Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Might Have Skipped PH Thanks to Deal With SG
Singapore speaks now.
(SPOT.ph) Many speculations have been made as to why Taylor Swift isn’t taking her The Eras Tour to the Philippines, such as the lack of investors, lack of large stadiums, and/or lack of technical capabilities for her larger-than-life concert. It turns out the answer is none of the above.
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has finally shed light on the situation, revealing in a joint statement to The Straits Times that they “supported the event through a grant.” How much this grant is—or what conditions come with it—was not specified by the STB, but we can connect the dots with the help of Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (but more on that later).
“Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings. The Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) will continue to actively bring a range of diverse lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Sports Hub,” the statement read.
As we know, Singapore is the only Southeast Asian country to host the singer from March 2 to 9 at the National Stadium. More than 300,000 tickets have been sold for The Eras Tour, with STB adding that a "significant" number of fans are travelling in from other countries. All six shows are sold out.
TL;DR: We have capitalism to blame for this.
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Thailand PM spills about Singapore’s supposed exclusivity deal for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour
The statement follows Thavisin’s revelation on February 16 that Singapore had allegedly secured an exclusivity deal that prevented Swift from playing elsewhere in Southeast Asia. He said concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) informed him that the Singapore government offered U.S. $2 million to $3 million per show. At most, that amounts to a staggering U.S. $18 million (P1 billion) for Singapore’s exclusive rights to host The Eras Tour.
And demand skyrocketed. When concert tickets went on pre-sale to UOB bank customers, at least a million fans went on queue at the Ticketmaster website for a shot at Singapore’s six shows with UOB reporting a surge in card applications.
"If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand," Thavisin said in his keynote speech at the iBusiness Forum 2024. "Concerts can generate added value for the economy."
He lamented how hosting the event in Thailand would have been more cost-effective for Swift’s team since “it would have been cheaper to organize it here.” Even if his government would have to subsidize at least 500 million baht (P777 million), he stated it would have been a worthwhile investment.
As for us, The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) is coming to Disney+ on March 15 to give us the best seats in the house (literally)—this time it will be available for viewing in the Philippines.
Also read: Finally: A Taylor Swift Class in UP Diliman