Latest news with #Koza
Mint
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Streaming gives indie musicians a boost
Bhanuj Kappal The streaming wars have opened up new avenues for music that might not have found expression in mainstream cinema and pop. Homegrown indie musicians are reaping the benefits Composer and singer Tarana Marwah Gift this article For years, Moko Koza has reigned as the biggest star of Nagaland's nascent rap scene. The Kohima-born multilingual rapper—he makes music in English as well as Nagamese and local dialects—is a household name in the tiny state, thanks to his pioneering fusion of Naga folk and hip-hop. But, like many artists from the nation's periphery, he struggled to make a dent in the Indian mainstream. For years, Moko Koza has reigned as the biggest star of Nagaland's nascent rap scene. The Kohima-born multilingual rapper—he makes music in English as well as Nagamese and local dialects—is a household name in the tiny state, thanks to his pioneering fusion of Naga folk and hip-hop. But, like many artists from the nation's periphery, he struggled to make a dent in the Indian mainstream. Then Aladdin—a song he first released in 2020—was picked to soundtrack a scene in season 2 of Amazon Prime Video's neo-noir crime-thriller Paatal Lok. His streaming numbers suddenly shot up. Fans of the show flooded the song's YouTube comment section, posting endless variations of 'came here from Paatal Lok." Now he's in talks with the production team for a different hit Prime Video action-drama, who also want to feature his music in their upcoming season. Also read: Is the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar worth its price tag? 'For an artist coming from a small place like Nagaland, who doesn't make music in Hindi, it's really hard to get my music out there," says Koza. 'So this (song placement) was a huge boost, and a great opportunity to introduce my music to a whole new national audience." Video may have killed the radio star, as The Buggles' song goes. But for artists like Koza, the rise of video streaming means new opportunities—to get their music noticed, find new audiences and, crucially, new revenue streams. Streamers like Netflix, Amazon, JioHotstar and a bevy of local competitors have become vehicles for music discovery, with the power to propel artists to the top of the charts. Amit Gurbaxani, co-founder of the Indian Music Charts podcast, points out that of the seven songs to reach No.1 on Spotify in 2025, two have come from streaming soundtracks—Raanjhan (from Netflix film Do Patti), and Ishq Hai (from the third season of Netflix series Mismatched). In contrast, only one came from a Bollywood soundtrack. And that was the title track of 2016 film Sanam Teri Kasam, which was re-released in theatres this February. 'The rise of OTT (over-the-top) platforms has opened new avenues for Indian music creators, publishers, and independent artists, to reach diverse and global audiences," says Rakesh Nigam, CEO of the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS). 'Sync licensing (the use of pre-existing music in visual media), once a niche space, has now become both a powerful discovery tool and a significant revenue stream. This shift is not just changing how music is used—it's reshaping how it is valued in the broader creative economy." At the most basic level, it's a question of supply and demand. The streaming wars have led to an explosion of new video content in India. According to consulting firm Ormax Media, there were 315 new original streaming titles launched in India last year, with 78% of them being multi-episode series. All these titles add up to a voracious appetite for music, in the form of theme songs, background scores, diegetic music and music for promotional trailers. Sheer demand alone has led these streamers to look beyond established music directors, opening doors for indie and indie-adjacent composers like Komorebi, Achint Thakkar and OAFF and Savera, who have carved out a successful niche for themselves composing for OTT soundtracks and background scores. Equally important, though, is the creative freedom on offer. In the traditional film industry, soundtracks are often viewed as marketing tools first and foremost. There's incredible pressure to create 'hit songs", because that's still one of the best ways to fill seats in the cinema. The incentives are a little different for streaming soundtracks—songs don't always have to be big spectacles, and music is more deeply embedded in the narrative. 'The focus (for OTTs) is fundamentally story-first rather than being solely commercially driven, which truly allows for greater experimentation," says lyricist Raj Shekhar, who penned the words for Anurag Saikia-composed Ishq Hai, probably the biggest streaming soundtrack success yet with over 159 million streams on Spotify. 'There's also a wonderfully collaborative environment where lyricists like myself have greater input in shaping the musical direction." 'As we are exploring newer kinds of stories to tell, we are also exploring newer kinds of sounds and music as well," adds Sudip Sharma, creator, writer and executive producer of Paatal Lok and Kohrra. Both shows have been celebrated for their innovative use of music, complementing Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor's background scores with the clever use of synced tracks by indie artists such as Prabh Deep and Moko Koza, and label-signed Punjabi rapper Wazir Patar. 'At the end of season one, we had a Prahlad Tipanya bhajan that we ended the show on," he continues. 