How Founders Built Music Industry Hub for Asian Artists

As a scholar on the College of California, San Diego, Ollie Zhang oversaw the campus’ annual music pageant and dozens of concert events all year long. Publish-graduation, he co-founded the dance music model House Yacht in 2015. However he aspired to have an even bigger, totally different form of affect on the music enterprise. “This concept of discovering a spot inside the music business for Asian artists to thrive all the time felt like a faraway idea to me,” he says. “A whole lot of the parents that I labored with and got here up with within the music business have been Asian People. All of us had this far-off dream that that is one thing that might be attainable in the future.”

So when Zhang (now 33) met Sean ­Miyashiro (now 42) in 2015, he says it was “serendipity” as a result of Miyashiro was creating the very thought Zhang had imagined: carving out house for Asian and Asian American artistry to flourish. On the time, Miyashiro was serving to VICE launch its dance music web site, THUMP, however he quickly realized, “If we created one thing to rejoice [our creative community], it might be higher than anything that exists.”

Collectively, he and Zhang grew their shared imaginative and prescient into the corporate that turned 88rising, the primary and solely hub for Asian artists within the music business. 88rising launched with a small roster of shoppers Miyashiro was independently managing on the time, together with choreographer-singer Brian Puspos, rappers Keith Ape and Dumbfoundead and dance artist josh pan. Zhang was at first, he believes, inventive supervisor, then turned chief of employees and is now head of artist growth. (He additionally manages two of 88rising’s key signings, singer-songwriter NIKI and elusive indie-alternative star Joji.) And whereas the corporate initially targeted on hip-hop, Miyashiro instantly made clear that it was by no means supposed to be for anyone sort of inventive — and even be anyone factor in any respect.

As we speak, 88rising is a label, administration agency and international model — with Miyashiro, who alongside Zhang spoke to Billboard throughout weekend one among Coachella at a non-public residence in Indio, Calif., teasing that one more new division is on the way in which. The corporate’s wide-ranging label roster consists of NIKI, Joji and rappers Wealthy Brian and Jackson Wang. In the meantime, the 88rising model has grown right into a behemoth. In 2018, it held its inaugural Head within the Clouds pageant at Los Angeles State Historic Park, and the occasion has since expanded to New York; Jakarta, Indonesia; Manila, the Philippines; and Guangzhou, China. In 2020, 88rising launched North America’s first 24/7 radio channel devoted to Asian artists, on SiriusXM; in 2021, the corporate curated the soundtrack to the Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; in 2022, it turned the primary label to attain its personal billing on Coachella’s lineup (returning in 2024); and, final yr, it struck a worldwide distribution cope with Sony’s The Orchard.

“Sean creating 88rising from simply an thought in his head to what it has develop into at present is unbelievable,” Wang says. “The factor I instantly knew about Sean is his vibe was so actual from day one. He cares about artwork deeply earlier than anything, which is so uncommon on this music recreation or leisure business. I knew I may belief him, and he instantly started guiding me into choices not solely about my music, however how I see myself as an artist and human being.”

However no matter precisely what 88rising does, Zhang attests that the why has by no means, and can by no means, change. “The mission assertion stays the identical to this present day: uplifting Asian youth tradition world wide,” he says. “Every thing that we’ve carried out is a manifestation of that very same intent. Clearly, the stakes have gotten increased, however the place we’re at now will not be even what we may have essentially dreamed of.”

Inform us about working as a label and as a model.

Sean Miyashiro: It by no means was supposed to be a label. I didn’t know something about what it was to distribute a file or no matter. And I in all probability nonetheless don’t, frankly talking. Like, I nonetheless don’t know the way royalties break down and all these items. The intention of 88rising was to be a celebratory platform, and simply by nature of what we have been placing out, which was actually primarily based on the distinct style of the those who have been working right here, that turned the model. That turned the beating heartbeat of what 88rising was. After which all these artists began hitting us up, simply being like, “We like this vitality. Let’s do one thing.” Being a label was a contented accident… And we have now a terrific alternative to repeatedly do extra, so we have now to take duty in that chance as a result of no person has actually come after us.

How does working as a worldwide model entice artists, past solely providing label providers?

Ollie Zhang: There’s that little proportion of worth that comes with [being] a model, and I believe that’s the intention. We do our greatest to make it extremely clear that being right here for an artist is advantageous and that you may be supported. Seeing [Japanese girl group] Atarashii Gakko!, for example, use each single Head within the Clouds pageant over the past couple of years, transferring them slowly up and up the lineup and introducing them to totally different markets world wide — that’s one thing that individuals positively discover. And particularly for an act like [them], the expertise of being at that present immediately converts you right into a fan. So how can we create as many alternatives for folks to expertise that as attainable? That’s the benefit of being the platform that we’re.

Miyashiro: Once we’re in Asia, it’s loopy. I went to Indonesia with my household, and I used to be in a kind of issues that scale a mountain, and the operator is like, “You’re Sean.” Once we go to Japan, after we go to China, it’s the identical sort of feeling — folks know what we’re making an attempt to do. And it’s by the use of making an attempt to be as constant as attainable. We’ve to push ourselves to remain forward of this. I’ve nervousness; I by no means ever really feel that we’re sitting fairly. It’s the exact opposite.

A lot of 88rising’s wins are industrywide firsts, just like the label’s now-annual Coachella billing. Why is the corporate in a position to pull off such feats?

Zhang: I believe that’s a giant credit score to Sean and daring to imagine that that’s attainable. And clearly, a credit score to the group that’s right here and has been right here over the past eight years to assist execute that. And we couldn’t have carried out that as nicely with out incomes the belief and perception of artists that we glance after, artists inside the group, artists internationally. And it has all been iterative, proper? It’s not essentially a straight path, but it surely has all the time been transferring in that route.

