iWorld
A sound strategy musifie and Divo turn festivals into India’s indie launchpad
MUMBAI: If India’s festivals already have a soundtrack, Musifie and Divo want to decide who composes the next one. Musifie has announced a strategic national partnership with Divo, a Warner Music India company, to launch Musifie x Divo SoundQuest, a year-long, multi-genre contest IP designed to discover, develop and release independent music talent at scale.
The partnership will roll out six major contests every year, each aligned with India’s cultural calendar Holi, World Music Day, Independence Day, Navratri or Durga Puja, Diwali and Republic Day. The idea is simple but ambitious: turn every major cultural moment into a nationwide talent hunt that doesn’t end with a trophy, but with a finished song.
Unlike conventional competitions that crown a single winner, Soundquest selects nine winners across nine musical skillsets vocalist, composer, lyricist, arranger, guitar, keyboard, wind, percussion and bass. These winners collaborate to create one original single using musifie’s in-platform creation tools, from stem sharing and version control to contracts, credits and split sheets. The track is then mixed, mastered and released globally by Divo across streaming platforms, backed by marketing, PR and campus-led promotions.
At the heart of the initiative is a closed-loop framework that covers discovery, judging, collaboration, release and amplification. A 100-point evaluation rubric spanning technical skill, creativity, tone, groove and arrangement aims to bring transparency and industry-level rigour to the selection process, while ensuring that opportunities extend well beyond just singers.
The scale is designed to match India’s diversity. Soundquest will target college talent, independent musicians and creator communities across metros as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with a multilingual, multi-genre approach. Each contest runs on a 12-week campaign arc, ensuring sustained engagement rather than one-off spikes around festival dates.
Musifie founder Anil Joseph said the partnership addresses a long-standing gap in India’s indie ecosystem, where discovery rarely translates into long-term growth. Divo founder and director Shahir Muneer described the format as a national pipeline that combines cultural relevance with structured collaboration, while strategic consultant Soumini Sridhara Paul called it a blueprint for building sustainable artist ecosystems rather than fleeting talent hunts.
As India’s independent music scene grows louder and more crowded, Musifie x Divo Soundquest is betting that the future of discovery lies not in chasing virality, but in turning festivals into finish lines where talent doesn’t just get noticed, it gets released.
iWorld
Prime Video unveils biggest India originals slate yet
Nearly 55 titles across languages signal deeper push into films, series
MUMBAI: Prime Video is turning up the volume on Indian storytelling, unveiling its largest-ever Originals slate at the ‘Prime Video Presents’ showcase, with close to 55 series and films spanning languages, genres and formats.
The new lineup, which stretches across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, signals a clear intent: go bigger, go wider, and meet audiences wherever they are watching, whether on streaming screens or in cinemas. Alongside Originals, the platform also announced a fresh theatrical slate under Amazon MGM Studios, marking a deeper step into the big-screen business.
Among the headline acts is The Revolutionaries, a large-scale drama from Nikkhil Advani starring Bhuvan Bam and Rohit Saraf. The slate also features Matka King with Vijay Varma, Raakh starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre, and Lukkhe, which marks rapper King’s acting debut. Adding a genre twist is Vansh – The Kalyug Warriors, positioned as India’s first homegrown Hindi superhero series for streaming.
Familiar favourites are also making a return, with new seasons of Farzi, Panchayat, Call Me Bae, Dupahiya, Dahaad and The Traitors in the pipeline, reinforcing the platform’s bet on established franchises.
Regional storytelling gets a notable push. Highlights include a Telugu adaptation of The Traitors hosted by Teja Sajja, the drama Guvvala Cheruvu Ghat, and Tamil titles such as Exam and returning seasons of Vadhandhi and Inspector Rishi.
The slate also opens new creative partnerships. Hrithik Roshan’s HRX Films steps into streaming with Storm and Mess, while Alia Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions backs Don’t Be Shy. Production houses including Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby Films and The Viral Fever further deepen the creative bench.
On the theatrical front, the platform is lining up five films, including Raftaar starring Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, VIBE directed by Kunal Kemmu, Dilkashi with music by A. R. Rahman, Nayyi Navelli featuring Yami Gautam, and Kuku Ki Kundli starring Wamiqa Gabbi.
According to Prime Video India director and head of Svod business Shilangi Mukherji, India remains central to the platform’s global growth, ranking among its top markets for new subscribers. She noted that nearly two-thirds of users watch content in more than four languages, underlining a growing appetite for diverse storytelling.
Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the new slate reflects a continued push towards bold, culturally rooted narratives with global appeal.
In short, Prime Video is not just adding titles, it is widening the lens. From small-town dramas to superhero sagas and cinema-ready spectacles, the message is simple: more stories, more voices, and far more ways to watch them.
