International News: Aussies Willing To Pay For Pricey Tix, Indonesia Unrest Forces Delays & More

AUSTRALASIA

by Christie Eliezer

AUSTRALIA

Report Shows 72% Aussies Will Still Pay For Expensive Tix

Premium and VIP tickets for Lady Gaga and Usher are over A$500 ($327.76), and a Live Performance Australia 2024 study showed average music ticket price rose to A$128.21 ($84.04) from A$87.01 ($57.03) in 2022.

Yet 12 million tickets were sold. A new report from resale platform Tixel and marketing agency Bolster showed the block-out point still far away.

The fourth Ticketing State of Play: Australia showed despite stretched household budgets, over 60% of respondents see concerts and festivals as a priority expense, and 92% as essential to wellbeing and happiness.

The A$280 ($183.54) they expected to for a multi-day camping music festival was up to A$385 ($252.37). Stadium concerts were A$40 ($26.22) more than anticipated.

But 72% will pay above expectations for must-see acts, often turning to options as Buy Now, Pay Later or cheaper seating categories. 

Around 28% opt out entirely, but almost half of buyers seek a workaround, an opportunity for promoters and platforms with flexible options.

More than ever, social media buzz matters. Nearly two in five (39%) buy tickets after discovering an act on TikTok or Instagram. This figure rises to 53% with Gen-Zers.

“Each year this research reminds us just how complex, emotional, and social ticket buying can be,” Zac Leigh, CEO of Tixel, said. 

“People are navigating tighter budgets, but they’re also finding creative ways to make live events happen – whether that’s leaning on resale for flexibility, prioritising their favourite artists above all else, or waiting until friends commit before buying.”

Jaddan Comerford CEO of UNIFIED, whose divisions include touring, bookings and act management, noted “We’re seeing a bit of a ‘f*** it’ kind of energy. People want to enjoy their life, do great things, and go and see great live music.”

Jessie Parker, director at Laneway Festival,  pointed out audiences don’t always realise just how much bang for buck they’re getting:

“It’s wild. People will pay A$250 ($163.88) for a stadium show, then say a full-day festival with 20+ artists is too expensive.”

Gympie Muster Back To Pre-Covid Numbers

With strong numbers for country music festivals, Queensland’s Gympie Music Muster exceeded pre-COVID numbers.

It drew 60,000 August 28 to 31, up from its traditional 50,000 last year, to the Amamoor Creek State Forest.

Each night, household names Kasey Chambers, Daryl Braithwaite, Troy Cassar-Daley and James Johnston packed out the 10,000-capacity Optus Hill Stage.

You Am I Getting Inducted

You Am I, whose ‘90s alt-rock saw them touring the US and Europe, get inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Nov. 19 Australian Record Industry Association awards at Sydney Hordern Pavilion.

Becoming the first local act to have three albums — Hi Fi Way, Hourly, Daily and #4 Record — they are inspired the likes of global success stories Jet, the Vines and Silverchair.

NEW ZEALAND

Split Enz Reunite For Electric Avenue

Fabled NZ band Split Enz – fronted by Tim Finn and Crowded House leader Neil Finn – will perform for the first time in almost 20 years when they headline one of the days of Electric Field.

Held Feb. 27-28 at Hagley Park, Christchurch, the festival’s capacity is increased next year to 90,000 from 70,000.

Australia’s house DJ/ producer Dom Dolla, who’s become a stadium artist in his home country, is another headliner.

The international contingent is Kesha, Pendulum, Basement Jaxx, Leftfield, Becky Hill, The Streets, Sammy Virji, Peking Duk, Röyksopp and Sudan Archives.

The NZ contingent has L.A.B. Supergroove, Kora, Fazerdaze, Drax Project, Leisure, Greg Churchill and Frank Booker.

ASIA

by Phil Brasor

INDONESIA

Protests Postpone On-Sales

Due to ongoing public unrest in Indonesia, ticket sales for various upcoming concerts and sporting events in the country have been postponed. On August 25, protests in a number of Indonesian cities took place against pay hikes for lawmakers, resulting in the death of a taxi driver when his motocycle was struck by a police vehicle. Subsequently, protests escalated, leading to the deaths of at least 10 people, according to Asiaone.com.

In response, the Asian entertainment company, iMe, announced on September 2 that it was postponing sales of tickets to the upcoming Jakarta stop on the world tour of singer Jackson Wang, which were suppose to go on sale September 4. The company said, via X, “This decision has been made with careful consideration of the current situation in Indonesia, in order to ensure everyone’s comfort and well-being.”

