SOUND CITY ANNOUNCE DETAILS FOR SOUND CITY KOREA 2022

A PIONEERING PROGRAMME OFFERING SUPPORT TO ARTISTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TARGETING THE ASIAN MUSIC MARKET

THE DIGITAL EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE ON 16TH MARCH FROM 10AM (UCT) ON THE SOUND CITY AND SOUND CITY + FACEBOOK

Exploring business and artist opportunities for success in Asia, Sound City have today announced the 2022 digital edition of Sound City Korea, taking place on Wednesday 16th March on the Sound City and Sound City + Facebook from 10am (UCT). 

Sound City is proud to be one of the UK’s leading music companies to export to Asia, creating exciting opportunities for artists and businesses in Asian territories. At the forefront of Sound City’s innovative work with Asia is Sound City Korea. Supported by Arts Council England, this is a pioneering programme for musicians and industry professionals who are based in England, that targets Korea, a rapidly emerging and increasingly important international market that is widely seen as a gateway to a wider Asian market. 

The face of the global music market has rapidly changed in response to the pandemic over the last two years. However, the Asian music markets have continued to grow and dominate during this period. Sound City is proud to announce the digital inception of Sound City Korea, a programme of panels exploring recorded and live music opportunities in Asia and the tips and tricks of breaking into the Asian music market. 

The digital conference will kickstart with the panel ‘Help! The Insider Guide to Success in Korea,’ featuring case studies on UK artists and companies who have had success in Korea. The artist panel will be moderated by Julie Weir, Label Head at Sony Music and feature indie-rock band The Sherlocks, the formidable force of Elle Exxe who will share insights into their experiences of performing in Korea and musician, producer and artist Love Ssega.

Speaking about playing at Zandari Festa and MUCON as part of Sound City Korea 2016 Elle Exxe said: “Performing in Korea opened the world for me. It was life changing.”

The business case studies led by Chris Tams, Director of Independent Member Services at the BPI, will showcase the work of Opulous an innovative blockchain-powered platform bringing de-fi and NFTs to the music industry with Joe Mason the Head of Artist Services offering his insight, and Matt Drayton will detail the groundbreaking record label Ostereo. They will serve to inform and inspire, demonstrating how UK businesses can thrive in the Korean market.

Following the case studies there will be two Market Overview Sessions of Thailand and Indonesia, focusing on live music, distribution and publishing in each territory. The sessions will shine a spotlight on industry experts from these territories who will share their knowledge and enlighten audiences on how to navigate the Thai and Indonesian markets. ‘Ready or not: Exploring Thailand’s Emerging Market’ will be moderated by Lisa Wright from DIY and include, Pimporn Metchanun Co Founder of Have You Heard? and Notapol Srichomkwan, Chairman of Music Copyright Thailand.

Exploring Indonesia’s growing market and featuring on the session ’Have You Heard The Hype? Discovering Indonesia’s Emerging Market’ will be Camelia Harahap, British Council Indonesia, Arie Legowo, The Orchard, Jackie Alway from Universal Music Publishing, Oktavia Palgunadi from Universal Music Publishing Indonesia and moderated by Becky Ayres.

Speaking about the event Sound City’s Managing Director Becky Ayres said:

“We’re thrilled to be hosting the 2022 digital edition of Sound City Korea on 16th March involving a plethora of knowledgeable and engaging participants. We hope that by accessing this event more and more of our talented artists here at home will be able to tackle the rapidly emerging and increasingly important Asian market with great success.”

Sound City Korea will be streamed live on Sound City and Sound City + Facebook on Wednesday 16th March from 10am (UCT). You can register to watch the event here.

Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA) open for “Best Asian Creative Artist”

The Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA) hosted by Taiwan’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), Ministry of Culture is open for applications for “Best Asian Creative Artist” ending July 12, 2021.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Artist must be non-Taiwanese and do not reside in Taiwan and China.
  • Artist will self-apply for the award online, but nominations will be selected by a judging panel.
  • Artist’s music must be promoted and distributed in markets outside of Taiwan.
  • Submitted albums/EPs must be released between July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021:
    • For albums, at least 70% of music/lyrics/work must be original of artist.
    • For EPs, 100% of music/lyrics/work must be original of artist.

Application process:

For more information, send email to support@gimawards.com.

Reasons why the Government should pay for Creative Arts (Opinion piece)

Many people might argue that the creative arts as a product is considered a luxury, and that the government has more pressing issues to spend their budget on, whether education, infrastructure, healthcare, security, etc. I don’t disagree with that argument, but wanted to present a different point of view that there are possibly other ways for the government to spend their budget if we can all see the creative arts in a different light. Let me guide you through my thinking process.

Continue reading “Reasons why the Government should pay for Creative Arts (Opinion piece)”

How’s your band’s export potential? – Scored by international delegates survey

BMC 2019 was honored to host a total of 57 Thai and 20 international bands/artists at our music showcase festival!

One of BMC’s goals is to help in the export of music across international borders and enter new markets. We wanted to know how well each showcasing band did in the eyes of our international delegates who are considered specialists of their local markets.

So, we conducted a survey to see which bands were their favorites; which bands may have potential to make it in their markets; and which bands they plan to work with in the near future.

Remark: 25 out of 57 delegates responded to mentioned survey between 13 NOV and 12 DEC 2019.

