Neo Hui Yun Rebecca analyzes the growing demand for live music shows in Southeast Asia and how countries in the region can capitalize on this opportunity.
Long lines of hopeful fans waiting to buy concert tickets. Virtual queues of millions of people, tickets sold out in record time – these were the constant stories featured on various social media platforms and news outlets this year. As the world reopens borders to resume activities hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the live music industry is slowly gaining traction, with millions of fans Compete to get exclusive tickets to your favorite bands and singers. This incredible popularity has spread to Southeast Asia, with many international bands and singers beginning to organize regional tours to reconnect with their fans.
For example, famous South Korean boy band BTS singer Suga has added an extra third night to all of his concerts in the region due to overwhelming demand. British band The 1975 added a second show for her in Singapore after the first sold out within her 30 minutes. The music industry has successfully reintegrated into the economy and proven to be a strong economic engine post-pandemic, facilitating the array of benefits associated with these concerts.
A quick look at the number of concerts to be held in 2023 reveals an interesting trend. That is, international artists prefer to hold concerts in specific countries within Southeast Asia. Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are the top destinations for most international artists’ Asian tours. Singapore in particular has been chosen as a strong destination. This trend was further strengthened this year when Singapore was announced as the only country in Southeast Asia to host a Taylor Swift concert. Similarly, Coldplay announced six shows in Singapore, but only one show each in other Southeast Asian countries. Singapore’s developed infrastructure, strong regional interconnectivity, stable governance, and strong security measures such as crowd control and anti-terrorism protocols are some of the factors that make Singapore a popular choice for international artists .
Analysts calculated the benefits these concerts would bring to Singapore before and during the show period. Within hours of tickets going on sale for these concerts, international fans secured flights and hotel accommodations to Singapore. Agoda reported that searches for accommodation in Singapore increased 8.7 times during the Coldplay concert period, with the spike driven by users from neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. KLOOK Singapore has also launched an “Experience Package” that includes two Taylor Swift concert tickets and one night’s stay at over 40 hotels. The majority of the sold-out tickets were sold to concert-goers from the region, particularly the Philippines, followed by Indonesia and Malaysia.
Experts have since estimated that these two concerts could increase hotel occupancy rates across Singapore by at least 5-8%, based on the assumption that at least 30% of concertgoers are foreign visitors. I predict that. Similarly, analysts believe that a Coldplay concert could generate an estimated S$96 million in revenue for Singapore, assuming overseas fans stay for an average of three days and spend about S$1,600 on concert-related purchases. I predicted that there would be sex. Overall, these concerts are seen as a new economic driver as they can boost domestic tourism and generate more revenue from tourist spending.
With the huge profits involved in hosting such concerts, it’s no wonder that Southeast Asian countries are vying to secure the opportunity to bring these celebrities to their countries. But there are barriers to further importing such practices into some of the less developed Southeast Asian countries. Infrastructure limitations, financial constraints, clashes of ideologies and cultures, and permitting issues are some of the reasons why there is a wide disparity in the number of performances across Southeast Asian countries. For example, Vietnam lacks large venues that can accommodate 30,000 to 50,000 people, making the market too small for big international artists to hold concerts. This puts the country at a disadvantage against its ASEAN neighbors such as Indonesia and Malaysia, which boast larger concert halls that are considered more attractive.
There are other issues, too, such as the disparity in hosting shows by foreign artists across Southeast Asia. Although Indonesia was able to secure Coldplay for a concert in Jakarta, licensing and permitting issues prevented this from being expanded to more performances. Additionally, clashes of cultural values and ideologies also influenced the band’s decision to cut back on shows. Opposition from religious groups such as Indonesia’s Persaudaran Alumni Association (PA) 212 over Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin’s support for the LGBTQ+ community also influenced the situation. Similarly, political conservatives such as Malaysia’s Parti Islamabad (PAS) have also taken issue with Coldplay, saying it could foster a culture of deviance. While governments have defended Coldplay’s upcoming concerts, there are still calls within these communities for the concerts to be canceled.
The 1975 will perform at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore. (Photo courtesy of The 1975 / Facebook)
In addition to restrictions within the host country, external factors make it difficult to organize such concerts. International artists are increasingly focusing on sustainability in their concert planning. For example, Coldplay suggested that the country’s environmental strategy was included as part of the decision about where to hold concerts. Requirements include the availability of public transportation to the concert venue and whether renewable energy will be used for concert lighting. All of this requires some level of technical ability, which may not be available in less developed Southeast Asian countries. Apart from this, the high cost of holding such concerts is another deterrent. Casting popular stars such as Maroon 5, Taylor Swift and Rihanna requires at least $2 million from producers, including security, hotel, travel and other costs set by the artist. The large amount of capital required to support these concerts has effectively prevented some countries from hosting large-scale concerts, causing this unequal distribution.
Having said that, Southeast Asian countries are seeking new solutions to improve their position in bidding for these concerts. Indonesia, for example, agreed to review its performance permit process with the aim of simplifying it through digitalisation. Individual concert organizers are actively working to reduce the environmental impact of hosting concerts. Live Nation Philippines is planning a shuttle service to ease the difficulties of concertgoers in getting to the concert venue. Zepp Kuala Lumpur has gained interest among popular J-POP artists and more internationally renowned live shows by investing in its own venue located within his mall of LaLaport and Bukit Bintang City Center Shopping. We are increasing our status as an attractive venue. Although government measures are being taken to support this new industry, much of it still comes from individual efforts, primarily at a business-to-business level between music event organizers and artists. Organizers will need to devise their own strategies to improve the audience’s performance experience. As such, little is being done in terms of cooperation between music event organizers and host countries, and even between Southeast Asian countries, to better support these live performance needs.
Southeast Asian countries should aim to work together to support the rise of this industry. Southeast Asia has already generated some fame through its prolific music festivals, including Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival, Indonesia’s We The Fest, and Singapore’s It’s The Ship, which attracts international tourists. , this could be a new direction for the region. A region where you can enjoy music. All this proves that, overall, there is a huge market in Southeast Asia, especially with the current music tourism trend where fans pay to fly to countries to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars live. I am. It may be more beneficial if all countries in the region work together to overcome existing challenges. By supporting regions through the development of appropriate infrastructure, such as investing in large-scale concert venues with improved audiovisual technology and streamlining ticket sales to ensure uniform distribution, countries can host international concerts and music festivals. can enhance the reputation of the entire region. . This will encourage artists to choose Southeast Asia rather than just individual countries as their destination region. There are challenges in introducing country-level cooperation, but resolving this barrier will ensure that all countries in the region benefit from the spillover benefits from these concerts, creating a win-win situation for all countries. you will be able to produce it.
However, this is still a grand plan in the making, and more needs to be done to ensure existing challenges are alleviated. There is no denying that there is a demand for live music performances in Southeast Asia, given that younger generations are exposed to different genres of music through streaming platforms such as Spotify and are willing to spend money to experience music events. you can’t. Also in other parts of the world. For all intents and purposes, the rise of the live music industry will become even more pronounced in the future, and Southeast Asian countries will need to come together to avoid losing out in the competition for these famous performances.
Editor’s note:
This is a revised version of the article in ASEANFocus Issue 2/2023, published in September 2023. Download the entire issue here.
