International News: More Festivals For Sydney, Live Nation Partners For Asia Concert Tourism Biz & More

AUSTRALASIA

by Christie Eliezer

AUSTRALIA

More Live Music For Centennial Parklands

As the summer season dawned, the New South Wales government lifted the cap on the amount of festivals and major concerts with 20,000+ attendance, at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands from eight to 12.

The picturesque green area, 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Sydney CBD, incorporates Moore Park, Queens Park and Centennial Park.

It has hosted Bob Dylan, James Brown, INXS, Flume and Tame Impala, as well as festivals such as Laneway (which this year drew 45,000 to the site), Listen Out, Good Things and Tropfest.

The increased cap was “part of our agenda to restore Sydney back to its 2000 Olympics heyday, where our events and nightlife were the envy of the world,” said minister for the arts and night-time economy John Graham.

The Australian Festivals Association called it a “big win for Sydney’s festivals!,” adding it allowed greater opportunities for artists and businesses.

The AFA spearheaded a 12-month campaign for this 50% increase, along with a push for more flexibility in the parkland’s scheduling, and greater support for festival viability.

“Importantly, the new rules also allow multiple events to take place over a single weekend, enabling infrastructure sharing and reducing costs,” the association responded to news.

Concerns by nearby residents about noise and trampled grass have affected growth of festivals.

Last year the government lifted the amount of events at the Sydney Cricket Ground precinct from four to 20.

Live Nation Returns To Sydney Opera House For Fourth Year

Live Nation is bringing back its two-week On The Steps concert series for the fourth year to the Sydney Opera House forecourt.

Between Dec. 2 and 15, it expects a draw of 50,000.

The lineup includes Jimmy Barnes celebrating the 40^th anniversary of his Working Class Man album and Chet Faker doing a live re-creation of his 10-year-old debut album, Built On Glass, as well as The Living End, Franz Ferdinand, Loyle Carner, SIX60, Synthony, Parcels, Kirk Franklin and Boy & Bear.

A number of LN initiatives sees money donated to the music industry’s charity Support Act.

Ticketmaster Partners With Venues NSW

A new partnership between Ticketmaster Australia and Venues NSW sees all its eight venues – valued at A$4 billion ($2.58 billion) – under the same ticketing agency for the first time effective Nov. 1.

The deal, said to be for seven years is worth A$100 million ($64.7 million) to the state government in fees and rebates payable by Ticketmaster, according to the Australian Financial Review.

Ticketmaster already ticketed Venues NSW’s WIN Stadium and WIN Entertainment Centre in regional Wollongong, and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle for the past 13 years.

Now it gets Accor Stadium which in 2023/24 reported 1,542,652 attendance to 110 events, Allianz Stadium which packed in 850,648 from 149 events, and Sydney Cricket Ground which totaled 629,977 from 194 events.

It also gets CommBank Stadium, and Penrith Stadium, which reopens in 2027.

NEW ZEALAND

MMF Returns Artist Management Series

The Music Managers Forum Aotearoa is bringing back its free Back To Basic series aimed at artist managers and self-managed acts in the early stage of their careers.

Staged in a number of cities, advice will be provided on artist development, release planning and business set-ups by MMF chair and academic Cushla Ashton, rapper poet MĀ, Minnie Roberds of There’s a Tuesday; Coast Arcade’s Bella Bavin and Auckland-based manager Audrey Siataga.

The October and November seminars are dedicated to Lorraine Barry, long time MMF advocate who led the series until her passing earlier this year.

ASIA

by Phil Brasor

Live Nation, Trip.com Partner On Concert Tourism Push

Live Nation Asia and Trip.com Group have announced a “multi-year strategic partnership” to help Asian concertgoers travel across borders to enjoy their favorite artists. The collaboration will take in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Mainland China to “allow fans to seamlessly plan concert-fucused trips, combining exclusive presale access to shows with flights, hotels and curated local experiences through Trip.com Group’s platform,” according to a press release.

The partnership takes full advantage of the current trend, most explicitly felt in Southeast Asia, for so-called concert tourism, and marks Trip.com Group’s entry into the live entertainment travel business. According to a company survey, 66 percent of Asia Pacific travelers are “willing to travel internationally for concerts, with Gen Z and Millennials leading the trend.” Trip.com cites Lady Gaga’s recent shows in Singapore, which resulted in a tripling of local hotel bookings, as proof of the trend. In addition, the company mentions Hong Kong, where over half of recent concertgoers have “extended their stays for leisure” activities. 

