Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for development of ‘concert economy’

February 10, 2025

The success of Coldplay’s recent tour dates in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad has prompted the nation’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call for greater investment in infrastructure and skill development to drive a “concert economy”.

Following the British rock band having set concert attendance record with 223,000 fans attending the four sold out shows last month, Prime Minister Modi spoke of the immense possibilities of concert economy.

Urging states and investors to develop infrastructure for live music, Prime Minister Modi stated “you must've seen pictures of Coldplay.

"Big artistes from around the world are attracted to India. I expect the state and the private sector to focus on developing necessary infrastructure and skills for the concert economy.”

Highlighting that India has significant potential for ‘conference tourism’, Prime Minister Modi said venues like Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi in Delhi were becoming major centres, noting “a country that has such a rich heritage of music, dance and storytelling and a huge pool of youngsters who are big consumers of concerts, there are many possibilities in the concert economy.

“You have witnessed that in the last 10 years, the demand and trend for live events have increased.”

The Concert Economy
The concert economy refers to the growing financial ecosystem surrounding live music events. With a significant shift from physical album sales to live performances, the concert economy is projected to reach US$31 billion globally by 2026, driven by increasing demand for live experiences and the rise of music festivals.

The recent Coldplay 'Music Of The Spheres World Tour' concert series in India, which took place in Mumbai on 18th and 19th January and Ahmedabad on 25th and 26th January saw a record crowd of 134,000 attendees to the Ahmedabad, making it the largest stadium concert in India to date.

Images: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (top, credit: Shutterstock) and Coldplay on stage in Mumbai last month (below, credit: Satyendra Thorat).

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