Getty ImagesIf you were in India and had 900, 000 rupees ($ 10, 800, £8, 000 ), what would you buy? A vehicle? A trip around the world? Diamond jewels? Or a Coldplay musical solution?
The British rock band’s three shows are scheduled for performance in Mumbai, India, in the coming year, and the tickets have already sold out on BookMyShow ( BMS ), the concert’s official ticketing system, for outrageous amounts.
The reservations went on sale next Sunday and were priced from 2, 500 pounds to 12, 000 pounds. More than 10 million persons competed to get some 180, 000 reservations.
Fans voiced concerns about ominous digital queues and site crashes for hours, but many also claimed that the sales were rigged because resellers had started selling tickets for five times the price ( including even 900,000 rupees ) before they were made available on the official website.
Earlier this month, something similar happened with tickets for Oasis’ concert in the UK, where resellers charged more than £350 for tickets that cost £135. But even then, the inflated prices of Coldplay tickets stand out. To put this in perspective, Madonna charged £1,306.75 for VIP passes to her Celebration tour and the best tickets for Beyoncé’s Renaissance concerts sold for £2,400.
The occasions have sparked a discussion about ticket killing in India, where people use automated systems or machines to buy multiple tickets to buy on resale channels. Viewers are asking whether the standard website made the necessary decisions to prevent this or whether it made the wrong turn.
BMS has denied having any relationship with vendors and has counseled enthusiasts to buy tickets from “unauthorised options,” which could turn out to be bogus, but this has n’t stopped people from visiting the website with suspicion.
Fans have complained about having a similar experience while buying tickets for Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s upcoming concerts. Tickets were released on Zomato Live, the concert promoter, earlier this month and after getting sold out, they began popping up on reselling platforms for several times the original price.
Due to the high demand, ticket-sellers are reportedly selling theirs through distributors in India, which is against the law, and authorities say it’s still possible that it’s happening anyway.
Dwayne DiasOne of the few lucky people who purchased tickets from the official website for the Coldplay music was visual artist Dwayne Dias. He bought four cards for 6, 450 pounds each.
Since then, he’s been approached by people who are willing to give up to 60, 000 pounds for a solution. ” If I wanted to, I had market all the tickets and enjoy the music in South Korea]Coldplay’s future travelling destination]. He claims that the money will support my travel costs and that I will get to experience a new city.
Although the astronomical costs of Tesla tickets are surprising, there is a high demand for cards to see well-known international artists perform. In truth, over the past few years, India’s lived music industry has grown exponentially.
According to a report, music concerts generated about 8,000m rupees in revenue last year and by 2025, this figure is set to increase by 25%. Brian Tellis, a veteran in the music business and one of the founders of the Mahindra Blues music festival, says concerts have become a part of an individual’s – and the country’s – cultural currency.
In recent years, chart-topping artists like Dua Lipa, Alan Walker, and Ed Sheeran have performed in India. The former two are scheduled to do so once more this year. ” Like for various business, India is a booming business for the music business as well. There’s a great statistical that’s fresh and has money to spend. Somebody wants a piece of the pie”, he says.
Tickets are now available for a higher price than they ever were. According to Tellis, 20 % of production costs were funded by ticket sales and 20 % by donors a decade ago, but today, the figures are higher.
” Attending a concert is a mix of bragging rights, being a puritan and being part of the scene”, he says. True music lovers are also present in the mix, but many people attend because they are enthralled by the hype surrounding a performance and do n’t want to feel left out.
Days before and after Coldplay concert tickets went on sale, social media was full of captivating Instagram reels of the band performing hits like Adventure of a Lifetime and Fix You in packed stadiums, with fans singing along and turning the venue into A Sky Full of Stars with their LED bracelets. Influencers waxed eloquent about their love for the band and there was no dearth of Coldplay memes.
AFPAccording to industry sources, the promoter’s site handles targeted marketing, which is a crucial component of ticket sales. The more desire is created, the more ticket prices may be raised. Organising music is difficult, as they often incur costs, so when the opportunity arises, bankable singers are exploited for earnings.
Tellis does n’t agree with some fans who claim that the government should regulate ticket prices. ” This]selling tickets ] is entrepreneurship- it wo n’t be right for the government to get involved. Because if you want to manage income, then you’ll have to also control expenses”, he says.
Despite India’s live music industry’s continuing expansion, researchers claim that there is still a long way to go before it can compete with the world’s music industry.
Tellis notes that” we have very few musical spaces that are not up to international requirements.” Despite the high demand, designers in India show less in spite of that.
Dias and his pals just went to a Coldplay music in Singapore. He says the ticket-booking knowledge was easy, the place was top-class and the group was well-managed.
He’s never convinced he’ll have the same impression at the DY Patil stadium, which is the place for the singer’s concerts in India. ” For one, it’s little smaller and masses in India can be quite unambitious”, he says. He’s also concerned about how secure the place may be, and whether the audience will be properly positioned at both entrance and exit points.
He’s holding on to his reservations and is prepared to face any challenges that lie ahead just to get a chance to see Chris Martin and the band perform once more.