88tc88: Connecting Western Bands & Chinese Fans Through Mandarin

Website: http://china.musicdish.com

By Eric de Fontenay
A growing number of Western music companies are dipping their toes into the Chinese market, hoping to increase opportunities for independent artists in one of the most dynamic and treacherous music markets ever. We've already reported on Australian-based Cowbell Digital Music, which launched a Chinese portal earlier this year. Now, Berlin-based 88tc88, which took advantage of the global attention on SXSW 2010 to introduce its Web-based translation service, is enabling Western bands and musicians to access and sell to Chinese music consumers.

The service tackles a basic problem with going global: If people can't search your band name or song title in a browser or search engine, you don't truly exist in that market. Considering the fact that searching the internet is the #1 way Chinese consumers access music, having your information accessible in Mandarin is key. This is not just true for Mainland China. Citizens of Taiwan and Singapore predominantly speak Mandarin, while countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have significant Mandarin speaking populations.

I spoke with Thomas Reemer, founder and chairman of 88tc88.com about their partnership with Shanghai Synergy Culture & Entertainment Group to launch the service, and how to avoid Chinese censors and monetization in the face of piracy.

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