India’s Economic Survey 2025–26 turns the spotlight on an unconventional but fast-emerging growth lever—the “Orange Economy”—arguing that creativity-led sectors such as live entertainment, media and culture can become significant drivers of urban services, tourism and employment. Within this, the Economic Survey 2026 identifies the concert economy as a high-multiplier, services-intensive activity that remains underdeveloped in India but ripe for scale-up.
“The ‘Orange Economy’ refers to the part of the economy driven by creativity, culture, and intellectual property,” Economic Survey 2026 notes, comprising activities where value flows primarily from ideas and artistic expression rather than physical goods. Live concerts, it argues, exemplify this model by generating economic value well beyond ticket sales.
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Drawing on international evidence, the Economic Survey 2026 highlights how live music and entertainment create strong spillovers across hospitality, travel, logistics, advertising and local services. Globally, live music accounts for about one-third of total music revenues; in the US alone, it generated over USD 130 billion and supported more than 900,000 jobs in 2019. In the UK, music tourism contributed £6.6 billion, around 0.3 per cent of GDP, in 2022.
Concerts also act as short-duration tourism demand amplifiers. “They are labour-intensive and create jobs across various sectors, including event operations, logistics, hospitality, security, and media,” the Survey notes, with particular benefits for young people and creative professionals. UNCTAD estimates cited in the document show creative industries contributing anywhere between 0.5 per cent and over 7 per cent of GDP across countries.
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In India, the concert economy is still in its early stages but expanding, supported by a young population, rising disposable incomes, digital ticketing platforms and improving urban infrastructure. However, the Economic Survey 2026 is clear that scale alone will not deliver economic gains. “International experience underscores that economic gains depend on urban readiness and facilitative governance,” it notes, pointing to streamlined permissions, predictable regulations, crowd management and last-mile connectivity.
Structural constraints remain significant. India faces a shortage of large live-event venues, along with restrictions on foreign payments to international artists. The Economic Survey 2026 suggests that “opening up heritage monuments for such events and facilitating the visa and foreign exchange permissions for foreign performers” could materially improve India’s attractiveness as a global concert destination.
At present, organisers often need between 10 and 15 separate clearances. To address this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working on a Single Window Mechanism for Live Entertainment Permissions, including approvals from state governments—a move the Survey implicitly frames as critical to unlocking scale.
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The Economic Survey 2026’s broader argument is that the concert economy should not be viewed as niche entertainment, but as part of an integrated urban and tourism strategy. With appropriate facilitation and alignment with city branding and tourism promotion, live entertainment can become a meaningful growth engine for media and entertainment, tourism and allied services.
In a services-led economy seeking new employment-intensive growth avenues, the Orange Economy—if supported by smart regulation and urban planning—offers India a chance to convert culture and creativity into durable economic value.
“The ‘Orange Economy’ refers to the part of the economy driven by creativity, culture, and intellectual property,” Economic Survey 2026 notes, comprising activities where value flows primarily from ideas and artistic expression rather than physical goods. Live concerts, it argues, exemplify this model by generating economic value well beyond ticket sales.
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Why concerts punch above their weight
Drawing on international evidence, the Economic Survey 2026 highlights how live music and entertainment create strong spillovers across hospitality, travel, logistics, advertising and local services. Globally, live music accounts for about one-third of total music revenues; in the US alone, it generated over USD 130 billion and supported more than 900,000 jobs in 2019. In the UK, music tourism contributed £6.6 billion, around 0.3 per cent of GDP, in 2022.
Concerts also act as short-duration tourism demand amplifiers. “They are labour-intensive and create jobs across various sectors, including event operations, logistics, hospitality, security, and media,” the Survey notes, with particular benefits for young people and creative professionals. UNCTAD estimates cited in the document show creative industries contributing anywhere between 0.5 per cent and over 7 per cent of GDP across countries.
Also Read: India’s growing wallets are fuelling the world’s massive concert rush
India’s nascent concert economy and the bottlenecks
In India, the concert economy is still in its early stages but expanding, supported by a young population, rising disposable incomes, digital ticketing platforms and improving urban infrastructure. However, the Economic Survey 2026 is clear that scale alone will not deliver economic gains. “International experience underscores that economic gains depend on urban readiness and facilitative governance,” it notes, pointing to streamlined permissions, predictable regulations, crowd management and last-mile connectivity.
Structural constraints remain significant. India faces a shortage of large live-event venues, along with restrictions on foreign payments to international artists. The Economic Survey 2026 suggests that “opening up heritage monuments for such events and facilitating the visa and foreign exchange permissions for foreign performers” could materially improve India’s attractiveness as a global concert destination.
At present, organisers often need between 10 and 15 separate clearances. To address this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working on a Single Window Mechanism for Live Entertainment Permissions, including approvals from state governments—a move the Survey implicitly frames as critical to unlocking scale.
Also Read: India’s future cities must make life easier, not just bigger
From events to urban growth strategy
The Economic Survey 2026’s broader argument is that the concert economy should not be viewed as niche entertainment, but as part of an integrated urban and tourism strategy. With appropriate facilitation and alignment with city branding and tourism promotion, live entertainment can become a meaningful growth engine for media and entertainment, tourism and allied services.
In a services-led economy seeking new employment-intensive growth avenues, the Orange Economy—if supported by smart regulation and urban planning—offers India a chance to convert culture and creativity into durable economic value.
