How 2024 was a bright spot in India’s concert music scene | Read long messages

Dua Lipa performs at the Zomato Feeding India Concert (ZFIC) in Mumbai. (Image credit: By special arrangement)

“Attendance at big-ticket concerts in India, such as artists such as Dua Lipa, Bryan Adams and Diljit Dosanjh, was significant, attracting over 30,000 concertgoers, filling stadiums and arenas to capacity,” a Zomato Live spokesperson said , a live entertainment platform, told The Indian Express.

Diljit Dosanjh performs at a concert in Chandigarh. (Image credit: By special arrangement)

While cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are at the forefront of India’s emerging live music scene, demand also extends to Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Indore and Goa.

“This growing demand is reflected in the fact that over 50 percent of ticket buyers for the Zomato Feeding India concert with Dua Lipa (in November) were from cities outside Mumbai,” the spokesperson added.

Analysts believe India is a hotspot for international artists due to its more than one billion population, diverse musical tastes, growing appetite for live entertainment and rising disposable income. According to Schubert Fernandes, a Mumbai-based publicist and consultant for indie artists, this concert boom was inevitable and would have happened sooner without the pandemic.

“An iconic and legendary band like U2 finally coming to India (in December 2019) would have opened doors for everyone else, but then COVID happened. “Last year, everything really opened up for the country and that was also when Lollapalooza India (music festival) came to India, which put the country in a different league globally as it is arguably one of the top five concert franchises in the world.” he said.

But it’s not just the big names, but also mid-range acts that suit Indian musical tastes.

“For example, Karnivool, an Australian band, fills very small clubs in their homeland, but the appetite for their music in India is incredible. Even niche acts like Animals as Leaders are surprised by the number of fans here,” said Yama Seth, head of talent at Level House – a management agency of Gurugram-based ticketing platform SkillBox.

Another factor that could have complemented the concert program in India is the improved production standards in India. Anil Makhija, COO of live entertainment and venues at BookMyShow, cites the example of India’s first all-black steel VerTech stage, which was used at the Maroon 5 concert at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai earlier this month. It has been designed with a loading capacity of 50 tonnes – significantly more than the typical 15-tonne capacity of most Indian platforms.

Maroon 5 makes its India debut. (Image credit: By special arrangement)

“This upgrade meets the production needs of high-profile international artists who require advanced setups for their high-energy performances,” he said. “Infrastructure investments coupled with evolving audience preferences are cementing India’s position on the global entertainment map.”

He also credits digital platforms with enabling Indian audiences to enjoy diverse music and live entertainment. “In fact, India is the second largest audio streaming market for many global artists. This effectively leads to increased local demand for concerts by these artists,” he said.

Experts also believe there is a shift in social currency too, with attending high-profile events now seen as a sign of cultural engagement – ​​particularly among the younger demographic. An example of this is the willingness of Indian audiences to spend money on “live entertainment and immersive experiences”.

“A lot of entertainment spending has shifted from films to live experiences. Now people even plan vacations around concerts,” says Seth.

But it’s not just music festivals in India – from Sunburn Goa to other niche festivals like Mahindra Blues Festival, Percussion Fest and Magnetic Fields – that are gaining traction. There is also a noticeable trend towards intimate performances in smaller venues, helping to create a close connection between artists and audience.

“For example, Shan Vincent de Paul (a Tamil-Canadian artist), who came to India for the first time in 2020 and performed at VH1 Supersonic during his debut tour, returned and performed at The Piano Man in Delhi and Bonobo as part of his new tour Bandra on “IP (Intellectual Property), Big Artist Small Room,” said Rani Kaur, who works with emerging and established indie artists.

The audience for concerts is also diverse, ranging from Generation Z and Millennials to Generation X. For example, it was Generation X who flocked to Bryan Adams’ concerts earlier this month. “Then there are casual listeners who attend festivals for social experiences and corporate attendees who use concerts as a networking opportunity,” Kaur said.

A long road lies ahead of us

During his Dil Luminati concert at the Sector-34 exhibition ground in Chandigarh on December 14, Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh highlighted a significant problem in holding large concerts in India – the lack of proper infrastructure.

“Here we have no infrastructure for live shows,” he told his audience in Punjabi. “This is a big source of income; Many people find work and can work here. Next time I’ll try to place the stage in the middle so you can be close. Until that happens, I definitely won’t do any shows in India.”

Dosanjh’s comments, coupled with a LinkedIn post about how a concertgoer – a seasoned media and entertainment professional who is diabetic – “peed his pants” because of inadequate sanitation, sparked a debate about the need for live entertainment in India Venues designed for performances are lacking, leading organizers to use spaces originally built for other purposes, such as sports stadiums.

This is particularly important given the distances people travel to attend concerts. Data from BookMyShow shows that in 2024, 4.77 lakh fans traveled outside their cities to attend live music events.

“Venues are a challenge,” admitted Fernandes. “Today we see high profile artists performing in clubs that can only accommodate 100 to 400 standing guests because there is no suitable venue. At music festivals, international artists are expressing interest in performing in other cities, but venues remain a major hurdle.”

Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers at Lollapalooza India 2024. (Image credit: By special arrangement)

Concerts around the world are seen as an integral part of stimulating the economy and are often sought after. In March this year, Singapore became the only Southeast Asian country to host Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concerts, reportedly generating between $260 million and $375 million in tourism revenue.

Fernandes also believes that concerts in India have enormous economic potential – provided the infrastructure keeps up. He cited the example of how Congress MP and Trinamool spokesperson Saket Gokhale took to social media in November after attending the Musicathon festival in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, to ask musicians how governments could support their art. Gokhale had also promised to take up the issue in Parliament.

Asked what the government can do, Fernandes said: “Build bigger infrastructure to host such concerts. Secondly, the government should be a little more encouraging in terms of permits.”