Indian artist management and entertainment company Represent has partnered with BookMyShow to allow fans to purchase merch when they buy tickets for their favourite acts \u2014 starting with Canadian-Punjabi pop star AP Dhillon\u2019s upcoming nationwide tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, bundling merch \u2014 or even CDs and vinyls \u2014 with tickets is not new, but it\u2019s not common practice in India. What\u2019s interesting is that Represent decided to start doing it after it found that merch for their acts didn\u2019t move as well at live shows as it did online.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA fan comes with a limited spend in mind at the concert and would rather spend on food and beverages,\u201d said Represent founder Aayushman Sinha<\/a> in an Instagram post. \u201cA fan would also love to come wearing merch rather than changing at a concert.\u201d<\/p>\n In our experience, relatively few Indian artists make or sell merchandise at their gigs, but the counters do brisk business and often sell out at stand-alone shows by international stars and during large-scale music festivals such as Lollapalooza. We\u2019ll be looking out to see if Represent shares any data on whether their initiative resulted in a marked increase in sales for their roster of Indian acts.<\/p>\n Related Stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n