Popular music channel, 9XM in partnership with Mirah Entertainment and Ranaji Events, is organising a symphony orchestra music concert with Arijit Singh on 5th July, 2015 at Dome, NSCI, Mumbai for the first time. The event has been conceptulised by Ranaji Events, and with this, 9XM has rolled out its first live property. 9XM Marketing Head, Kapil Sharma talks about their first concerts and their future plans.

How did the decision to venture into live ticketing shows come up?

Over the last three years we have done a lot of events, but not a ticketed event. We have a property called ‘Tashan Nights’ which is  the property of 9X Tashan. For that we have taken stars from ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ to perform in various cities like Chandigarh at a concert level, where there is a crowd of more than 15,000 people. But those were not ticketed events. This year, although ‘Tashan Nights’ is a successful property, we thought why not create our own property in the live space. We all are aware of the fact that an event of this nature is very expensive, and we would need partnerships. Along with that we also need ticketed events to offset the huge costs. Which is why, we thought of setting up something of our own.

Why did you choose to start with Arijit Singh over other artists in Bollywood?

When we decided to do get into the live space, we wanted someone whose songs connect with the audience to a maximum capacity. Arijit Singh would be an obvious name, and when we spoke to his team, they told us that nothing like a symphony has been planned till October this year. When his team told him about the idea of a symphony, in Mumbai, he agreed. Generally the ideal season for concerts starts from October, but the most expensive tickets were sold out within two days.

Are there any other musical concerts on the cards?

Yes, of course. We wish to conduct musical concerts in various other cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata Indore and more. Our maximum viewership comes from these cities, so we plan to cater to them. Currently, we are focusing on getting things right during our first event and we hope that things will fall in place. Next week, after our first event is over, I shall meet people from Dome, NSCI and then Arijit’s team to brainstorm what we can do next.

Which other artists are you looking to bring to 9XM live concerts?

We will be looking at the top 40 songs on 9XM that are on high rotation, and will look into artists who have sung these chartbusters. The top 40 songs might be sung by four or five artists. If we can do five or six events of this scale, it will be massive. But we have not planned anything as of now.

9XM is known for its music. What will the channel do to offer a different concept when it comes to concerts?

We are looking to dish out concepts that are loved by people. For e.g. It could be a 9XM and 9X Jalwa event, in which artists come together to sing old and new melodies. How interesting would it be when people see Arijit Singh coming together with another singer to sing famous songs from the 1990s?

How was the pricing of the ticket decided?

The tickets were priced keeping in mind the financial eco system. We were actually worried about the sale of tickets, but Arijit proved us wrong. Normally the maximum price of a ticket is Rs 1,000-1,500. Here the lowest priced ticket is Rs 3,000 and the most expensive one is Rs 10,000. Surprisingly, the most expensive tickets were sold out within two days. The best part is people are willing to pay that amount, for the experience. Paying Rs 6,000 is like paying 80-100 dollars for a ticket, so people are ready to pay the same amount even for an Indian artist.

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