China is opening up rapidly in terms of inbound digital licensing, but what happens once your license is in place? In reality, this is just the beginning, not least because Chinese platforms typically don't WANT the content, they have it already. Rather than expecting the floodgates to open, China still needs to be seen as a very long play. This period may be known in retrospect as "the age of metadata" insofar as the priority for all rights owners should be to pump the market with metadata, readying for the next step which is reporting and accounting. Only then does marketing a record really make sense. This informal workshop with Alex Taggart of leading China music industry services company, Outdustry, is designed to put things in perspective — with a good dose of myth-busting, while also providing hard won practical insights as to how to tackle the market with a long view.

1. @outdustry@outdustry
So, You’re Licensed Into China...Now What?
Alex Taggart - International, Outdustry

2. @outdustry
● Founded in Beijing in 2006
● Market-leading music industry services company
● Team of 10 (Beijing, Shanghai, LA, London)
● Running Beggars China since 2009
● Leading Merlin’s China entry
● Run marketing for Zedd, Diplo, Major Lazer etc
Outdustry

3. @outdustry
“This strategy has paid off: in 2017, Beggars
generated more revenues from China than from Japan,
despite the latter being the second largest
recorded-music market in the world. “And we have a
decent business in Japan!” says [Simon] Wheeler.”
- Music Ally, April 5th 2018

4. @outdustry
1. Direct license
2. Major label
3. Distributor/aggregator
4. Merlin
Licensing

5. @outdustry
TME
Content
Provider
Netease
Alibaba
QQ Music
Kugou
Kuwo
Netease
Cloud Music
Xiami
1
2
3
Taihe Baidu Music4
Corporate DSP

6. @outdustry
Now What?

7. @outdustry
DSP Promo
Important, but not the
priority
Priorities
Supply Chain
Optimise via non-exclusive
deals
Pump the market with
metadata

8. @outdustry
1. Delivery: DDEX XML feed integration
2. Content Optimisation: Is content going live?
3. Content Monitoring: Sweeping unofficial content
4. Reporting: How many ISRCs/line items in reports?
5. Call BS on reports
Supply Chain

9. @outdustry
1. Priority sheets
2. Editorial
3. Positioning
4. Banners
5. Playlist seeding?
6. Socials
DSP Promo

10. @outdustry
TME
Alibaba
TME
TME
Netease
Source : DCCI 2017
DSP Market Share

11. @outdustry
1 Insert artist
/ track name in
search bar
2 Choose from
suggested
items
3 Search result 4 Artist
profile page
Search on QQ Music

12. @outdustry
Playlists on Netease
1 Choose from
recommended
playlists
2 Click “Save” 3 Playlist saved 4 Revisit the
playlist in
your library

13. @outdustry
1. Push for full catalogue monthly reporting, with
ISRC codes
2. Familiarise yourself with DSP products + promo
workflow
3. Play a long game! Metadata must come first though
Next Steps

14. @outdustry
Thank you!
alex.taggart@outdustry.com