Will red tape snarl Malaysia's concert hub plans to emulate Singapore?
Malaysia is offering concert organisers rebates for reeling in global stars with an eye on the tourism bounce that major acts have brought to neighbouring Singapore , but promoters warn that increasing red tape and censorship may ward off the biggest names.
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From May 15, event organisers in Malaysia can claim rebates of up to 1.5 million ringgit (US$340,000) to help cover the cost of major concerts by international artists, in what the government says is recognition of the spin-offs for airlines, hotels and small vendors.
But at the same time the government has also formalised the adoption of a '
kill switch ' – a mechanism imposed after an
LGBTQ controversy at a music festival
in 2023 – as part of foreign-artist performance guidelines for all concerts hosted in Malaysia.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the kill switch was the 'biggest element' in improvements on 'incident management', after
the onstage kiss by male members of British band The 1975 at a music festival two years ago. Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Malaysia.
Matty Healy of The 1975 performs at a music festival in the US in 2023. Photo: Invision/AP
The foreign artist approval agency (Puspal) reportedly ordered the cancellation of at least three other concerts that same year.
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