The Concert Economy In 2025: What Worked, What Didn’t And What Must Change

If 2025 proved anything, it’s that India’s concert economy has officially grown up. Bigger crowds, bigger sponsors, bigger stages and bigger questions. The year delivered undeniable momentum, but it also exposed cracks in how live music is produced, monetised and experienced. The takeaway is clear: scale alone is no longer enough. The future belongs to smarter systems, deeper experiences and fairer economics.

Scale came,but clarity didn’t

Live events expanded rapidly in 2025, opening new doors for independent artists and niche sounds. Yet, behind the spectacle, the business of live music remains fragmented. According to Mandar Deshpande, Head of Publishing & Sync at Madverse Music Group, the next phase of growth depends on structural change, not just more shows.

“As live events scale up year on year, it's an incredible world opening for independent artists. But the industry must scale smarter,” Deshpande says. He points to the persistent complexity around live licensing, where artists and rights-holders often struggle to track or claim what they’re owed. “If artists, publishers and licensing bodies like PPL, NOVEX, RMPL and IPRS work together on a one-window live licensing system, complexity can turn into clarity and performances into sustainable income.”

His advice for 2026 is practical and pointed: “Upskill and work closely with your publishers to claim what’s still left on the table.”

Experience beat production

If licensing exposed one fault line, audience behaviour exposed another. Aman Kumar, co-founder of Whitefox, The Grub Fest and AVA Experience, believes 2025 separated traditional concerts from future-ready ones.

“The only concerts that truly worked were experience-led,” he says. “Stage, lights and sound are no longer enough.” With endless content available online and fewer fans willing to buy tickets repeatedly, audiences now expect something they can’t scroll past.

What succeeded, Kumar explains, were immersive, multi-sensory formats,concerts that created emotional participation and memory, not just music. “The future of the concert economy must move beyond production into experience design. Music is the core, but connection and immersion are the real product.”

Brands moved from visibility to value

On the brand side, 2025 marked a shift from logo placements to genuine cultural participation. Amar Sinha, Chief Operating Officer at Radico Khaitan Ltd, describes the year as a turning point for premium brand integration in live music.

“2025 reaffirmed India’s appetite for well-curated, premium live experiences,” Sinha says. Radico Khaitan leaned into this shift by embedding brands like The Spirit of Kashmyr and Rampur Indian Single Malt into concert ecosystems, not just stages.

Their partnerships with global icons Akon and Enrique Iglesias demonstrated how live music can blend lifestyle, culture and aspiration. “These platforms are powerful touchpoints for premium brands,driving trial, affinity and long-term engagement,” Sinha notes. As premiumisation strengthens and consumer sentiment stays positive, he believes the opportunity lies in sustained collaborations that balance entertainment, culture and responsible brand storytelling.

What must change next

The lesson from 2025 is not that the concert economy is booming,but that it’s evolving. Growth without systems leaves money unclaimed. Production without experience limits repeat demand. Sponsorship without meaning dilutes impact.

The next chapter will belong to an ecosystem that aligns artists, rights-holders, promoters and brands around three priorities: simpler monetisation, deeper experiences and long-term collaboration. India didn’t just attend more concerts in 2025,it raised its expectations. And the industry will have to rise with it.