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HP teams up with Universal Music & Hungama.com to launch music service
MUMBAI: HP has joined forces with entertainment giants Universal Music and Hungama.com to launch subscription-based music service in India called HP Connected Music.
The service provides unlimited rental downloadable music free of charge for one year. This brand new service is available on selected HP notebooks with the imbedded Windows 8 launcher.
With the new range of HP consumer notebooks featuring Windows 8, consumers can now enjoy music on the move – with acess to their favourite music anywhere, anytime. HP Connected Music is available in India on selected consumer notebooks.
HP Connected Music has been introduced in India to provide HP customers exclusive content and access to Hungama.com’s and Universal Music‘s diverse catalogue which includes over 1 million songs from more than 20,000 artists from different genres inlcuding Bollywood, Devotional, Rock, Classic, Hip Hop, Jazz, Regional, R&B, Country and others.
Consumers will have access to unique content such as previews, behind the scenes, VIP events and many more, to connect with their favourite artists, including the likes of A. R. Rehman, Sonu Nigam, Priyanka Chopra, Anoushka Shankar, Euphoria and international artists like Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Aerosmith, Akon among others.
Speaking about the service, HP PPS India Head, Marketing Ranjivjit Singh said, “Our consumers have told us they want a seamless music experience, while using their device and this is exactly what HP Connected Music provides. Through its subscription service, it allows people the chance to explore a whole new world of music and exclusive content, while using their HP device.”
Applications
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.
