vocals by Dhruv Goel, Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, Charu Hariharan, and MT Aditya Srinivasan
- Winds of India — Showcasing the bansuri, shehnai, and algoza, three popular woodwind instruments from India.
Splice subscribers around the world can access these sounds via Aaroh. In addition to Aaroh, Splice has a catalog of over 28 sample labels covering more than 130 genres, from Amapiano to UK Drill and the breakout sound of the year, Phonk.
Splice, founded by Steve Martocci and Matt Aimonetti, closed a Series D funding round in November 2020 and is currently led by CEO Kakul Srivastava. The New York-based startup continues to evolve its offerings, having launched last year an AI-powered app called CoSo that collaborates with users to create music.
Earlier this year, Srivastava, who joined Splice from Adobe, told MBW in an interview that Splice has “two advantages that really set us apart from the market” — the musicians, producers and processes that help Splice craft a library of sounds, and its AI technology that is constantly trained.
“We are in a renaissance for creativity with new capabilities coming to life every day. The things creators will be able to do tomorrow, they cannot do today,” Srivastava said.
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