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Many musicians often overlook adding more stops in Asia to their world tours, typically limiting their performances to cities like Tokyo or Singapore. Why don’t more international artists perform in this diverse and vibrant region?
Since the end of the pandemic, the music industry has proved to be a powerful weapon for tourism and the economic recovery. In addition to their concert tickets, fans have to spend money for transportation, accommodation and extras at the venue, generating considerable revenue for the host country.
When international artists decide to come and play in Southeast Asia, they most often turn to Singapore, which has become the hotspot in the area. Seeing the impressive results spawned by its entertainment industry, the surrounding countries have started to compete for artists. On your marks, get set, go: it’s up to whoever is the most attractive despite the various obstacles in their way.
A major barrier for Western artists touring Southeast Asia is the region’s underdeveloped logistics infrastructure. Many observers point to the shortage of suitable venues and the lack of adequate security systems to accommodate renowned artists and their spectacular shows.
Vietnam, for example, lacks arenas that can hold over 30,000 people, making it impossible to provide sufficient space for large crowds and keeping the country on the sidelines of the biggest concerts.
Additionally, without any long-term cooperation in place, it is sometimes difficult for tour organizers to find local partners, which, when combined with language barriers, makes collaboration difficult.
Finally, the cost of organizing such large-scale events is a deterrent. It costs at least $2 million to cover the expenses of celebrities such as Rihanna and their team–a price often too high for some countries, which have to pass up on a golden cultural opportunity.
Organizing an event that will hardly be profitable is unlikely to happen: the artists’ teams choose to focus on regions where they know the fanbase is solid and ready to attend shows.
Today, thanks to the use of streaming platforms, many Asians listen to Western songs, as music from all over the world is just a click away. For several years now, a trend consisting in traveling the world only for a concert, regardless of the price, has also been developing on social media. Thus, many are prepared to spend large sums of money to see their favorite singer live.
However, pronounced cultural differences can sometimes put Western artists off. They may prefer to perform in front of audiences they know, or who speak their language.
Sometimes, it is ideological differences that set some countries back in the race for concerts. For example, Chris Martin’s support for the LGBTQ+ community has been the subject of religious polemics in Indonesia and Malaysia, accusing the Coldplay singer of promoting a deviant culture, and making the band reluctant to perform.
If there is one country that does not seem to have to worry about the competition, it is Singapore. As per the custom of Southeast Asia, Singapore is an excellent negotiator and more often than not, manages to broker exclusive rights to a concert.
This is how, in 2024, the Singaporean government secured Taylor Swift’s exclusive appearance from booking agency AEG. It was revealed in February 2024 by Srettha Thavisin, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, that Singapore had offered AEG nearly $3 million to secure the arrival of the Eras Tour in the Republic.
This is not the first occurrence of this phenomenon, and if it’s an expensive gamble, it’s one that pays off handsomely. It is estimated that Taylor Swift generated several million dollars in revenue for the Singaporean economy over six concert evenings–more than enough to repay government subsidies.
Following this example, Indonesia has set up a tourism fund worth some $86 million to attract international artists to its doorstep.
In the face of this competition, Thailand is not to be left behind. In 2023, world-renowned artists such as Harry Styles and Arctic Monkeys delighted fans by performing in Bangkok, but this was still too occasional for the country.
In February 2024, former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin invited AEG representatives to discuss potential measures to encourage new international artists to play in the Kingdom, which included subsidies and tax breaks.
To attract more “mega-concerts”, there is also talk of adapting the visas required to set them up, as well as authorizing the sale of alcohol in concert halls–currently banned at certain fixed times.
The Thai live music market is expected to expand further, reaching $176 million in profits by 2025. The country can notably count on the recent explosion of “festival culture”, pushed forward by the government and its IGNITE Thailand project.
Through various strategies, such as auctions to secure the rights to host an event, support platforms for organizers, and the creation of a “Festival Academy”, Thai leaders are encouraging the formation of a genuine festival industry. The world-famous Tomorrowland is also due to take place in Bangkok next year.
With efforts to attract prestigious international concerts and to develop a blooming festival scene, Thailand aims to position itself as a key player in the Southeast Asian music industry. If it succeeds in harnessing the soft power of cultural icons, it will be able to sustainably raise its profile on the world stage and become a key venue for future tours.
This year, following Ed Sheeran’s legendary concert in February, a number of big names from the West are expected in Bangkok: Green Day, Cigarette After Sex, Gracie Abrams, Tyler, The Creator, Kylie Minogue, Glass Animals… Most are already sold out.
© 2024 Siam News Network
