South Australia's premier has responded to criticism surrounding the Sam Smith concert, saying the state won the right to host the invitation-only event through a competitive bidding process.
Peter Malinauskas said South Australia successfully outbid other states for the opportunity to launch the British pop star's upcoming Australian tour.
The exclusive concert, which was attended by 115 competition winners and 90 media personalities and social media influencers, was held at the d'Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale last Wednesday.
The SA government has come under pressure to release details about how much Smith was paid to appear at the event, but has described the deal as commercial-in-confidence.
Mr Malinauskas said he understood the "angst" around taxpayers' money being spent on the concert but stressed the money spent came out of a specific tourism marketing budget which the government boosted in line with election commitments.
He said the invitation-only restriction was a decision made by entertainment agency Frontier Touring, and was out of the government's control.
"When you see something like this happen you'd like to see it accessible to more people, but this was a requirement from the event organisers themselves," he said.
"State governments around the country were able to bid in the process and I think it's a welcome change that we're showcasing a great region like McLaren Vale and iconic images like the Cube rather than the Sydney Opera House all the time."
Mr Malinauskas said some of the state's tourism marketing "cut against the grain or is seen to be unorthodox", but said that was part of the strategy.
"It's not just about TV anymore, you've got to be in different platforms appealing to different demographics," he said.
"There are a lot of young people who are making conscious decisions around where they travel to next, and they're not necessarily in the mainstream media markets.
"They are participating on social media and you've got to find ways to get to those demographics."
He said the South Australian government's successful bid to host the British singer-songwriter cost less than half a million dollars, and said an analysis would take place to "make sure bang for buck was received".
Mr Malinauskas, who described himself as a "Midnight Oil-listening premier", said he was unaware of who Sam Smith was until recently.
When asked about other celebrities paid to appear at recent Adelaide events, Mr Malinauskas said a $10,000 donation was made to a charity in exchange for actor Rachel Griffiths attending the Adelaide 500 Supercars race.
But he would not disclose costs associated with bringing royal family member Zara Tindall and her husband Mike to the same event and other venues around SA, saying that arrangement was also commercial-in-confidence.
