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Singapore ‘sought exclusivity’ over Swift gigs

Thailand's PM claims the Singapore government encouraged tour organisers not to hold any other Eras dates in south-east Asia

By James Hanley on 19 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift will headline Amazon's first Prime Day concert

Thailand’s prime minister has caused a stir after claiming Singapore sought an exclusivity deal with Taylor Swift to prevent the singer from performing any other Eras tour dates in south-east Asia.

The Eras Tour lands at the 55,000-cap Singapore National Stadium for six nights from 2-4 & 7-9 March – its only concerts in the region.

During his keynote address at the iBusiness Forum 2024 in Bangkok, Thai PM Srettha Thavisin alleged he was told the Singapore government offered $2 million to $3m (€1.4m to €2.1m) per show as part of the arrangement, after enquiring why the tour would not be stopping in Thailand.

“[Promoter AEG] didn’t tell me the exact figure but they said the Singapore government offers subsidies of between $2m and $3m,” said Srettha, as per the Guardian. “But the Singaporean government is clever. They told [organisers] not to hold any other shows in [south-east] Asia.”

“Concerts can generate added value for the economy”

AEG and the Singapore government are yet to comment on Thavisin’s claim.

According to Sky News, the PM continued: “If [Swift] came to Thailand, it would have been cheaper to organise it here, and I believe she would be able to attract more sponsors and tourists to Thailand. Even though we would have to subsidise at least 500m baht [€13m], it would be worth it.

“If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand. Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”

The Eras trek, which also included four nights in Asia at Japan’s Tokyo Dome from 7-10 February, is currently in Australia, where Swift performed to 288,000 fans across three shows at Melbourne Cricket Ground this past weekend. It moves on to Sydney’s Accor Stadium for four gigs from 23-26 February.

 


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