Feedback Friday: Concert slump in Malaysia

Manic Street Preachers performing at Singapore's Fort Canning Park

With the lack of performances happening in Malaysia, Malaysian music lovers are forced to go across the causeway to watch their favourite international acts perform. As reported from this article by The Malaysian Insider, after Beyoncé famously cancelled her November 2007 concert in Malaysia because of the strict set of rules imposed on her concert, Puspal (the division of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage that handles foreign artist permits) has been even more hard at work enforcing the rules. Even the big controversy surrounding Avril's concert in August shows the hoops foreign artists have to jump through just to stage a concert for their fans.

Where sponsorship is vital to offset the cost of permit, immigration fees and taxes in Malaysia, even sponsors are wary of which artist they are sponsoring. As said by Zalman Aefendy, Senior VP of Malaysian telco Celcom, "Our reputation is at stake when artists don't conform to the guidelines."

"I don't understand what the fuss is all about," says Siti Zaleha, who is Puspal's head of licensing. "We have to protect our values and adhere to the sensitivities of our communities. Foreign artists who perform here must abide by our rules; there's no compromise on this issue."

What are your thoughts on the current drought in international artists performing in Malaysia? And to Malaysians, how many concerts have you attended this year that took place outside of Malaysia? We want to know!