Concert promoters back independent music events in Singapore

The growing number of indie music acts set to perform in Singapore through 2016 would seem to indicate that prmoters are confident that there is sufficient demand among concert goers, especially for value-for-money festivals.

Promoters appear confident that there is sufficient demand for non-mainstream acts to justify bringing in more acts, especially when they can be packaged into a festival that targets a niche audience.

Neon Lights Festival Director Declan Forde told Channel NewsAsia “there has been a massive growth in festivals worldwide in the last decade, especially in North America, and Singapore has been a part of that.

“I'm not sure there are more large festivals in Singapore than there were say five years ago because many that were running then are not running now. But there has definitely been a growth in recent years in smaller, independently-run pop-up events in Singapore with the classic DIY ethos, and that is a very good addition to a city's cultural landscape.”

More than 10,000 fans attended the inaugural Neon Lights 2015 in November last year and, similar to Hong Kong’s marquee music event Clockenflap, the arts and music festival featured a multi-genre line-up of homegrown and international music acts including the legendary Nile Rodgers, Damien Rice and Mercury Rev.

Apart from music performances, the festival also included other activities such as poetry slams, street artists and dance performances.

St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival Director Matthew Lazarus-Hall commented “when we first started St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, a lot of people in the industry did not think it was going to work.

“The first few years were a lot of hard work, but the Festival continually challenged itself to be artistic, sophisticated and cutting-edge.

“This mindset and attitude flows through to all elements of the Festival, including the festival-goer’s experience before, during and after the festival.”

Born in an alleyway in 2005 in Melbourne, the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival grew from national to international and landed in Singapore in 2011. Five years later, Laneway Festival Singapore is still hitting all the right notes with a line-up that included Scottish electronic band Chvrches and Canada’s experimental pop artiste Grimes earlier this year.

Lazarus-Hall agrees that the growth of indie festivals in Singapore and the region has been significant over the past few years, and that audiences have a lot more choice due to the increased number of shows held here and around the region.

He explained “(the audience’s) musical taste has broadened and people now have the opportunity to enjoy a wider range of music and therefore, are somewhat more discerning.”

However, he warns of a threshold of what individual markets can sustain, adding “as with any industry, there needs to be a balance of developing products and premium products that are a must-see or have.

“What I mean by that is not every show will be a commercial success. You have to build an audience first and sometimes initial investments are necessary to build this audience but then again, it does not guarantee longevity and future returns.”

Images: Laneway Festival Singapore (top and below), and Neon Lights Festival (middle).

9th February 2016 - MATTHEW LAZARUS-HALL TO LEAVE CHIEF EXECUTIVE ROLE AT CHUGG ENTERTAINMENT

2nd April 2015 - ALL THAT MATTERS DIGITAL AND MUSIC CONFERENCE RETURNS TO SINGAPORE

9th May 2012 - SINGAPORE REACHES RECORD $68 MILLION CONCERT TICKET SALES IN 2011

11th November 2009 - HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE BATTLE TO BECOME ASIA’S REGIONAL ARTS HUB