With growing demand for performances from international artists like Coldplay and Dua Lipa as well as homegrown talents like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon, the concert culture in India is at an all-time high. This surge is causing skyrocketing ticket prices and rampant scalping, causing frustration among fans. Recently, the high prices of Coldplay tickets had caused concern and questions were raised about the cost of Diljit Dosanjh’s concert.

In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, music composer Salim Merchant expressed his opinion on this issue. He acknowledged the growing music culture in India, which he believes was long overdue. However, he points out that scalping is a global issue, and he advocates for the government to ban resale ticket sites to combat the problem.

“This scaling happens everywhere. This is not the case only in India. As an artist, I would like to request fans not to purchase from third-party sites or resale sites. It won’t make any difference if we talk about this. I think the government should ban these resale sites. It will stop. If any resale sites are not allowed to sell tickets, this will curb these practices. This has led to prices increasing and tickets becoming out of reach of genuine fans,” Salim told India Today Digital.

He added, “The only way to curb this practice is for whoever oversees this jurisdiction to say that resale of tickets for this concert is not allowed. I think that will help.”

For reference, Coldplay tickets on BookMyShow sold out within minutes of going live, causing many fans to stand in long queues, but without success. In response to the price increase, officials called BMS, which clarified that only tickets purchased on their site are valid, and Viagogo is not affiliated with them.

Coldplay is set to perform at a three-day concert in Mumbai in January 2025, while Diljit recently announced an India tour starting this week in cities including Jaipur, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.