iWorld
Zee Music Company signs Adnan Sami, QARAN to expand original music push
The label deepens its bet on artist-led music with a non-film deal with Adnan Sami and a new partnership with pop producer QARAN
MUMBAI: Zee Music Company is widening its push into original, artist-led music, signing composer-singer-pianist Adnan Sami for exclusive non-film releases while onboarding contemporary pop producer QARAN to its growing roster.
Launched in 2014, the label has built one of India’s largest music catalogues spanning Bollywood soundtracks and independent music. The latest signings mark a sharper tilt towards non-film originals as the company seeks to expand its presence in the rapidly evolving pop landscape.
Padma Shri awardee Adnan Sami joins the label for a new slate of non-film singles, opening a fresh creative chapter in a career that has shaped Indian pop for more than three decades. The singer-composer is behind defining hits such as Lift Karade, Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Tera Chehra and Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein. Among his global milestones, Sami became the first Asian artist to sell out London’s Wembley Arena for two consecutive nights, a breakthrough moment for South Asian musicians on the international stage.
Under the deal with Zee Music Company, Sami will release a series of original singles, returning to the melodic sound that once dominated India’s pop charts.
Alongside him, the label has also signed QARAN, one of the architects of India’s modern urban pop sound. Known for blending Indian melodies with global production styles, the producer has delivered hits such as Haaye Oye and the breakout crossover Tareefan, widely seen as a defining pop track of the past decade.
Sujal Parekh, chief business officer at Zee Music Company, said the label is entering “a defining phase”. “We’re expanding our vision beyond film soundtracks to build a dynamic platform for artist-led music. Welcoming Adnan Sami is a proud moment given his extraordinary legacy across generations. Our collaboration with QARAN reflects our commitment to nurturing the next wave of Indian artists and taking Indian music to audiences worldwide.”
Adnan Sami said the partnership marks a new creative direction. “Music has always been about evolution and connection for me. I’m delighted to begin this new musical chapter with Zee Music Company. The partnership gives me the freedom to explore new genres while staying true to melody. I’m excited by the support for my artistic vision and we’re already working on fresh music. See you on the wild side.”
QARAN said the moment was ripe for Indian pop to travel globally. “Indian pop music is entering a new era where it can move across borders while staying rooted in its sound. With Zee Music Company’s scale and vision, I’m excited to push that sound forward and build bridges between Indian music and the rest of the world. New music coming soon.”
Adnan Sami is co-managed by Exceed Entertainment and Big Bad Wolf, while QARAN is exclusively represented by Big Bad Wolf.
With new releases from both artists already in development, Zee Music Company is turning up the volume on independent music—and signalling that the next big hits may arrive far beyond the film soundtrack.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
