trenddjakarta.com, Jakarta, 21 August 2026 — Music festivals across Asia Pacific now have a new platform to connect and develop regional collaborations. Officially introduced at Lalala Festival Jakarta 2026. The Asia Pacific International Music Festival Association (APIMFA) brings together music industry representatives. From a diverse range of music markets across the Asia Pacific region. Including Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines through one collaborative network. By connecting markets with diverse characteristics and music ecosystems. APIMFA marks a new step toward strengthening cross-market connections, expanding access to artists and audiences. And creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange across festivals and the music industry.
Connecting Music Ecosystems Across Markets
The strength of APIMFA is built on the experience of founders and industry stakeholders who have developed festivals and music ecosystems within their respective markets.
From Mainland China, Shen Yue, Vice President of Modern Sky, brings the experience of Strawberry Music Festival, one of Mainland China’s leading music festival brands. Since its launch in 2009, the festival has grown to 168 editions across 50 cities, with more than 7,500 artist performances and over 8 million attendees as of June 2025. Related festival content has also generated more than 10 billion views on social media.
Japan is represented by Yuta Nomura, organizer of CUEW Showcase and Conference CUEW serves as a platform connecting Japanese and Asian artists. That with international music professionals through performances, conferences, and networking, while fostering connections and collaborations across markets. From South Korea, Kwangmin Seo, Project Manager of Zandari Festa and Founder of Whaley Time, brings experience across showcases, artist booking, international relations, and cross-border touring. Zandari Festa, meaning “small bridge,” was built around the idea of connecting artists, audiences, promoters, and producers from around the world.
Through Whaley Time, Kwangmin focuses on artist management, international touring, and cross-border collaborations. Taiwan is represented by Chris Liu, Production Director of FIREBALL Fest., one of Taiwan’s leading rock and alternative music festivals, launched in 2017. FIREBALL is recognized for its production standards and innovations, including a seamless double main stage and integrated RFID wristband technology. The festival consistently brings together more than 40 international and domestic acts.
Including SUM 41, While She Sleeps, ELLEGARDEN, and HYUKOH.
Meanwhile, Thailand brings a strong perspective on community and music ecosystem development through Sarun, CEO of Fungjai. Founded in 2014, Fungjai connects independent artists and fans through streaming, media, and events. His experience also includes Maho Rasop and Bangkok Music City, Thailand’s first music conference and showcase festival. In 2026, Bangkok Music City featured more than 80 artists across eight stages. And attracted nearly 12,000 attendees and more than 400 international delegates and speakers over two days.
From Indonesia, Dewi Gontha, who leads PT Java Festival Production (JFP), brings more than 20 years of experience in business, marketing, and event management. Under her leadership, Java Jazz Festival has grown into one of the world’s leading jazz festivals. While JFP has established itself as one of Indonesia’s prominent music promoters. Indonesia is also an important part of the APIMFA network through the LaLaLa Festival, led by Donny Heru, CEO of The Group. With more than 20 years of experience in the live events industry. Donny has a strong track record in producing international concerts and festivals and fostering collaboration across the region within the music
industry.
The network also includes Row One Asia from Singapore, a live entertainment company spanning concert promotion, music festivals, and ticketing technology. With Live Out Loud as a globally oriented Singapore music festival bringing together international and emerging talent. From Australia, Untitled Group, one of Australia’s leading independent live music and events companies. That joins with a festival portfolio including Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Wildlands, and Ability Fest. The participation of both entities strengthens APIMFA’s connections with the Australian and Southeast Asian music markets. While opening opportunities for broader collaboration across the Asia Pacific region.
APIMFA also continues to expand its network across markets in Asia.
Beyond its founding members, APIMFA also brings perspectives from international festival industry leaders. Johnnie Moylett of Fuji Rock Festival, Japan, highlights the importance of cross-market collaboration in the development of the festival industry across Asia Pacific.
“Cross-market collaboration is becoming increasingly important to the development of the festival industry across Asia Pacific. Each market has its own characteristics, audiences, and approaches to creating festival experiences. Through APIMFA, we have an opportunity to share experiences, build new connections. And also create collaborations that can enrich the region’s music ecosystem.”
From Networking to Tangible Collaboration
APIMFA is not designed simply as a networking forum, but to translate connections between markets into actionable opportunities through four core programs. First, Cross-Market Collaboration, which facilitates resource integration, curatorial knowledge exchange, and multi-market promotional support among member festivals. Second, the Artist
Exchange Program, which creates cross-border performance pathways for artists to appear at festivals across Asia Pacific while expanding their audience base.
APIMFA will also develop PR and Communications Support. Including regional announcement systems, media toolkits, and integrated communication channels to strengthen the visibility of festivals and artists. The fourth program is the Annual Conference and Showcase Festival. Which will rotate across cities in Asia Pacific and feature industry panels, workshops, networking opportunities, and artist showcases. Beyond these programs. APIMFA plans to publish the annual “Asia Pacific Festival Industry Report,” covering audience trends, commercial partnerships, regional touring developments. And also festival industry dynamics. APIMFA will also engage with tourism boards, governments, and international brands to explore partnership opportunities and strengthen collective industry representation.
“Asia Pacific is at an important point in the development of the live music industry. By connecting festivals through one network. We aim not only to facilitate touring and artist exchange. But also to establish new industry standards in safety, sustainability, and cross-cultural impact.” Said Donny Heru, Founder of APIMFA.
Through a network spanning key markets across Asia Pacific, APIMFA aims to build a stronger foundation for regional collaboration, creating new pathways for artists to perform across regions, festivals to collaborate, audiences to di scover new music, and the wider music industry to grow together.</h5>
Moving forward, APIMFA will welcome international music festivals across the Asia Pacific region to join and become part of its growing netw
ork. The members introduced are the founding members of APIMFA, while membership applications and further information will be announced soon. For membership, partnership, and further information: https://www.apimfa.org/ or email: info@apimfa.org.
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