Untangling organizational knots to attract foreign stars to Vietnam.

(NLĐO) - How to attract foreign stars to Vietnam remains a difficult problem to solve.

Wherever Taylor Swift goes, she achieves box office success.

The 4th Ho Chi Minh City International Music Festival - HOZO 2024 (HOZO 2024) welcomed 200,000 visitors to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere. Beyond providing a top-tier musical experience, the event has elevated itself to a global cultural exchange point, portraying Ho Chi Minh City as a proud new cultural icon and affirming the city's solid position on the regional cultural and artistic map.

Ho Do is currently an international-scale community music event in Vietnam, notable for its spirit of dedication as it is completely free for the audience.

For three consecutive days, the festival was vibrant with two stages operating at full capacity, bringing together more than 250 talented artists from all over the world , spanning from Vietnam to Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

HOZO's spread over the years partly proves that Vietnam is an ideal destination. In this era of globalization, with no barriers whatsoever, Vietnamese audiences are increasingly eager to enjoy spectacular world-class music events.

The girl group BlackPink also created an irresistible sensation when they came to Hanoi (Vietnam).

However, inviting foreign stars to perform in Vietnam remains a challenging issue. Recently, at the 2024 activity review meeting of the Vietnam Copyright Protection Center for Music (VCPMC), VCPMC stated that the royalties collected in 2024 were less than in 2023 because many shows/performance venues had not paid royalties for a long time.

"Recently, several Korean music programs have failed to pay royalties, and VCPMC has filed lawsuits in the competent court, such as the '2024 Baekhyun Asia Tour (Lonsdaleite) in Ho Chi Minh City' program (which took place on September 28, 2024) organized by IME Music Co., Ltd. In addition, the upcoming program, also organized by IME Music, '2024-25 2NE1 Asia Tour (Welcome back) in Ho Chi Minh City' (to be held on February 15 and 16, 2025 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center), has not yet agreed on royalty payments," VCPMC stated.

"VCPMC has notified and worked with the Korean copyright organization KOMCA to coordinate the handling and prevention of infringement, requiring the organizing unit to pay royalties for permission to use the copyrighted material, and simultaneously reporting the violations of these units to the competent state agency to request inspection and handling of the violations," said Meritorious Artist Dinh Trung Can (General Director of VCPMC).

However, IME, the company named in the complaint, also expressed its frustration. IME asserted that VCPMC's method of collecting royalties was completely unreasonable. This is why IME has not been able to pay royalties, not because it doesn't want to pay or doesn't respect copyright issues.

Ho Chi Minh City also had a successful HOZO 2024 season.

Besides legal disagreements, inviting foreign stars to Vietnam still makes organizers hesitant. Although shows by foreign stars in Vietnam always attract tens of thousands of viewers, such as Imagine Dragons' spectacular performances, or BlackPink's record-breaking show with over 300 billion VND in revenue.

During Blackpink's Asian tours, Hanoi ranked sixth in revenue, surpassing South Korea, Japan, and China. Their two concerts at My Dinh National Stadium sold 67,443 tickets, achieving a 100% occupancy rate. Total revenue reached nearly $13.7 million USD (equivalent to over 331 billion VND).

Experts affirm: "This is an 'enviable and inspiring' revenue figure for those in the industry. Although there is no professional statistical unit, the above figure is likely a record high in the history of entertainment event organization in Vietnam. This shows the market's huge spending power and that audiences are simply waiting for famous, popular names and professional organizers."

However, whether this can be repeated remains an unanswered question. Vietnamese fans spend money traveling to Thailand and Singapore to see Korean groups like BlackPink or Taylor Swift. In 2024, Thailand will host a host of A-list artists from around the world and the region, from Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, the 1975 to Blackpink, and soon Cardi B, Sam Smith, Bruno Major, and DJ Marlo.

These concerts attract between 15,000 and nearly 100,000 attendees. On average, Thailand hosts seasonal music festivals every week, drawing large crowds of both domestic and international tourists. Many world-renowned names such as Coldplay, Muse, HONNE, Blur, and Kendrick Lamar have announced their Asian tours this year, with destinations including Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Many markets in Asia are bustling with vibrant music festivals and appearances by world-class artists… but in Vietnam, "international music festivals" remain a luxury concept.

Besides the fact that foreign stars demand quite high performance fees, the biggest obstacle preventing Vietnam from being on their list of choices is the inability to "meet requirements." These include requirements regarding technical quality standards (sound, lighting) and commitments regarding audience attendance.

But attracting foreign stars to Vietnam remains a difficult problem to solve.

Based on what Vietnamese audiences have seen from the organization of the two shows "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" and "Brother Says Hi," it's easy for Vietnamese show organizers to meet the demands of foreign stars. These extremely international stages will not only satisfy the audience but also please the clients (foreign stars). However, the commitments regarding audience attendance (usually over ten thousand) are quite complicated. This is because, to have an international-standard stage, the most important thing is money. And when you invest so much, ticket prices have to increase.

Show producers and organizers are feeling very excited about the surge in ticket purchases for live concerts (especially the two shows "Brother Says Hi" and "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles") from Vietnamese audiences.

However, the willingness to spend money on tickets for these shows stems from the fans' fierce determination and overwhelming affection for their idols. Meanwhile, buying tickets for a concert in the usual way, especially at such exorbitant prices, would likely be difficult.

Many venues have closed down after a show featuring foreign stars. To please the foreign stars, the organizers had to open their doors just before the show to fill the empty seats. The resulting losses have made these organizers hesitant to continue.

Audiences expect a truly professional and well-organized event planning industry, rather than one that relies on luck.

It's clear that Vietnam is rarely the preferred destination for international artists, even though its fan base for US, UK, and K-Pop idols is just as large as in other countries.

Despite strenuous efforts to bring foreign idols to Vietnam, show cancellations still frequently occur, leaving fans disappointed by the organization's investment and anticipation.

This is the reason why the reputation of the Vietnamese music market is affected, impacting the audience's mindset and the psychology of other international stars, causing them to reconsider choosing Vietnam as a destination.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/go-nut-that-to-chuc-de-thu-hut-sao-ngoai-den-viet-nam-196250124092942054.htm