Thursday, 26 December 2024
Thursday, 26 December 2024
The year 2024 has been a landmark for India’s live music scene, with tickets selling out in minutes and fans willing to shell out as much as Rs 30,000 for the in-concert experience, paving the way for more foreign performers on Indian soil. The boom, however, has exposed India’s lack of infrastructure for live music performances, drawing attention to the need for dedicated music concert venues.
Global superstars like Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Bryan Adams and Dua Lipa have taken the stage alongside India’s own Punjabi sensation Diljit Dosanjh this year. From Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour selling out its first two India shows in minutes to Ed Sheeran’s seven-city tour in India, the momentum seems set to continue in 2025.
Indians are shelling out money for concerts
Ticket sales for major events reflect the enthusiasm of Indian audiences. Coldplay’s upcoming concerts at Mumbai and Ahmedabad have ticket prices ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000. Similar trends have been seen for Maroon 5 and Diljit Dosanjh concerts, where ticket prices have soared as high as Rs 16,000.
Ticket aggregator portal BookMyShow’s 2024 year-end report paints a promising picture for India’s live entertainment sector. With 30,687 live events hosted across 319 cities, the platform reported an 18 per cent growth in live entertainment consumption.
Music lovers are not just attending concerts in their hometowns — they are traveling far and wide to experience live performances, with 4.77 lakh fans journeying to other cities this year alone to attend shows.
A sour note: Infrastructure challenges
Amid the euphoria, the rapid growth of the concert industry has exposed glaring inadequacies in India’s event infrastructure. Concert-goers have frequently reported mismanagement and a lack of basic facilities.
Entrepreneur Sheldon Aranjo’s LinkedIn post about his ordeal at Bryan Adams’s concert — where only three toilets were available for over 1,000 attendees — went viral, sparking outrage. “I paid to pee (in my pants),” he wrote.
Aranjo’s sentiments were echoed by entrepreneur Chirag Puri, who described chaotic crowd management and failed transaction systems that left families unable to access food and beverages.
Artistes themselves have highlighted the inadequate infrastructure for live concerts. During his Chandigarh concert, Diljit Dosanjh candidly addressed the lack of infrastructure for live shows in India. “This is a source of big revenue; many people get work here. But we don’t have the right infrastructure for concerts,” he told his audience, vowing not to perform in the country again until proper venues were developed.
The root of the problem
India lacks dedicated venues designed for live performances, forcing organisers to repurpose sports stadiums and open grounds for concerts. These spaces, while large enough to accommodate crowds, are ill-equipped to handle the unique demands of music events. From inadequate washrooms to poor acoustics and improper seating arrangements, these venues fail to meet international standards.
The situation is further exacerbated by the sheer scale of audiences. Coldplay’s Ahmedabad concerts are expected to host over 1,00,000 attendees per show, raising concerns about crowd management and safety.
As India solidifies its position as a global hotspot for live music, addressing these challenges will determine whether the country’s concert culture continues to soar or falls flat.
