Background

WAM has entered into an arrangement with German company 88tc88 to initially distribute ten new EPs or albums by WAM members into China, predominantly through mobile phone carriers. 88tc88 have a distribution deal in place which encompasses the three largest mobile phone carriers in China, who between them have over 800 million customers. This deal puts WA artists right at the forefront of international music being sold into China, and represents an incredible opportunity to establish a market there. An important part of the service that 88tc88 provides is readying the release for the Chinese market. This includes translating the lyrics into Mandarin Chinese (which is a legal requirement for foreign language releases in China) as well as securing official approvals from the Chinese authorities.

WAM is the first “export agency” in the world to be offered this deal; by the end of the year there will be many others.

Eligibility Criteria The criteria for this are very simple: You must be a current, financial WAM member. In the case of a band, this means a band membership. For a solo artist an individual membership will do. If you Renew or Join Now - you'll still be eligible.  The release (EP or Album) must be current. This is a little flexible, but the point is that the submitted release must be the one you are currently promoting. The artist - or some members of your act - must be based in, or originally from, Western Australia. Form submissions must have been received before midnight Wednesday 22 June 2011 Australian Western Standard Time (GMT+8). Posted Audio CDs must also be clearly marked and postmarked by 5:00pm Wednesday 22 June 2011.

Selection Guidelines
Selection of the ten albums to be included in this first set of ten releases will be made by a selection panel that will include representatives of 88tc88 and other industry experts.

Selections will be chosen on the basis of:

• the quality; and
• likely appeal of the music in the Chinese market

In addition, your submission will be assessed for evidence of:

• Sales history: physical, digital sales; licensing.
• Airplay history
• Live following
• Other fan base metrics such as social media reach etc.
• Other great reasons to be included.

The Deal
WAM has an arrangement with 88tc88 whereby we will grant them an exclusive licence for distribution of TEN albums in Greater China for three years. WAM will receive 90% of the revenues received by 88tc88, taking only 10% of that portion and pay you the rest.

To put that in context, a retail sale (of a single track) is currently around 20c Australian. 75% of that will be taken by the retailer and the distributor. This is a fairly standard arrangement in China. 88tc88 and WAM will receive around half a cent each, and you the remaining approximately 4c.

Obviously its not a lot of money per sale, but given the size of the market, and the fact that it's not costing you anything to enter into that market, it is worth a shot.

In order to make this all happen, WAM will need to exclusively licence your album for the same territory (Greater China) for the same period of time (3 years).

One point that needs noting: the distributor in China does not pay mechanical royalties, and WAM is not in a position to cover this cost. Therefore, the licence agreement that we will enter into with you precludes us from being required to pay mechanical royalties. If you are self published this is of no concern at all. If you have a publishing deal, then you will need to make an arrangement with your publisher. If you are on a label, then the label and the publisher will need to work this out.

Note also that if you are on a label, obviously they are the one’s that will need to licence WAM to use the album in this way.

Some Other Information
What constitutes an album?
An album will be considered as a collection of up to fifteen songs. So, for example, an EP will be accepted.

Are cover versions of songs ok?
No. If they are on your album that’s fine, but we will exclude them from the Chinese release.

Can we go direct to 88tc88 for distribution into China?
Yes. 88tc88’s service is accessible through 88tc88.com, however there are charges involved. The equivalent deal over three years would cost approximately AU$135.

How much does a WAM Membership cost?
A band membership is currently $80.
An Individual membership is $40.
Submission is FREE for all current financial WAM members, including those who Renew or Join WAM on or before submission!

Will there be further opportunities for WAM Members?
Our hope is that this first set of ten albums will demonstrate that this is a successful project, and give us the impetus to keep working with 88tc88 on future releases.

How do I submit material for this opportunity?
Please use your membership Account Login (top right of page) and save time by having your contact details automatically entered into the form below! 

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For further information, please contact:

Justine Thornley, WAM Communications
p: +61 (0)8 9227 7962
e: communications@wam.asn.au
w: wam.asn.au/88tc88

		WAM are proud to announce nine albums of original West Australian music have been selected for released in China, the first step in an exciting new partnership with German company 88tc88. 88tc88 offer distribution encompassing the three largest mobile phone carriers in China, between them boasting over 800 million customers. This partnership deal puts WA artists right at the forefront of international music being sold into China, and represents an incredible opportunity to establish a market there. Offering web-based servicing for promotion with digital and mobile release, 88tc88 translate names, titles and lyrics into Chinese, also arranging the required approval by authorities for release in Greater China. These services available at www.88tc88.com

Twenty one acts submitted for this new opportunity, with ten selected & nine finally accepting this exclusive opportunity.

