When you go to see a big acts on stage, be it Norah Jones,The Swedish House Mafia, Metallica or Deep Purple, to name a few, theexperience of being in the presence of musical legends is what you leave with,along with the euphoria of being part of that experience. Large open spaces,screaming crowds packed like sardines, elaborate stages with even more elaboratelighting, red carpet events, before and after parties, are all that make theseevents memorable. Yet Goa hardly ever sees these acts come to life.
The question arises as to why. With the rising number oflive acts stemming from all corners of this small state, and the immensepotential harboured here, why is it that international artists prefer toperform in metropolitan cities. RJ Ayesha Barretto from Indigo 91.9, a mediaparter for major acts in the country such as Snoop Dogg just last week says,“Artists are deterred from coming here as they feel that there isn’t enough ofcrowd potential. Also, past experiences play a huge role. For example SUNBURNwas charged an exorbitant fee after it was over. Things like these do notencourage artists to come to Goa. However a lot of people from here travel togo see these acts, no matter where they play in india.”
Percept Limited Joint MD, Shailendra Singh, who is a bigbeliever in Goa’s ability to market music said, "It is my personal beliefthat there is a need to create live entertainment mainly so that we are able tomeet the needs of the youth is a must. The success of Sunburn, for the lastfive years, has proven that there is a viable market. Perhaps it is because theindustry is in a nascent stage, and forthcoming local talent will serve as adraw to others as well. What is primarily required is an appropriateenvironment that needs to be developed."
Thus arises the question of infrastructure. Many would saythat Goa does not have the infrastructure to support huge influxes of crowdsflooding the state to watch a performance, no matter how much of a boost itgives us from a tourist point of view. Silroy Fernandes from Radio Mirchiagrees, “There isn’t a proper venue to hold shows of such stature in Goa. Most ofthe areas are close to residential areas and disturb the residents in question.It is not like, say the Palace Grounds in Bangalore where it is relativelysecluded. Other things also need to be put in place like proper roads. Also, afew years ago when Deep Purple came to Goa, people hardly paid the price of thetickets for the front seats while the back pews were filled up. So, artistsfeel that there is no money here.”
