Singer Dam Vinh Hung (front, R) performs in his US concert last month

Local musicians face daunting prospects these days in staging profitable overseas concerts.

However, Thanh Thanh Tran, a resident of southern California, says that in the wake of the global economic downturn, American concert-goers are more wary about spending money on entertainment these days – and especially on performances by unknown, foreign singers. Moreover, with tickets ranging in price from US$100-200 for some shows, most people simply can’t afford it, he says.

In the recent past, Vietnamese musicians seemed to be making headway into the US market. Nearly five years ago, singer Hung’s live show at the Pala Casino in the US state of California won over both critics and audiences with his unique sound.

This success paved the way for Hung to bring his second show, Da tiec trang (White banquet), to the US at the end of last month. But this time around, Hung says the show was not as financially successful. It was, however, an artistic achievement and one that he was extremely proud of, he says.

Viet Anh and Anh Tich, well-known Vietnamese music insiders, said Hung’s show was impressive for its scale, but still a far cry from the large-scale US productions that continue to do well despite the economic crisis. According to one renowned event organizer in the US, other overseas musicians could also be facing an uphill battle in many respects.

Following in the footsteps of Hung, singer Quang Ha will stage a live show at the Star Performing Arts

Center in California on August 22. Ha will perform mainly songs about Hanoi in his first overseas concert along with famous overseas singers Tuan Ngoc, Khanh Ha and Ngoc Anh joining in as guest performers.

Director Quang Cuong, who is responsible for carrying out the logistics of Ha’s concert, says that advertising for the show is in full swing, programs have been drawn up, and upwards of 700 tickets will go on sale in the next two weeks.

But as with Hung, industry insiders, as well as Cuong, have expressed concern about how financially successful Ha’s show will be.

“I am really worried because recently many singers have failed [to profit from] their overseas concerts,” Cuong said. “It is mainly due to the economic crisis. Quang Ha is a young singer who will perform songs only about Hanoi, so we are somewhat concerned about [ticket sales],” Cuong said.

Being realistic

These days, experts say that performers need to be realistic about the profitability of their overseas shows. Whereas many Vietnamese musicians were commanding payments of $5,000-10,000 for performances in previous years, now the average remuneration is just around $1,000-8,000.

Singers must be prepared to perform at smaller venues, with lower ticket prices, and focus on the quality of their shows to keep audiences interested, say local experts.

Tran Vi My, who organized and directed Hung’s Da tiec trang concert in the US, says it is vitally important for musicians to have strong advertising campaigns prior to their shows which target the Vietnamese community in the US.

Hoang Tuan, director of local HT Productions, said it is also necessary to accurately carry out research on a singer’s target audience and the average ticket prices in each country or region to guarantee a successful show. “I think at this time, singers should act in accordance with reality and must be prudent about organizing a concert overseas,” he says.

Reported by Da Ly