Asia News: Ticketmaster Expands, Coronavirus, Bieber

Ticketmaster Expands To Taiwan, Singapore

On Feb. 13, Ticketmaster announced it would be expanding into Asia by acquiring Tixcraft in Taiwan and launching Ticketmaster Singapore in Singapore.

Ticketmaster, a Live Nation Entertainment company, will now be available to Asian customers, who will gain access to the company’s vast experience as well as to artists and promoters who can use the company’s innovative ticketing solutions

In December, Ticketmaster secured a position on the Sports Hub panel in Singapore, which means it is now one of three ticketing companies that promoters can select in the Singapore market. Sports Hub is Singapore’s sports and entertainment complex, which includes the National Stadium, a smaller Indoor Stadium (the main venue in the city-state for large-scale concerts), a 3,000-capacity arena and other facilities.

In a statement released to the press, Mark Yovich, the president of Ticketmaster International, said, “By acquiring market leaders Tixcraft in Taiwan and launching in Singapore, we have established two great bases with talented teams to support the burgeoning live entertainment scene in Asia. We are introducing greater levels of service and choice to event organizers across the region and can now provide fans with seamless access to our worldwide marketplace of events.”

Chad Phillips, the former marketing director of APACTix, has been appointed to the new role of marketing director of Ticketmaster Asia, which is based in Singapore. In his own statement, Phillips said, “Over recent years, the live entertainment industry across Asia has seen some immense growth and right now is the perfect time to welcome Ticketmaster to Taiwan and Singapore. I’m hugely excited to be joining the team and look forward to managing the rollout of the world’s most innovative ticketing marketplace.”

Tixcraft was founded in 2014 and became Taiwan’s leading music ticketing platform working with promoters in Taiwan such as B’in, Live Nation Taiwan and iMe Taiwan. The founder, KT Chiu, will remain at the company serving as managing director for Ticketmaster Taiwan. In a statement, Chiu said, “As the global leader in ticketing, it’s an honor to be part of Ticketmaster. By bringing its technology and service to Taiwan and tapping into the company’s huge global network, we will revolutionize the ticketing experience for fans, venues, sports clubs and event organizers in Taiwan.”

More Coronavirus Cancellations

More international artists have announced cancellations or postponements of concerts in Asia due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Stormzy was set to make his concert debut in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea in March, but has postponed at least some of these shows to the fall. In an Instagram post the British rapper wrote, “I was seriously looking forward to bringing the #HITH World tour to Asia and playing some epic sold-out shows, but due to the ongoing health and travel concerns surrounding the Coronavirus, I’m regrettably having to reschedule this leg of the tour.”

Kenny G called off dates in February in Singapore and Malaysia, promising to reschedule them soon. The American pop vocal group 98 Degrees moved their Feb. 20 show at the Star Theater in Singapore to May 19, and former Spandau Ballet leader, Tony Hadley’s Singapore concert was moved from Feb. 16 to Oct. 10. However, Hadley’s Japan shows were still being advertised as of Feb. 18.

Several music festivals slated for Singapore in February are still happening, though the government will set up screening stations at the entrances.

American R&B singer-songwriter Khalid has also cancelled some Asian concerts. Promoter AEG Presents Asia posted an announcement on Instagram stating, “Due to the recent advisories and travel restrictions in several Asian countries, Khalid will be postponing his upcoming tour of Asia. Our highest priority remains the safety of Khalid’s fans, his team and everyone who has been working on these concerts.” The shows were scheduled for March and April and included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan.

Asian acts also continue to cancel shows scheduled for the spring. The biggest announcement in this regard last week was that J-pop boy band Arashi would not be playing in Beijing. The group’s management, Johnny and Associates, released a statement saying, “Arashi’s members were very much looking forward to meeting all the local fans,” and were “distressed” at the decision to call it off.

The concert was supposed to be held at the National Stadium built for the 2008 Olympic Games. Arashi, which is retiring as a group at the end of the year, was also chosen by the Japanese government as a goodwill ambassador to promote cultural exchange between China and Japan, a role that will continue despite the concert cancellation.

Jen Lowery / @JenLoweryPhoto – Justin Bieber
“KIIS FM Jingle Ball,” Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Bieber Shares Solidarity In Wake Of Coronavirus

Despite the fact that Justin Bieber was informally banned from performing in China by the government in 2017, the pop star has sent his love and support to all his Chinese fans via Instagram in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

In the post, Bieber wrote, “Watching the news I couldn’t imagine how scary it would be if a new disease was affecting my wife and my family and friends. China, we stand with you as a collective humanity and have made a donation to support.”

The contribution was reportedly made to the Beijing Chunmiao Charity Foundation. At the end of the message, Bieber called out to his friend, Chinese entertainer Kris Wu.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture in 2017 stated that Bieber was no longer welcome in China because of his “bad behavior,” especially during a past performance in China.

However, last year Bieber was allowed to join China’s popular microblogging platform Weibo, where he or his representative posted numerous messages in Chinese, attracting more than 1 million followers.