With an aim to promote India’s live entertainment sector and creation of 15-20 million jobs, apart from featuring in the top five rankings globally by 2030, the Indian government has kickstarted a dialogue among stakeholders.

The first meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on promotion of the Live Events Industry was convened earlier this week in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, according to an official statement yesterday.

Constituted in July 2025 under the directions of the Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw, the JWG brings together representatives of Central or federal and State Governments, industry associations, music rights societies and major event companies to shape India’s concert economy.

The August 26 meeting was attended by key representatives from the  MIB, apart from Ministries of Culture, Youth Affairs & Sports, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Finance, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Sports Authority of India.

Officials from the State Governments of Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka were also present at the first meeting of the JWG.  Industry associations like EEMA, FICCI, CII, ILEA and stakeholders like BookMyShow, Wizcraft, Saregama, District by Zomato and Touchwood Entertainment Ltd. too participated along with representatives from copyrights societies like IPRS, PPL, RMPL and IMI Trust.

Pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had highlighted the vast untapped potential of India’s live entertainment sector, MIB Secretary Jaju, in his address at the meeting, underlined the government’s commitment to establishing India as one of the Top 5 global live entertainment destinations by 2030 with the potential to generate 15-20 million jobs, expand infrastructure and strengthen the country’s global cultural influence.

He, the official statement added, said that JWG will work in mission mode to harness the concert economy as a driver of infrastructure creation, employment, tourism and cultural soft power.

Some of the key issues deliberated upon included the following:

• Single Window Platform: Integration of live event clearances into the India Cine Hub Portal for ease of doing business.
• Music Licensing & IP Rights: Launch of a centralised Digital Music Licensing Registry by October 2025 in collaboration with rights societies.
• Infrastructure Development: Creation of a model policy to allow multi-use of stadiums and public spaces for live events and also to promote new green field venue development in the States.
• Skill Development: Inclusion of live entertainment skills in the National Skills Qualification Framework.
• Financial Incentives: Consideration of GST rebates, blended finance models, subsidies, and MSME recognition for the live entertainment sector.

India’s live entertainment market was valued at Rs. 20,861 crore in 2024 and growing at 15percent annually. It is among the fastest-growing segments of the media and entertainment industry. With rising demand across tier-1 and tier-2 cities, surging music tourism and premium audience experiences, the sector is emerging as a critical pillar of India’s creative economy.

The JWG will meet periodically to track progress of sub-groups and present consolidated policy recommendations, building on the White Paper ‘India’s Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth Imperative’, which was presented at the WAVES 2025 Summit in May in Mumbai.