Talking to Lao Dong reporters, event communication expert Chi Cong (Ho Chi Minh City) said that Vietnamese entertainment today is not lacking in large-scale organizing units, but risks are still constant from licensing, weather to security. However, in this case, the biggest risk is the lack of financial transparency.
Mr. Chi Cong analyzed that in the "Four Heavenly Birds Returning Here" case, the organizing unit did not ensure financial capacity for the related parties, creating a chain of faults.
Currently, on social networking forums, controversy is erupting related to the "cash money" story of the music night "Ve day bon canh chim troi".
Music director Vu Quang Trung has now turned off the phone and cannot be contacted.
Previously, in articles sharing the reasons for quitting the show "Come here, four birds of paradise", Mr. Trung mentioned that Ngoc Viet only paid artists 50% of their cat-xe.
Many pieces of information have been shared in chaos about the artist requesting the producer to pay an additional 30% of the cat-xe before performing. However, the producer could not arrange it. This is the main reason leading to the music night "Ve day bon canh chim troi" being canceled at the last minute, causing thousands of viewers to be angry.
Public opinion is currently divided in many directions. A large number of audiences have flooded into the personal page of Music Director Vu Quang Trung expressing outrage, when the "demand for cat-xe" has contributed to pushing the music night into a state of cancellation, and the only victim of this incident is thousands of audiences.
The crisis of the music night "Ve day bon canh chim troi" has lasted for many days now, the decisive reason is the risk from the cash flow operating the show.
Mr. Le Duc Phong - Communications Director of an event organizer - said: "In fact, the risk in organizing shows is very high when the legal, financial and coordination stages are not tightly controlled. The problem here is not in'bad luck', but in the lack of transparency in the cash flow of performance organizations, weak risk management processes and lack of crisis communication plans.
According to experts, to organize large-scale performances, producers must have a lot of capital. "Durning money" to invest in a professional crew with many top names will help ensure the music quality of the performance.
Examples can be taken from the concerts "Anh Trai Say Hi", "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai" to see the level of investment of the producer.
Looking at the outdoor stage decor system, sound, lighting, line-up (artists), number of harmonized and arranged songs... the concerts of "Anh Trai Say Hi", "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai" are valued at tens of billions of VND.
To have a series of concerts sold out continuously, lasting for years of "Anh Trai Say Hi", "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai", the producer had to "pour money into" to nurture an entire entertainment ecosystem from reality TV, advertising, media... for many months to make the show attractive, from which it sold out, and had money to reinvest.
In the Come Here four sky-winged birds" case, it shows the "suffocating" and "patchwork" in the producer's spending.
Expert Chi Cong pointed out that the producer of "Come here, four birds of paradise" lacked transparency in the cash flow.
Another question is being raised, does the artist receive payment for cat-xe from the account of the performance organizing company, or from the personal account (accountant)?
According to expert Chi Cong, to ensure legality and tax finalization, money must be transferred from the company's account to the account of the artist or the artist management company.
Transferring money through the personal account of an accountant or director is a sign of unprofessionalism, easily leading to financial confusion and tax evasion.
According to Mr. Cong, although this is a pressing issue that requires time to be comprehensively resolved, it is the key to protecting the parties when legal disputes occur.
Regarding tax obligations, if artists receive money directly, PIT will be deducted at the source. If it is through a management company, this will be a transaction between two legal entities. Complying with this regulation is not only a citizen's responsibility but also a shield to protect the reputation of artists.
Experts believe that the "Four Heavenly Birds Returning Here" incident is a costly lesson for the entire performing arts industry.
To operate sustainably, organizing units are forced to professionalize the entire chain: Contracts – Finance – Legal – Communications.
Many issues in performance organization regulations also need to be supplemented and tightened. For example, proving the financial capacity of the producer, how much percentage of the cat-xe artist will perform, if the artist has received 50-80% of the cat-xe, can the performance be canceled when thousands of spectators are already present?
