Rs 20 cr in ticket sales for Justin Bieber: Price no barrier for Indians?

Live music events are pulling in crowds and brands; despite ticket prices going up by 33%

As Justin Bieber swayed to shrieking and swooning fans at Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium on Wednesday, getting into paroxysms of delight backstage was a small group that had spent the past year getting the grand spectacle off the ground. Bieber’s show has brought in Rs 20 crore in ticket sales and at least double the amount in sponsorship from 11 brands. As live music events get more popular and fill up stadia with capacities of 60,000 plus attendees, it has become a lucrative way to milk the business of music.

According to a 2017 report on media and entertainment by FICCI-KPMG, live events as a category is growing by 20-25 per cent a year (this includes sports) and organisers say, return on investment in music is steadily on the rise as audiences and companies queue up for a slice of the concert experience. A Global Citizen concert that had Coldplay performing in the city last year sold tickets between Rs 5,000-25,000. Bieber tickets were priced in the same range but a special set that came loaded with backstage passes and Bieber memorabilia went as high as Rs 76,000.

Also Read : Justin Bieber said to have left India after lip-syncing in Mumbai concert

An upcoming concert by singer Ed Sheeran in November this year is expected to take both ticket prices and sponsor involvement further up a notch. Hindi music artist Arijit Singh’s performances go for Rs 1,000-25,000 (as per his last concert in New Delhi in April) and he draws in an impressive list of sponsors.

Live music events have turned big revenue earners in a country known for its penchant for song and dance. For singers, this helps offset the severe loss in income due to digital streaming and piracy; for the rest (event organisers, broadcasters), it is an opportunity to cash in on the growing desire to be a part of a live experience. This is the reason, analysts say, the live events business in music is growing at the industry average of 25 per cent and drawing in the brands with big bucks. (more)

Her parents were busy, so a 12-yr-old Delhi girl flew alone to see Bieber

According to her relatives, Akshita Rajpal is a trained dancer who only dances to Bieber's music

This is one die-hard fan even popstar Justin Bieber would be proud of.

A 12-year old New Delhi schoolgirl, Akshita Rajpal, who's an obsessive fan of the singing legend, flew down here on Tuesday alone to mark her presence at her idol's maiden live concert in India - at Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.

Akshita is a Class 8 student of Amity International School in the national capital and has virtually spent sleepless nights ever since the Bieber concert was finalised last month, revealed a family member.

Her parents had bought three Platinum tickets for entry to the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, but had to cancel their travel plans at the last minute on Tuesday.

Not disheartened, Akshita flew down alone and handed over the two extra tickets to a couple of family friends to attend the biggest musical event of 2017 in the city.

Also Read : Justin Bieber India concert: Prince of Pop sends fans into tizzy in Mumbai

A child model, she has created a booklet on the life, lyrics and everything she loves about the 23-year old Bieber, her uncle Sumit Kaushik said.

"In fact, she is a trained professional dancer who dances only to Bieber tunes and has excelled in academics and extracurricular like music, martial arts, modeling and acting, besides of course, being a fulltime crazy fan of Bieber and his music," Kaushik told IANS.

Having played a small role in the recent romantic ghost comedy, "Phillauri", starring Anoushka Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh, Akshita has also modelled for brands like SBI General Insurance, Kodak, Birla SunLife, Fortis, etc, said Kaushik. Read more