A number of people responded positively to the message, saying they appreciated that iMe had been “attentive and aware of what’s happening globally and politically in Indonesia.” Some, in fact, while praising iMe mentioned that another company, CK Star, should also postpone ticket sales for the upcoming Indonesia shows of K-pop boy band Riize. “The time until the concert is still a long four months away,” wrote one person. “Please open your eyes to the current state of the country, consider it with your mind and heart.” The sentiment was echoed by many others. As a result, CK Star shortly announced that it too would postpone ticket sales for the Riize concerts and updated its schedule. Fans of the band responded by saying it was the right thing to do.

A concert by another K-pop group, Super Junior, is scheduled to take place in Jakarta on September 13, also organized by iMe. As of the week prior to the performance the show seemed to still be on. One of iMe’s concerns was that many people have booked flights and hotel rooms in order to attend the concert. In a similar light, when Korean actor Park Bo-gum held a fan meeting in Jakarta on August 31, some fans asked the promoter, again iMe, to postpone it due to safety concerns, but iMe decided to carry it out as planned. 

One Indonesian content creator wrote on social media before the event, “Those who are in Jakarta want to get out to be safer. Those from outside Jakarta want to come and are busy looking for a safe route. Please reschedule the fan-meet. The stakes are very high…before, during and after the event.” 

HONG KONG

Fake Ticket Ring Busted

Hong Kong police have uncovered a sophisticated scam targeting “desperate concertgoers” and arrested 12 suspects in a two-day operation for selling fake tickets to in-demand concerts, reports The Standard. 

The eight men and four women who belonged to the syndicate were arrested on September 4 and 5 in connection to seven cases of phony ticket sales that happened in June. Buyers of the tickets lost about HK$110,000 ($14,300) in total. The scams targeted certain high-profile concerts, including Jay Chou at the Kai Tak Sports Park and G-Dragon at Macau’s Galaxy Arena. 

The criminal group devised online posts advertising the fake tickets on auction platforms and social media. Certain members were tasked with ticket deliveries and managing the transfer of funds. Though the perpetrators all had jobs in various fields, including construction and food service, some were eventually tied to local triad organizations. 

The police told reporters that the scammers used sophisticated techniques to convince buyers they were legitimate, including realistic looking tickets and forged purchase records. However, when the buyers tried to enter the respective venues with the tickets staff recognized them as fake, thus prompting the buyers to report their misfortune to the police, who in the following months analyzed the group’s tactics and later identified the perpetrators. Nine will face charges of conspiracy to defraud and three have been accused of money laundering. 

The Standard says that police have warned the public that as Hong Kong continues to host more high-profile concerts such scams will also continue.

CHINA

Jacky Cheung’s Concert Woes

Cantopop superstar Jacky Cheung had a hard time performing at his final night of a three-night stand in Dongguan, China, as part of his ongoing “Jacky Cheung 60+ World Tour.” The August 29-31 shows were very important to him and his fans because they had been postponed since early June due to overlap with national college entrance exams. But halfway through his August 31 concert, the singer announced that he might have to leave the stage.

Cheung said that he was having problems controlling his voice and felt that he shouldn’t be performing unless he was at the top of his game. “The songs I chose today are not easy to sing,” he said from the stage, according to fansite 8days. “I don’t have confidence I can finish tonight’s show. I know this is unfair to my musicians and over 20 dancers who all performed brilliantly. I feel sorry, but I have to end the concert here.” 

During the speech, fans loudly cheered him on and eventually he changed his mind, saying he would continue and if they were unsatisfied with his work, they could get a refund. 

He finished the concert and everyone apparently went home happy. 

JAPAN

Bruno Mars, Fireworks Synergy

In a neat bit of synergistic promotion, a Japanese group is presenting two large-scale concerts in November called Bruno Mars Fireworks 2025, which will combine the music of Bruno Mars with a traditional Japanese fireworks show. The group says it is the first time any such collaboration has taken place in Japan, and revealed that “Bruno Mars’ team” had played an active role in creating many of the visuals for the event with Mars’ personal input. Tickets would range from 7,000 yen ($50) to 440,000 yen ($3,000) for a 4-person box. The concerts would take place in Saitama Stadium, just north of Tokyo, and Osaka Sennan Long Park. Tickets were made available by lot on September 3.

The promoters point out that Mars himself will not appear at either of the shows, which were expected to sell out. However, in a video to plug the events, Mars himself said, “I look forward to seeing everyone in Japan again real, real soon,” so some fans are hoping he might show up.