1. The Lion city international music market: A
descriptive and analytical report on the legal,
social, political, cultural and economic
requirements of exporting musical content of
Australian emerging artists to Singapore.
A Class Presentation
in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in
BMI205 – International Music Business
Presented to
Penny Weber, NMIT Lecturer
Presented by
Benjamin Noynay, NMIT Student
17 April 2013
2. Coverage of the Report
1. Introduction: Why it’s a good idea to explore
international music market especially for emerging
artists?
2. What is the process of direct signing to an
international label and the associated possible risks?
3. What are the legal, social, political, cultural and
economic requirements of exporting musical content
of Australian emerging artists to Singapore?
4. What specific attributes Australian emerging artists
need to achieve success in Singapore?
5. Conclusion and Recommendation
7. GENERAL FACTS ABOUT SINGAPORE
The Republic of Singapore sits 137 kilometres north of the
equator, separated from Malaysia by the Strait of Johor and
from Indonesia by the Strait of Singapore.
Singapore has a total area of approximately 714 square
kilometres.
In 2011, the total population of Singapore is 5.18 million.
This figure includes approximately 1.4 million foreigners.
The three major ethnic groups within the local community
are 74% Chinese, 13% Malay and 9% Indians.
Singapore has four official languages: Chinese (Mandarin),
English, Malay and Tamil. English is the language of
administration and commerce and is widely spoken across
the island (www.cia.gov).
8. Why it’s a good idea to explore
international music market?
The Internet, transport technology, international
trade agreements, and the spread of free-market
trade policies have all contributed to the opening of
borders to trade and to the speed and agility with
which emerging artists can get their music into
foreign hands (Lathrop, 2007).
Some of the most evident benefits include larger
audiences, increased earnings, economies of scale,
decreased risk through diversification, and
competitive advantage (Lathrop, 2007).
9. Signing to an international label:
What are the possible risks?
“To have this ambition is understandable but
bringing it to a reality is extraordinarily difficult”
(Simpson & Munro, 2012, p.663).
The process may be simple but it definitely
requires a lot of work and dedication. The first
step is for the artists to have their music ready as a
product to be presented to the international
record label. This step involves a lot of work by a
lot of people aside from the artists themselves.
Success in an international market is a team effort
(Simpson & Munro, 2012).
10. More team members are required to finalise the deal. The lawyer,
the manager and the agent have their own specific tasks in order
to get the best international deal for the artists. Needless to say,
this will cost the artists some initial capital (Simpson & Munro,
2012).
The most important risk to consider is to answer a very scary
question: “what if our music doesn’t sell in Singapore?”
The possibility of being shelved and completely forgotten is not a
far-fetched concern especially in a foreign market. This is the
main reason why Australian emerging artists and their team must
do their ‘homework’ in getting the necessary business intelligence
about how to do business in Singapore (Lathrop, 2007).
Signing to an international label:
What are the possible risks?
12. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
All Australian businesses in Singapore are strictly governed by the
Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) which entered
into force on 28 July 2003.
SAFTA has made it easier for Australian exporters to access and do
business in the Singapore market.
SAFTA also offers a more open and predictable business environment
across a range of areas, including business travel, competition policy,
customs procedures, e-commerce, government procurement,
intellectual property, technical standards and telecommunications
regulation (www.dfat.gov.au).
13. According to the Media Development Authority,
Singapore has the following organisations to look
after the interests of local and foreign artists:
Record Industry Association of Singapore (RIAS)
Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS)
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
Music Publishers (Singapore) Ltd (MPS)
Recording Industry Performance Singapore Pte Ltd (RIPS)
REFERENCE: www.mda.gov.sg
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS (cont’d.)
14. Social Requirements
Relationship-building is a very important aspect to doing
business and is best achieved outside of the workplace,
usually during lunch or dinner.
It is important to exchange business cards upon
introduction.
Please understand the structure of Chinese, Malay and
Indian names. Many Singaporeans adopt a European
name. It is important to use title plus family name upon
introduction. The European (or given) name is to be
applied only once you are confident that a relationship
has developed.
REFERENCE: www.austrade.gov.au
15. Social Requirements (cont’d.)
For men it is common practice to wear short
sleeves and open neck shirts. However,
Australian visitors on a first call should consider
wearing long sleeve shirts and tie. A jacket is
considered very formal.
For women, a formal blouse and skirt is the
usual attire, and stockings are optional.
REFERENCE: www.austrade.gov.au
16. Political Requirements
Singapore is a republic, with a
parliamentary system of government and
an elected President as the Head of State.
The Singapore Parliament has a single
house, which is elected by general
election every five years. The Parliament
and the President of Singapore are
known as the Legislature.
REFERENCE: www.cia.gov
17. Political Requirements (cont’d.)
The Twelfth Parliament has 99 Members of Parliament
(MP), consisting of 87 elected MPs, three non-
constituency MPs and nine nominated MPs who
represent various professional and business sectors.
