Social platform Riff secures $4m investment from EMPIRE, Top Dawg Entertainment and Quality Control
Summary
This new investment round was joined by a trio of powerhouse music companies: Quality Control Music (home to Lil Baby, Migos, City Girls, Lil Yachty), EMPIRE (Yung Bleu, Tyga, D Smoke, Tink, Fireboy DML and more) and Top Dawg Entertainment (home to Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad, Schoolboy Q, SZA and more). Riff combines voice and video chat with music and offers room-based interactions between users including creators and fans. The startup claims to create “entirely new revenue” models and opportunities for creators where they can live-stream and interact directly with fans, host listening parties and release albums and merch all inside the app. Investors include top VCs and angels in Silicon Valley and some of the biggest artists and executives in hip hop and country music, bringing eager fan bases and exclusive content to the platform. As my father the honorable Butch Lewis would say, ‘Let’s not be afraid to get in the risk business,’ and refrain from using the term ‘Where’s the bag at.’ “We are now investing our money, expertise and influence in driving something that we own.