From Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres to the upcoming Circus Maximus starring Travis Scott, the words “concerts,” “ticket queues,” and “wristbands” have been playing on repeat on everyone’s minds this year. Everyone seems to be having the time of their lives under cascading confetti, strobing neon lights and deafening beats. But this isn’t just about artists and album tours anymore.
The 1,600-2,000 crore estimated to have been generated in India by entertainment events in 2025 alone suggests something much greater. This is the effect of the rise of the “experience economy” among the Indian youth.
The experience economy refers to the overall shift in consumer behaviour from demanding products and services to desiring fulfilling, well-rounded experiences, especially in the music, entertainment, and travel and tourism sectors.
Feed On Fleek: Social Causes Of This Shift
With 52% of its population under the age of 30, Indian consumer behaviour is substantially impacted by forces like social media trends, globalisation of pop culture and even FOMO- the dreaded Fear Of Missing Out. All year round, the internet is flooded with announcements, clips, stories, vlogs and reviews from the latest live shows. From the desperate teenager trying to fit in to the lonely Millennials craving the joy of a shared experience, these concerts provide a perfect solution.
Furthermore, an increase in disposable income has enabled people to participate wholeheartedly in luxurious and enjoyable experiences, rather than solely focusing on necessities and basics.
Concert culture also provides multiple earning opportunities not only to key stakeholders, but also to the general public. Be it black marketing disguised as casual ticket resales or a swell in hospitality, management and catering gigs that these concerts bring, these lively events are no longer just splurge fests. Rather, they are an up-and-coming section of the economy, with tremendous capitalisation potential.
‘BUTTERFLY EFFECT’: Impact On Other Sectors
While videos from Lollapalooza and the NH7 Weekender fill our feeds, they empty our pockets. Unfortunately for some and fortunately for many, due to a rapid post-pandemic surge in concert mechanisms and infrastructure, India’s entertainment scene has some major gaps. Here are some opportunities arising out of this boom in the experience economy:
Ticketing Platforms: Amidst faulty box-office software and comically long digital queues arises an opportunity to build a seamless, user-friendly and appealing ticketing platform.
Organising and management: According to many concert-goers, the Indian concert scene is poorly managed and in serious need of better organisation and management, safer and accessible facilities and smoother functioning.
Branding: Pop culture events create supplementary demand for trending products, like fan merchandise and fan meets. Being a relatively new market and increasingly popular among the newer generations makes this a promising opportunity.
What does this mean for Indian artists?
Before the frenzy of Maroon 5 or Green Day, the concert scene in India was fairly restricted to niche events exclusively for native or Indie artists. While these weren’t the most profitable ventures, they were a means to share a true sense of love for music and community experiences, away from the anxiety of social media culture or peer pressure.
While both Indian and International superstars offer some opportunities and exposure to budding artists in terms of opening acts and collaborative performances, these are severely restricted in terms of frequency and audience response or appreciation.
For local artists, who cannot compete with mega-events sponsored and marketed by huge MNCs, a future in the live event industry remains highly uncertain.
– Renaisa Saratkar (Student)
