KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Malaysian music lovers, you might want to start saving now as all signs are pointing that next year, will be an even bigger year for live concerts in Malaysia.
Despite seeing an influx of headliner shows arriving to our shores this year alone by international acts such as Bruno Mars, Laufey, Imagine Dragons as well as Dua Lipa — local concert organisers are saying that next year will be even bigger.
According to Hello Universe CEO Adam Ashraf — who brought British rock band Muse and Japanese rock group One OK Rock last year — one of the reasons for this is thanks to the rotational tours some artists are going through.
He said that big names such as Linkin Park will start their From Zero World Tour in November this year while bands such as Paramore and 30 Second to Mars either have already, or are currently touring America and Europe and will most likely look at Asia for their next destinations.
“Most of them start coming (to Asia) around March or April next year. However, the holy month of Ramadan might fall in March followed by Eid celebrations the month after.
“But after April, we would most likely see a lot of these international artists turning up.
“Also, we already have Maroon 5 and Green Day coming in January and February — so I’m positive that next year will be a bit more havoc here,” he said.
Adam pointed out that some organisers and promoters are also more open on hosting rock and metal bands from the late 90’s to early 2000s.
“A few rock or metal concerts happening this year such as Babymetal and Bring Me the Horizon has probably opened up the eyes of other promoters, even those who have never brought in international rock bands before.
“For instance LiveNation Malaysia — their focus previously was pop artists but now they are bringing in Green Day, it seems like they are starting to tap into the 90’s band market.”
Despite the many of international shows in Malaysia this year, Adam said that Malaysia hosted bigger A-list artists in 2023 compared to this year citing acts such as Blackpink, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Muse.
Adam is currently getting back his Hello Universe team together after taking almost a year-long break from organising live concerts to recover from from heart surgery.
They too have some big plans in the pipeline and will be making announcements soon.
Hitman Solutions founder Rohit Rampal, an active concert organisers who has brought in international acts such as NeYo, Incubus and Bring Me the Horizon and Babymetal, is also excited for next year.
“2025 will be the true test of time as we will see many big shows and fewer local shows, as most of the current content has been exhausted.
“But there are super exciting times ahead.”
Rohit said that a lot of international artists actually want to perform in Malaysia, however most of them are not properly informed about the country’s rules and regulations on live concerts which leads them to assume that having a show here means going through a hassle.
“But with proper advancement and better management of expectations, some of them feel that Malaysia has one of the most diverse audiences in Asia,” said Rohit.
He said that government agencies have been actively communicating with local promoters on setting right and reasonable governance has made the process of organising international live concerts run more smoothly.
Meanwhile, concert promoter and talent booking agency RK Live director Rahul Kukreja said that Asia is becoming the next hot spot for live concerts and music festivals.
“The North America and Europe region, which have been the primary touring market for a very long time, have reached their threshold. There’s no growth anymore and if there is, it is very small.
“The next base where it’s hugely growing and there are a lot of opportunities is Asia, where there are some parts of the region that haven’t even taken off yet.
“When you look at the global mammoths like AEG or LiveNation, they are now looking at Asia as their main focus,” he said.
At the same time, international concert organisers opt for countries which have a clear outlay and plan when it comes to live concerts and festivals.
Such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia who have put more focus on music tourism recently and have a more developed live music business plan.
“It's easier (for them) to do this business there purely because there's a plan with the government and a clear direction on how they can help and how they want to see this type of business and this industry grow”.
He said that although it’s almost impossible for Malaysia to host a week-long show as Singapore did with Coldplay last year, more new brands and festivals are coming through aside from a few more headline shows happening next year.
Amongst the local festival that Rahul highlighted includes the recent Ombak Festival which took place in Desaru Coast, Johor Bahru earlier this month where it has featured legendary artists such as Nile Rodgers & Chic, Grace Jones, Macy Gray and The Cardigans.
