The Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have responded to questions related to securing six Taylor Swift shows exclusively in Singapore next month.
Source: @taylorswift on Instagram
STB said it provided a grant in support of the event. Meanwhile, MCCY worked directly with concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to bring the pop superstar to Singapore.
Authorities expect the concerts to bring a surge to the economy. However, they stopped short of confirming if they had worked an exclusive deal or the amount they paid.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin claimed last Friday (16 Feb) that Singapore had paid Swift US$2 million (S$2.7 million) to US$3 million (S$4 million) per show for exclusivity.
Singapore is the only Southeast Asian country she will be bringing ‘The Eras Tour’ to.
Responding to media queries from Channel NewsAsia (CNA) and The Straits Times (ST), STB and MCCY said both MCCY and the Kallang Alive Sport Management “worked directly” with AEG in the deal to bring Swift to Singapore.
They did this in recognition of the “significant demand” there would be from local and regional fans.
Kallang Alive Sport Management is a wholly owned entity under MCCY and manages the Singapore Sports Hub. This is where the National Stadium — where Swift will be performing — is located.
Source: Google Maps
“Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings,” they noted in a joint statement.
“The Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) will continue to actively bring a range of diverse lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Sports Hub,” they added.
Additionally, The Straits Times (ST) reported that STB supported the event via a grant, the amount of which wasn’t stated.
Swift’s concerts are “likely to generate significant benefits to the Singapore economy”, especially to the tourism sector, which includes hospitality, retail, travel, and dining.
Over 300,000 tickets for the concert have been sold so far, said STB and MCCY, and a significant number of fans will be coming in from overseas.
Mr Srettha had stated that it would be cheaper to hold ‘The Eras Tour’ concerts in Thailand.
However, AEG had apparently told him that the Singapore government paid between US$2 million (S$2.7 million) to US$3 million (S$4 million) so that she would not perform anywhere else in the region.
He then said if he’d known about this, he would have worked to bring her to Thailand.
“Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”
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Featured image adapted from Scott Legato/TAS23/Getty Images via AXIOS Cleveland.
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