What Is Holding Back India’s Next Phase Of Live-Music Growth?

India’s live-music economy has moved well beyond being concentrated around a handful of metro cities and large-format concerts. From international artists and stadium shows to arena performances and growing demand in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, the appetite for live experiences is expanding. Yet, the industry’s next phase of growth may depend less on audience demand and more on whether the country can build the infrastructure and economics needed to sustain it.

For Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, one of the key changes has been in the approvals ecosystem. Reflecting on Sunburn’s journey of building large-format EDM festivals and shows in India, Singh says the process was once marked by fragmented approvals and different authorities working across varying timelines.

“When we began building large-format EDM festivals and shows in India nearly two decades ago, the approvals ecosystem was fragmented, with multiple authorities operating on different timelines and frameworks,” he says.

Singh points to the Government of Maharashtra’s move towards a single-window clearance system as a positive development, particularly for large-scale events where permissions can directly affect production planning and timelines.

“For events at scale, approvals play an important role in shaping timelines, production planning and the ability to deliver seamless experiences. It also brings greater predictability to the ecosystem,” he adds.

According to Singh, greater predictability can also influence how organisers approach artist commitments and investment in production quality. “For organisers, this supports stronger long-term planning, better artist commitments and the confidence to invest in high-quality, large-scale experiences,” he says.

Beyond the mega-concert

While stadium concerts have become an increasingly visible part of India’s live-entertainment landscape, the next opportunity could lie in creating a stronger middle layer of concerts and experiences.

Sunburn’s own programming reflects this shift, with the brand operating across large stadium concerts as well as more intimate Sunburn Arena formats.

Singh says these decisions are influenced by artist availability, audience demographics, regional demand, venue feasibility and local infrastructure. Arena formats, he notes, have been particularly effective in smaller cities where EDM communities and demand for premium live experiences are growing.

The geographic expansion of live music is also becoming increasingly evident.

“While the metros once dominated the scene, cities like Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Shillong are now hosting some of the most electric crowds we’ve ever seen,” Singh says.

He adds that Sunburn is now actively engaging with Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets with significant youth populations and an appetite for global music experiences.

This expansion, however, comes alongside a more discerning consumer.

“What we’re witnessing now is a far more intentional audience. The willingness to spend has increased, but it comes with sharper expectations: people want tangible value, immersive design and the assurance that every moment at a show is worth their time,” Singh says.

The infrastructure gap

For Aman Kumar, Co-founder, Whitefox, The Grub Fest and AVA Experience, infrastructure remains one of the biggest structural challenges facing the industry.

“India still lacks the infrastructure required to support the next phase of growth in the live entertainment industry. However, what we have never lacked is the attitude and ability to make things happen,” Kumar says.

He points to BookMyShow bringing Coldplay to India, District bringing Rolling Loud to the country, and Studio Majime executing India’s first 360-degree stage for AP Dhillon as examples of how organisers have continued to overcome infrastructure and execution challenges.

But Kumar believes the industry cannot continue relying primarily on organisers to solve infrastructure gaps project by project.

“The government has already started working on the right initiatives, but I believe the next step requires strong corporate participation alongside government support to build proper live entertainment infrastructure,” he says.

The challenge, he adds, is the long-term nature of such investments. “The financial amortization of such infrastructure can take decades, so someone needs to take the long term view and invest in building the ecosystem.”

Can mid-sized concerts become the growth engine?

The demand for concerts outside the mega-event category may already exist. The bigger question is whether the economics can support it.

Kumar believes there is significant demand for mid-sized concerts in India, but promoters often face a fundamental cost problem: they have to recreate the infrastructure required for every event.

“Yes. There is a huge demand for mid-sized events and concerts in India, but the economics often do not work for promoters because they have to build the entire infrastructure from the ground up for every event,” he says.

This creates a gap between audience demand and commercially viable event supply. While a large stadium concert can spread production and infrastructure costs across a substantial audience, mid-sized events have fewer economies of scale, making the cost of staging them harder to absorb.

Kumar argues that purpose-built, plug-and-play venues could change that equation.

“The live entertainment industry has grown almost tenfold over the past decade, and the infrastructure now needs to catch up with that growth,” he says.

“I believe it is time for greater government intervention and collaboration with the private sector to develop purpose built, plug and play live entertainment arenas.”

Such venues, Kumar argues, could allow promoters to focus on programming and audience-building rather than rebuilding the physical and operational infrastructure for every show.

“Having venues where promoters can walk in and execute concerts without rebuilding the entire ecosystem every time would significantly improve promoter economics, create more opportunities for artists, and ultimately accelerate the growth of India’s live-music economy,” he adds.

The next phase is about building the middle

India’s live-music market is no longer defined only by whether audiences will turn up. The growing challenge is creating an ecosystem where different scales of live entertainment can coexist,from stadium spectacles and festivals to arena shows and mid-sized concerts.

For Singh, the combination of passionate audiences, improving infrastructure, growing demand beyond metros and increasingly supportive city administrations points towards a market with significant room for expansion.

“India is ready, audiences are passionate, willing to travel for unique experiences, infrastructure is improving and city administrations are increasingly open to enabling world-class experiences,” he says.

The opportunity, therefore, may not simply be to stage more mega-concerts. It could be to build the infrastructure, permissions framework and economics that allow more artists, promoters and venues to participate consistently in India’s evolving live-music ecosystem.