THE Malaysian Association for Arts, Live Festivals, Concerts and Events (ALIFE) has called for a one-stop centre to manage and market concerts in the country.
ALIFE, in a statement, welcomed the support shown by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Hannah Yeoh and said it is a long-awaited move, as the Klang Valley is ideal to host major events and concerts.
ALIFE chairman Datuk Alan Foo said Malaysia hosted more than 450 concerts nationwide in 2025, with the live events industry contributing close to RM1.72 billion to the economy.
The international pipeline in 2026 is visibly stronger, with major stadium and arena tours increasingly including Kuala Lumpur as part of their Asian routing.
ALIFE believes the opportunity now goes beyond attracting more concerts.
“ALIFE welcomes Hannah Yeoh’s ambition and strongly supports the direction she has articulated. It sets the right level of ambition for Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia already has experienced promoters, production companies, venues, technical crews, ticketing operators and suppliers capable of delivering major international productions,” said Foo.
The objective should not be to replicate Singapore or view every international concert as a contest between the two cities.
"International tours become more commercially viable when artists can efficiently route through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta and other major Southeast Asian cities.
“Malaysia’s opportunity is to ensure that Kuala Lumpur becomes a consistent part of that routing conversation, rather than an occasional addition,” said Foo.
Brian Johnson Lowe, who is the ALIFE deputy chairman, said the long-term opportunity is not simply to bring international artists into Malaysia, but t use that activity to build a stronger domestic live entertainment economy.
“The next phase cannot be about chasing individual shows one by one. We need to make Kuala Lumpur structurally easy to choose. International tours are planned months and sometimes years in advance. Promoters need to understand the approval timeline, venue options, operating environment, local supplier capability and city support well before a tour reaches Southeast Asia.
“That certainty is what turns a successful concert season into a sustainable market. Our objective should be that when an international tour begins planning Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur is automatically one of the cities being considered,” he added. – September 22, 2026
