Bali: The next capital of music tourism in ASEAN
Written by Elma Adisya | Read in Indonesian
At the beginning of March, Joyland Festival Bali Chapter was held splendidly and magnificently. The slight glitch due to heavy rain on the first two days did not dampen visitors’ enthusiasm to watch the artist they were waiting for, arming themselves with raincoats and umbrellas.
There are two things that make Joyland Festival Bali Chapter special for its fans. First, the well-curated musicians. Second, Bali’s position as a brief escape from the stifling capital city.
Behind the success of Joyland Bali Chapter every year, the selection of the dream destination—for both local and foreign tourists alike–was not entirely planned when it was first held in 2022. Plainsong Live Program Director Ferry Dermawan said that at that time, it was difficult to hold a concert in Bali because COVID-19 cases were still increasing. In the end, Bali was chosen because the number of cases was relatively small and it was still easy to get permits.
"Another consideration was that Joyland Bali Chapter can create a different vibe from Jakarta. So we are making Joyland Bali an island getaway, just like a weekend trip," Ferry told TFR in an interview amid his busy schedule during the festival.
The era of music tourism
On a global scale, a trip to Bali has become a bucket list item for tourists from all over the world. Citing Antara News, the Bali Tourism Agency recorded that the number of international tourist arrivals as of 26 December 2023 was 5,232,751, surpassing the provincial administration's target of 4.5 million.
There is no data on how many foreign tourists come to travel and attend music festivals such as the Joyland Festival. However, Ferry said that over the past three years, the number of visitors continued to increase.
“From Joyland 2022 to 2024, there has been a continued increase year by year. This was also what we took into account in 2023 when we decided to move from Taman Bhagawan, Nusa Dua to Peninsula Island. And this year, ticket sales doubled compared to last year."
Not only Joyland, several other music promoters also choose Bali to host international scale concerts and music festivals. One of which is the Djakarta Warehouse Project which often features international musicians in its line-up.
This trend makes Bali, which is one of the top tourist destinations in Indonesia, increasingly popular as the next music capital of the world. In addition, due to the Swiftconomic effect–the effect of Taylor Swift's “The Eras Tour”–in several countries, Indonesia and many other countries now see the music industry as a contributor to state revenue.
A new concert experience for foreign musicians
It cannot be denied that performing in Bali is not only an opportunity for Indonesian musicians, but also an attractive offer and a new challenge for foreign musicians. Kings of Convenience (KOC), consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to perform at Joyland. Eirik said it was a new experience for them, performing in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
"This festival is very different from other festivals which are mostly held in parking lots or venues where the rent is cheaper; and the atmosphere is terrible, like you don't want to stick around the venue. Now, what about here? Everything's perfect," said Eirik.
The duo said it was their first experience performing in Bali. Erlend admitted that at first, he was a little worried because not everyone could afford the tickets as accommodation was quite expensive.
“Before the gig, I was a little worried that there wouldn't be too many spectators. Lo and behold, our session was a great success," he added.
The diverse line-up and its challenges
Joyland can also be called a paradise for contemporary music fans due to its line-up, such as Taiwanese electro-psychedelic band Mong Tong and Praed from Lebanon. Curating contemporary electronic musicians like this is Joyland's specialty, especially on the Lily Pad Bali chapter stage.
“There are indeed differences in curation for line-ups in Joyland Jakarta and Bali. Here (Bali), we focus on the electronic genre because we feel that it could better cater to the large foreign tourist market in Bali. This is an opportunity to experiment with this genre at Joyland Bali," Ferry explained.
Praed also said that it was their first time performing in Indonesia. Raed Yassin, one of the members, said that their music rarely attracts masses at festivals like Joyland.
“We are very happy to be present at Joyland, because for us this is a new audience. We have performed in various countries. Yesterday we also watched other line-ups and saw that the visitors were really enthusiastic with the festival," he said.
Raed saw Joyland as one of the most organised music festivals, but he also warned of several things, such as the diversity of the line-up.
"For me, diversity in curating musicians for festivals like Joyland is very important; don't focus too much on those who are famous in the West and try to learn as much as possible about the culture of other countries."
The line-up curation process is indeed the biggest challenge for Joyland. However, Joyland has overcome it by collaborating with a third party as a guest curator for line-up on the Lily Pad stage.
“From the beginning, for the Lily Pad stage we were helped by the guest curators. In 2022 we collaborated with Rave Pasar, then in 2023 with Orbitware. This time we are collaborating with Kasimyn and Walk the Rock," Ferry said.
Mutualistic symbiosis for non-mainstream genre musicians
This year's curation of Joyland Bali Chapter line-up received a lot of appreciation from the audience and foreign musicians who watched the performances. The slight difference from last year was in the selection of six Balinese musicians who focus on gamelan.
Putu Septa, founder of the gamelan music group Nataswara which was among the Joyland Bali line-up this year, said that stages like Joyland are very helpful in promoting local Balinese bands, especially those that use traditional instruments such as gamelan.
"The audience here is also global, so I can perform while introducing my music and building appreciation. And in my opinion, if we can add more local musicians and look for unique things, Joyland will have its own unique value. The thing is, there are hardly any creative spaces for unconventional music," said Septa.
In the end, although there was room for improvement, this year's Joyland Festival Bali Chapter was quite successful in sparking interest and appreciation from music lovers and the musicians alike.
By curating a unique line-up and highlighting local wisdom, right down to its location on the Island of the Gods, this festival could be a new beginning for the music tourism industry in Indonesia!
