Macau may turn to virtual musicians to boost diversification and property attendance

During a recent panel session at IAG Expo in Manila, David Baxley, Sands China and Marina Bay Sands' Regional Vice President, took to the stage to discuss what the future holds for these properties.

He explained that the entertainment industry has been built on popular artists performing in person, but that the supply and demand is no longer in the arena's favor.

"The truth is that there are not enough Jackie Cheungs and there are not enough Bruno Mars to fill the venues," he said. "Every continent now has markets that didn't exist before and they all want the same people to fill their stadiums - and it's just not possible. But we're seeing this basic need for humans to be entertained by something."

When G-Dragon visited Galaxy Macau in June, this broke records for single-day visitations at the property.

While this was part of his eagerly-awaited comeback, it sets the tone nicely from a business perspective.

G-Dragon cannot be everywhere at once, but virtual performers can.

"So, that's what's exciting to us and we're looking at that now. These things have traditionally taken years to develop, but I think that's also coming to an end now."

This is hardly a new concept, either.

Abba has been performing in London using virtual avatars, and since its launch in 2022, ticket sales are estimated to have hit around £250m ($340m).

Hatsune Miku has also been touring the world since at least 2014 as a hologram, with Hatsune Miku Expo hosting over 82 shows in Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania in 2024 alone.

"And this can happen because the next generation is completely comfortable with a non-living pop star," Baxley continued. "I think that 20 years from now, people will look back on this era and say, 'Oh, you actually had a "live performer". That's kind of an old-fashioned or quaint idea.'"

Roger Lienhard, Galaxy Macau Executive VP Hospitality, also made an interesting point when he took the microphone.

"People who have come to see Blackpink, maybe in five years they will be our future customers. We should never forget that these young people who have seen us for the first time, they will remember us in five years' time and they may come back and they may have enough money to have a gamble. So, we can't forget the future as we do all these entertainment shows."

Each time a casino resort hosts a show with a younger demographic, they are introducing visitors to Macau's gaming scene for potentially the first time.

Baxley continued: "There is some positive effect on gaming from having shows that appeal to teenagers because they bring in parents and they do drive a lot of PR value for the city.

"I know that the analysts and the shareholders are working with us to try to bring in artists that really appeal to that 45-to-75-year-old Chinese-speaking [gambling] customer but I think my goal is to try to find some middle ground - find artists that appeal to both the gaming customer and also the younger generation to sort of build out the middle."

While K-Pop artists are almost guaranteed to sell out the Galaxy Arena each time, it's always worth putting on additional acts that will draw in different crowds.

Whether virtual pop stars such as Hatsune Miku will appeal to the "45-to-75-year-old Chinese-speaking" gambling customer, as Baxley put it, this remains to be seen.

Any diversification initiative is worth watching closely, though, as the gambling industry is so intertwined that anything that proves successful in Macau can quickly be implemented in Vegas, and even Europe.

{{QUOTE}}We should never forget that these young people who have seen us for the first time, they will remember us in five years' time and they may come back and they may have enough money to have a gamble{{/QUOTE}