For all the praise about our city\u2019s rapidly growing music scene \u2013 the regular international acts at AsiaWorld-Expo, the weekend-long festivals at West Kowloon, the cult DJ favourites at underground clubs \u2013 few remember that it all started with a few humble music stores.<\/p>\n
After years dominated by the major music chains and their underwhelming selections, a few dedicated souls hoped to change that by importing the world\u2019s finest sounds, then selling them for barely a mark-up \u2013 all in the name of good music.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong-born Tommy Chan is possibly the most well-known of the bunch and probably the only one still plugging away at a record label. As the owner of the Love Da Group, he can now count a music caf\u00e9 in San Po Kong and sister divisions in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan among his ventures. But before Chan built his mini music empire, there was a humble little local label called Love Da Records.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the mid-1990s, I worked at Form Music in Singapore, a publicly listed company,\u201d says Chan. \u201cUnfortunately, the 1997 stock market crash took a toll \u2013 while I received interest from other majors, my boss told me to start my own company. He planned on selling and his new set-up would streamline a lot of the \u2018smaller\u2019 independents at that time. His advice was for me to take in these smaller labels.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1998, Chan founded Love Da Records, starting out by distributing a number of overseas labels that were largely unknown but held great potential in their musicians. The labels included Ministry of Sound, Warp Records, Ninja Tunes, React! and Hooj Choons, and it was their artists who all but built the foundations of Love Da.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur philosophy from day one has been simple: bring quality music to the people,\u201d says Chan. \u201cWe\u2019ve had numerous successes over the years: we broke Sigur Ros and Carla Bruni onto Hong Kong radio charts, both of whom weren\u2019t singing in English at that time. We\u2019ve had great experiences with Ministry of Sound. And recently, we found Two Door Cinema Club success in Southeast Asia with radio rotation and a No1 iTunes album.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love Da Records is now arguably the biggest distributor of choice independent music in all of Southeast Asia, dealing with more than 200 overseas CD labels and more than 2,000 digital labels. But the world is changing: the halcyon days of independent record labels are dying out, quickly being replaced by pay-what-you-want systems, iTunes and Spotify.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, it was much easier to develop and help grow these labels, but there has been a shift in the business model of the record industry,\u201d Chan says. \u201cLabels no longer have pull on many of their most successful acts. It tends to belong to the artists and their management teams. But we\u2019re willing to evolve; willing to try new things, even if it doesn\u2019t completely make sense economically.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first step in that direction came a few years ago, when Chan started thinking beyond Hong Kong\u2019s close-mindedness to music.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of Hong Kong\u2019s population doesn\u2019t listen to non-pop Western or Asian artists, and there are other contributing factors: cost of living, lack of venues, lack of government support,\u201d he says. \u201cBut then you look at bigger markets: Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, their music scenes are continuously growing. So we expanded our reach in Southeast Asia \u2013 we\u2019ve set up offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan and recently; we\u2019ve been exploring the Philippines and Indonesian markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a shrewd move, but it doesn\u2019t change the fact that where most people used to save up to buy an album, they can now download one for less than the price of a fast-food meal. Still, Chan believes there\u2019s a silver lining in every cloud: the internet may have put a question mark over the relevance of modern record labels, but it\u2019s also created greater availability of every musician\u2019s work. Chan is excited at the possibilities of live music.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past few years, I couldn\u2019t believe how good Hong Kong indie bands have become \u2013 they\u2019re almost as good as ones from the UK. The problem, though, is that there isn\u2019t much of a platform for them to be noticed,\u201d he says. \u201cSo when we were moving offices recently, we found an extra 1,200 square feet available for us at a really good price. I thought, \u2018Why not do something I\u2019d always wanted to do?\u2019 And Love Da Caf\u00e9 was born \u2013 I handpicked everything from the sound and lighting system, to the stage and d\u00e9cor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reactions to the industrial space venue have been positive, and while the Caf\u00e9 isn\u2019t as prolific in its showcases as other underground spots around town, for Chan it\u2019s about quality over quantity. Names that he can proudly notch-up include New York psychedelic band Psychic Ills, London-based DJ Joe Syntax and local experimental acts such as Room Torrent, Pandora and Jungle Jim.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a step sideways for Chan, but one that keeps him in the loop. On a daily basis, he\u2019s still picking choice cuts from the dozens of labels Love Da distributes, but long term, his ambitions are endless.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge between the music services and Love Da Caf\u00e9 is myself: I only have 24 hours in a day,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve built a team on the basis of work ethic, resilience and passion, and we\u2019ll continue to explore Southeast Asian markets while also working with more Hong Kong artists. But what I feel is most important, is that a record company believes in what it releases.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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