This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Deals Labels & Publishers
Outdustry launches new music publishing division in China
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 30 June 2020
Chinese music market specialist Outdustry has launched a new division to focus on music publishing. It launches with Reservoir as a global sub-publishing client, as well as a local repertoire signed by the company’s own China-based A&R team. It also has direct deals in place with all of the major streaming services in China, including Tencent’s QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo, as well as NetEase Cloud Music and Alibaba’s Xiami.
Although the booming Chinese music market has been a big talking point in the industry for quite some time now, most of the opportunities to date have been in live and recorded music, with the country’s music publishing sector much less well developed. However, that is starting to change, with both global and local publishers more proactively looking to capitalise on song right opportunities in the country.
That includes building better systems for claiming and processing income from the more conventional streaming services, but also looking into how songwriters and publishers can better benefit from the hugely popular karaoke services in the country, and seeking to develop a Chinese sync market.
Outdustry has helped many independent music companies navigate the complexities of the Chinese music market over the last decade, especially on the recordings side. Outdustry Songs will expand the support the company offers on the music publishing side.
The new division will be headed up by the company’s Head Of International Alex Taggart, who says: “China is a huge opportunity for songwriters and publishers – from the fast-growing premium tiers of the biggest streaming apps in the world, to the national obsession with karaoke and the nascent sync market, as well as next-generation forms of music consumption and monetisation such as live-streaming and virtual-gifting”.
He goes on: “With the addition of Outdustry Songs to our existing marketing and A&R services business, we are filling out our offering to our global network of writers, producers, artists and rights owners, enabling us to collect royalties and monitor copyrights on their behalf across this dynamic emerging landscape”.
As for the Reservoir deal, its VP International & Emerging Markets, Spek, adds: “Outdustry’s brilliant team has been pushing boundaries in the Chinese music market for over a decade – I am confident they will be leaders in China’s vibrant and emerging publishing sector. Reservoir is always keen to innovate in new markets, and we’re excited to be the first music publisher to get on board with Outdustry Songs, plug into their considerable network in China, and pave the way for our creators in this space”.
