GRAI believes AI can make music more social, not replace artists

Today’s AI music startups, like Suno and Udio, offer technology that leverages AI for music generation. But a new company, GRAI, believes that most people don’t want to use AI to generate music from scratch — they’d rather remix tunes, share them with friends, or experiment with tracks by changing a song’s style for fun.

Music lab GRAI, now backed by a $9 million seed round, aims to put control in artists’ hands while using AI to transform how consumers engage with music. The company was built by Belarusian founders who previously sold their video creation app VOCHI to Pinterest, and it is now experimenting with new AI music products.

Remixing Over Generating

GRAI’s early products include the remixing app Music with Friends for iOS and an AI music playground for Android. These apps are designed to help the company understand how consumers want to engage with music beyond AI-enabled creation or passive listening.

“The idea that we’re building the company around is what the next thing can be in music AI interaction and consumption,” said GRAI co-founder and CEO Ilya Liasun, who is based in Poland alongside much of the team.

Liasun argues that music is one of the last major consumer categories that hasn’t gone “creator-first.”

“We have problems — discovery is broken, listening is passive, and social context is almost non-existent,” Liasun said.

Rather than replacing artists and labels, as some critics fear AI might do, GRAI believes AI can unlock new forms of interaction with music.

Targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha

The company is aiming its products at Gen Z and Gen Alpha users who discover music through culture — including friends, fandoms, and short-form video platforms like TikTok. According to Liasun, these users don’t necessarily want to become music producers; they simply want to participate.

To power its social apps, GRAI has developed its own taste and participation graph, along with proprietary infrastructure. The company is building a “derivatives pipeline” and real-time audio systems designed to preserve the identity of original tracks while allowing them to be transformed.

The goal, Liasun said, is to work directly with artists and labels to ensure this activity is legal and beneficial.

“We don’t want to share new genAI slop with the streaming services. We actually focus on the interaction part,” he said.

Artist Control and Royalties

Inside GRAI’s apps, users can play with tracks by remixing a favorite tune or changing its style. Modified tracks could potentially create a new source of royalty payments for artists and labels.

Rather than launching first and seeking permission later, GRAI says it is speaking with labels upfront.

“The main idea here is that we want to build a future system in which artists will have the ability to opt in and opt out,” Liasun said. “First, ask owners, and then integrate it.”

Liasun declined to disclose whether the company already has agreements in place or with which companies.

If remix-based participation takes off, GRAI believes it could help listeners discover new artists and songs outside of major platforms like Reels, TikTok, or YouTube. With its initial apps, the company is seeking consumer feedback — including negative feedback — to refine what works.

Funding and Founders

GRAI was co-founded by CTO Dima Kamarouski and President Andrei Avsievich. The company has raised $9 million in seed funding in a round co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inovo VC.

Other investors include Tensor Ventures, Tiny.VC, Flyer One Ventures, a16z Scout Fund, and angels such as Andrew Zhai (ML in Cursor, co-founder of Genova Labs, ex-Pinterest); Greg Tkachenko (founder of Unreal Labs, ex-Snap); Rob Reid (Founder of Rhapsody); and Dima Shvets (of MirAI and Reface).