GECs
Nokia Music Connects 5 Announces its Greatest and Most Diverse Speaker Line Up Ever
MUMBAI: The fifth edition of India’s leading music and digital platform Music Connects is back in Mumbai, at ITC Central, Parel, on 26 – 27 November 2013 with a speaker line up that is bursting at the seams with global and local music and digital entertainment leaders.
The following are leading this year’s speakers table, many of whom are making a first time appearance:
• Rajesh Kamat, CEO India, CA Media
• Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet
• Brian Message, Co Manager, Radiohead
• Jyrki Rosenberg, Global Head of Media & Entertainment, Nokia
• Bhaskar Sharma, General Manager, Red Bull India
• Deepak Jolly, Vice-President – Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola India
• P Balaji, Managing Director, Nokia India
• Graham Perkins, Director for Market Development – Asia, Fender
• Kavita Seth, Artist
• Shilpa Rao, Artist
• Nikhil Chinapa, Founder, Submerge
• Seymour Stein, Co founder and Chairman, Sire Records
• Simon Wheeler, Director of Digital, The Beggars Group
• Vince Bannon, Vice President – Entertainment Partnerships and Development, Getty Images
Produced by Hong Kong based Music Matters producer Branded and Indiantelevision.com group’s Radioandmusic.com, Nokia Music Connects is supported by the Indian and international music industry trade bodies IMI, SIMCA, PPL, IPRS, BMI among others.
Global Head of Media & Entertainment at Nokia, Jyrki Rosenberg, is no stranger to the Nokia Music Connects event or to India’s shores. Remarking about his Keynote interview Mr. Rosenberg said: “I am proud of the leading role that Nokia has played in the evolution of the digital music industry in India in recent years and I am looking forward to sharing our views on how the pace of change is about to explode. Indian consumers show a passion for music that, allied with increased access to legal digital content, means that there are amazing opportunities for artists, rights holders and distributors on the horizon. Nokia Music Connects is the perfect platform for people to gather and share their thoughts to help shape the future of entertainment in India.”
On his first business trip to India, Co Manager of global rockers Radiohead, Brian Message said: “In recent years the good news coming out of the Indian music market has grown considerably, capturing the attention of many of us in the UK who have traditionally looked west. It was therefore an opportunity not to be passed up when an invite came to attend Nokia Music Connects and I’m very much looking forward to jumping on the band wagon.”
Seymour Stein, the A&R supremo who discovered many household names including Madonna, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode has a deep-seated passion for Asian music. This will be his third visit to Nokia Music Connects on which he remarked: “I attend many music conferences around the world, and Nokia Music Connects is one I feel is exceptional and can’t miss. It’s enlightening, well organized, always up-beat and attracts the most important people in Indian Music, as well as the right people from around the world.”
Seymour is attending the conference exclusively to mentor young Indian artists and impart invaluable knowledge from a career spanning over five decades.
Music Matters President, Jasper Donat has been working with the Indian entertainment industry since 1995 and is excited to be returning for the fifth installment of Nokia Music Connects: “Of all the events that we are fortunate to produce around Asia Pacific this is easily one of my favorites. The passion shown by Indian music industry practitioners always makes for healthy and entertaining debate on stage that we miss in some other Asian territories. Matched with great entertainment and my favorite food on the planet I can’t wait to be back in Mumbai with my friends.”
Says Radioandmusic.com Founder Anil Wanvari: “Entertainment is being consumed across the traditional platforms even today but the share of digital entertainment consumption is increasing quite rapidly in India with bandwidth costs falling. In the fifth year of Nokia Music Connects, we will be looking at trends in overall entertainment, with a focus on music. This apart there are focuses on live entertainment, the investor’s perspective with – Bollywood Artist crossing the divide and also mentoring sessions by some international big names. Our endeavor is to nurture relationships, leadership thought processes through NMC.”
The organisers are also excited to announce the first ever Indian Music Matters Academy in association with Fender taking place during Nokia Music Connects. Designed to educate musicians in the business of music and giving back to the creator community, invited musicians will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and receive mentoring and guidance from some of the biggest names in the music industry including Brian Message and Seymour Stein.
Speaking on behalf of Fender, Graham Perkins the Director for Market Development Asia; “Having supported the Music Matters Academy in Singapore, we see the tremendous value that the Academy provides for artists. Being able to get up close and personal with major industry figures, provides a great chance for new and emerging talent to learn from these mentors through their own experiences.”
On the launch of the Academy in India, Mr. Donat remarked: “You can’t Google “how to be a rockstar” so this is some of the most useful content produced at any of our events and a great example of the industry giving back to the people who fuel its creativity. Musicians trying to survive in a digitally flat world are given the tools they need to survive by people who have already made it and willingly give their advice at no charge.”
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