Continue reading “How’s your band’s export potential? – Scored by international delegates survey”

Showcase festival: ก้าวแรกของการทัวร์ทั่วโลก ของภูมิ วิภูริศ

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บทสัมภาษณ์แปลจากภาษาอังกฤษ

ภูมิ วิภูริศ เป็นศิลปินนักร้อง–นักแต่งเพลงชาวไทยที่โด่งดังไปทั่วโลกผ่านอินเตอร์เน็ต จนบางคนอาจรู้สึกว่าเขามีชื่อเสียงในต่างประเทศยิ่งกว่าในบ้านเกิดตัวเอง แต่นั่นเป็นเพียงเรื่องราวของเพลงและมิวสิควีดีโอที่ถูกแชร์ออกไปเท่านั้น สำหรับการทัวร์แสดงสดในต่างประเทศนั้น มันคือคนละเรื่องราวกันเลย เพราะมันมีคนทำงานในหน้าที่ที่หลากหลายมากเพื่อที่จะให้มันเกิดขึ้น แต่ทุกอย่างมันต้องมีจุดเริ่มต้น…

Continue reading “Showcase festival: ก้าวแรกของการทัวร์ทั่วโลก ของภูมิ วิภูริศ”

Showcase festivals: A first step to touring the world – Interview with Phum Viphurit

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Phum Viphurit is a singer-songwriter from Thailand who became famous around the globe via the internet, and may have even surpassed his fame at home. But that’s the story about his recorded music and music videos. Touring around the world is another story that requires a lot of work by a lot of different people; however, there was a starting point of how he was able to enter the international touring circuit…

Continue reading “Showcase festivals: A first step to touring the world – Interview with Phum Viphurit”

Thai Toast – Fwends

Fwends

Back in 2015, the single ‘Where Do We Go’ not only solidified the status of Thailand’s indie sweetheart for Fwends, but it also inspired a Bangkok bar’s name called after their tranquil tune.

Formed in 2013, the dream pop quintet consists of frontwoman – May Chucheewa on lead guitar and vocal; Tong Sarun on rhythm guitar; Korn Varasarin on bass; Fahsai Piyakorn on keyboard; and Ake Panupong on drums, who all were former members of another alternative band from Bangkok called Cloud Behind.


Before Fwends came into the spotlight, they have fed the local indie scene with a string of EP releases between 2015-2018. Treated like a series of emotional letters penned to friends, these tracks are sonically complex with the layers of flickering chords and hazy synths.


After the release of the 10-track album ‘Day and Night’ at the end of 2018, Fwends has become one of the festival and indie music venue magnets drawing the attention of fans who would like to soak in the dreamy vibe live from their shoegaze-pop debut. Also, earlier this year, Fwends’ frontwoman debuted her solo project mononymously named as ‘Chucheewa’ with the launch of a pair of electropop singles that stand out with May’s unique reedy voice dressed in cotton candy dream.


Listen to Night and Day by Fwends here: https://spoti.fi/2MyN0TM


Bangkok Music City offers a look at hot, rising Thai artists!


#ThaiToast #BangkokMusicCity

Music Fidelity – Artist

Artist

The public perception of artists in music industry may be distorted by the rockstar lifestyle. Behind closed curtains, it is not always full of glitz and glamour, but is the hard work, dedication and discipline that helps attain success in this killer career.

Music plays an important role in our life. According to many scientific researches, listening to music triggers the human brain to release the pleasure chemical – dopamine, and it is these artists’ dedication to share their talent and creativity through musical expression. Their song and performance are elements that help keep the human pleasure system alive!


What they do:

Artists – solo artists, bands or music groups of varied sizes – unleash their musical creativity and perform a specific musical composition together in the recording process. Most artists compose their own music and lyrics, some artists produce and mix their own records as well as develop their own publicity campaign. They need to practice hard for the tour after the album comes out.


Employment:

In the digital era, independent artists have exploded. Artists can make money without getting record deal. They can self-release their work instead of requiring the advances of record labels. They can earn money from royalties, live performances, merchandise and licensing fees for their music.


Experience:

To become a recording artist, education may not be a requirement. A pocket full of creativity and the discipline to practice. Enrolling in a music program or higher education may be beneficial as it can help you learn about music theory and grant you the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals.


Thanks to the internet and the emergence of social media, it has never been easier to build a foundation for your music industry success if you have a strong passion for music. Other than practicing hard, you can promote your music independently by creating an online presence. Record a demo and post your music online to gain recognition from potential fans and the public. Networking with fellow musicians is great, because you can start organizing shows together. Also, dare to dream big and keep being creative! Success is just around the corner.


Big Stars:

The Beatles

Though the band remained inactive, this greatest band of the 60s has always been ranked as the most successful act in musical history. According to the Gold ® & Platinum ® Program by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), The Beatles holds the top spot on the all-time ranking of best-selling artists with the number of 183 million units evaluated by the total certified album units sold in the US including streaming figures.


Phum Viphurit

The 23-year-old Thai-born, New Zealand-bred rising star, Phum Viphurit is taking the world by storm with his catchy alternative folk tunes. Phum’s ‘Lover Boy’ has achieved widespread international recognition and became a hit which has brought pride to his country and inspired other contenders in his local music industry. His rising global prominence has facilitated him to land international gigs – since 2018, the Thai singer-songwriter has toured and headlined relentlessly in Asia, Europe and the United States.


Get to know various professions and professionals of the music industry with Bangkok Music City!


#MusicFidelity #BangkokMusicCity