The trend is being driven by the surge in large-scale shows in Asia, especially in cities like Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul. Bo Sun, the chief marketing officer of Trip.com Group said in a statement, “Today’s music lovers are embracing immersive experiences that extend far beyond the concert itself. Through partnerships like this, we are enhancing the travel journey, adding value for fans and unlocking new cultural and economic value for destinations and the wider industry in Asia.” 

James Dick, the executive vice president of partnerships and media for Live Nation Asia, adds, “Together with Trip.com, we’re helping fans turn concerts into unforgettable trips that shape the culture of entire cities.”

The first project of the partnership will be a bundled experience for K-pop girl group Twice’s tour in Hong Kong. Trip.com will provide fans with exclusive presale access, bundled hotel packages and transport options as the official travel partner of the Twice “This Is For” World Tour in Hong Kong. Similar bundles will be made available in five Asian markets, and may include concert tickets paired with tickets to tourist attractions like Hong Kong Disneyland, Rainforest Wild Asia, sightseeing bus trips and hotel rooms. Trip.com will also provide presale access to the upcoming Blackpink World Tour in Singapore and Hong Kong. 

VIETNAM

Korea & Vietnam’s Live Synergy

Speaking of travel, South Korea and Vietnam have forged a strong tourism relationship in recent years, with citizens from both countries being encouraged to visit the other country for sightseeing and leisure purposes. The relationship has been mainly forged through popular culture, with Korean film productions taking advantage of Vietnam locations and major K-pop groups targeting Vietnam as a prime market. As a result, Vietnam is now a requisite stop on any major K-pop artist’s concert itinerary.

The latest proof of this synergy is G-Dragon’s Nov. 8 concert at 8Wonder Ocean City in Hanoi, which sold out within half and hour after tickets went on sale Oct. 9. The “Ubermensch Tour” has also added encore stops in Taipei on November 1 and 2 before concluding in Seoul in December.

KOREA

Scalping Woes Irk Seoul

Online ticket scalping continues to plague South Korea’s concert industry, with transactions reportedly increasing tenfold since 2020, according to the country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The government has repeatedly implemented measures to deal with the problem, but according to a report in the Asia Business Daily, results have been meager owing mainly to the lack of manpower assigned to the task. 

This response has been roundly criticized by national assemblyman Park Suhyun, who is a member of the assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. “Although reports of ticket scalping have increased … over the past five years, there is only one dedicated staff member handling these cases.” As of August, 1,020 cases of online scalping had been registered so far this year.

Specific cases cited by Park included performances by NCT Wish scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Incheon Inspire Arena. Restricted view seats that cost 154,000 won ($108) went for as much as 360,000 won ($253) on secondary markets while 198,000-won ($139) VIP tickets ended up costing up to 8 million won ($5,629). Park says that despite relevant laws preventing such transactions, “enforcement remains difficult.”

The problem, according to Asia Business Daily, is that the law requires proof “that tickets were purchased using illicit methods such as macros and then resold at a premium.” But ticketing companies say they have no means of providing such proof, so police have to rely solely on informants, which are hard to find. Out of 5,400 reports of suspected illegal activities filed from 2023 through to August 2025, only 306 were deemed “valid,” and only 206 received action from the authorities, which in most cases was limited to canceling the tickets involved.

And as Park pointed out, the Online Ticket Scalping Reporting Center for Popular Culture and Arts operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency has only one full-time member working on the problem, and that person attends to duties other than scalping-related matters as well.

Park said, “Ticket scalping is rapidly spreading…yet the government continues to take a bystander approach. There is an urgent need to monitor illicit ticket purchases and resales in real time and to establish stronger penalties.”

Government Explores Seoul Stadium K-pop Concerts

Korea’s culture and sports minister, Chae Hwi-young, announced on Oct. 14 that the government would try to make it possible to hold more K-pop concerts at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the only venue in the capital that can hold more than 50,000 people. According to the Korea Times, Chae told parliament, “The government is considering ways to use protective mats similar to those at London’s Wembley Stadium to prevent lawn damage at Sangam World Cup Stadium,” which is another name for the venue.

Though the stadium has been used for concerts in the recent past, there is concern among sports-related functionaries that the grass will be damaged. In addition to the protective mats, the ministry also plans to “upgrade the stadium for concerts … including lighting and sound equipment.” The municipal government wants to add the equivalent of $1.46 million to its budget to implement the plan.

The ministry is also carrying out a feasiability study for a new arena in the Seoul area that can hold 40,000 to 50,000 people.