Chang Liu is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of AfterDay Music where he primarily focuses on artist management, music distribution, strategic management, and business development. In the past three years, Chang has worked as a promoter, artist manager, and project manager. Some of the artists he has worked with include LeeAlive, N2V, and R7CKY, most of whom have had hundreds of millions of streams on platforms in China alone. Liu has also been working actively with artists in the Hip Hop label on crossover projects and live events in both China and the US. Liu and his comrades are currently aiming to unite the most prominent artists in the electronic music sector, so as to work towards an uprising in popularity of this specific industry. In this interview, Chang Liu reveals his life story as to how he identifies himself, his view in the Chinese and western music industry, and some of the most intimate thoughts about his inner-self.
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What is your official title, and what is the journey that led to your current position?
COO. I guess the shortest version would be: a fun and bumpy ride. To be a bit more specific: I’ve started to squeeze myself into the industry since senior year high school. During that year, I invested a lot of my personal time learning the music industry basics. However, never have I imagined myself working in the electronic music sector then. Before college, I was pretty much like every ordinary nerdy Chinese school kid you see in the movies. (Stereotypes, right?) What I planned for myself was maybe working as a tour manager or PR agent for some mainstream talents, then a rave of which I was being lured to go to changed everything. Let’s just say, it was a magical night that made me broke my character and began to think about how electronic music could be the next biggest thing in the global market. So that’s how it all started.
After 2016, I came back to China and started out as a project manager for a certain music festival promoter in Shenzhen. One year later, I went to Chengdu coincidentally and became in love with this booming city ever since. I quitted my job in Shenzhen, moved to Chengdu, and I have been working on the artist management side ever since. People say that one should never mix work with pleasure. I just don’t always listen to what people say. There’s tremendous pleasure for me in my daily works especially when I find a new talent, receive an absolutely killer demo, and see the positive reaction from the listeners after the music pieces are blowing the roof off a venue. There’s always someone who has to responsibility to make people go crazily happy, why shouldn’t that be me, right? I guess this would be the mentality that pushed me forward to where I am today.
What do you look for in a domestic artist, and does that vary from what you look for in an international artist?
There are just some very general guidelines for me and my team, nothing too rigid or specific though. For artists in general, I look for the following characteristics: 1. Honesty, 2. Strong sense of honor, 3. Education, but not necessarily book-smart, 4. Originality, 5. Strong desire for success.
For international artists, I would have a few more on top of that list aforementioned: 1. Open minded, 2. NOT politically driven, 3. Versatility, 4. Cultured.
You previously said that due to the fact that electronic music is very niche in China, you are advertising more to the general population. What are some of the channels you go through for promotion, and what angles do you present your artists and their music through?
I’d say it’s pretty orthodox: giving the artists as many opportunities to crossover with other genres or related industries as possible. Same goes with marketing methods/channels. In my personal opinion, one of the most important channels is Douyin right now.
You said that earlier in your career, you used to focus on live events, but that those tended to not be as profitable. Many, at least in the west, have made the claim that live performances are the primary money maker for most artists. Why does that differ for EDM in China, and what are the primary money makers for your artists and company?
I mean, 9 out of 10 Chinese EDM festival promoters in China are losing money.
Whoever tells you that they are making big profit are either REALLY good at what they do or are playing dirty tricks. Usually, only the booking agencies and artists are making money from live events. That’s just the truth. It’s harsh, isn’t it? So, speaking as a business person, I would stay away from promoting events myself in the foreseeable future. For us, the primary revenue sources are linked with copyright. That’s all I could say for now.
You said that in the past, you have worked with individuals and organizations that have a more competitive mindset. However, considering the market in which you find yourself in, you’ve found that it’s better to use a more collaborative approach. What are some examples of recent situations or projects where collaboration has been more successful than competition would have been? Likewise, are there any particular entities whose relationship has been particularly helpful?
My apologies, I cannot go too deep into this topic.
Breaking electronic artists in China seems to be much like the “Wild West”. Is there anything you’ve had to learn through trial and error in the process?
China just does not have a long history of dance music, so we can’t simply adapt the Western models here. Electronic dance music will stay in the niche market for a few years more, but electronic music is making its way into the mainstream contents now. A lot of friends of mine, who are also running electronic music labels in China are having the same opinion on this matter.
In my opinion, when a Chinese EDM festival promoter could easily pack a venue with capacity of 5000+ and have a profit margin of 20%, that’s be a benchmark of this market’s maturity. So, before that, it’s everyone’s obligation to educate the market. When it comes to artist development, it’s usually a “case-by-case” kind of situation, to be honest.
Are there any specific projects that we haven’t mentioned in our conversations that you or After Day Music have recently launched or are about to launch that people should keep an eye open for?
Well… we are dropping 4 compilations, so about 100 new songs in the next 2 quarters. The list of the artists who participate in this project will shock y’all. That’s all I can say.
Where do you think electronic music is going to be in China come 2021? In 5 more years? What about yourself?
Can’t say for sure. Although music business isn’t exactly rocket science, it’s still hard to predict the future. After all, music is not something we could approach with a pure quantitative mindset, right? I just hope music made my Chinese talents can be heard more in the global market in 5 more years.
I can’t say much about myself though. Maybe… pay off my mortgage, try not to get married too soon, and definitely try not to get infected with COVID-19 or whatever comes next?
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