MAM
McDowell’s associates with Brilliant Entertainment to launch ‘Listen’ – Indi-music platform
MUMBAI: The entertainment agency, Brilliant Entertainment Network has launched ‘Listen,’ a platform solely dedicated to promoting music of different genres from across the Indian Sub Continent. Pioneering this initiative, Brilliant Entertainment today kicked off ‘Listen’s’ first eight city concert tour, with McDowells No. 1 as the lead sponsor titled ‘McDowell’s No. 1 – ‘Listen – India Tour 2005’. Postioned as the biggest music tour of India, the tour will feature some of the talented music artists from the sub-continent.
The McDowell’s No. 1 Listen India Tour 2005’s Delhi leg of the India tour will witness eight international artists from the subcontinent performing at the Dilli Haat Grounds in Pitampura in the capital on 1 June. The artists include Rabbi Shergill of ‘Bulla’ fame, Strings (Pakistani Band), homegrown Bombay Vikings, Shibani Kashyap, Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant, Kailash Kher and Punjabi Pop artist Mika.
This initiative is the first attempt of McDowell’s to associate with a long term Indi- music platform.
Speaking at the launch of LISTEN, Brilliant Entertainment Networks director Raman Raheja said, “Concert business in the West is very organised with established platform in the international music industry. Going by Pollstar estimates, the concert industry segment generated to the tune of 2.5 billion dollars in 2003 and 2.1 billion dollars in 2002 and nearly 1.75 billion dollars in 2001 with the limited but celebrated talent they possess.”
Juxtaposing this against the availability of huge talent pool that the Indian Subcontinent has to offer, the concert industry in this region has the potential to surpass its western counterparts”, Raheja further added.
Speaking on the occasion, McDowell’s North UB COO – spirits division Ashwin Malik said that the brand has been associated with international music artists like Bryan Adams, Mark Knoffler, Enrique Iglesias and many more through the entertainment platform ‘Mera No. 1 Entertainer’. “We are now associating with the ‘Listen India’ platform since many No.1 artists are performing and this music genre has a huge fan following across the country.”
Pegged as the biggest platform created so far to popularise music from the Indian subcontinent, McDowell’s Listen’s India’s first tour will cover 8 cities – Ludhiana, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
