MBW’s World Leaders is an everyday sequence during which we flip the highlight towards among the most influential trade figures overseeing key worldwide markets. On this characteristic, we converse to Nina Rabe-Cairns, Managing Director, APAC for Ingrooves Music Group. World Leaders is supported by PPL.

Asia Pacific is a major contributor to world recorded music revenues.

Throughout the wider area, in line with the IFPI, Australiasia contributed 2.2% of worldwide recorded music revenues in 2021, whereas Asia accounted for 23% of the worldwide market.

Having launched operations in South Korea and Japan over the previous couple of years, in addition to working in Australasia, plus the likes of the Philippines and Thailand in Southeast Asia, Common Music Group-owned unbiased distributor Ingrooves Music Group is turning into a distinguished participant within the APAC-based artist providers house.

The APAC area is geographically huge and culturally advanced, and constructing a enterprise there comes with its distinctive challenges. Commenting on the intricacies of doing enterprise within the wider area, Nina Rabe-Cairns, Managing Director, APAC, at Ingrooves, says that “it isn’t a area to use a one measurement suits all technique”.

The Sydney-based exec, who oversees Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia at Ingrooves, explains that the distribution firm has doubled the dimensions of its APAC staff inside the final 12 months, specializing in hiring executives with native information.

“We’ve constructed native groups in our key development markets and added essential assist positions for our labels and artists,” explains Rabe-Cairns.

“We needed to rent the appropriate native consultants, find out about every particular person nation and resolve what method would work finest to efficiently launch Ingrooves.”

One such knowledgeable is Guji Lorenzana, who was appointed Nation Supervisor for The Philippines when the corporate expanded into the market in early 2022.

Ingrooves’ Rabe-Cairns says that the Philippines is “booming” for the corporate for the time being.

The exec additionally cites South Korea, led by nation supervisor Heejin Shim, as one other spotlight for Ingrooves within the wider APAC area.

Rabe-Cairns says that Shim  and the corporate’s staff in South Korea “are on the forefront of exporting Ok-Pop artists globally”.  “They’re a power to be reckoned with,” she provides.

Commenting on enterprise developments originating from South Korea particularly, Rabe-Cairns says that Ingrooves has “been noticing that artists from different genres and nations are beginning to discover how you can undertake Ok-Pop methods”.

Rabe-Cairns, who started her profession as a journalist and information presenter, joined Ingrooves in 2020 after a number of years at Spotify, the place she served as Senior Editor/Playlist Curator and Market Technique & Operations Supervisor for Australia and New Zealand.

Previous to Ingrooves, Rabe-Cairns labored as a Senior Model Advertising Supervisor for Nickelodeon and Head of Content material for Viacom’s digital editorial staff, engaged on MTV and Comedy Central.

The exec landed her first job within the music enterprise as an intern at Glitterhouse Information in Germany in 2001.

“Glitterhouse are sometimes called ‘the label that introduced grunge to Germany’ as they used to deal with the European distribution for Sub Pop with bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden within the late 80s/early 90s,” remembers Rabe-Cairns.

“Although I might have fortunately settled for a profession in music right here and there, life took me on a detour to radio journalism and digital editorial & advertising and marketing earlier than returning to music with roles at MTV, Spotify, and now Ingrooves.”

Right here, in MBW’s newest installment of our World Leaders sequence, Nina Rabe-Cairns, Managing Director, APAC for Ingrooves Music Group, tells us concerning the challenges and alternatives within the wider APAC area…

You joined Ingrooves in 2020. What have been among the greatest highlights up to now?

I began at a really thrilling time which wasn’t lengthy after the complete acquisition by Common Music Group in 2019. Watching this firm develop a lot over the past couple of years and dealing alongside consultants of their area who’re very keen about serving to unbiased labels and artists navigate the most important challenges within the fashionable music enterprise has been unimaginable.

I’m additionally very enthusiastic about Ingrooves turning into a part of Virgin Music Group, the newly fashioned world unbiased music division of Common Music Group.

I’m deeply grateful for the belief I’ve been given by Ingrooves, but in addition from our new Co-CEOs of Virgin Music Group, JT Myers and Nat Pastor, and from UMG total.

You oversee Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia – What are the most important challenges for the music enterprise on this wider APAC area?

This doesn’t solely apply to APAC; the most important problem this 12 months for the music trade can be how you can construct frameworks across the exponential development in short-form video consumption and user-generated content material (UGC) and extract actual fan bases from that, in addition to pushing for dependable and honest monetization fashions for artists and rights holders normally.

