Last week, this writer was part of a 12,000-strong audience screaming at Sheffield-born Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner as he pranced from one end of the Singapore Indoor Stadium stage to the other.
As part of their world tour, Turner and friends trained their sights on Southeast Asia for the very first time.
Of course, as you might already know, they stopped at Singapore and Hong Kong thus far, with dates set for Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, and some cities in Japan.
It is no surprise that Malaysia is often picked last in the touring circuit for international acts - aside from a recent announcement that rock bands Muse and The Strokes will be brought in for some shows this July.
It is for this reason that, between hiked-up ticket prices and Malaysia’s inability to bring in acts without some brouhaha over religious impropriety, I grew up not going to concerts, unlike some peers who enjoyed more mainstream kid-friendly acts such as Bieber, Swift, and most recently, Eilish (above).
I turn 24 this year. Surprisingly, in the last few months alone, I have now seen two musical acts I never thought I would get to see live - on the grounds of neighbouring Singapore.
Post-pandemic, it is clear that this is an untapped market for concert organisers from countries like Malaysia if they could just take a chance.
I am often regaled with stories by my partner, a former music journalist himself, about an influx of concerts in Malaysia in the 1990s and 2000s - so what exactly went wrong?
Malaysia, in the eyes of no one
As pointed out by Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid, there is a symbiotic relationship between tourism, arts, and culture.
“By showcasing the country’s cultural heritage, Malaysia can attract visitors from around the world to learn about our history, customs, and traditions.
“This, in turn, can help boost the country’s economy and create new job opportunities,” said the MP last Thursday.
It is not hard to guess that the economic impact of live music events is far-reaching when manpower to hold such concerts will be needed on numerous levels - and you don’t have to be part of the so-called art scene to see it.
When I went to American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers’ concert, there were groups of kids - ages ranging from 15 to early 20s - from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei coordinating meet-ups nearby the venue - simply because they flew out alone to see Bridgers and wanted to go sight-seeing in Singapore in groups!
Hotels, homestays, and show venues will see an uptick in bookings, as people need a place to stay to follow their favourite music acts - especially if they are foreign.
Restaurants and caterers will get more business as people need to eat. Security firms will be hired ahead of such events, to protect the acts and tackle massive crowds.
While Malaysia takes a step forward when cabinet members like Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing speak out against an “extremist culture sending our nation backwards”, we take two steps back when films such as Mentega Terbang - which had been making quiet rounds across the nation since 2020/2021 - are censored.
When he spoke to Malaysiakini on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s 100 days in office, Arts, Live Festivals, and Events Association (Alife) chairperson P Rajagopal commented that the most important thing the PM did was to bring people hope to restore international respect, among other things.
“My personal hope is to get more support for the music and live events industry.
“This means industry-driven approval guidelines to assist the growth and creativity of the industry, as well as a competitive entertainment tax structure, so Malaysia becomes a preferred destination for touring acts, as well as provide grants or land to the private sector to build entertainment-purposed venues,” he said.
Entertainment tax
The collection of entertainment tax falls under the jurisdiction of the local authorities in the respective states, and currently, the entertainment tax in Malaysia is 25 percent.
Tax exemptions were handed to industries badly hit by the pandemic, such as theme parks, cinemas, and others within the entertainment ecosystem.
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who was Malaysia’s pandemic-time finance minister, said during the Budget presentation that for 2022, all entertainment events would be exempted from entertainment tax.
However, he could only speak for the federal level, leaving it to individual states on implementing such exemptions.
As it is, eight percent of the nation’s art venues, Syerleena claims, have closed permanently since the pandemic.
To fully live up to the “Malaysia, Truly Asia” slogan - which was created in the year of my birth under a different administration - the government needs to see that empowering local acts and transforming the nation into a music hub for the region will improve Malaysia’s international visibility.
Countries like South Korea - which has poured billions of dollars into pushing its culture onto the global stage - are known for the way they wield influence through soft power.
The key to a prosperous nation, ultimately, is to secure freedom of thought and expression for the masses.
Making Malaysia a much-vied destination for touring acts by lowering barriers to access the country’s scene is surely low-hanging fruit! - Mkini
ALENA NADIA is a member of the Malaysiakini team.
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