Industry players say a mandate is needed to boost Malaysia as an attractive destination, in the wake of Singapore hosting American pop superstar Taylor Swift in March, 2024.
An industry source told ST that the American singer-songwriter Lauv’s tour in Malaysia slated for September 2023 was also cancelled due to heightened political scrutiny on concerts amid opposition by Islamists who were against foreign performers. “We are very much below our potential. The year 2023 was the biggest year of concerts globally, but we lost out on hundreds of millions due to our poor reputation affected by protests and strict regulations,” said Alife president Rizal Kamal. Ticket revenues from the top 100 concert tours of 2023 jumped to a record US$9.17 billion , industry magazine Pollstar reported in December 2023.
“We enjoy 30 per cent lower production costs than Singapore, so this is a good time to push for an overall nation-building plan that includes concert economics,” Mr Jasni added. Under pressure from PAS, Singapore comedian Kumar, who is usually risque, performed one show in Labuan to only non-Muslims. Previously, he had performed elsewhere in Malaysia to Muslims and non-Muslims, although not in drag.