Singapore authorities on Monday downplayed the role and amount of the subsidy given to Taylor Swift for the exclusivity of her concerts in the city-state, while some media reported several million dollars per concert.
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“There was speculation about the amount of the subsidy. I can say that (the amount of) the subsidy is not correct and is not as high as we thought,” Singapore's Culture Minister Edwin Tong told Parliament.
“Due to commercial confidentiality reasons, we cannot disclose the exact amount of the grant or its conditions,” he added.
The minister also said the economic benefits to Singapore “are considered significant and exceed the size of the subsidy”.
AFP
Around 300,000 people are expected to attend the American singer's six sold-out shows, which began on March 2 and were the only ones in Southeast Asia. Some neighboring countries also expressed their displeasure at being excluded from the tour.
Singapore reportedly paid Taylor Swift several million dollars to secure exclusivity for her concerts in the region, media reports cited regional officials including Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Citing a promoter, he said that Singapore offered the singer $3 million per concert for the exclusivity of her concerts in the region.
Singapore's culture minister downplayed the role the scholarship may have played in convincing Swift to perform only in Singapore.
“Top artist promoters will make their own calculations and assess where and for how long they want to perform,” he said, citing Singapore's location and infrastructure as key factors in the city-state's choice.
Before her performance in Singapore, the American singer gave several concerts in Australia as part of her world tour The Eras Tour.
Before she left the country, an investigation was launched in Australia on Tuesday following a complaint from a photographer who claimed he was attacked by the singer's father.