Sony Music Japan behind new event hall in Malaysia

Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s venue operations subsidiary Zepp Hall Network has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to back a 2,500-capacity event hall being built in Kuala Lumpur.

The proposed Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) will comprise an entertainment block, strata offices, office towers, a five-star hotel, a retail mall and serviced residences on the former Pudu jail site.

Zepp Hall inked the deal with developer BBCC Development Sdn Bhd, which is a consortium partnership with UDA Holdings Bhd (UDA), Eco World Development Group Bhd (EcoWorld) and the Employees Provident Fund Board (EPF).

At a briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday UDA Holdings Chairman Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said: "Zepp's vast network will attract world-class international artists from all over the world to come and perform in Kuala Lumpur."

Zepp currently has six concert halls spread across Japan which are Zepp branded. Its largest venue, the 2,700 capacity Zepp Tokyo, will play host to Judas Priest, Pitbull and Motley Crue’s final tour this year.

The gross development value of the project is AU$2.9 billion and the development period is eight years.