School of Creative
Industries

Isaac's Dissertation

BA(Hons) Arts Management

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Sustainable touring for Singaporean musicians

This thesis examines the concept of sustainable touring for Singaporean musicians, exploring the challenges and opportunities that arise when touring internationally and regionally. While touring has always been a crucial aspect for building a full-time, sustainable career for musicians, rising costs and logistical challenges, especially in a post-pandemic world, have made touring more difficult for many artists. Nevertheless, successful examples of Singaporean musicians touring internationally and regionally prove that it is possible with significant time, effort, resources and connections. This research aims to map behavioural patterns of Singaporean musicians and their managers to find common factors and strategies that led to successful tours. The essay will focus on exploring the importance of touring, cultural differences within international audiences, the rationale for and logistical planning processes behind each tour, and sustainability for health and well-being on the road.

sustainable touring, musicians, Singapore, international tours, regional tours, challenges, opportunities, cultural differences, logistical planning, health and well-being

strategic responses to cultural differences in audiences, strategic planning for international touring, health and well-being on the road

Isaac Chiew

Isaac Chiew

Isaac has curated and organised several highly successful concerts with Big Duck Music, ranging from packed underground gigs, large festival stages such as Baybeats, as well as international tour stops for foreign bands, such as No Good's Punk Gong tour. Big Duck Music also has as an online editorial publication which Isaac curates, creating quality features that cover exciting regional and international music.

Isaac's goal is to bring underrepresented independent scenes to the forefront of the public's consciouness and play his part in developing and cross pollinating Southeast Asia’s contemporary cultural landscape.

Isaac is currently an A&R intern at Sony Music Entertainment Singapore and has worked on projects such as Sezairi's Violets Aren't Blue and Linying's There's Still Time Esplanade headliner show.

Work experience

Mar 2022 – present
Sony Music Entertainment Singapore
A&R intern

Aug 2019 – present
Big Duck Music
Founder, events coordinator

May – Aug 2021
BandLab Technologies
Editorial intern

Dec 2019 – Mar 2021
Sutton Art Consulting
Consulting intern