Conservatism, red tape strike a sour note with foreign artistes

 

Malaysia is not on the itinerary of pop singer Taylor Swift’s world tour. She will perform in Japan and Singapore next year. (Taylor Swift Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A rising tide of conservatism and excessive bureaucracy are among the main reasons that foreign artistes often skip Malaysia as a stop on their world tours, according to two concert organisers and promoters.

Rizal Kamal, president of the Arts, Live Festival, and Events Association (Alife), said news of protests against shows and performing artistes had caused fear among performers and their managers.

He cited the protest by PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari against a concert by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish last year and his warning of national protests unless Putrajaya cancelled scheduled concerts featuring international artistes.

“The conservative voices that are against live performances affect the industry quite badly,” said Rizal, who runs a live event company. Music fans in the region were also deterred from travelling to watch their favourite acts.

“If a concert is cancelled due to a protest or any reason, the tickets will be refunded. But not the (money paid for) flights and accommodation; these have to be manually worked out with the airlines and hotels,” he said.

Following Coldplay’s decision to stage six shows in Singapore next January, many have asked why the British band is not holding more than one concert in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is also not on the itinerary of Grammy-winning pop singer Taylor Swift who will perform in Japan and Singapore next year on her world tour.

Rohit Rampal, CEO of event management company Hitman Group, believes Malaysia will lose hundreds of millions of ringgit in tourist receipts with Coldplay only holding one show in Malaysia.

“It’s not just the concert organiser, it’s the transport, the flights, the hotels, the local gerai (food stalls), the fuel, the wear and tear of (the venue). The whole ecosystem will lose out on these six nights.”

He said there was a need for direction as to where the local events industry was headed, warning that Malaysia risked losing out even more if it did not become more progressive and accepting of different types of content.

“There should be clear guidelines and a clear vision of how we want Malaysia to be presented,” he said, adding that the industry’s future hung on whether the government wanted to be progressive or regressive.

Rohit and Rizal also said applying for permits for foreign performers was an onerous task, and called for the process to be expedited and for greater collaboration between the government and industry players.

The body responsible for approving foreign artiste permits is Puspal, the central agency for filming and performance applications by foreign artistes. It is a unit of the communications and digital ministry.

Rohit said Puspal’s board includes representatives of local councils, the immigration department, Inland Revenue Board and religious authorities.

“The approval body is not made up of stakeholders, organisers or artistes from the events or entertainment industry, rather they are government officers and representatives of government departments,” he said.

Although the Puspal officers he dealt with were often very accommodative, they were duty-bound by regulations made in the past, he added. - FMT