Malaysia risks losing out on big-name entertainers if the country’s live entertainment industry is not given a break.
THEY came and they rocked. And for the approximately 10,000 people who attended the Black Eyed Peas concert at the Arthur’s Day celebration in Sunway Lagoon Resort recently, life returned pretty much to normal even before the award-winning pop act arrived at their next gig venue in Singapore.
There were no untoward incidents at the event nor were there any reported surge in the country’s crime index or mayhem in the city following the shebang.
After the entire hullabaloo that preceded the show by the hip hop group, there was no change either in the lives of the 26 million over people nationwide who did not attend the big bash.
In fact, the whole affair was mild compared to the “excitement” that came before. For more than a month, Malaysian music fans held their breath on whether they or their Muslim friends would be allowed to go to the hip hop concert or whether it would actually happen at all.
All set to rock: Malaysians are waiting eagerly for R&B diva Beyonce’s “I am ...” concert, which is scheduled for next Sunday in Bukit Jalil. — AFP
Now, they are holding their breath for R&B diva Beyonce’s “I am ...” concert, which is scheduled for next Sunday in Bukit Jalil.
Predictably, as soon as the date was announced, PAS Youth called for its ban. As its chief Nasrudin Tantawi told AFP, “This performance is not suitable for Muslims as her skimpy attire and behaviour onstage are immoral and lead to unclean behaviour. We oppose the holding of such concerts and we will take action to prevent such a concert from taking place in Malaysia.”
More than a week ago, an Islamic students group, the National Union of Malaysian Islamic Students (PKPIM), echoed the call for the banning of the Beyonce concert, raising its doubts that the singer would adhere to the guidelines pertaining to the attire, appearance and behaviour of performers.
Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, however, responded to say that there was no reason to stop Beyonce from holding her show in Malaysia if she adheres to the regulations stipulated.
“If she deliberately bares her body and violates the conditions imposed by the authorities, then she would be prevented from performing.”
Malaysian way
How a concert can comply with the stipulated guidelines and still be a success was proven by the Arthur’s Day celebration.
At the mega music event, concert-goers’ identification cards were closely scrutinised at the entrance to ensure that only those aged 18 and above attended it. Drinking areas were designated and closely monitored to ensure that no Muslims partook of the alcohol beverage available.
For their performance, Black Eyed Peas frontwoman Fergie dressed modestly in a black t-shirt and jeans, and everyone in the hip hop group tempered their vigorous movements.
“They didn’t complain. They said they were just happy to return to Malaysia and entertain their fans,” says Raymond Siva of Grey Two PR Sdn Bhd, which handled the publicity for the event.
In fact, he adds, they had no complaints from those who attended.
“We kept true to our word and adhered to the regulations and the concert proceeded very well. Most people in Malaysia just want to follow the guidelines that have been laid down by the Government. For the international artistes, many practise the philosophy that ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’.”
Former concert promoter Paul Augustin agrees that most international artistes today are well travelled and exposed to various world cultures.
“Many understand the sensitivities of certain cultures and have no problem in adapting. Anyway, most countries in the world, if not all, have guidelines for their live performances, and the artistes are used to it,” he says, recalling his experience coordinating the South East Asia concert tour for teeny bopper boy band The Moffats.
“They performed in Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia among others, and for each country, they were eager to know about the local cultures of each country, especially the do’s and don’ts,” says Augustin.
Lushington Entertainments Pte Ltd regional director Michael Roche shares that many international stars are interested in performing in Malaysia due to Malaysian audiences’ reputation as one of the best and most enthusiastic among all South East Asian music fans.
“We had a lot of problems when we were organising Linkin Park’s concert here in 2004 and after it was finally confirmed, we had only 11 days to sell out Stadium Merdeka. It was even nearly called off on the day of the show. But recently, the band wrote in their book that the KL show was the greatest and most exciting show they had played on the Meteora World because of the fans,” he recollects.
However, he adds, many are turned off by the uncertainties in the organisation of the music event.
“The uncertainties and curtailment of announced shows reflect poorly on the international front. Agents err more towards caution now and elect to not include Malaysia on the touring calendar.”
Siva concurs. If the guidelines are clear, he stresses, there is no reason why we cannot organise concerts successfully here.
“At the Arthur’s Day celebrations, for example, we took strict cognisance of the guidelines set by the relevant authorities. And it was a successful event.”
However, for local concert organisers, herein lies the bane in their work.
Steadfast under pressure
The guidelines for filming and performance by foreign artistes are administered by the Central Agency for the Application for Filming and Performances by Foreign Artistes or Puspal, which is attached to the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry.
As groused by many though, the guidelines may be clear on paper but the implementation of these guidelines is vague and arbitrary.
This is the crux of the problem, says Alan Foo, managing director of Star Planet Sdn Bhd.
“The guidelines set are fair, but they are undermined by contradictions in the implementation. For example, if the permits were issued following the guidelines, there is no reason for Puspal to retract them due to opposition or pressure from certain parties.”
He cites the Michael Learns to Rock concert they organised in Genting Highland last month, which they were pressured to cancel after they received opposition from PAS Youth for holding it during the fasting month.
