India’s live music industry is thriving in a pivotal, post-pandemic boom as fans are flocking in droves to witness internationally acclaimed artistes make concert history after years of being stuck in Covid-induced isolation.
In the last two years, the arrival of Post Malone, Imagine Dragons, Rema and even the Backstreet Boys has energised India’s live music scene as organisers have constantly booked a steady stream of sold-out shows.
And in the lull brought about by social distancing, Indian music enthusiasts are now experiencing – with renewed vigour – the thrill of jam-packed venues and mosh pits much more than ever before.
Even though mega music stars like Taylor Swift, Beyonce and The Weeknd enjoy a massive following in India, the country’s Swifties are yet to see the sequinned sparkle of an Eras show, while Bey Hives await the bombastic disco-influenced pop of a Renaissance tour and Abel Tesfaye fans, a Tedros-inspired After Hours Dawn FM experience.
But with the increase in appetite for live music and some very promising numbers, things seem to be quickly changing for good.
According to an end-of-year report from BookMyShow – India’s biggest ticketing platform – about “eight million entertainment enthusiasts stepped out for live entertainment from across 19,000 plus events in 2022”.
Furthermore, “about 600,000 people chose to go for events by themselves, showing the growing affinity towards live entertainment”, it said. The report also threw light on the growth in transactions for on-ground events in tier-two and tier-three markets which saw a rise of 59 per cent for these experiences.
Specifically on music, BookMyShow’s chief of the live entertainment business, Owen Roncon, tells The Independent he has observed audiences “scale across the platform’s live music events through the past five to seven years”.
What’s the proof?
To begin with, events like Post Malone’s India debut at the Feeding India Concert last year had over 20,000 people attending, while the multi-genre Lollapalooza India event in January had a mammoth 60,000-plus crowd of festival goers.
The Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour had a massive 25,000-strong crowd of fans brim their Mumbai and Delhi shows to full capacity.
Imagine Dragons at Lollapalooza India— (Lollapalooza India)
“Given how far this country has come in making its mark as a powerhouse market for music internationally and domestically, it’s no surprise that there has been a noticeable rise in international acts being programmed,” says Aaryaman Trivedi, assistant manager of creativity and content at Rolling Stone India.
It’s worth noting that an accumulation of many different factors has come together to engineer the kind of growing response to live music shows in India.
According to Billboard, the nation remains the single market that has contributed the most to Spotify’s global growth over the last year.
“[Streaming activity] makes India an extremely important and lucrative market for live entertainment and music and is thus becoming a focus region for international artistes and performers as they sharpen their performances and game to cater to large swathes of young and growing fans here,” says Roncon.
The industry head also highlights how young pop music acts are gaining popularity in India through music streaming platforms, causing a massive demand for live performances.
This was witnessed by K-pop singer Jackson Wang, Chelsea Cutler, Cigarettes After Sex, Imagine Dragons, Diplo, The Wombats, Greta van Fleet and more performing to massive, screaming audiences at India’s first Lollapalooza.
The Backstreet Boys perform on their DNA World Tour in Mumbai— (BookMyShow)
With a wide array of global artistes coming to India, Roncon says BookMyShow “has observed an increase in first-time transactions”.
He says 23 per cent of the total registrations for Lollapalooza India had come to the platform for the first time, igniting consumer interest to engage and experience the best of international and homegrown music.
Another factor that now plays a huge role in India’s live music scene is the country’s “ever-evolving infrastructure for concerts and festivals”, says Roncon.
Unlike before, the south Asian country is now home to venues like the Jio World Garden, that has an area spanning 13,000 square metres, and Mumbai’s NSCI Dome.
“Indian festival goers have emerged hungry for live entertainment,” Trivedi tells The Independent.
“And the industry provided what they wanted – the combination of sponsorship revenue and ticket sales has worked wonders for booking agents, promoters, festival organisers and artiste managers.”
The live music vertical has been the fastest-growing category contributing to 25 per cent of BookMyShow’s revenue, and 15 per cent of total ticket sales since the weaning of the pandemic.
In fact, “both the number of music events hosted and number of tickets sold for music shows have already touched 80 per cent of the 2022 music events roster, within less than six months of 2023 on BookMyShow”.
Diplo performs at Lollapalooza India in Mumbai— (Lollapalooza India)
Roncon says the pandemic has definitely “triggered certain sensory patterns with Indians” like in most global markets, “seeking more connection and community experiences, causing us to want to come out and enjoy life more substantially”.
This is certainly true with live entertainment and specifically the country’s live music scene.
Aniket Rajgarhia, senior manager at music rights management company Outdustry, tells The Independent that it’s a great time to be a music fan in India.
In the coming months, India will see the return of 50 Cent, who is scheduled to perform in the country after 15 years.
Comedian Trevor Noah is also set to make his India debut in September, paving the way for another form of live entertainment to thrive.
Fans are also excited about homegrown music festivals like the Bacardi NH7 Weekender and Vh1 Supersonic, which saw artists like JID, Tyga and The Lumineers as headliners last year.
