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Ibibo.com to release rock band albums on mobile, web
MUMBAI: Social networking site ibibo.com has partnered with Counter Culture Records to launch ‘The Rising Rock Stars of India‘ initiative. The initiative aims to encourage fresh talent and emerging rock bands across India. As a part of the platform, one band, every month, will get an opportunity to record a professional album and the same will be marketed by ibibo across the web and mobile. The original compilations will be available for ringtone downloads and dedications on the web and mobile. Over the next 6 months, ibibo will produce six ‘Rising Rock bands of India‘ and give them an opportunity to perform Live in various cities. Says ibibo.com CEO Ashish Kashyap, “It is an unique online platform that promotes rock bands and brings them closer to their fans across the country. This programme is in line with ibibo’s vision to incubate talent in the country and give young, upcoming and rising Indian rock acts a chance to showcase themselves and release their albums”. ‘The Rising Rock Star‘ panelists include eminent musicians and individuals like Amit Kilam from Indian Ocean, Randolph Correia from Shaa’ir + Func fame, RJ Malini Agarwal, Saurabh Kanwar from Channel [V] and KJ Singh. Six rock bands will get a chance to cut an album with Counter Culture Records and ibibo.com. Each of the six rising rock bands will promote their album on a three-city tour, reaching out to audiences on-ground as well. Counter Culture Records director Vijay Nair says, “Through ‘The Rising Rock Stars of India’ we hope to be able to give some of these bands exposure to a more professional set-up, the opportunity to explore their talent and to record an album.”
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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.
