Using her talents as a singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift became one of the biggest singers in the world thanks to albums like 1989, Reputation, and Midnights. Holding 14 Grammy Awards, the singer sold over 200 million records and helmed her massively popular Eras tour. First starting in March 2023, the tour will continue throughout 2024, with her last show taking place in December. Besides taking over arenas and headlines, Swift’s tour became the first tour to pass $1 billion in revenue. While preparing to perform in Singapore starting on March 2, the star recently received criticism from a Philippines lawmaker for inking a deal exclusive to Singapore.
Just last month, Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister of Thailand, announced that they reached an agreement with Swift to perform at Singapore’s National Stadium. However, according to the deal, she will not perform any more shows in the Association of South East Asian Nations, which consists of 10 countries. Philippines representative Joey Salceda found an issue with the deal as he asked the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs to protest. “[This] isn’t what good neighbours do. Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt.”
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Taylor Swift Changing Entertainment Economics
Speaking at the iBusiness Forum 2024, Thavisin detailed how the Singapore government offered the singer around $3 million to hold her shows only at their stadium. And that price tag was for each show. “The Singapore government is astute. If she 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, it would be worth it.” He continued, “If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand. Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”
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Current projections have Swift’s Eras Tour bringing in a staggering $5.7 billion. Looking at the numbers, that projection is more than the annual GDP of 42 countries in the world. The director of growth marketing at SeatGeek, Chris Leyden, explained, “Swift and her ‘Eras’ tour have redefined entertainment economics.”
While Salceda spoke out against the deal, the lawmaker admitted that it worked for Singapore. As for the Philippines, he urged the government to focus on infrastructure that would allow them to host singers like Swift. “In the long run, though, we need to step up our game.”
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