“Under the guidelines, it is stated that we are not allowed to organise any concerts in an open, public space during Ramadan but it is okay if it is in an enclosed, private premises, which is what Genting is. On that basis, we had followed the guidelines, so we got the permit. But when PAS Youth opposed, the authorities wanted us to reconsider the date. It was only after much pleading that we were allowed to continue,” he tells.
One who is familiar with the arbitrariness of Puspal’s implementation is Razlan Razali, former president of the now inoperative entertainment event organising company Pineapple Concerts.
Two years ago, he had wanted to bring in Beyonce to perform in Malaysia but the performer’s gig was canned after a lot of opposition against her sexy outfits and sultry dance moves.
The official statement said the concert was cancelled due to a “scheduling conflict” but Razlan concedes that the dress code played a large part in the decision.
“Suddenly now, it’s okay to bring Beyonce over for a concert! So what is acceptable and what is not? That’s why I gave up on the industry,” says Razlan, who is now chief executive officer of Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd.
An officer from the Islamic Development Council (Jakim) who only wants to be known as Mohamad stresses that the government curbs on the international artistes are for the general good of Malaysians.
“The Government makes decisions which are in the interest of all Malaysians. They also know that a big majority of people will not be happy if foreign artistes are allowed to flaunt themselves indecently. That is the reason they have put in certain restrictions.”
Razlan, however, disagrees.
“Usually, things like the dressing of performers are never an issue until someone makes an issue of it.”
He points out that the authorities often pander to the demands of Islamic groups.
Arc Worldwide director of promotions Cyril Anthony Francis agrees, questioning how “sexiness” is assessed.
“Last year, they protested that Avril Lavigne was too sexy!” he says.
He feels that factions like PAS should look at the good of all.
Foo urges government agencies to stand their ground when faced with protests after issuing a permit for any show. Uncertainties and cancellations incur huge amounts of loss in income for local concert organisers, he highlights.
“When we sign a contract of agreement with a foreign artiste, we have to pay booking fee, usually 50% of the total fee, and if we cancel, we lose that money. And we are not talking about thousands of ringgit here but thousands of American dollars,” he says.
Roche argues that logic would suggest that if the artiste is acceptable to play on radio and appear on television or in print and retail in stores, then he or she should be acceptable to perform live.
Persatuan Ulama Malaysia president Datuk Sheikh Abdul Halim Abdul Kadir, nevertheless, calls live performances “the mother of all evil for entertainment”.
“We know that these artistes are not suitable for our Malaysian culture. Their appearance and attire are against our Islamic and Eastern culture. There is nothing we can do to control the Internet and popular media, so we have to tolerate that. But we should put a stop to having them here performing live,” he says.
Missing out?
When contacted, the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Mohammed Mohd Daud declines to comment, simply saying that if promoters had any complaints, they should direct them to the central agency Puspal.
“Promoters are advised to alert artiste managers about the guidelines before applying for a licence to stage the concert. Any artiste can perform in Malaysia provided he or she follows the guidelines,” he reiterates.
Faced with such vague rules, many Malaysian concert promoters are concerned that pop acts may gradually give KL a miss.
Malep secretary-general Shan Selvadurai earlier warned that Malaysia would lose out to neighbouring countries in attracting international artistes due to the haphazard implementation of the regulations.
It is already happening, says Francis.
“We are not only losing out on the big names but also the potential revenue from the regional tourists. I know many Malaysians who travel to Singapore three to four times a year just to watch concerts. But I am not surprised. We now have an average of maybe 20 live concerts a year with four to six concerts by international artistes. This is low even when compared to the early 1990s which saw 10 to 12 concerts by international artistes a year. Singapore had about 70 live concerts (by local and international artistes) last year.”
Foo argues that with the globalised media, negative publicity gets spread faster to the rest of the world and can affect the perception of foreign artistes on Malaysia.
“Once I wanted to bring over Elton John for a concert in Malaysia but the first thing his management company said was: Do you really think he’ll be allowed in?” he says.
In 2006, Christina Aguilera reportedly skipped Malaysia during the Asian leg of her tour after international media carried the news about a concert promoter who was fined RM10,000 after pop group Pussycat Dolls gave a performance that was considered too risque.
Other acts purported to have bypassed Malaysia recently include Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Razlan feels that although most of the international artiste managers understand that it is part of Malaysian culture and agree to follow the guidelines, it limits the choices Malaysian promoters have.
“We can only pick and choose those who will be willing to comply with the guidelines.”
Siva, however, is optimistic that the guidelines have not impacted our reputation in the world.
“Looking at the number of international performers who have come and are coming to Malaysia, I don’t think the guidelines have affected the decisions made by the management companies of most international artistes.
“Of course there may be other artistes who are not comfortable with the restrictions and choose not to come and perform here. That is a personal choice.”
Augustin, who is director of the Penang Jazz Music Festival is another who had no problems getting foreign acts to perform.
“We got around 200 applications to perform at the festival this year because the event has gained recognition. The guidelines have not affected their interest to perform here.”