2024 ended with a breakthrough in the field of performance organization: 6 sold-out domestic concerts serving an estimated 200,000 spectators. The music game show and concert market has never been so exciting. Now is the time to calm down and prepare for new developments...

With the growing momentum of performance organizers and the support of a large audience, it is likely that this year, popular "collective management" game shows like Brother overcame thousands of obstacles or Say Hi Brother will be re-enacted. Success can be equal to or greater than last year depending on the quality of the artists recruited.

Power Fans

With a large number of artists who have not had a playground to show off for many years, game show organizers will still have a lot of room to make more attractive and spectacular games. But it also depends on the audience's reception. The need for entertainment and acceptance of idols by the majority is still an unpredictable variable, although reality is showing many positive signs.

Last year, the concept of “superfan” (enthusiastic fans) was mentioned more often. Previously, this group of enthusiastic fans were often extroverted, devoted to building the image of Kpop or European and American stars. The year 2024 marked a strong “introversion” of many young fan communities. They themselves contributed significantly to the success of the hundred-billion-dong concerts in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Superfan groups getting together to raise funds, vote or “farm views” for domestic idols has been normalized. There have also been minor clashes between “organizations” that are fans of the same artist, but they are not significant. In addition, there is also the phenomenon of fan communities doubting the award and calling on each other to stop voting, as happened at the Blue Wave Awards. In any case, it can be seen that fans, when gathered in an organized manner, increasingly show their “power” and play an indispensable role in build The image of a star artist in today's technological age.

Stars also reinforce and demonstrate their aura by strengthening their connection with their fan community. Tickets to some stars' fan meetings also have prices and on fire no less than a live show. Sao also tested the fans' enthusiasm through seemingly trivial actions, such as inviting the audience to drink iced tea on the sidewalk or taking a cyclo ride around West Lake. This can also be considered an effective move to attract public attention in the context of the post-game show concert that is making waves. Interestingly, the cyclo driver who was lucky enough to get the "super customer" Son Tung M-TP immediately composed a thank you song and posted it on social media. This must be an effective use of AI musicians to increase the recognition of the cyclo driver's personal brand.

Song explosion

Artificial intelligence is predicted to become increasingly popular in entertainment, used by both performers and listeners (like the cyclo driver mentioned above). According to Jorge Brea, advances in AI will allow artists and producers to co-create music using sophisticated AI tools, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity. The result will be an explosion of popular songs. This leads to the importance of building an artist's personal brand. Because this brand will determine commercial success, in addition to the quality of the work, which is at risk of being saturated due to the involvement of AI.

AI will help streaming music platforms cater to listeners at every turn. A playlist that matches a customer’s biometrics or the context or mood of the moment is within reach of AI. Artists can use AI to create mixes or music experiences that are tailored to the listener.

With a music database that is growing in quantity but not in quality, the trend of reusing old hits, renewing them, and combining them into medleys will develop rapidly. This is what game shows like Anh trai vu ngan cong gai have done effectively. Many musical materials from folk to revolutionary have been successfully mixed by this program, thereby creating a wave of sympathy from audiences of many ages.

According to the Vietnam Digital Music Industry Overview 2024 report, despite the significant reduction in entertainment budgets after COVID-19, the music industry still maintains a good growth rate. While Gen Y prefers music combined with videos, audio music is the "playground" of Gen Z with the highest listening rate (42%).

Don't be "controversial"

Some audiences tend to love all the artists participating in game shows equally. But when they leave the framework of this game, the division in the market will increase. There will be artists who earn billions of dong for one appearance with a brand, besides that, there will be more and more people struggling to find a place in the showbiz. This is due to the rule: "Seeing others eating potatoes, you also pick up a hoe to dig potatoes". But mainly thanks to today's technology, which allows starting a music business much easier than before, leading to the ability for listeners to be provided with free music (for example, through livestream - live streaming) increasingly flourishing.

Dr. Nguyen Van Thang Long (lecturer at RMIT Vietnam) and his research team have come up with a popular trend in music in the coming time: “Fragmentation in evaluating artists’ achievements”. It can be seen that some artists, from the time they first emerged until they have “retired”, have always caused controversy among the audience. And even artists who are in trouble are still protected and loved by a group of “crazy fans”. Each person has their own reasons to justify their choices.

However, the least controversial artists are often widely recognized by the public for both their talent and personality. This means they will be the optimal choice for brands. On the contrary, it is not excluded that scandalous artists (and those with conditions) will have to "invest" in a group of "fans" to protect themselves. However, artists also need to be aware that their every move today will always be monitored and continuously interacted with by the fan community and audience - as long as they are still working. Therefore, artists at the forefront will not be able to operate alone. The trend of seeking management companies is increasing, especially for young artists who want to quickly reach their target audience.

A survey by the UK company We Are Social shows that 49.2% of Vietnamese people use the internet to listen to music, with an average listening time of 1 hour and 12 minutes per day, while the average listening time via radio is 45 minutes. 75% of internet users listen to music every day, showing that this is the most popular form of entertainment in Vietnam.

Music is increasingly asserting its leading position in the process of developing the cultural industry. It requires increasingly close cooperation between businesses organizing performances, training and managing artists, producing music, etc. with each other and with management agencies. The ability of culture to “make money” has been proven, but to operate the cultural industry in depth and sustainably is still a process that needs closer support and guidance from the State.