Touring Asia: How to avoid the pitfalls & make the most out of your budget – Part 1
Image: The On Fires
Credit:Long Truong
This article is presented byThe Appointment Group (TAG), an award-winning global, independenttravel and event management company.
As an entire territory, Asia is a global music industry anomaly. Despite it accounting for 60% of the world’s population, its music sales made up less than a quarter of the global market in 2014 (UMG) – and most of those sales came from Japan.
Until just a few years ago Asia’s music industry was often referred to as ‘the sleeping giant’, predominantly for its ‘music apartheid’ that stopped consumers accessing legal music online and its stringent creative rules for artists. Now, as one of the most burgeoning young markets in the world, its streaming, download and physical formats are all reporting growth (IFPI) and international acts are arriving every week to perform to sold-out arena, club and festival crowds.
In the next few months, Asia will host top tier global artists Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Hardwell and LCD Soundsystem. Meanwhile, its festival explosion hasn’t waned since 2013; China will host over 60 festivals in 2016 alone, with little to no advertising needed outside its borders.
If Asia wasn’t already appealing enough to Australian artists looking to expand their fanbases, the market’s 4.3 billion population consume international music at a feverish pace. 1.1 billion people are on social networking sites in Asia, many for the sole purpose of engaging with music communities.
As connectivity between its countries rises and more tourists and artists are able to travel across them with ease, Asia’s live music industries in regions like Indonesia, Singapore, China, Korea and Japan are consistently surpassing growth expectations. For example, when Future Music Festival Asia played host to 55,000 punters in Malaysia in 2013, around 30% of attendees were tourists. Additionally, Laneway Festival in Singapore saw 13,000 devotees swarm to see Flume, The Internet, Grimes and more on its sixth run in January.
To offer local artists and managers an insight into what to expect and prepare for when looking at touring Asia, TMN chats to music industry veterans Esti Zilber (from music export initiative SOUNDS AUSTRALIA), Stu McCullough (manager of The Jungle Giants and Last Dinosaurs), Max Harman (from Melbourne band The On Fires), and Dan Horton (of travel and event management company The Appointment Group).
Using their experiences, perspectives and industry knowledge, artists and managers who are considering tackling the behemoth that is Asia, or any of its counterparts, would do well to heed the following tips:
THE JOURNEY STARTS ON HOME SOIL
The passage to sold out shows in Taiwan and mainstage sets at Fuji Rock starts right here in Australia.
SOUNDS AUSTRALIA’s Esti Zilber says one of the biggest opportunities for local artists is through the drip-feeding of big-name Asian promoters and industry figures at local conferences.
“The most economic, cost-effective, insightful, way to do it would be to start at home. BigSound, AWME, EMC, Face The Music… every year they have great strong representatives from Asia,” says Zilber.
“That would be the best way to get insight into where you want to be, how you want to be navigating it and what’s the appropriate market for you,” she adds. “It’s a huge landscape, they do it very differently, so the more exposure you can get without even leaving, the better off you’re going to be.”
While SOUNDS AUSTRALIA aren’t involved in the selection process for domestic or international conferences and showcase events, its export music producers can set up one-on-one meetings for artists with Asian industry delegates. Once a local artist has used those meetings to build their networks and cement contacts in Asia, they’re more likely to land a showcase spot on one of the region’s music conferences, like Music Matters in Singapore, Mu:Con in South Korea and the new TAMC (The Asian Music Conference) for EDM acts in Macau.
As the travel services company behind next year’s Laneway Festival in Singapore, as well as some of the biggest tours worldwide, The Appointment Group (TAG) is in constant contact with the vastly differing music industries in Asia Pacific. TAG’s Head of Touring (APAC) Dan Horton behooves local artists to use online data analytics to identify Asian markets where untapped fanbases may be.
“First and foremost, know your market,” he heeds. “Artists have the ability to really delve into download stats with streaming services such as Spotify, that can tell you where the downloads are coming from. That’s a good starting point to help identify key markets.”
Spotify’s analytics tool for artists
USE YOUR CONTACTS
Asia’s vastness and lack of any overall idiosyncrasies can be both beneficial and detrimental to an emerging artist. Without an on-ground tour manager, promoter contact or booking agent, many artists can see their music lost in the white noise of 4.3 billion people.