Joining chart topping 88tc88 China region distributed artists such as Justice, Amadou + Mariam, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Manu Chao, Bad Brains, Professor Longhair, and Sean Lennon is a diverse range of West Aussie acts: Jane Germain, The Panda Band, Simone Keane, Emperors, Sonny Rolfe and Friends, Walkabout Boys, Rachel and Henry Climb A Hill, Ruby Boots, and The Ghost Hotel.

Thanks to 88tc88, unsuccessful applicants were also been offered discounted access to a similar service. WAM congratulates the successful artists and looks forward to reporting on fantastic outcomes as new, original Western Australian music finds its way onto millions of mobile phones in China.

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact:
Justine Thornley, Communications Officer
p: +61 (0)8 9227 7962
e: communications@wam.asn.au
w: wam.asn.au/88tc88

---

		An Interview with Robert Singerman Head of US operations at 88tc88, Robert Singerman has been serving the music industry for over 30 years as an entrepreneur, pioneer, agent, manager, label and non-profit executive, consultant, producer, venue programmer and music supervisor. Known for discovering and developing talent, he's represented R.E.M., Gipsy Kings, James Brown, Suzanne Vega, Sun Ra, Violent Femmes, Smithereens, Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade, along with others from punk, dance, metal, jazz, world, rap to rock. We briefly spoke to Robert about the new partnership and selection process.

What's the hottest area for 88TC88 right now - music, games or apps?
Apps and games are heating up, we may have some huge deals in the works, but we are selling music every day now and there are also some major music deals in the works. The app market is 2nd biggest in the world, so any WA artists with apps should get them translated too!

Any exciting new developments at 88TC88?
There are always many exciting developments. We have our own Chinese wholly owned entity now, with whom we are working very closely. While that sounds paradoxical, Chinese entities have much better licensing rights and resources and can get advantageous positions and deals in China. We've recently signed the biggest French independent label, Because, home to #1 artists Justice, Amadou + Mariam, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Manu Chao, among others. Getting Manu Chao's music distributed and sold (with translations and approval) in China is a personally very exciting feat, showing the new freedom that exists in China and the power of great music to transcend boundaries with lyric translation subtitles. We also have the Bad Brains (who I represented at the beginning of their career), Professor Longhair, (same, but at the end of his) and Sean Lennon on sale, with lyric translations. Imagine...

Do you have any thoughts or comments on the tracks that made it through selection?
I personally listened to, researched and approved all of them with my German and Chinese colleagues and collaborated with WAM on the decisions, so I'm very pleased with the selection. We had a few little disagreements, as the overall quality of all the applicants was very high. I was especially lucky to see Walkabout Boys live in 2009. What I like about the list is the diversity, and I'm trusting that the Chinese will be shopping for such cool, new to them sounds.

How lucrative is the music market in China for independent artists outside the country?
As I believe some of the artists selected have already performed in China, there's obviously a live festival and club scene in major cities. There's also sync placement and branding opportunities that truly abound now in this fertile new market.

On music sales, we've found even long tail artists selling more tracks in China than on iTunes. Discovery is so important there now, with reportedly over a billion people who are mobile subscribers in China - but fewer artists approved and available legally for sale in China - it's certainly has potential. Like in any market, promotion is important, but first the music needs to be available, comprehensible (with translations!) and legal. With all the meta-data translated too (bios, liner notes, credits, song titles, artist name) made searchable in Mandarin, there now a good opportunity for the right international bands to enjoy major Chinese success.

Good luck all, and thanks WAM for offering this cutting edge opportunity to it's members. I hope to make it back again to Perth soon to see more cool bands at the WAMi Festival. Maybe Perth will be the new "Seattle" in China?

Special thanks and best of luck to my friend and colleague Paul Bodlovich, who's moving to the CEO role at FTI after doing so much for the music industry and musicians of WA - now including getting their music into China!

