- A confidentiality clause was included in the contract for Taylor Swift's shows in Singapore, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong in Parliament on Monday (March 4)
- The Government is considering taking action against those who leaked information about the deal
- Mr Tong added that the Sports Hub aims to be “more than simply a venue for hire”
SINGAPORE — A confidentiality clause was included in the contract for Taylor Swift's shows in Singapore, and the Government is now mulling "appropriate measures" since some details of the deals were leaked, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Monday (March 4).
Mr Tong was responding to a question from Nominated Member of Parliament Usha Chandradas who asked whether there was a confidentiality clause in Taylor Swift's contract with Singapore, and if so, whether the Government will take action against those who breached it.
She noted that the news of Swift striking a deal to make Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop on her Eras Tour has “struck a nerve” with some of Singapore’s neighbours.
Without mentioning any names, Mr Tong said the Government will assess the terms of the contract and will take “appropriate measures under advisement”.
Last month, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was quoted as saying that Singapore had brokered a deal to pay the pop star up to US$3 million (S$4.04 million) for each of her six concerts — in exchange for keeping the shows exclusive to Singapore in Southeast Asia.
According to Mr Srettha, concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) had informed him of the arrangement.
It was later reported by CNA that the figure is closer to US$2 million to US$3 million in total for all six shows.
Mr Tong added that the goal of Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), which manages the Singapore Sports Hub, is to be “more than simply a venue for hire”
“Our aim is to bring a whole spectrum of events to Kallang for Singaporeans, from top-tier marquee events to community-related ones — from music concerts to sporting as well as social events.”
He said that since the Government took over, the Sports Hub has seen a 30 per cent increase in sports, entertainment and community and lifestyle event days from 2019.
Besides bringing in world-class acts such as Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Mayday Parade, Mr Tong said KASM has brought in marquee sporting events and has a team dedicated to organising more free community sporting events.
For example, Sports Hub hosted a record 43 National School Games finals in 2023, compared with 16 before the pandemic, he said.
"While we cover a range of top-tier events that are ticketed, there is also a range of non-ticketed and non-revenue generating events, such as the large-scale festivals during Chinese New Year, last year for Hari Raya, and Deepavali," he said.
“This ensures that we have a strong social return by providing programmes for everyone to bond, interact and build affinity with the Sports Hub.