Let a hundred gigs bloom in our cities

When Ed Sheeran was stopped by police from an impromptu acoustic one-man performance earlier this month on Bengaluru's Church Street, much confusion ensued. While the police insisted no permission was given, the musician announced he had got the go-ahead. Publicity stunt or cross-connection, it provided a snapshot of the difficulties officialese pose to having musical gigs in our cities. For a country not comfortable with default silence - evident from pervasive honking and smartphones playing loudly on the metro, to blaring loudspeakers that are part of our city soundscape - organising music shows in engaging spaces can be remarkably tedious.

For concerts, the hoops and hurdles of entertainment tax, police permits, premise licences and no-objection certificates are daunting, unless you're a big event management company. These affect not just ticket pricing but also capacity and venue choice. Taxes in different states/cities differ - Maharashtra charges 25% of gross ticket rate as entertainment tax, Chennai 10%, Delhi 15% of total ticket sale - adding to the confusion.

The scale of challenges becomes multiple times trickier when it comes to international acts. For a country of its size and growing soft power, India is surprisingly given the short shrift by most top-bill acts. The likes of, say, Sheeran and Coldplay are exceptions, with India usually seen as a venue for has-been musicians in their home markets. A combination of red tape, VIP culture - where passes, rather than paid-for tickets, become a perverse status symbol - and the perennial threat of moral guardians suddenly popping up railing against some aspect of 'un-Indian' culture, are to blame. This has to change if our cities are to become true hotspots for live music.