“Why doesn’t Taylor Swift come to Korea?” is still a question weighing heavily on this country’s music industry, according to Korea Daily JoongAng.
Taylor Swift. Photo: AMC
After 12 years, Taylor Swift has still not been able to reunite with the Korean audience even though she chose many Asian countries as the destination for The Eras Tour.
The Korean press is still “tormented” when they were ignored by Taylor Swift during this Asian tour.
Taylor Swift last performed in Korea in February 2011 as part of her “Speak Now” tour. She performed at KSPO Dome, which can accommodate about 15,000 spectators.
The last concert in Korea did not sell out, becoming one of the few non-sold out concerts within the “Speak Now” tour. Many fans think that is the reason why “The Eras Tour” did not come to Korea. Taylor Swift only stopped in Japan and Singapore for the Asian leg of the Eras Tour. But experts say: “Taylor Swift cannot perform in Korea right now, even if she wanted to.”
One of the major obstacles is the lack of venues with large enough capacity. This year it’s Taylor Swift, and after that there may be many other international stars who skip Korea on the concert map around the world.
If performing in Korea, artists are forced to hold shows in small venues, then make up for revenue by holding many consecutive nights.
However, industry insiders revealed that all venues that can hold music concerts have been fully booked within the next 6 months. Ko Kee-ho, vice president of the Korean Concert Industry Association (Mciak) , said: βThe current congestion in concert reservations is very serious.
There has been a domino effect where big names have had to play small venues for weeks and less famous artists have had to book even smaller stadiums. Taylor Swift’s tour made headlines when it skipped Korea, but we actually missed both Coldplay and Sam Smith before that.”
Taylor Swift performed in two Asian countries but skipped Korea. Photo: X
Technically, South Korea only has one venue built for the primary purpose of performing – the Inspire Arena with a capacity of 15,000 people. A second alternative would be the 15,000-seat KSPO Dome. The scarcity of stadiums pushes Korean and international artists into a battle for space to serve the country’s audience.
The two countries Taylor Swift chose in Asia are Japan and Singapore, both held in stadiums with a capacity of over 55,000 people. The female singer performed 4 nights in Japan and 6 nights in Singapore.
According to Korea Daily JoongAng, Korea cannot even be considered an option that Taylor Swift is eyeing. Because the female singer cannot perform dozens of nights in a small stadium to achieve the same revenue as other countries. The fact that the tour 12 years ago did not sell out all tickets also made Korea no longer a priority when Taylor Swift tour organization The Eras Tour.
One factor to note is that Taylor Swift’s fans in Korea are not as numerous as in other countries.
Historically, no song by a foreign artist has topped domestic music charts like Melon, Genie Music or Bugs.
According to the Korean Box Office Information System (Kobis), the concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (2023) also did not sell out all tickets in theaters, reaching only 37% of the total ticket target. Critic Pop music commentator Kim Do-heon opined: “It’s not unusual for an artist to be popular in one place and less popular in another. But it’s also possible that Korean fans haven’t had a chance to unite and express themselves.” show her influence to attract Taylor Swift. If she comes to Korea and holds 4 concerts, I believe tickets will sell out within seconds.”
The Straits Times reported that it is estimated that Singapore’s tourism revenue will reach 500 million USD after 6 nights of The Eras Tour at Singapore National Stadium.
Previously, all 300,000 tickets for 6 shows were sold out. Ticket prices range from 108 to 1,228 USD (about 2.6 – 30 million VND).
In addition, the local economy will also grow strongly thanks to tourism activities such as hotels, retail, travel and dining.