Many nations in Asia are far forward with this viewers shift: in Thailand, for instance, we have already got ad-supported video streams being the most important income driver in recorded music. Paying shut consideration to viewers habits in these extra superior video-first markets can be extraordinarily worthwhile for the remainder of the world.

What are the most important enterprise developments/alternatives within the wider APAC area that you could inform us about?

Moreover this shift to short-form video and UGC, there’s loads of buzz across the world Ok-Pop explosion. Different Asian nations are retaining an in depth eye on South Korea; there may be loads of dialogue taking place round how you can replicate this success story with the likes of J-Pop in Japan, P-Pop within the Philippines, and so forth. You will discover a localized model of this phenomenon in each Asian nation.

Ok-Pop followers are certainly essentially the most loyal and dedicated viewers there may be, and within the present music economic system shut and lasting relationships along with your viewers are important.

Wherein particular markets within the APAC area are you at present seeing the most important development?

The Philippines is a booming marketplace for us for the time being, Guji Lorenzana, our nation supervisor within the Philippines and his staff have secured partnerships with some unimaginable labels, most just lately signing Tower of Doom. Heejin Shim (nation supervisor) and the remainder of the South Korean staff are on the forefront of exporting Ok-Pop artists globally, they’re a power to be reckoned with.

The Australian enterprise growth staff, Rubi Piekalns and Jack Limmer, had a powerful begin into the brand new 12 months as we’ve simply introduced our partnership with Teamwrk Information together with the information that world hitmaker Masked Wolf (pictured) returned to his authentic label globally. We now have one other 12 months with formidable development plans forward of us however I’m assured that it’ll be one other very profitable one.

What developments are you seeing in particular markets within the APAC area that you just’re notably enthusiastic about, or that you just suppose might have a worldwide impression in 2023 and past?

As I stated earlier than, artists from nations like Japan or particularly South Korea have established unparalleled relationships with hyper-loyal followers. That fandom is deeply private; loving and supporting that one artist or band is a part of a fan’s identification.

In a world the place 100,000+ new tracks are getting launched on DSPs every single day whereas potential followers are getting distracted by an abundance of digital content material, constructing an enduring and dependable fan base on your music is essential.

As a distributor, it’s our mission to deepen that artist-fan relationship and to assist discover these high-value audiences that may flip into lasting fandom. Our AI and machine studying applied sciences are crucial automobiles to attain this.

Asia is likely one of the fastest-growing digital music markets on the planet, how does this development trajectory within the wider area tie into Ingrooves’ technique?

UGC (Person-Generated Content material) is turning into more and more necessary as a income for labels and artists as music consumption is rising quickly on short-form video platforms.

Our newest patent expands the prevailing Ingrooves AI advertising and marketing know-how and analyzes UGC developments as properly throughout a number of platforms. This helps labels and artists not solely to determine viral tracks earlier, however they’re additionally in a position to differentiate whether or not that is probably only a second on that particular platform or if there may be potential to transform this to listenership on DSPs.

Markets like Thailand are already on the forefront with ad-supported video streams being the most important income for recorded music. I anticipate that we’ll see loads of these thrilling viral music moments taking place in APAC nations this 12 months, and the learnings will proceed to tell our ongoing world technique in that space.

What’s Ingrooves hoping to attain within the APAC area in 2023 and past?

APAC is fairly younger inside Ingrooves in comparison with different extra established areas, which may be very thrilling for us. In among the APAC nations, we’ve simply launched native places of work inside the final 18 months. It’s actually a mutual studying expertise. We’re a providers firm at the start, and need to provide home labels in all APAC nations nice world alternatives to develop their companies and assist their artists increase their audiences.

As a way to be extremely efficient on this effort, we have to perceive the native enterprise practices and desires, the tradition and, in fact, the audiences.

If there was one factor you could possibly change concerning the music enterprise, what wouldn’t it be and why?

The music trade should proceed and increase its efforts to make sure everybody feels protected and guarded at work, and we as an trade need to collaborate to attain this.

A various office is a key driver right here. Bringing folks collectively from completely different backgrounds and experiences doesn’t solely create a safer work setting, it’s additionally scientifically confirmed that it helps increase creativity, innovation, and efficiency, which is healthier for enterprise.

World Leaders is supported by PPL, a number one worldwide neighbouring rights collector, with best-in-class operations that assist performers and recording rightsholders around the globe maximise their royalties. Based in 1934, PPL collects cash from throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. It has collected over £500 million internationally for its members since 2006.Music Enterprise Worldwide