'So, the various influences and eclectic sounds that exist in India and beyond are all at our disposal, because we're no longer sticking to the idea of how a Bollywood song is supposed to sound." Moko Koza. Image via the artist's Facebook page For young musicians and composers, this means that there's suddenly a whole new way to get your music heard by a huge, diverse audience. Thanks to services like Shazam and Tunefind, someone can hear a track on a Netflix show and find the artist on Spotify, even before the track stops playing on-screen. 'When I independently released my first song in 2024, I was so excited when it hit 100,000 streams in 24 hours," says Ruuh, one half of sibling composer duo Ruuh & Joh, whose credits include songs for Mismatched and Call Me Bae. 'And now we have a song on The Royals called Tu Tu Hai Wahi and we're doing an average of 100,000 streams every day. That's crazy." For indie musicians, this attention can also translate to more ears for their non-soundtrack music, as new fans dig into their older work. Koza noticed a significant spike in his overall streaming numbers soon after his song was used in Paatal Lok. Ankur Tewari—a well-known music supervisor, musician and co-founder of Tiger Baby Records—says that after two of his songs with his band The Ghalat Family were used in Netflix series Kota Factory, he was discovered by a whole new fanbase. 'My indie stuff is definitely more weird and out there, but I think my background score work is a great entry point for new people to come into my world," adds composer and singer Tarana Marwah, who makes sci-fi inspired electronic music as Komorebi, and has created music for Netflix shows Made in Heaven and Dabba Cartel. 'I've even started using (the name) Komorebi for my OTT work, because I feel I can marry these two identities. After all, it's all coming from the same creative source." For Tewari, the most important—and perhaps most subtle—change brought about by the OTT boom is changing attitudes towards the use of previously recorded music (or sync). Unlike in Western film and television, where sync has long been the norm, Bollywood has traditionally hired composers to create film music as work-for-hire, where the studio or production house owns all the rights to the soundtrack. Each big production house or studio will farm the work out to a small group of preferred composers or music directors, who deliver the music in exchange for a lump-sum payment. Now that's changing, albeit slowly. 'It's been a norm in the music industry to own rights to songs that you'll probably never even use again, because that's just the way things were done," says Tewari. But streaming platforms—particularly global ones like Netflix and Amazon—are much more open to licensing pre-existing music, which opens up significant monetisation pathways for musicians who manage to hold on to their masters and publishing rights. 'If there are opportunities to exploit these rights, then it makes a little more sense to be an independent musician and not sign to a label right now." Indian film-makers have used sync before—particularly in the advertising industry—but streaming platforms have invested in making the process a lot more streamlined. Sharma points to the music teams at Netflix and Amazon, who not only help market the music, but also have specialists to help creators like him reach out to artists and navigate the legal labyrinth of rights acquisitions. Netflix has even organised workshops in order to help the small but growing tribe of Indian music supervisors—as opposed to music directors—learn global best practices. Wazir Patar. Image via the artist's Facebook page 'We're deeply invested in nurturing the broader ecosystem through initiatives like our music supervision workshop in collaboration with Berklee College of Music and Academy Award–winner John Warhurst, and a music supervision workshop in the south," says Monika Shergill, vice-president of content at Netflix India. 'These efforts have helped deepen and diversify our musical culture, creating sustainable pathways for emerging artists with access to resources, collaborators, and global exposure." A thoughtful, well-placed sync can catapult a little-known act to stardom, or breathe new life into an old classic. Take, for example, Kate Bush's 1985 song Running up that Hill, which saw a 9,900% uptick in US Spotify streams after being featured in an episode of Netflix's Stranger Things, reaching No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 37 years after its release. 'I've placed songs that had a 100 views on YouTube that, after sync, suddenly had hundreds of thousands or even millions of views," says Alick Sethi, a Hungary-based music supervisor who works with emerging markets, and most recently worked on the soundtrack and score for Netflix documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous. 