“Single-Window Clearances Can Transform India’s Concert Economy,” Says Naman Pugalia CBO – Live Events, BookMyShow

India’s live entertainment sector may be on the cusp of a structural shift, as industry leaders rally behind policy reforms aimed at simplifying event approvals and unlocking large-scale growth.

Naman Pugalia, Chief Business Officer – Live Events at BookMyShow, has underscored the significance of Maharashtra’s move toward a single-window clearance system, calling it a “strong precedent” that could reshape how global tours are planned and executed across the country.

According to Pugalia, Maharashtra has long been a frontrunner in supporting live entertainment, and the introduction of a unified approvals mechanism only reinforces its position as a preferred destination for international touring acts. 

More importantly, he notes, such a system could serve as a national blueprint, streamlining processes, reducing bottlenecks and accelerating India’s emergence on the global touring circuit.

The call for reform comes at a time when live events in India are scaling rapidly in both ambition and complexity. Fragmented permissions across departments have often slowed down execution timelines, impacting everything from tour routing to production quality. 

Pugalia pointed out that a more transparent and coordinated framework is no longer optional but essential for sustaining momentum in the sector.

This perspective aligns with findings from a recent report by EY-Parthenon and BookMyShow Live, titled ‘India’s Rising Concert Economy: Coldplay’s Ahmedabad Tour Sets the Blueprint for the Nation’s Cultural Boomtowns’. The report highlights how unified clearance systems, backed by stronger inter-departmental coordination, can significantly improve ease of doing business while enabling the seamless delivery of global-scale events.

“At BookMyShow Live, where we produce and deliver international-scale tours across multiple cities, we’ve seen firsthand how fragmented approvals can impact timelines, routing and execution,” Pugalia said. “A system like this meaningfully reduces that friction, allowing for earlier planning and the ability to deliver productions at the standard they are designed for.”

India’s recent run of marquee live events has already demonstrated the economic and cultural upside of a thriving concert ecosystem. 

Tours such as Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour and Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus World Tour, alongside flagship festivals like Lollapalooza India, have drawn massive audiences while boosting tourism, generating employment and driving significant revenue for host cities.

With progressive policy measures, faster approvals and greater transparency, industry stakeholders believe India is well-positioned to convert this momentum into a sustained growth engine. 

As states begin to adopt more streamlined systems, the country’s ambitions of becoming a key stop on the global touring map may finally move from potential to reality.