Max Harman of Melbourne international export The On Fires sparked her own tour of China by sending one email. Her band, which has undertaken 15 tours through more than 20 countries in seven years, was chasing a band t-shirt for Beijing punk band PK14 when she was offered a full tour. Interestingly, The On Fires were at SXSW when they came across PK14 and bought a t-shirt; but following a rushed exit out of Austin, Harman accidentally threw the shirt out.
“I found the band online, emailed and asked about buying another t-shirt,” remembers Harman. “They didn’t speak English so my email got forwarded a couple of times until it reached someone who spoke English. After arranging a new t-shirt, that guy mentioned an Australian Promoter based in Beijing. I reached out to him and sent a link of us performing at a mid-size festival in Poland.
“He offered to set up a tour for us and we took a calculated risk. We didn’t know the guy and there was a chance it could be a huge wasted investment,” adds Harman. “Lucky for us he landed us our first Chinese festival. We ended up playing to a massive crowd doing ‘circle work’ in the midst of a Mongolian sandstorm.”
The On Fires at Midi Music Festival, China
Credit:Long Truong
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SINGAPORE’S GENEROSITY
As one of the fastest growing music markets in the world, Asia is increasingly investing in international artists through concert tours and one-off shows. Singapore is a prime example of this. Whether it’s for a Ronan Keating meet-and-greet and show at Universal Studios, a free live simulcast of the Rolling Stones’ 14 on Fire concert at Marina Bay Sands, or the government’s fund to bring in overseas acts, the Lion City is Asia’s music industry hub.
Not only do many of Asia’s major promoters call Singapore home base – including Magnetic Asia, Live Nation Lushington, AEG Live and local offshoots Chugg Entertainment and Dainty Group – due to its geographic proximity and attractive exchange rate Singapore is becoming an increasingly popular place to gain international exposure without the same financial risk.
The country’s government and Tourism Board (STB) have their arms wide open to Australian artists. In 2014 STB launched the Leisure Event Fund (LEF) where organisations could apply for grants to help put on festivals and concerts and raise Singapore’s profile along the way. Those organisations are using grant money to host high profile international acts with the LEF covering 50% of qualifying costs (production, equipment, materials, and marketing).
“They see it as an opportunity to help drive tourism in general,” says TAG’s Dan Horton. “And it has a knock-on effect for the economy as a whole.”
KNOW WHEN AND WHAT TO OUTSOURCE
The rise in tourism may be making travel easier for holidaymakers in Asia, but as an artist looking to navigate borders, negotiate travel fares and communicate with venue owners and sound engineers, it pays to know when to take the DIY route, and when to call in a professional.
Max Harman of Melbourne’s The On Fires says unless you can make friends in the country you’re headed to on social media beforehand – and tour with them – you’ll need to enlist an on-ground tour manager and a promoter.
“Without a promoter to book tours on your behalf I can’t imagine how you’d book a show,” says Harman. “[…] We also couldn’t have survived without a Tour Manager to buy tickets, negotiate taxi fares, manage accommodation, liaise with venues, translate for sound guys and order our meals. Outside Beijing and Shanghai English isn’t common.”
Additionally, and in some cases alternatively, globaltravel management providerThe Appointment Group (TAG) can be your one-stop-shop for an artist’s tour. With offices in the UK, US, Australia and Singapore, TAG may have relationships withthe biggest acts in the world, but they work with all budget levels to access local market airfares that cannot be booked in Australia – or anywhere else for that matter.
TAG’s Dan Horton, who helped open its Singapore office last September, says consolidating travel expenses to stay on budget is TAG’s specialty.
“Our global hotel agreements also extend to properties across Asia, whether it’s 2 star and 3 star hotels or higher,” he says. “We also book Airbnb, which is an increasingly popular cost saving method for touring at present.
“We can ensure tours come in at the very least on budget, or better still under budget. Asia also has a vast network of low cost airlines that we can book in our systems. We all know how painful those websites can be with all of the hidden charges. We can take that stress away.”
Part 2 and the final installment of TMN’s feature on touring Asia will be published next week.
This article is presented byThe Appointment Group (TAG). TAGis an award-winning global, independent travel and event management companydedicated to clients around the clock from offices in London, Manchester, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore.