Kenny Bloom: China's Music Mogul
nicholasg980
2009-11-12
The music industry in China has significantly changed over the past
couple of decades, from a tightly government-controlled propaganda
pipeline into an increasingly powerful and sophisticated economic
sector. Spearheading the way in China's entertainment industry is
Kenny Bloom, music veteran of over 30 years, and Founder and CEO of
VisiTek Holdings, Ltd. Born in New York City, Mr. Bloom, at age 56,
has accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime, and he has no
plans of slowing his pace. To say that his list of accomplishments is
impressive would be a gross understatement.
A winner of the Lincoln Center Award for Music Achievement at age 15,
Bloom attended both Julliard and Manhattan Schools of Music Prep
Departments. He joined Atlantic Records in 1977 (a subsidiary of the
Warner Music Group) and launched KB communications in 1984, one of the
first entertainment marketing companies. He formed a joint venture
with China Film (China's film monopoly) in 1988 and secured the China
license for the Warner Music library, which led to the first foreign
owned PRC record company since 1949. Over the years, Bloom went on to
produce numerous radio shows, television programs, concerts by
internationally renowned artists, soundtracks, and Broadway plays. He
is widely recognized as a major player in the entertainment industry.
One might wonder if Bloom would be ready to ride on his reputation for
a while, coasting through the years to come after having such an
illustrious career. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In
fact, Bloom is moving faster, striking harder with a bold strategy to
become a leading content producer. Leading the charge is MOGO (http://
www.mogo.com.cn/), a video site covering the emerging independent
music scene in China to the young, hip (undeserved) urban music
consumer.
I had an opportunity to interview Mr. Bloom regarding his past, and
his vision for the future. It was one of the most enlightening,
thought provoking, and inspirational interviews I've ever had the
pleasure of doing.
Q: You've had over 20 years experience in the Chinese music business,
beginning with the launch of Warner Music China. What are some of the
unique characteristics that have shaped its development?
For one thing, massive piracy. The only business left now is ringtones
and live shows. That said, there are more artists now then every
before. 20 years ago there were half a dozen big pop stars and 4 rock
bands. Now there are scores of pop stars and well over 300 working
rock bands.
Q: So what's sustaining that growth in the face of piracy?
Basically, live shows. The entire industry is going through a global
transition. China is no different in that regard.
Q: There's been a lot of talk about the recent WTO decision opening
the Chinese market to more Western entertainment, including music. The
RIAA reaction to the decision was to state: "Enhancing the ability of
the U.S. creative community to do business in China will generate
needed revenue and jobs to the U.S. economy." This seems to fly in the
face of the piracy problem. But having said that, do you believe that
the decision will at least result in an increase in the international
repertoire's share of the overall market?
China's music market has a 98% mandarin language repertoire. It's what
they like. The WTO decision is certainly not going to change the
musical tastes of the Chinese consumers. And why should China embrace
western music in a language they don't understand. Does the West
embrace Chinese music? That's a totally open market. This has been an
inane concept for quite some time, that every market has a pent up
demand for Western culture. In a way, it sends a very disturbing
message that "your culture is not as relevant".
Q: Let's discuss the latest western invasion in China - Google's
oPhone vs. Apple's iPhone, China Mobile vs. China Unicom... While the
iPhone launch in China thus far has been disappointing, it is turning
into a new platform being seized by indie bands and labels to release
content and manage their fan base. How will the smart phone impact the
Chinese music business?
It will be a long time before smart phones are in the hands of the
"average" Chinese consumer. They are just too expensive to have a huge
impact outside of business applications.
Q: But, the Chinese are super-status oriented and there is an upper-
middle urban class. Why, when these products are launched in China,
would they not be successful - especially with 400 million mobile
users?
Even with 400 million users, you are talking about a relatively small
percentage of the population who are upper-middle urban class. Out of
the total population, maybe 3% can be classified as such. And they're
not necessarily listening to music, certainly not Western music.
Q: Pepsi has been making big moves in China with their nationally
televised Battle of the Bands "Vox Rock" and launch of their music
label QMusic. Is Pepsi really serious about supporting the independent
Chinese music scene? And if so, is this a model that will have legs in
China (i.e., might we someday listen to Tsingtao's latest buzz band)?
It is essential that corporate sponsors support the music industry. We
are now seeing more of it focused on rock and hip-hop. But we also
need local media to embrace those musical styles in order to build the
consumer base. Otherwise, sponsors won't be able to quantify their
investment in music that is outside of the mainstream.
Q: Isn't QMusic much more than sponsorship? They're talking about
developing and launching new bands, like Starbucks Hear Music.
Let's see what they do. It's still too early to make judgments as they
have not yet started their operations.
Q: I have one final question for you. Mogo is something of a 21st
century MTV-like pioneer in China. You are creating original and
professionally produced WebTV content (not user-generated), in support
of the emerging independent scene (art, music...). That's difficult
enough in the West. What are some of the unique challenges you face -
the consumer, the government, advertisers?
It's China's own home-grown music TV station and all parties have been
very supportive. The biggest challenge we are facing is finding
qualified staff. Every company has problems finding experienced
workers. Don't forget, the modern era of China is only 30 years old
with most of the development coming in the past 10. The word of the
day is "patience". It will all happen, but it will happen on China's
terms.