The concert economy of India is expected to reach record rates in 2025. With just the Coldplay run of concerts in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, there was an influx of a metropolitan population from tier-1 and tier-2 cities which had never been seen before. Going global is one thing, India had surpassed that with the record-breaking attendance of 223,000 fans between two shows. Tickets were averaged at Rs 15,000, if not sold in the black market. Is this the big promise of the concert economy artists have been waiting for?
Let’s follow the breadcrumbs. Just listing global scale performances- we have in the past year:
- Karan Aujla
- Diljit Dosanjh
- Badshaah
- Coldplay
- Ed Sheeran
- Honey Singh
With Eminem confirmed in June of 2025, the global appeal is obviously real. India is the second-largest English-speaking population in the world. Urban kids have grown up with this music, and now they get to live that nostalgia. They are also the population that is in the sweet earning bracket now-so sales are guaranteed. What about the FOMO factor?
With social media, FOMO is real
It’s all in how you frame the story. Imagine an artist who can put on a show that makes you laugh, cry and be enveloped with your loved ones and lights. That’s an experience. Before Coldplay decided on the India tour, their shows from around the globe were already viral. It was THE place to be at, and had been buzzed into oblivion with earned media. And like moths to a light…
Structuring the FOMO creates the demand. Then comes the capacity. Each of these stadiums can occupy only a set amount of crowd, and we tend to cross it. Just by being India, we tend to cross a lot of breaches of population. So you have limited supply, excess demand. Do the maths.
The indie live music scene
Trust me, I am not complaining. This is a floodgate opening-the live music scene is making people crave live musical experiences. In a conversation with TNM, organiser Sumesh Lal said, “A lot has changed in the last decade. Even though we do not see shows selling the way Coldplay did, we get good turnouts for independent musicians.” Lal is known for hosting the famous Music Mojo platform on Kappa TV and the Indiegaga festivals in Kerala.
For an independent musician, a gig would be a secondary source of income. This is not situational, but becomes so because performing and composing alone is not a sustainable financial route. Recording a song, production and mastering is a huge chunk of money. Touring becomes expensive as well, physical copies of the music and merch are the only other influxes. How does an indie musician earn?
Most indie musicians need to have something to fall back on – such as teaching music or playing for sessions– to sustain themselves financially,” Khalid says, the founding vocalist of Kashmiri/Urdu band Parvaaz. If more audience members attended live concerts, it would be a great game changer overall.
The money in the cycle hence exists. It has been marketed well for megastars and stadium fillers, but the same needs to apply for local acts. Thankfully, there is a steady stream of fans who attend shows and keep the circuit running well. This is a tradition that we need to continue in India, which happens to be a great amalgamation of several styles of music.
What can you do to help independent musicians?
Well, this bit is not limited to any specific part of the world. The best way to support musicians is to support the music they make. That means streaming it on Spotify, Bandcamp, and buying physical copies of their music as well. You must remember, streaming giants like Spotify have a pathetic return on streams, so go the extra step if you really like an artists work.
Then comes gigs. Experiencing these musicians live is a whole other joy. The effort gone into master their art is a sight and experience to behold. Checking their tours across the nation and globally if possible-book tickets and watch them do what they love. It is a shared, beautiful experience that maybe lasts only in this realm.
Buy their merch. Making it was difficult in itself, but if you’re able to buy some of their t-shirts, badges, whatever it might be-it helps them a lot. Debut artist or seasoned, the journey is the same in music, and we can all do our part. To know more about gigs, follow local venues and your favourite bands on social media. You’ll know when wheels are up, and where you can watch them next.
In India, BMS, Skillbox and District are hubs to check out live events. Make sure you check these on weekends on browse through them when you have the Monday Blues. Let’s bring life back to independent music-and throng them by the thousands, one fan at a time!
Check out our playlists here!
Check out our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