As a result of changes announced by Prime Minister
Lee on 27 May 2009, opposition MPs are guaranteed a
minimum of nine seats in parliament.
The judiciary administers the law independently of the
Executive.
REFERENCE: www.cia.gov
18. Cultural Requirements
Singapore was a part of British Malaya for many
centuries. It was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor.
After World War 2, Singapore became an
independent nation and a republic, which it
remains today.
Singaporean culture is best described as a
melting pot of mainly Chinese, Indian, British,
and Malay cultures, a reflection of its immigrant
history.
REFERENCE: www.cia.gov
19. Cultural Requirements (cont’d.)
Singapore, as a country, is socially conservative.
The system of meritocracy in Singapore ensures
that the best and brightest, regardless of race,
religion and socio-economic backgrounds are
encouraged to develop to their fullest potential.
Everyone has access to education, which equips
them with skills and knowledge to earn a better
living.
REFERENCE: www.cia.gov
20. Economic Requirements
Singapore is an important hub for the South-East
Asian region.
It has traditionally had a dynamic economy, with
strong service and manufacturing sectors, and
one of the highest per capita gross domestic
products (GDP) in the world.
Its airport, port and road systems are among the
best in the world. Singapore's economy has
always depended on international trade.
REFERENCE: www.dfat.gov.au
21. Economic Requirements (cont’d.)
Singapore's small population and dependence on external
markets and suppliers has pushed it towards economic
openness, free trade and free markets. This, as well as
government policies that foster economic development,
have been key factors in Singapore's historically strong
economic performance.
Singapore's highly globalised economy grew by 4.9 per cent
in 2011. This followed growth of 14.5 per cent in 2010 and a
contraction of 0.8 per cent in 2009 in line with global
economic uncertainties.
The Singapore Government expects the economy to grow by
between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent in 2012.
REFERENCE: www.dfat.gov.au
22. Specific attributes that Australian emerging
artists need to achieve success in Singapore.
Simpson and Munro (2012) seriously warn
Australian emerging artists that there is no easy
recipe for overseas success whether in Singapore or
anywhere else. They said that:
“Success is not just a question of talent. Many artists
are enormously gifted but don’t have sufficient faith
in that talent. Others can’t bear the weight of success
and the darkness of frequent disappointment. Some
simply can’t cope with the difficulty of maintaining
strong interpersonal relationship in the face of the
loneliness and isolation that is inherent in every
artist who is stretching out to establish an
international reputation” (Simpson & Munro, 2012,
p. 663).
23. One of the most important attributes that
emerging artists must possess in order to
succeed in a foreign market is a healthy ego to
realise that they can’t do it on their own and that
if they have achieved success, they haven’t done
it on their own.
It is a very important thing to understand that
they are part of a team of talented people, each
of whom deserves and needs respect and
recognition of their role in the overall success
(Simpson & Munro, 2012).
Specific attributes that Australian emerging
artists need to achieve success in Singapore.
24. CONCLUSION
One of the most essential aspects of success in the music
industry is marketing and promoting the talent. When
looking to establish an overseas market such as Singapore,
finding the appropriate way to market an act is quite
difficult. It’s hard to get noticed by decision-makers and it’s
even harder to get noticed by the public. Simpson and
Munro (2012) again warn:
“What works in Australia, with all the benefits of playing on
your own home ground, doesn’t necessarily work when
playing in New York or London. Perhaps the biggest issue is
whether there is a market at all, for what you have to offer.
What is it that is different from what is already locally
available in the overseas territory?” (Simpson & Munro,
2012, p.664).
25. RECOMMENDATION
Therefore, after giving some considerations into
the legal, social, political, cultural and economic
requirements of Singapore as an international
music market, the author recommends that the
artists must be prepared to understand and
comply with all of these requirements.
Finally, the artists must be prepared to relocate
to Singapore when the time comes. It is very
hard to run an international career by remote
control. If the artists want to succeed in
Singapore, they must be in Singapore.
26. REFERENCES
Books:
Lathrop, T 2007, This business of global music marketing, Billboard Books, New York.
Simpson, S & Munro, J 2012, Music business, 4th edn Omnibus Press, London.
Yew, L K 1999, The Singapore story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Simon & Schuster (Asia) Pte Ltd, Singapore.
Websites:
Australian Trade Commission 2013, Doing business in Singapore, accessed 15 April 2013,
<http://www.austrade.gov.au/export/export-markets/countries/singapore/doing-business.html>.
Central Intelligence Agency 2013, The World Factbook-Singapore, accessed 15 April 2013,
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html>.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2013, Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA),
accessed 15 April 2013, <http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/singapore/singapore_country_brief.html>.
Media Development Authority, Industry overview, accessed 15 April 2013,
<http://www.mda.gov.sg/industry/music/industry_overview/pages/industry_overview.aspx>.
