Shillong, Sept 25: Getting into and out of a music concert’s mosh pit is an exhilarating experience, but there is no way out when sucked into the music industry’s marketing mosh pit.

The craze over the Coldplay concert in Mumbai next year is unbelievable and at times is beyond any logic with some reports suggesting tickets are being resold at Rs. 3 to 7.7 lakh.

It’s beyond logic because six months later in 2025, the same band would be performing in Wembley stadium, London. The tickets are still available and cost a mere Rs. 30,000 (mere for those superfans buying tickets at Rs. 3-7.7 lakh.)

If someone has bought the ticket at Rs. 3 lakh, that particular superfan has not peered out of his or her fandomishness. Till September 24, 8 pm IST, there are tickets available for the Coldplay concert beginning August 22, 2025.

The band would be playing in 14 concerts all across Great Britain. The tickets cost between Rs. 30000 (back row) to less than 50000 (pitch).

The logical math

Now here’s the logical maths. An economy class ticket to London from Mumbai for October comes as low as Rs. 20,000 from Etihad or British Airways. The prices would be low if booked in advance, so a return ticket would cost less than Rs. 50,000 in 2025.

Now, a hotel booking for one night near Wembley stadium costs around (some of the best) between Rs. 15,000 to just over one lakh (either Hilton, The Ritz or say Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park). Food would cost around say Rs. 50,000.

The total cost comes to less than Rs. 3 lakh leave alone Rs. 7.7 lakh. This would also include sightseeing and shopping.

Marketing Strategy – Superfans and Executive Fans

So where is the logic? The answer is the marketing strategy of the music industry for this insane price hike.

According to studies there are low (social fans), medium (focused fans), and high (vested fans) and then comes the superfans, and executive fans. Superfans and executive fans are what the marketing gurus are eyeing.

A superfan and an executive fan are similar. They are loyal and spend considerable time and money on their favourite artist in long-time relationships. They see themselves as a part of an artist’s extended family, which they have a vested interest in protecting and supporting, according to a study.

Superfans and executive fans are often “used as mediators to initiate activities, gain access to the fan community, and build the brand”, one of the studies said.

These super and executive fans play a huge role in advertising their favourite band or musician through their contacts in this age of social media. One of the studies says that “fans themselves are doing advertising” for their favourite band through social media.

The Mumbai concert is a classic example. There are social media posts of fans celebrating getting tickets or are sad not getting one. There were articles placed strategically in media outlets of how successful the Coldplay Europe tour was.

This creates hype, just what the marketing professionals would have dreamt. Now they don’ have to sweat or spend time or money on advertisements and would be singing one of Coldplay’s numbers: “Oh I want something just like this…

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