2020/04/27 19:13
Piyapong (Py) Muenprasertdee
（Bangkok, Thailand）
・Bangkok Music City Co-founder
・Fungjai Co-founder & Director of Educational, Governmental and Overseas Partnership
Py is one of the organizers of the international conference + showcase festival "Bangkok Music City" that was launched in Bangkok last November.
"Bangkok Music City" was a place of elaborate design. It was a series of moments that brought to light the music scene in Southeast Asia (mainly indie), which had not been so visible until then.
Py’s company has been successful in organizing many events, but the format of a music conference and showcase festival is one that is not commercially attractive to sponsors causing the event to face various financial difficulties. And because it being a brand new concept in Thailand, the local artists were yet to understand the event’s true value. This kind of hardship is exactly the same in Okinawa.
It's been five years since we started the Trans Asia Music Meeting (TAMM) in Okinawa, but the hurdle to break the local music scene is very high. There is also the impression that there is a greater need for bands from mainland Japan and overseas rather than local bands.
There is a steady increase in the number of conference + showcase events in Asia today. The subscription model is creeping in and the importance of live performance across borders is growing. The conference + showcase is a great way for bands to raise their profile and open the door to international markets, and for music professionals to meet new talent.
Bangkok is one of the fastest growing cities in Southeast Asia in terms of music industry. Not only the market, but also the younger generation of event-goers have a real love of music. However, the corona virus pandemic has halted much of the music activities..
In a city where everything has come to a standstill in lockdown, how does Py look at the music scene and what lies ahead?
“It is around the 3rd week of working-from-home for my company. Communication amongst team members is not as efficient nor as effective compared to meeting face-to-face at the office, but we've adapted to meeting via video conferencing. There are some days some of us have to go to the office for specific activities such as video production, but we try to keep our distances and wear masks.”
In the midst of the coronavirus, the Thai music industry is taking the same blow as anywhere else in Asia. Events can't be held and the ticket revenue stream is cut off. Without the ability to attract customers, options are very limited, and work is underway to move many operations from offline to online. But even that is an uncertain prospect.
“All of our physical events had to be either canceled or postponed to a later date, meaning we can't earn any revenue from ticket sales. Another big chunk of our income is from sponsors, who have seized the spending of all marketing and advertising budgets and even rejected our calls to talk about any ongoing projects.
Since we cannot do business as usual, we decided to pilot and test out new business ideas that are geared towards online consumption. We assigned our employees to work on new products and services, i.e. online sales of merchandise, online learning platform, online TV programs and video streaming of live shows.
Our first online music festival was successful in terms of viewership and donations to artists (we didn't earn anything) and we were hoping to grab the attention of sponsors for our next edition. However, as everyone else in the industry is doing practically the same thing, sponsors are simply laying back looking for the best and cheapest one to sponsor. So, speed-to-market is not the key competitive advantage in these times as the power lies in the hands of the sponsors.”
In Japan as well, many artists and venues are moving forward with online distribution at a rapid pace. This has caused some equipment to be in short supply. A sense of speed is important in an emergency situation, but from a long-term rather than a transitory perspective, the first priority should be to establish a solid framework.
Whether online or in real life, a festival with tens of thousands of people and a vibe of 50 to 100 people is assembled in a completely different way, and you can't just ride on the success stories you see and hear on social networking sites and the like.
“Thai government has a history of investing very little in the development of music and culture, so it is natural that there is little to no direct support from the government. Currently, there are only general subsidies handed out to people out of work, but that was also a disaster as a large number of people did not receive their payments. Furthermore, this government funding program seems to be having problems preventing them from paying out future payments as early as next month.”
In Asia, it is rare to see such generous support for music and culture from the government as in Europe. It's a common topic of conversation in Japan, and it's the same in Thailand.
In today's difficult situation, most people don't have the luxury of spending money on music. In order for an artist to survive, he or she must first manage to make ends meet while creating new content for tomorrow.
“People who are lucky enough to not be economically affected by the situation would probably see any form of entertainment as a way to keep themselves from being bored to death. As for others, it's a way of escaping reality, relieving their stress and keeping their spirits high.
But nonetheless, if people don't pay much for music - or worse, can't afford to pay for it, the musicians and artists will not be able to produce content nor survive.
However, as COVID-19 has affected almost every industry, people are less willing to spend money on non-essentials - sadly, including music. So, what musicians and artists can do right now are like investments - waiting for the market to return to normal, so that they can hit the ground running.
Unfortunately, many musicians and artists are not as lucky and have to find other ways of getting by, whether from working whatever job they can find, get government support funds, borrow money from people they know or sell their belongings. I've been seeing a lot of musical instruments and gear being posted for sale on Facebook's Marketplace saying they need the money to survive, and it deeply saddens me.”
What do we think about now as we look forward to tomorrow post the corona pandemic? What's new for this year's "Bangkok Music City 2020" and how to seize the opportunity in a time of chaos?
"I think that it will still be a long time for things to recover even after the virus is contained or eradicated. Due to the economy during the viral outbreak, people may not have money to spend on travel or other offline activities. I think the number of travelers to international music conferences should be reduced significantly.
So, as my company is the co-organizer of Bangkok Music City conference and showcase festival (BMC), we shall still be looking for online solutions and business models, for example: hosting BMC 2020 with both a physical event and in a virtual world.
My advice is probably to try to find opportunities even in times of chaos. For example, study how the behavior of your fans, audience and clients are changing, and find ways to serve them your content while not devaluing it the best you can."
Bangkok is famous for its traffic jams and air pollution. Since the government ordered certain industries and companies to stop operating and encouraged people to work from home, transportation has improved and the skies have become much clearer, Py said.
“Here's a photo taken from my apartment. Normally there would be a smog of smoke and dust.”
I sincerely hope that the future of Asian music will spread as beautifully as the beautiful blue sky here in Bangkok.
Recommend music
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Bangkok Music City
It was the first music conference and showcase festival in Thailand to be held in November 2019.
The eight-stage showcase show featured a total of 75 bands, including 55 from local Thailand, 13 from Southeast Asia, 5 from East Asia and 2 from Europe. More than 70 music professionals from around the world, mainly from Asia, gathered at the event.
The conference was divided into the categories of Music Cities & Music Export, Music Technology & Music Professionals, and Festival & Business Pitching Sessions.
Profile
Piyapong (Py) Muenprasertdee
・Bangkok Music City Co-founder
・Fungjai Co-founder & Director of Educational, Governmental and Overseas Partnership
Piyapong holds a MS in Industrial Engineering and a MBA, and was a specialist in the field of sustainability and climate change in his past professional life. However, his true passion was always in music - especially DIY and indie music - and is passionate about sustainable development in the music industry.
Currently, he is the Co-founder and Director of Educational, Governmental and Overseas Partnership of Fungjai - a music-technology startup based in Bangkok Thailand that connects artists and fans via online and offline platforms: including a music streaming platform; an online magazine; a concert organizing unit; a music business seminar and workshop unit; an online platform for hiring live musicians for events and parties; and a music-focused marketing consultant and agency division.
Apart from being well connected in the Thai independent music scene, he is also connected with independent communities all over Southeast Asia and East Asia. His personal goal is to help develop relationships and collaborations within the region to strengthen the competitiveness of Asian music on the world stage.
