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Gaana.com bolsters regional library with SIMCA tie-up
MUMBAI: In a move to further reach out to audiences in South India and other regional markets, Gaana.com, Times Internet Limited‘s music streaming service, has tied up with SIMCA (South Indian Music Companies Association).
The tie up gives Gaana access to over 55,000 songs covering the best of Film, Carnatic and popular devotional music from Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.
With the likes of Shruthilaya Music, Melody Music, Star Audio, Amudham Music, Satyam Audio, 5 Star Audio, Millenium Audio and Symphony Recording Company and 90 other labels coming on board through this deal, the website will be able to cater to young and old audiences alike, offering some of the best old classics of artist like Illayaraja, S.P.Balasubramanyam, K.J.Yesudas, Chitra and M.S.Subbulakshmi to new film songs.
Speaking about the tie up, Gaana.com Head Avinash Mudaliar said, “Gaana is constantly expanding its catalog of music, and our association with SIMCA demonstrates our increased commitment to expand into the regional markets, particularly South India.
We‘ve seen that nearly 28 per cent of our consumption on our website and new mobile apps comes from South India, and we hope to serve our users there better.”
Amongst the company’s recent tie ups are INRECO and Magnasound, two labels with significant regional music catalogues.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