'Especially for independent musicians, it can be really helpful, leading to tours, distribution deals or even labels signing them up." But Sethi warns that India still has a long way to go before it has a truly mature sync ecosystem. Production houses working on OTT content still prefer to commission new music rather than license songs, because they have pre-existing relationships with composers. Legacy labels jealously guard their intellectual property, quoting outrageous sums for the right to use their music in a new show or movie. And then there's just the inertia of 'this is how things are done." Things are moving in the right direction though, and stakeholders like Tewari and Sethi are optimistic that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Music publishers are increasingly getting more organised in how they pitch music for sync to production houses and music supervisors. Organisations like the IPRS are working to make the collection of royalties and licensing income easier and more streamlined. Gaurav Dagaonkar, CEO and co-founder of music licensing marketplace Hoopr, expects the sync market for Indian independent artists to triple in the next two years. The sync revolution won't happen overnight—but it's gaining steam. With growing support from platforms, publishers and tech-savvy musicians, India's OTT landscape is slowly enabling a new paradigm for music in film and television—one that values experimentation, collaboration, and creator ownership as much as catchy hooks and ticket-selling hits. If it all goes well, the next Kate Bush moment might not come from the West, but from a remote studio in Kohima, or a bedroom producer in Bhopal. Bhanuj Kappal is a Mumbai-based writer. Also read: How music discovery became predictable Topics You May Be Interested In
New York Post
05-06-2025
- New York Post
Teen lovers arrested in shocking murder of 67-year-old Maryland business owner, whose body was found in torched car
Two teenage lovers are accused of murdering a Maryland business owner and possibly burning him alive in his own car in a crime that shocked their small town last month, according to reports. Jonah Poole and Kylee Dakes — 18-year-old high school seniors who are dating — were arrested in Harwood Saturday, a week after the body of Poole's one-time boss Edward Koza's body was found in the flaming remains of his pickup truck outside his gardening supply store. The 67-year-old had been violently beaten over the head and his hands and mouth had been bound and taped, investigators discovered after dousing the flames. Cops believe Koza was assaulted while inside the store, Tropic Bay Water Gardens — where Poole worked briefly a year ago, according to Fox 45 — before the pair forced him into the back of his pickup. Advertisement 3 Kylee Dakes and Jonah Poole, both 18, were arrested Saturday for the brutal May murder of Koza Investigators also found a discarded Bass Pro Shops hat at the scene, and after canvassing surveillance footage from nearby businesses, got a hit when they saw Poole wearing a similar cap at a nearby gas station and driving Koza's truck. Poole was with his girlfriend Dakes at the station the evening of the murder, footage showed, and the two were seen smiling as they bought gasoline police believe was used to torch the car. Advertisement And Koza — possibly alive — was in the back of the truck the whole time, according to police. The couple then returned to Tropic Bay and allegedly torched the truck, fleeing in a red Lincoln while the flames still burned, according to Fox 5. 3 Edward Koza, 67, was found dead in his torched car x/AACOPD 3 Koza's store, Tropic Bay Water Gardens, where his body was found in his torched pickup truck out front fox5dc Advertisement 'Caller reported it looked like someone threw something into the truck before it caught fire,' an emergency dispatcher said after a witness called in the fire to 911. Cell phone records also place Poole at the scene of the crime, and leaving just after. Exactly what motivated the teens to allegedly kill remains unclear, but Poole is also facing charges for a burglary at a nearby restaurant that happened just a week before Koza's murder. Advertisement 'It's shocking. I can't believe any 18-year-old could do such a thing,' a neighbor of Koza's told CBS News. 'Eighteen years old, just graduated high school? It just makes no sense.' Poole and Dakes are both charged with first-degree murder, arson, and assault. 'Sad for them that they ruined their lives,' a Harwood resident told Fox 45. 'But I think they deserve what they get and hopefully they get the maximum.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teen couple accused of trapping Maryland man inside his own car, lighting it on fire
The Brief A teen couple has been charged with murder after 67-year-old Edward Koza was found bound and killed in a burning truck outside his Davidsonville garden store. A Bass Pro Shops hat left at the scene and surveillance footage from a gas station and store helped police identify 18-year-olds Jonah Poole and Kylee Dakes. Investigators believe the suspects attacked Koza, drove around in his truck to buy gas, then returned to set the vehicle on fire. ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. - After police found a person dead in a burning car in front of a small business, investigators say a Bass Pro Shops baseball cap left at the scene led them to two suspects – a teen couple. What we know On Saturday, May 24, Anne Arundel County authorities responded to the Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland, in response to a pickup truck on fire in the parking lot. