Late line-up announcements, recycling of artists and the lack of a current chart-topping headliner have raised doubts about the Isle of MTV’s return on investment.
With only three days to go before the Isle of MTV hits Malta, the music and clubbing industry is replete with doubts as to whether the promised return on investment is being achieved. Many are claiming that the “unimpressive” line-up was announced too late for satisfactory tourism and financial payback to be achieved.
Headliners Enrique Iglesias and Nicole Scherzinger were in fact revealed less than two weeks before the event, instigating complaints that this was too late to convince European clubbers to pick Malta as their summer party destination.
Promoting Malta as a clubbing destination with under-24s remains one of the concert’s main selling points on a local level. And, while the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) website promises an “unprecedented number of music fans to descend on Malta”, for this week’s concert, clubbing trends seem to indicate otherwise.
Asked to divulge how much the event costs Malta, the MTA refused, citing commercially-sensitive information
“Those who make it a point to attend a concert or clubbing event in summer would have already picked their destination,” 21-year-old clubber Alex Camilleri explained. “For instance, Sven Vath is playing an all-night-long summer residency at Amnesia in Ibiza every Monday. Dates were announced ages ago. Malta missed the boat on this one.”
This is the first time the Isle of MTV line-up was announced so late. In previous editions, names like Will.i.am, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Scissors Sisters, Kelis, Nelly Furtado and Flo Rida were revealed by April/early May, giving tourists ample time to plan their holiday in Malta around the June event.
Contacted for their reaction, the MTA denied that the last minute announcement presented a problem; “since this is an established event, we are able to market it without announcing the line-up”.
The concert creates a significant drain on Maltese resources, with heavy traffic, logistical and health and safety requirements. Asked to divulge how much the event costs Malta, the MTA refused, citing “commercially-sensitive information”. The tourism association claims that since the event was introduced, there has been an increase of 88 per cent in tourists under the age of 24, which now account for 20.3 per cent of all tourists.
Asked whether these figures are really directly attributable to Isle of MTV, as opposed to other factors, the MTA admitted that the event “has played an important, but not isolated, role in shifting the international tourism market’s perception of Malta”.
The figures are in fact greeted with sceptism by various quarters in related industries. A local party promoter, who commented on condition of anonymity, pointed out that using an annual event to market Malta as a destination for theyoung is unlikely to leave any real impact, unless licensing laws are amended.
“Hardcore party-goers will never pick Malta, and wasting time and money on events like Isle of MTV will not change that. Clubbers will always pick places like Berlin, Amsterdam and Ibiza, where parties are not forced to close down at 4am and where they can enjoy events 24 on 7, with daytime clubbing included. My events are always forced to close down by 4am, something that foreign clubbers find unacceptable.”
However, the MTA refuses to acknowledge this as a problem, saying that “contrary to destinations which tend to rely on clubbing as a major source of tourism activity, MTA’s vision for Malta is one of a highly diversified, year-round destination”.
Artist line-up lacks the wow factor
The choice of line-up this year has also created its fair share of controversy, with the general feeling being that things were left so late that the organisers had no choice but to opt for ‘safe’ names.
“Being MTV, it is expected that the headliners be commercial choices that appeal to the biggest crowds. However, it is also expected that these musicians have a certain level of artistic validity. There are ample mainstream A-listers with genuine talent who would have brought an element of respect to the concert,” Holger Camilleri, a music enthusiast who follows the scene keenly, explained.
“When Lady Gaga performed in 2009, she was on the cusp of her career. She returned in 2010 when she was breaking boundaries with music, style and message. The current names lack that wow factor,” Camilleri said.
This year will see Spanish-born crooner Iglesias returning to the concert for the third time. Iglesias’s first appearance in 2008 came hot on the heels of Insomniac, the album that catapulted him to the top of the charts in Europe and the US, reaching Gold in the UK at No.3. The singer was back in 2008; with no new material, the repeat concert was nonetheless hugely attended.
But, despite the star status that the Iglesias name undoubtedly carries, the reception to the singer’s latest album, Sex and Love, points to a career in decline.
The album, despite doing very well in the Latin charts, attracted mixed reviews and failed to make it to the Top 5 of mainstream US and UK charts, a fact which makes it hard to justify his inclusion in what is touted as “one of the coolest” summer music events.
The line-up also includes Scherzinger, who achieved her biggest success as lead singer with the Pussycat Dolls. Since the group disbanded back in 2010, Scherzinger has struggled with a solo career that has, so far, failed to reach the same heights as the band.
Her 2011 debut album Killer Love, met with moderate success, however, the singer recently struck a deal with Sony records to release a new album. The Isle of MTV concert could very well signal a comeback for the artist, much as it had for Iglesias.
The two brightest spots in this year’s line-up are likely to be Kiesza, whose disco-pop retains an element of individuality, and Dizzee Rascal, who still commands respect within the UK hip hop stronghold.
Last minute participation
Kiesza’s debut single, Hideaway, was released in February and made it to number one on the UK charts. It was greeted as “sophisticated” by The Guardian, while indie publication Pitchfork praised its “shiny, electro pop feel”.
The concert comes to an end with an after-party set by Dutch electro house DJ Hardwell, touted as the world’s number one DJ by DJ Magazine’s polls. And while the DJ certainly enjoys a huge mainstream popularity that is consistent with the MTV image, the choice has also met with criticism from the industry.
“I am amazed at how DJ Magazine has lost all musical direction and listed Hardwell as Number 1 DJ in the world. Are such DJs even capable of mixing their own tracks on vinyl or CD jays? MTV has changed, lately focusing on commercial music rather than good music. Unfortunately, the Isle of MTV line-up reflects this,” Presence event organiser Daniel Borg says.
Camilleri agrees with Borg’s assessement, adding that popularity is not necessarily an indication of a valid artist.
“Coming out on top in the popularity polls doesn’t necessarily gain an artist respect in the industry. For that, an excellent level of production work is needed. I have my doubts as to whether Hardwell’s work qualifies with respect to the latter.”
This year’s concert is expected to include a set by duo Tenishia, and will also, for the first time, give a Maltese unsigned band the opportunity to perform on stage in front of an estimated crowd of 50,000.
Eighty-seven artists braved the last-minute call for applications, which went out on June 3 . Three acts – Roscoe, Funk Initiative and Rikki Lee – were shortlisted by an unidentified MTV judging panel. Funk Initiative won by public vote.
The band will experience what is likely to be one of the biggest audiences in Malta; it will also receive a director’s cut of their performance, a published interview with MTV News and the publication of their performance on the offi-cial website.
And, while Funk Initiative vocalist Gianluca Bezzina experienced large-scale audiences when representing Malta at the Eurovision Song contest last year, other relatively inexperienced bands shied from committing to a high-level performance with only a three-week lead-time.
The MTA’s three-year agreement with Viacom was recently renewed, but this year’s experience led many to ask whether it is now time to bring the final curtain down on Isle of MTV Malta.
Isle of MTV takes place on Wednesday at The Granaries, Floriana. Entrance is free.