In 2021, Nykaa's IPO was subscribed over 80 times, and Zomato saw Rs 2,09,097 crore worth of bids, more than 40 times its initial offering. Investors weren’t just seeking profits — they wanted to associate with brands they were passionate about. Fast forward to 2024, and the frenzy for Coldplay tickets in Mumbai mirrors this phenomenon, with a staggering 1.3 crore people logging in to secure one of the 1.5 lakh available tickets.
Tickets priced between Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000 were resold for astronomical amounts, with some going for as high as Rs 9.6 lakh. Is India, now hailed as Brand Bharat, really this crazy about Coldplay ? Or is it the pent-up demand for live events post-pandemic?
The live event industry has never seen anything like this before, and BookMyShow agrees. In an exclusive interaction, Owen Roncon, Chief of Business - Live Events, BookMyShow, said, “We witnessed a landmark moment this week in India’s live entertainment history, as true fandom, overwhelming love, and incredible excitement took over BookMyShow for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. With 13 million (1.3 crore) fans eager to get tickets, emotions ran high.”
When Coldplay’s tickets went live on BookMyShow on September 22, fans were stunned by their queue numbers. Many were unable to secure tickets through official channels, leading to a flood of memes on social media. Outrage followed as tickets sold out within minutes, only to reappear on resale platforms at exorbitant prices—sometimes marked up by over 15 times.
The Reasons
On a broader scale, India's live events industry has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, driven by rising disposable incomes, a young population, and an increasing appetite for entertainment. Concerts, festivals, sporting events, and corporate events are seeing unprecedented demand.
According to Roncon, live entertainment, whether it is through music concerts and festivals, or any other performance acts, has become a mainstay in the social and cultural fabric of India and is certainly seeing a massive resurgence. In fact, over 45% of those who attend live music events on BookMyShow in 2024 are GenZ audiences looking for unique entertainment experiences.
There has been a pent-up consumer demand for live entertainment experiences in India and the desire to be a part of such compelling experiences has grown significantly with Indians willing to pay for a premium experience when it comes to leisure time.
“2023 saw demand for premium live entertainment surging an impressive 82% growth in specially curated global events compared to the previous year. This growth is mirrored by a 2.3x increase in BookMyShow Live’s consumer cohort of premium event-goers,” he added.
Scalping, infrastructure and regulatory hurdles
Challenges such as ticketing controversies, unregulated resale markets, infrastructure issues, and fluctuating audience interest require strategic solutions for sustained growth in the post-pandemic era.
Tickets for Coldplay’s 2025 show in Mumbai were resold at exorbitant prices, sparking outrage and legal scrutiny. The issue of ticket scalping and unregulated resale platforms continues to plague the industry.
To prevent this, BMS also released an official statement on their social handles mentioning they have no association with any ticket selling or reselling platforms like Viagogo and Gigberg.
Further, they said “The email confirmation received by ticket buyers from BookMyShow is a confirmation for your ticket purchase, and is NOT your actual ticket. Physical Tickets will be delivered to the delivery address mentioned while purchasing the ticket, closer to the show date. Tickets purchased from BookMyShow are the ONLY valid tickets.”
The platform also filed a complaint with the police authorities and will provide complete support to them in the investigation of this matter.
Another issue is, while large cities have world-class venues like Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium and Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, many smaller towns lack the necessary infrastructure to host major events. This limits the scope of events that can be held outside of metropolitan hubs.
On the flip side, people also seem ready to travel across states to attend a concert.
In 2023, 411,002 people travelled out of their hometowns to attend a live gig.
Multiple levels of regulatory oversight, from obtaining permissions to hosting public events to noise restrictions and tax compliances is another challenge as well.
The success of experiences like Lollapalooza India 2023 and 2024, Westlife’s Wild Dreams Tour - India, the Backstreet Boys’ DNA World Tour – India and Ed Sheeran’s record-breaking + - = ÷ x Tour, Deep Purple and Goo Goo Dolls at Bandland and others hosted in the country underscores India's viability as a music festival and concert destination, as per Roncon. These high-profile international acts have not only demonstrated the country’s capacity to host major events but have also generated significant excitement among fans, steadily building on consumption spending for entertainment and leisure.
What’s bringing global artists to India?
The growing response towards live entertainment in India reflects broader trends seen across Asia, as per the executive. Over the past few years, there has been a seismic shift in India's live entertainment landscape, with a resounding resurgence of real-life experiences peaking in 2022 and 2023.
He analysed that India has emerged as a highly attractive and compelling destination for both domestic and international acts, with a burgeoning appetite for live entertainment events in the country. This vibrant market is seeing enhanced offerings tailored to a large youthful and expanding fan base driving the popularity and scale of live events.”
Looking back at the previous year, Roncon mentioned in 2023 alone, about 13.5 million entertainment enthusiasts stepped out for live entertainment across over 26,000 events throughout the year, underscoring a significant shift towards high-quality curated experiences that cater to discerning audiences.
He said, “Anticipation for upcoming performances including Avenged Sevenfold and Extreme at Bandland 2024, and Green Day and Shawn Mendes at Lollapalooza India 2025 suggesting a sustained influx of international acts and continued growth in this sector.”
In conclusion, while the live events industry in India holds significant promise, stakeholders need to address challenges around infrastructure, ticketing regulations, and safety to sustain this growth. The industry is likely to continue evolving with the adoption of technology and more streamlined event management practices.
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