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the remains of a person in the back seat of the vehicle. Officials believe the victim to be 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, owner of the Tropic Bay Water Gardens – and the car he was killed in. Investigators found that Koza's hands and arms were bound with tape and his mouth taped over. Koza also suffered blunt force trauma to his head, according to the autopsy. His death has been ruled a homicide. Officials say there was a smell of gasoline from the burning car and the victim, and the melted spout for a plastic fuel container was found in the backseat. They also found a Bass Pro Shop baseball hat on the ground near Koza's car – which investigators say appeared to be new. Inside the shop, which sells supplies for gardens and garden ponds, investigators found signs of a struggle, with things knocked over and broken. Jonah Michael Poole and Kylee Alyssa Dakes — both 18 years old — are charged with first-degree murder, assault, and arson. Detectives say they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Timeline Investigators say that Koza would operate in the store from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., but would remain at the store after closing. They believe that on the evening of May 24, Koza was alone in the store by himself from 5:00 p.m. until he was attacked in the store. Police say this surveillance video from a Davidsonville gas station not far from the murder scene helped them track down the alleged killers. Surveillance video from a BP Gas Station on West Central Avenue in Davidson captured Koza's vehicle around 9 p.m. The car was seen pulling into the lot, and a woman exited from the passenger seat and walked into the store. The driver appeared to be a man wearing a flannel shirt and a "Bass Pro" baseball hat, per officials. Detectives were able to identify the man and woman in the video as Kylee Alyssa Dakes and her boyfriend, Jonah Michael Poole. Investigators believe that Dakes and Poole attacked Koza around 5:30 p.m. before putting him into the backseat of his truck and drove around, likely to the BP Station to purchase gasoline which may have been used to start the fire. The couple then returned to the Tropic Bay parking lot, set the vehicle on fire with Koza in the rear passenger seat and then fled the scene in their red Lincoln. The red Lincoln was captured on surveillance video earlier in the day on May 24 near Arundel Mills Mall. Video from the mall surveillance captured the red Lincoln pulling up and parking in the Bass Pro parking lot. Poole and Dakes exited the car and walked into the Bass Pro Shop until around 2:30 p.m. Video from inside the store shows Poole selecting several flannel shirts and a Bass Pro Shop baseball cap and purchase the clothing. Jonah Poole, 18, and Kylee Dakes, 18, are seniors at Southern High School in Anne Arundel County. They have been charged with First and Second Degree Murder, First and Second Degree Assault, Conspiracy to Commit First and Second Degree Murder, and Arson. Poole is also charged in the burglary of the popular Pirates Cove restaurant in Anne Arundel County — a week before the break-in and murder at Tropic Bay Water Gardens. What we don't know The cause of death and motive in Koza's death remain under investigation. "We just don't know the motive right now, so we're still looking into that. We're trying to ascertain exactly what led up to this — why they were there in the area, there at this business. We know there was evidence of a struggle inside of the business and ultimately surveillance footage shows suspects in the area. Based on the totality of the circumstances of our investigation, we feel very strongly that they are responsible for the murder of the victim, Mr. Koza, in this case," said Justin Mulcahy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. The Source Information in this story comes from court documents from Anne Arundel County..
Fashion Value Chain
07-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Fashion Value Chain
Elegant Mother's Day Gifts to Brighten Her Living Space
Mother's Day is the perfect time to honor the woman who has given you everything — and what better way to do so than with a gift that adds beauty and warmth to her everyday surroundings? This year, go beyond the usual with thoughtfully designed home accents that reflect her style and your love. Here's a curated selection of elegant, functional, and meaningful gifts that will help her refresh her space while keeping you close to heart: Yellow Cotton Printed Table Runner – ₹599 Crafted using traditional wooden block printing techniques, this soft cotton runner brings timeless artistry to the dining table. Its refined, hand-done patterns offer an understated elegance ideal for both everyday meals and festive gatherings. A charming and practical gift for the mom who appreciates handmade heritage. Green Cotton Wabisabi Printed Cushion – ₹1,799 Gift her comfort and style with this handcrafted cotton cushion. Perfect as a floor cushion or for casual lounging, it adds a cozy, lived-in warmth to any room. Its unique wabisabi design celebrates simplicity and natural textures, blending ease with aesthetics. Multi Cotton Blend Kalamkari Dhurrie – ₹1,099 Infuse her home with cultural vibrance through this Kalamkari-inspired dhurrie. Adorned with bold, nature-inspired motifs, it's a celebration of Andhra Pradesh's rich artistic tradition. Crafted with natural dyes and hand techniques, it's a beautiful blend of artistry and everyday functionality. Koza Wall Mirror – ₹9,999 Elevate her interior with this sophisticated full wall mirror, framed in aluminium and MDF with a stunning antique brass finish. Its sleek design enhances modern interiors while adding depth, light, and charm to any space she holds dear. Brass Paradhi Metal Floor Lamp – ₹2,500 A fusion of form and function, this minimalist floor lamp radiates warm ambient light, ideal for reading nooks or cozy corners. With its classic brass finish and streamlined shape, it's a versatile, long-lasting piece that reflects both style and sentiment. These elegant picks are more than gifts—they're expressions of love, carefully chosen to make her feel seen, celebrated, and cherished in every corner of her home.
