Malaysia to set new rules for international acts

The Malaysian government is set to unveil new rules for international artists performing in the country.

The move follows complaints from political party PAS Youth in the wake of a show by Billie Eilish at Kuala Lumpur’s National Stadium Bukit Jalil last month.

PAS said it would hold protests unless the government cancelled all upcoming shows featuring overseas artists – claiming such events encourage hedonism. It had previously called for a Selena Gomez concert to be banned in 2016, alleging it promoted “western culture and hedonism”.

Currently, all concerts by foreign acts include conditions for organisers and a code of ethics for artists, including how they dress and behave on stage. According to The Star, the updated guidelines, which will be finalised by the end of the year. will take into account “all sensitivities of the Malaysian public”.

“We have actually been working on the new guidelines since 2019 to make them more relevant to the current industry’s needs”

“We have actually been working on the new guidelines since 2019 to make them more relevant to the current industry’s needs to keep up to date with the present situation and trends,” communications and multimedia ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek tells the publication.

Association of Arts, Live International Festivals and Events (ALIFE) chair R. Para adds the Malaysian concert business had not yet fully rebounded from the effects of Covid.

“The live events industry in Malaysia is recovering, but for this year, the total revenue is only expected to reach 50% of pre-pandemic times,” he says. “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, combined business and entertainment events contributed almost RM1.2 billion [€263.3m] to the economy in 2019.

“We are projecting that it will at least hit half this number this year and surpass RM1.2bn in 2023.”

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