Applications
Thumbplay launches digital music store in beta
MUMBAI: Thumbplay has launched a full-service digital music store in Beta. Through Thumbplay, millions of music fans can now download — wirelessly — DRM-free songs directly to select MP3-enabled phones as well as PCs. To date, Thumbplay has secured rights to more than 1.5 million songs from major labels including Universal Music Group and EMI Music, and from independent digital music providers The Orchard and INgrooves. With access to music through both the Thumbplay web ( In addition to the ability to download songs, to select MP3-enabled phones and PCs, the music can be transferred to most portable music players, including the iPod. Customers can instantly and easily search for and purchase music in addition to the extensive array of other content the company offers, including games, videos and more. Thumbplay‘s MP3 downloads are $.99 per song through monthly subscriptions. For $9.99 per month, Thumbplay customers are given 10 credits to be used toward any content on the service; MP3s are one credit, or $.99 each. The value to new customers is even greater, as they automatically receive 10 bonus credits in their first month of service. Thumbplay CEO and founder Are Traasdahl says, “Right now, there are millions of customers who own phones that are “The number of our customers with MP3-enabled phones has grown five-fold in the last 18 months alone. Naturally, we had to respond to such demand, and at the same time, we had to deliver the great customer-experience Thumbplay users have come to expect. I‘m proud to say we‘ve accomplished both goals today with our new digital music store, thanks in large part to such terrific launch partners as Universal Music, EMI Music, The Orchard and INgrooves.” Thumbplay offers entertainment content, direct-to-consumers, on more than 2,000 devices among every major carrier in the US.
http://www.thumbplay.com ) and mobile (http://m.thumbplay.com ) sites, customers now receive song downloading from any location. Moreover, audio quality has been optimised for superior mobile playback while file sizes have been kept to a minimum.
already able to serve as excellent MP3 players; and, in fact, a significant number of consumers are now using their phones as their primary entertainment devices.
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.
