Unknowingly, the Spring Wave Music Festival has entered its 17th year. Over the years, this musical feast has transformed from an unknown entity to a household name, attracting more than 100,000 attendees each year. Even during the pandemic, it recorded a remarkable achievement with 20,000 visitors, resulting in great success. Therefore, this time, Foreign Affairs conducted an exclusive interview with the chairman of the concert organizer 'Friendly Dog', Shen Guangyuan, unveiling the hidden secrets of the music festival. After more than 10 years, why does its popularity remain undiminished? What challenges has it faced along the way?

Spring Wave Secret One | The Unique Economics of the Music Festival: Revenue Not Just from Tickets

The sustainability of Spring Wave relies on a unique economic model that includes collaboration between the organizers and local governments to boost the local economy.

In fact, the music festival is no longer limited to ticket sales; rather, it expands outward. For instance, during this Spring Wave, the chairman revealed that just the two days in Tainan created a direct economic output of 50 million New Taiwan dollars.

Walking on the streets of Tainan, almost everyone has the event wristband. Tainan Tourism Bureau Director Kuo Chen-Hui stated that during the event, the city's accommodation rate exceeded 92% and even reached over 96% on Saturday, making it extremely difficult to find a room.

The high-speed rail was the same; there were even Tainan residents heading to the north who could not help but ask high-speed rail employees why there were so many people at the station. This shows that Spring Wave has indeed built a close connection with this unique economic model.

Spring Wave Secret Two | Continuous Innovation in the Music Festival Increases Return Rates

In recent years, various places have launched different music festivals, such as the Great Harbor Concert in Kaohsiung and the River and Sea Music Festival in New Taipei, with a vibrant array of music events across Taiwan. Why does Spring Wave maintain its solid position? The chairman confessed that having so many competitors does put some pressure on them, but they also view it as a motivating force.

He believes that while different music festivals replicate the successful formula of Spring Wave, it undergoes different degrees of changes each year. For example, in 2022, they introduced camping options for the first time.
The chairman pointed out that during the initial design phase, they considered the distance of Yuguang Island from downtown Tainan and the large crowds during exiting the venue. This led to new inspiration: why not let the audience sit on the ground and camp in the forest? Especially in recent years, with a camping trend rising domestically, the camping area was lively, with many people bringing various camping equipment, and some even enjoying the atmosphere with light strips to enhance their campsite vibe.

Spring Wave Secret Three | Employees as Promoters, Building Relationships with Locals

Many people associate outdoor music concerts with noise and disorder; thus, the chairman admitted that the nearby residents of Yuguang Island share this stereotype.

This misunderstanding stems from locals not understanding the meaning and value of the event. Hence, they sent employees to visit affected households one by one, explaining the benefits of the concert outweighing the drawbacks. They also informed residents that the income from surrounding products, after deducting costs, would be fully given to the Tainan City Government for charitable purposes to assist the underprivileged.
However, even if they could change residents' stereotypes, a more challenging issue remained to be solved: the conflict between stores and vendors.

'Friendly Dog' then acted as a mediator, proposing that half (15) of the vendor area be allocated for local vendors, eventually gaining their support, leading to a steady flow of people in the vendor area.

There are always difficulties with music festivals; we must learn to respect each other.

In addition to Taiwan, Shen Guangyuan has had many experiences organizing concerts overseas. When asked about his toughest experience, the chairman began recounting in detail, highlighting a concert in Hong Kong in 2013.

Shen recalled that because Hong Kong is densely populated, the government was very concerned about noise and safety issues, rarely allowing outdoor concerts. However, after multiple negotiations with the Hong Kong government, they finally gained conditional approval to hold the concert in an open space in West Kowloon.
Little did the team expect, on the night of the concert, the Environmental Protection Department arrived with various noise measurement devices. Four decibel meters were set up at each corner of the concert; if any detected decibels exceeded the preset limit, the concert would have to be paused. The chairman remarked, "More rigorous than Singapore!" but he still respected the regulations, as each country has its own rules to follow.

After this unforgettable experience, many people asked him if he would return to Hong Kong in the future. Without hesitation, he said, "Yes, definitely!"

The music festival may not be perfect, but it still has many admirable aspects.

Regarding this year's Spring Wave music festival in Tainan, Shen Guangyuan openly stated that there were indeed aspects that could be critiqued.

For example, there are four main stages set up on the Yuguang Island beach, with two major stages located at the very front and back of the beach.

Some attendees complained about the distance between the different stages being too far apart. Whenever there was a "stage change", they had to gather their belongings and walk about 600 meters back and forth.

Moreover, walking on the sand was difficult, making each listener appear particularly awkward. This scenario repeated throughout the day, leading some to describe it as a "human migration."
Additionally, on the second day of the music festival, Tainan's temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius, with no shade available on the beach, causing attendees to be exposed to the scorching sun, resulting in many rushing to the medical station for rest. Some even required ambulances to take them away, which are issues that will need improvement in the future.

Despite this, Shen Guangyuan emphasized that the music festival successfully combines traditional elements with trends and cultures from every era, creating a different appearance each year. Therefore, overall, the music festival still has many admirable aspects.

Spring Wave Looks to Restart in the "Post-Pandemic Era"

The chairman stated that 'Friendly Dog' is never just a simple 'Taiwan Local' but aims to go international and tell Taiwan's story well.

Therefore, facing the current gradual lifting of restrictions worldwide, the team has devised a five-year plan, starting with three concerts in 2023, four in the following year, five thereafter, and so on.

More importantly, for every concert held abroad, at least half of the performers will come from Taiwan, hoping to use this opportunity to promote local music and create more room for the new generation of Taiwanese singers to step onto the Spring Wave stage and promote their music. He estimates that the impact brought by the pandemic will gradually decrease.

Author: Chen Zhengnan
Date: September 30, 2022
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