NEW DELHI: India hosted around 34,000 live events in just one year as the sector grew 44%, turning concerts, festivals and other performances into a fast-expanding business that now supports over one crore livelihoods. The government is now targeting a doubling of the sector by 2030, backed by easier licences, more venues and a unified clearance system.




At the fifth meeting of the Live Events Development Cell (LEDC), information and broadcasting secretary Chanchal Kumar said the sector could generate 15-20 million direct and ancillary jobs if the current growth momentum is sustained.




A key focus is cutting through the multiple permissions required to organise live events. States and Union territories have been asked to route the entire licensing process through the India Cine Hub single-window portal, integrate departmental and local permissions with it and notify live-event licensing as a time-bound public service.




So far, five states have adopted the “Model Executive Order for Streamlining Licensing and Permissions for Live Events in India, 2026”, issued in March. Maharashtra presented its implementation model at the meeting. The number of states and UTs with designated nodal officers has risen from 16 to 29.




The LEDC, which brings together 14 central ministries and departments, 10 states and UTs and 21 industry bodies, also discussed a single national music licence with notified tariffs to replace overlapping demands from multiple rights societies.




Other proposals include notified entertainment zones under noise pollution rules, relaxation of foreign remittance limits for payments to international artists, group visas for performers and crews, customs facilitation for show equipment and GST rationalisation.




The meeting also reviewed plans for more purpose-built venues, including possible infrastructure status and viability gap funding support.




ASI and Sports Authority of India have issued SOPs for events at their properties, while major venues are proposed to be pre-approved so organisers do not have to seek the same venue-level permissions for every event.




Inclusivity guidelines for women and persons with disabilities, along with a Green Concert Protocol, are proposed to be launched at WAVES 2027.