Miyashiro: I really like having the ability to [work with Japanese group] Number_i and new issues as a result of Okay-pop is already absolutely [established globally], occasions a thousand, and that’s wonderful. [It’s] unbelievable what the entire business there has constructed. However I wish to showcase any individual from Cambodia or Vietnam. We love being first; it’s enjoyable. Who needs to be second?

The 88rising Coachella set all the time options a wide range of expertise throughout nations and genres, together with Japanese acts like Number_i this yr. Contemplating that the label launched as a predominately hip-hop platform, what’s now drawing a wider vary of artists to the corporate?

Miyashiro: Essentially, we’re not business-driven or excellent at enterprise. Enterprise is one thing that we have now to study by nature of, like, having the ability to make payroll. We’re inherently artist- and creative-driven. That’s what fuels every little thing. However the factor is, we’re so fortunate to have constructed a relationship and a friendship and a bond with [our roster]. That’s what it truly is. And that’s why no person leaves, to be trustworthy. We are saying this on a regular basis: It must be so painfully apparent to the artist that [being on 88rising] is a profit to them.

Zhang: It’s [about] aiding the artists on their very own journey to search out out what they wish to talk to the world or what sort of artists or musicians they wish to be. NIKI is a good instance of that. Within the pandemic, she actually began feeling just like the form of artist she needed to be was going again to the singer-songwriter lane the place she was making music in her bed room in Jakarta. That’s why when she introduced that authentic thought for [her second studio album] Nicole, it was a no brainer when it comes to eager to embrace that and convey her inventive companions that make sense.

What up-and-comers are you placing muscle behind this yr?

Zhang: A giant a part of the 88rising set [at Coachella] was a watch towards nice Japanese expertise with Number_i, Atarashii Gakko! and Yoasobi. I don’t know if it was intentional, however that’s what we’ve rallied round on this particular second.

Miyashiro: Lots of people have been like, “Oh, dude, there’s a whole lot of Japanese artists,” but it surely wasn’t a deliberate factor. It’s all the time by nature of who we is likely to be speaking to about one thing as small as singing. After which it’s like, “Yo, come on over.” These are invaluable alternatives for artists. Simply in tradition, [the fact that] Number_i performed Coachella is like, “What, the place did that come from?” As a result of it’s like, how else would they get right here? We love having the ability to ship this stuff with ease … It’s like, “Yo, Paul [Tollett, president of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice], give us some actual property right here. We’ll determine it out.” Actually, I used to be like, “Simply guarantee that we’re on the flyer.” I had no thought what we have been going to do, but it surely’s natural. It’s like placing collectively a block celebration.

How do you see 88rising’s Coachella billing evolving?

Miyashiro: We’re going to do it once more subsequent yr. We’re going to start out earlier, and I’ve an thought … We’ve been doing a celebration, [offering] a glimpse of all these artists going back-to-back-to-back. I believe that, sooner or later, we wish to do one thing a bit extra orchestrated and seamless with a theme. Type of like a musical. Inform a lightweight story in 75 minutes. We’re truly beginning that course of.

What else are you engaged on?

Miyashiro: Proper now, there are such a lot of aspiring artists, younger folks, deciding to make music. And with all of the infrastructure that we constructed and the know-how, we have now the chance to assist a whole lot of them. We’re going to create one thing referred to as FAM, Way forward for Asian Music. It’s a distribution ecosystem for unbiased Asian artists.

There’s a whole lot of distribution mechanisms that any individual can use, however we’re going to be [creating] a very nice ecosystem of curation and suggestion by means of artists of affect. [There will be] a whole lot of dwell stuff inside this, and it’s throughout the ethos of DIY, unbiased, next-generation Asian music from throughout Asia. We’re doing a ton of content material round this from dwell programming, like our model of COLORS [the German music platform known for simple live recordings from up-and-comers around the world]. It’s like [a] from-your-bedroom-to-stardom-type of factor. We wish to be part of that dialog and journey each step of the way in which. This can be a fireplace starter … and fairly quickly, there’s hopefully a thousand artists distributed by means of us. I believe that we’ll attain that.

Zhang: It’s absolutely realizing the unique intent of 88rising. And extra essential for an artist these days will not be the sheer strategy of getting your music on a platform, it’s how do you create content material to place you in context with all the opposite artists which are importing music each day? FAM is a automobile to precise that.

What subgenres do you assume are shaping the way forward for Asian music?

Zhang: I believe that Isoknock — [comprising dance/electronic artists] ISOxo and Knock2 — are main the cost on a significant resurgence in digital dance music right here and world wide. They’re simply pure rock stars. And I believe that they’re actively revitalizing a scene that has been dormant. Each Sean and I come from the dance world, grew up in digital music — so has a whole lot of our employees — in order that’s one thing the place as soon as we noticed how particular it was, simply from the bottom flooring, we needed to leap on it. For them to be two Asian American youngsters from San Diego and for dance music being a giant a part of Asian American tradition over the past couple of a long time, that actually means one thing that they’re on the forefront.

How do you view the affect of 88rising to this point?

Miyashiro: It’s humorous as a result of after we began, some haters have been like, “Oh, dude, you assume you’re the one particular person that may do that?” I hear folks in funding conferences saying, “We’re going to be the subsequent 88rising for African music,” and that’s dope. I really like listening to that. However within the Asian house, it hasn’t occurred but. I’m certain it’s going to in a roundabout way, form or kind. And we love that. That was the purpose. If we stop to exist tomorrow, we will look again and have some peace and be like, “We actually did one thing right here.”

This story will seem within the April 27, 2024, subject of Billboard.