MAM
SOCIETY TEA PRESENTS, #SOUNDSOFSOCIETY SEASON 2, EPISODE 4: ‘AKHIYAN’, PRODUCED BY URBAN BEAT PROJECT, CURATED BY LAIQ QURESHI
A celebrated household name, Society Tea, in association with Urban Beat Project, curated by Laiq Qureshi, announced the launch of the Second Season of its live musical web series – #SoundsofSociety, https://soundsofsociety.in/, and are here with Episode 4. This episode features a collaboration of two tremendously talented musicians, between one of India's finest yet under-rated singers Tritha Sinha, and multi-instrumentalist genius musician and Indophile, Mathias Durand, presenting ‘Akhiyan’.
Sounds of Society is a genre-free, no-rules, and an all-inclusive approach to presenting music-making and its associated performing arts. It features musicians and their grassroots approach to making music, in an entirely collaborative format. Sounds of Society – Season 2 is shot with minimal fuss and equipment, and will feature both, edited as well as, one-take videos, to showcase the true organic nature of each episode.
The season’s fourth episode showcases an amazing collaboration between Tritha, a vocalist, composer and music producer based in Goa, and Mathias Durand a composer, producer and singer-songwriter from France. Having worked together extensively, their work is nothing short of exemplary. This episode is a perfect example of musical harmony. While Tritha sticks to her roots, and Mathias to his, they come together as one with this fascinating arrangement, ‘Akhiyan’.
In 2014, Tritha released her debut album ‘PaGLI’ on Sony Music, earn the license to break the rules as well as unlearn and re-interpret what she had learnt in her classical methods. Her next album ‘Raagas in Paris’ released in 2016 on Silk Road label saw her fuse Indian classical with psychedelic rock with her rock band 'Tritha Electric'. Whereas, for Mathias, as a young child he learned classical music on the piano from his grandmother and is a self-taught guitarist. He plays Folk Psychedelic music, inspired by Krautrock, Experimental and Minimal composers.
An elated Karan Shah, Director, Society Tea said, “Music, an integral part of our lives, has the power of bringing together people across borders, just the way tea does. With Sounds of Society: Season 2, we aim at bringing soulful melodies by collaborating with versatile artists. This season has an amazing line-up and is all set to brew a flavourful experience, with the aim of etching music and tea onto the hearts of our audience. We strive towards keeping this spirit of innovation alive while spreading happiness.”
Produced by Urban Beat Project and curated by Laiq Qureshi, the collaborations in each episode represent the already existing and ever evolving synergies in the musical world. Much of what is captured is entirely spontaneous, without any concrete rehearsals. “Some of the best music is made when musicians come together without any real aim in mind, and when they are free of going anywhere particular with their music. Like in a jam. What comes out is pure and organic. This is what we want to showcase.” says Laiq Qureshi, founder of Urban Beat Project.
Sounds of Society departs from a need to showcase any big industry names, but hopes to feature what music sounds like on the street, on a terrace, in your bedroom, on the beach, or in your backyard. The only real aim is to document the social and cultural milieu in which we live, by presenting the sounds of today.
Artists featured so far are – DJ URI, Delhi Sultanate, Hang Massive, Delhi 2 Dublin, Vasuda Sharma, Gowri Jayakumar, Chandana Bala, Nush Lewis and more.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
