Mumbai, September 29: When Chammak Challo Kareena Kapoor pranced around on TV in a hot red sari, little did we know that it’s probably R& B artiste Akon who is dancing with joy to this one. Teaming up with King Khan has opened up a market for Akon that incorporates over a billion listeners.
“When I had to convince Akon to sing in Hindi, all I said was this is a country over 1.21 billion people. He packed his bags and came with me right then, ” said SRK while introducing the singer to the desi audience.
It’s a trend we saw in 2007, where everyone from Shakira to Beyonce to even Roger Waters flew down to a space that was till then just seen as a stop over between other burgeoning Asian markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. But, today, India is considered one of the top markets to tap into.
Abhinav Kumar of Brand Concepts agrees. “We are all set to launch seven stand alone Paris Hilton stores by the end of the year, which will slowly incorporate over 17 different products by Paris.
The pricing is almost the same as it is in the US. So when an international brand like this is launched in India, the celebrity gets a huge push not just money wise but also with respect to goodwill.”
It’s all about the money, honey!
India has now gone on to become one of the biggest moneyspinners for many of the international stars.
When the American pop sensation hogged Indian headlines a while ago, nobody knew that the performer would only be exclusively accessible to those who could afford a good Rs 40, 000 per ticket.
Lady Gaga, who has been signed up to play at India’s inaugural Formula One race this month, will be performing at the Lap Buddh Circuit after parties.
Confirms AD Singh of LAP, “The costs involved in staging something like this determines the cost of the tickets. She is perhaps the world’s most popular performer; it is expensive to bring down an artiste like her.”
Adds Radhakrishnan Nair, editor, Rolling Stones India, “It brings them the eyeballs, but they will obviously charge that kind of money to recover costs as well.
So if Gaga is charging Rs 40, 000 to perform privately for a group of 1000 people, that probably is more lucrative than performing at a huge auditorium incorporating over 20, 000 people who cannot afford such high rates.”
-Agencies