Should you get excited for the next big concert announcement?

Since Coldplay’s concerts in Mumbai in January 2025, India’s live music business has entered a period of rapid expansion. Performances by Tyla, Green Day and Travis Scott, along with announcements involving Linkin Park, John Mayer, Shakira and Kanye West, helped sustain a sense of momentum around the country’s growing concert economy.Yet the optimism has been tempered in recent months. Escalating tensions in West Asia have cast uncertainty over the concert business, contributing to the cancellation of planned performances by Shakira, Kanye West and Flipperachi, and raising renewed questions about the industry’s momentum. And that’s not all. In April, two students died following a reported drug overdose at a concert in Mumbai. Circoloco was cancelled soon after, while the inaugural Musicland India festival, headlined by Badshah, was also called off, with organisers citing “circumstances beyond our control.

”While demand for live music remains strong and organisers are working to line up major announcements, the industry is navigating a period of caution. Fans continue to show interest in live events, but the disruptions have made both organisers and audiences place greater emphasis on certainty before tickets go on sale.So amidst all of this, where do we stand? What lies ahead for music concerts in the country? We ask the experts.

A booming concert economy hits pauseAccording to the India’s Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth Imperative white paper presented at the WAVES 2025 Summit, the country’s organised live-events market was valued at ₹20,861 crore in 2024 , a 15% increase from the previous year and a sign of the sector’s growing economic significance.Fans still want concerts, but are now apprehensive about booking ticketsWhile big-ticket announcements generate significant buzz, with fans racing against time to snag tickets, successive cancellations and postponements have become a major source of frustration for fans over the past few months.

“I was excited for Kanye West. He was one of the biggest names that was supposed to perform in the country. There were many discussions that it might not happen, but as a fan, you try not to believe it until it comes from the organisers,” shares Nishant Saxena (29), a Delhi resident.

“Shakira’s was one performance I really wanted to attend, but that also did not take place as scheduled. With such cancellations, fans become a little apprehensive about booking tickets the next time around,” shares Anmol Raina (33), a Gurgaon resident.The fallout from international concert cancellations is also felt by local artistes. After Scorpions cancelled their show, Parikrama, which was set to open for the band’s Mumbai concert, told us, “We were really looking forward to the show as it’s been a long time since we opened for an int ernational legend in Mumbai. The last time we shared a stage with global icons of this stature was supporting Iron Maiden. Things do not always go as planned.

”‘IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, YOU WILL SEE MORE THAN 20 ARTISTS BEING ANNOUNCED’Despite global instability and a wave of cancellations, experts believe the country’s live music scene is navigating a particularly interesting phase. “Globally there’s uncertainty wars, unrest, and some very unfortunate incidents at events that have made the entire ecosystem more cautious. But here’s what fans are missing – the domestic market is actually stronger than it looks. Audiences are showing up, appetite is real, and the organisers who have been doing this with integrity are busier than ever.

There’s a recalibration happening, but recalibration is not retreat,” shares Avadh Nagpal, co-founder of Souldout.Citing the recent announcement by Guns N’ Roses as an example, Deepak Choudhary, founder and managing director of EVA Live, tells us, “A bigger announcement is planned in two weeks. In the next few months, you will see more than 20 artistes being announced. We don’t announce events for them to be cancelled or postponed, but sometimes the situation calls for it.

Fans should stay positive and look forward to us bringing many artistes to the country.

We have locked more than 60 shows already and the current period is giving us breathing space to block venues, work on marketing, permissions and vendors. We are looking forward to announcing shows starting July.”

Time for local talent to shine?This global crisis has unlocked a macroeconomic opportunity for India to pivot inward.“It has given us an opportunity to celebrate our own movement in live entertainment.

The domestic landscape is navigating a unique economic narrative: while traditional retail sectors experience a slowdown, India’s middle class continues to spendaggressively on premium experiential luxury,” says Mohit Bijlani, founder of Team Innovation.Mohit believes the current uncertainty around global touring could create more room for Indian artistes to command larger audiences and build long-term live entertainment properties.Intimate, curated, high-ticket events are going to outperform large-format shows in the next 12-18 months?For Avadh Nagpal, the period ahead will witness events that are more intimate and well-curated.“The announcements that are coming are going to be more considered, more curated. The era of ‘announce big, figure it out later’ is over for good reason. What you’ll see from serious organisers is smaller windows between announcement and show date, tighter lineups, and more certainty baked in before anything goes public,” explains Avadh.He points out that there is a possibility that big electronic and techno acts are going to be largely absent from India this cycle. “India has a real appetite for those genres and the conditions are right. But the bigger shift I’m watching is premium small-format experiences. Intimate, curated, high-ticket events are going to outperform large-format shows in the next 12-18 months. India’s concert-going audience is maturing they want an experience, not just a show,” adds Avadh.