Creation Never Stops

Hicham Kochman, CEO of KEAKR tells us how they unite producers, artists, and music fans, all over the world. 

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Hicham Kochman: Fine. Like the others, we stay strong and united during this ordeal.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded KEAKR.

Hicham Kochman: I founded this company in 2015 because I thought of all the urban music artists like me. I began with a free studio where you can record your song and music videos in one click. 

Further, we added the social network dimension, and KEAKR was born. Now, beatmakers can publish their beats and put them directly for sale on the platform.

How does your company innovate? 

Hicham Kochman: We innovate by bringing together all the tools you need when you make music.

Recording, selling, increasing your visibility, networking, and now we also have a music label. Recently, we launched the feature of Livestream with tipping. The artists can now receive money directly from their fans during their live performances. And the future is bigger than ever. We prepare a real massive, and powerful revolution platform with our future ICO and NFT solutions. 

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Hicham Kochman: Coronavirus makes investors more risk-averse. We need investments to develop faster and deeper: this costs a lot of money because the necessary skills are expensive.

However, this period is also a big opportunity. For example, we have accelerated our roadmap for live streaming and now have a new and unique technology for it. We created this feature for this moment to help every artist in our community communicate, interact and perform directly from their home. It’s a hard time, and we want to be there for them and give them the push they need to get through it. To go even further, we have organized an unprecedented event: a digital festival during the whole month of February. The lineup was composed of very famous French artists, like Maes or SCH, as well as emerging artists of the app. Through live tipping, artists received donations during their concerts. The donations collected during the performances of the famous artists were given to an association. The donations made to the emerging artists allowed them to finance their projects, pay for masterings, studio sessions, clips… The coronavirus has pushed us to be creative and to find new ways to help artists. The KEAKR community is more united than ever. 

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources, and what are the lessons learned?

Hicham Kochman: Of course, we have to be careful and maintain a good rhythm. We need to keep this tempo and make this period a great moment to innovate. 

The lesson learned is simple: adapt and remain optimistic. 

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient? 

Hicham Kochman: Our relationship with the consumer has been the same since the beginning. We have a good and strong community, and we are very close to them. We know our users well, their projects, their ambitions. This proximity is very important for them as well as for us.

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Hicham Kochman: In France, we have benefited from PGE. A “help” that made this moment a little easier to live. It’s a good thing. But I want to be honest with you, and this period makes it hard to make decisions and moves. 

Your final thoughts?

Hicham Kochman: We will win. 

Your website?

https://www.keakr.com/us