When organisers of the Enrique Iglesias concert in Pune on Wednesday night were dealt with blows by a free-pass-hungry policeman, hordes of fans and musicians across the country took to various social networking platforms to voice their disgust and rage over a man in uniform unnecessarily wielding the baton on them. But the larger issue plaguing the live performance space in the country is the free pass culture; one that finds policemen, politicians, celebrities and even mediapersons equally guilty.

Power play:
“Every event organiser in this city knows that giving passes is just part of the business. As a promoter, it’s not new to me. But that doesn’t mean that I like it or that I even want to accept it. The entire system is corrupt. The ‘agent’ who helps promoters get permissions and licences is paid anything between `8-10 lakhs. The fire department won’t give permission until the stage is set up, which in most outdoor cases is until a day before the event. Once this permission is in, only then will the police give permission. After paying your entertainment tax and painstakingly getting the licences,you are still asked for some 20-30% of the tickets as complimentary passes. Eventually, what’s in it for me?” says Farhad Wadia, CEO, E18.
Wadia organises the annual Independence Rock festival and has brought Jethro Tull, Anoushka Shankar and Foreigner to India.
In most instances promoters end up coughing up passes only to ensure that an event is hassle-free — a situation they consider arm-twisting.
“I would be okay giving a pass to someone who will do something back for me. This is a business, not a free-show. But when the powers that be hold the event to ransom for a handful of passes, I wouldn’t entertain that. Some people in authority know that promoters like us need permissions and they exploit that power they have,” says Shailendra Singh, managing director, Percept Ltd, whose company organises the Sunburn festival.
Wadia adds that in some cases the policemen don’t want to attend the concert as much as they want to sell it to others, sometimes at outrageous prices.

All in the mind:
While most organisers in the city agree that in Mumbai and Maharashtra in general this free pass culture is better to deal with, they are unanimous in their dislike for hosting concerts in Delhi. “In the capital, the bureaucrats too jump into the fray. The sponsors can be dealt with but one can’t say the same about the police and the local government,” says Owen Roncon, founder, OranJuice Entertainment.
Roncon’s company has organised the Mahindra Blues Festival, the erstwhile One Tree Music festival and even the controversial 2007 Herbie Hancock concert. Back then, there was a huge furore over the fact that a small percentage of the tickets were actually left open to the general public while over 70 per cent of the venue was reserved for those with complimentary passes.
“I regret the disappointment that true jazz fans experienced then. It is unfair that people who especially love the genre of music have to be passed over for those who happen to know someone important. There have been instances where people with no interest in the performance are sitting there just because they’ve got free passes. It’s almost like ‘anything for free is good’,” he adds.
Echoing Roncon’s sentiment, Singh asserts that this mentality is a largely Indian one. He says, “It is so difficult for me to explain to a potential international talent that we need to keep 30% of the tickets as complimentary. This doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
Roncon feels that giving freebies to those who may not be able to afford it is perhaps justified, but the “need” to have free passes as a social status is a “sicker problem of the mind”. “I have had instances where people have offered to pay me double the ticket price just to have the tickets mailed to them as ‘complimentary’.
Apparently, it is very ‘cool’ to be seen in the complimentary passes box.”

Collateral damage:
Only Much Louder, the company that organised the Enrique Iglesias concert may have gotten into the tussle with the local cops but the effects won’t be borne by them alone. “There have been concerts in the past organised by some other company that have been cancelled or have had major chaos. Yet when I had to pitch for an international artist for my company, I was left red-faced because the agency wanted to know how viable it is for them to come to a country where a concert can garner such negative publicity,” says Singh.

Dealing with it:
Keeping in mind that free passes are de rigeur in this industry, some promoters suggest that the cost be factored in while doing the budget allocation for the event. “You know sponsors, bureaucrats and policemen will ask for passes. Draft a budget keeping these requirements in mind,” says Singh.
Roncon says that up to 7% of the entire ticket sales is set aside as complimentary passes. “Over and above that, the company has to pay the entertainment tax. So you may get a free pass but I’m still paying tax on it. When you tell a sponsor that there is a value attached to the freebie, they distribute it more judiciously,” he adds.
Experience has taught Wadia to negotiate ruthlessly. “There is a point beyond which I will not give free passes. I will negotiate extensively even for that because if I am paying agents and officers, even paying the taxes, I will not aimlessly issue free passes,” he says.