Applications
Quality and versatile music is the way forward for Guvera: Ananya Amin
MUMBAI: Global music streaming app Guvera, which was founded in 2008, recently reached the milestone of 10 million global users. In India, the app touched the three million users mark. Guvera international manager India and Middle East Ananya Amin is buoyed by the response so far in India.
“India is a versatile country with huge music fans, and in such short span the growth we achieved is indeed a matter of glory. Having said that, I must also say that we sense huge possibility of further growth in India where the smartphone base is increasing at a high rate,” Amin said.
Streaming habit in India is very different from the West and is changing at a very slow pace, which can emerge as a strong challenge for apps like Guvera. When asked about the same, Amin said, “The ecosystem in India needs to mature. What we observe from our analysis is that in some part of the county we are very dominant, while in other parts we are at a very nascent stage. Hence, we understand that streaming itself is a new aspect and gradually with the betterment of technology, the streaming habit will also change.”
“Independent rock and alternate rock are the genres that get maximum Indians to Guvera other than Bollywood and regional content. Independent bands and musicians whom we have featured so far have got immense encouragement and the audience also enjoyed their music. Going forward, we have aspirations of enhancing that base,” said Amin on the streaming trends observed in India.
Be it sports commentary, news broadcasting or music, regional content garners maximum visibility in India. “Regional content plays a vital role in India and we have associated with numerous regional content creators, who create quality content to entertain audiences. Speed Records in Punjab & Shri Venkatesh Films in West Bengal are amongst them. Wherever there is scope, we will expand with further associations,” He said.
Guvera is an ad based platform with ads as the only source of revenue. “Brands are happy with us because of the content we provide to our subscribers. Brands like Yes Bank, Harley Rock Riders, Ezeego1, Shaadi.com, Amazon, BookMyShow and McDonald’s have partnered with us and it’s a very cordial relationship, which is extremely fortunate for us,” adds Amin on the advertisers’ reaction so far.
There are multiple apps providing similar content and hence it is important to have a good marketing and promotional strategy for which many organizations hire a creative agency. When asked about the marketing strategy and spend of Guvera, Amin informed, “We don’t have an association with any creative agency as our in house team orchestrates the creative strategies. In terms of marketing spends, our key focus is in India and that’s where we will be spending aggressively. Live events are integral part of our promotional activities and we will focus on that part too. Recently, we did Harley Rock Riders in partnership with Harley Davidson, which was a huge success. Going forward, we are looking at having many such activities.”
“The obstacle that we have in our way has to be the Internet. Indian telecom is hugely dominated by pre-paid subscribers and with data being on the expensive side, it is very tough to penetrate to many such consumers, who would be interested in the product. However, with 3G spreading its network and the roll out of 4G, I must say that there are encouraging times ahead of us,” says Amin.
Talking about the future, Amin informs, “Going forward, I am very confident that we will stand tall and emerge as the leader when it comes to music streaming industry. I think we have everything that an app needs, to succeed. We are also positioning ourselves as a platform that encourage independent musicians. Independent bands without a platform are more than welcome to join hands with us.”
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.
