Shakira’s welcome, but can her fans afford to pay her price? In a week’s time Shakira and her troupe of temptresses will set the rhythm at MMRDA Grounds, and two months later, It’s Amazing crooner Steven Tyler will debut in Mumbai. The excitement is palpable but who contributes to the decibel levels at these pop rock gigs?
“It isn’t us students,” exclaims 20-year-old Perseus Patel, who missed out on Roger Waters’ exquisite spectacle and will also have to give the Columbian sensation a miss because he spent his allowance on the One Tree Music Festival. “I say event organisers should set up a quota system for concerts. I understand they don’t want a stampede, so I suggest that you make the process a bureaucratic one. Those with an allowance of less than Rs 500 should have a signed letter from parents attesting to the same. Only the hardcore fans would agree to be patient with this procedure,” he adds
Due to the steep entertainment tax, organisers often have no choice but to hike ticket costs: The other option is to take the performers to another city. “I think it’s a matter for the government. They need to reduce the tax, or else artists will be performing to partially empty grounds. I would love to attend Shakira’s concert, but can’t ask my dad to dish out Rs 3,650 for one evening. It’s preposterous,” says 19-year-old Sneha Kanaya.
While altering the entertainment tax is a distant ideal, another option is to air live telecasts on TV. “Either have large screens put up in an adjoining arena and charge lesser for the live feed, or just show it on some music channel. I also think event agencies should recruit hardcore fans as volunteers for the show, after a screening process,” 19-year-old Pooja Parikh offers.
Zenia Irani agrees, “Concerts should be for us fans and also an option for the masses. If we get elitist about music then there is no hope”.
For those who have attended international gigs the situation here is more tolerable. “We should just be grateful that big artists are finally choosing Mumbai over Bangalore where the tax is lower. For a silly concert in Belgium, I paid 60 pounds for a ticket. For a U2 concert in Australia my friends paid $120, so we are better off,” says 20-year-old Mikhaeil Shah. “The cost also depends on the experience and the artist calibre, Waters brought down equipment worth USD 4 million, so the tickets were worth it,” he adds.