Kaohsiung may play host to legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan when he launches his Asian tour in April, a city government official said yesterday.
Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), secretary of the city’s Tourism Bureau, said that city officials would meet next week with Brokers Brother Herald, the Taipei-headquartered entertainment company in charge of Dylan’s Asian tour, to discuss the possibility of the US singer performing in Kaohsiung.
Brokers Brother Herald has announced that Dylan will be performing in Taiwan on April 2. However, given a lack of available venues in Taipei, the company has expressed an interest in Kaohsiung’s World Games Main Stadium, Lai said.
The stadium, which can hold up to 50,000 people, is the nation’s largest venue for indoor performances, Lai said.
Popular Taiwanese band May Day (五月天) last month staged a concert at the World Games Main Stadium and South Korean pop star and actor Rain is due to perform there later this month.
To enhance the city’s arts and culture, the city government on Thursday said it would invite many more world-renowned artists, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras, to perform in the city this year.
The city is also planning to propose a bill that would offer tax deductions for cultural and creative industries by the end of March.
Lei Chung-dar (雷仲達), the director-general of the city’s Finance Bureau, said that while the plan might result in lower tax revenues, it could attract more artists and performers to Kaohsiung.
The bureau reported that local entertainment tax revenue totaled NT$120 million (US$3.8 million) last year, with concerts being a main contributor.
Lei said Mayday’s performance brought in the highest tax revenue from concerts last year.
As the band’s concert had been approved by the Council of Cultural Affairs as a cultural and creative performance, the standard tax rate of 5 percent was halved.
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