		WAM are proud to announce nine albums of original West Australian music have been selected for released in China, the first step in an exciting new partnership with German company 88tc88. 88tc88 offer distribution encompassing the three largest mobile phone carriers in China, between them boasting over 800 million customers. This partnership deal puts WA artists right at the forefront of international music being sold into China, and represents an incredible opportunity to establish a market there. Offering web-based servicing for promotion with digital and mobile release, 88tc88 translate names, titles and lyrics into Chinese, also arranging the required approval by authorities for release in Greater China. These services available at www.88tc88.com

Twenty one acts submitted for this new opportunity, with ten selected & nine finally accepting this exclusive opportunity.

Joining chart topping 88tc88 China region distributed artists such as Justice, Amadou + Mariam, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Manu Chao, Bad Brains, Professor Longhair, and Sean Lennon is a diverse range of West Aussie acts: Jane Germain, The Panda Band, Simone Keane, Emperors, Sonny Rolfe and Friends, Walkabout Boys, Rachel and Henry Climb A Hill, Ruby Boots, and The Ghost Hotel.

Thanks to 88tc88, unsuccessful applicants were also been offered discounted access to a similar service. WAM congratulates the successful artists and looks forward to reporting on fantastic outcomes as new, original Western Australian music finds its way onto millions of mobile phones in China.

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact:
Justine Thornley, Communications Officer
p: +61 (0)8 9227 7962
e: communications@wam.asn.au
w: wam.asn.au/88tc88

---

		An Interview with Robert Singerman Head of US operations at 88tc88, Robert Singerman has been serving the music industry for over 30 years as an entrepreneur, pioneer, agent, manager, label and non-profit executive, consultant, producer, venue programmer and music supervisor. Known for discovering and developing talent, he's represented R.E.M., Gipsy Kings, James Brown, Suzanne Vega, Sun Ra, Violent Femmes, Smithereens, Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade, along with others from punk, dance, metal, jazz, world, rap to rock. We briefly spoke to Robert about the new partnership and selection process.

What's the hottest area for 88TC88 right now - music, games or apps?
Apps and games are heating up, we may have some huge deals in the works, but we are selling music every day now and there are also some major music deals in the works. The app market is 2nd biggest in the world, so any WA artists with apps should get them translated too!

Any exciting new developments at 88TC88?
There are always many exciting developments. We have our own Chinese wholly owned entity now, with whom we are working very closely. While that sounds paradoxical, Chinese entities have much better licensing rights and resources and can get advantageous positions and deals in China. We've recently signed the biggest French independent label, Because, home to #1 artists Justice, Amadou + Mariam, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Manu Chao, among others. Getting Manu Chao's music distributed and sold (with translations and approval) in China is a personally very exciting feat, showing the new freedom that exists in China and the power of great music to transcend boundaries with lyric translation subtitles. We also have the Bad Brains (who I represented at the beginning of their career), Professor Longhair, (same, but at the end of his) and Sean Lennon on sale, with lyric translations. Imagine...

Do you have any thoughts or comments on the tracks that made it through selection?
I personally listened to, researched and approved all of them with my German and Chinese colleagues and collaborated with WAM on the decisions, so I'm very pleased with the selection. We had a few little disagreements, as the overall quality of all the applicants was very high. I was especially lucky to see Walkabout Boys live in 2009. What I like about the list is the diversity, and I'm trusting that the Chinese will be shopping for such cool, new to them sounds.

How lucrative is the music market in China for independent artists outside the country?
As I believe some of the artists selected have already performed in China, there's obviously a live festival and club scene in major cities. There's also sync placement and branding opportunities that truly abound now in this fertile new market.

On music sales, we've found even long tail artists selling more tracks in China than on iTunes. Discovery is so important there now, with reportedly over a billion people who are mobile subscribers in China - but fewer artists approved and available legally for sale in China - it's certainly has potential. Like in any market, promotion is important, but first the music needs to be available, comprehensible (with translations!) and legal. With all the meta-data translated too (bios, liner notes, credits, song titles, artist name) made searchable in Mandarin, there now a good opportunity for the right international bands to enjoy major Chinese success.

Good luck all, and thanks WAM for offering this cutting edge opportunity to it's members. I hope to make it back again to Perth soon to see more cool bands at the WAMi Festival. Maybe Perth will be the new "Seattle" in China?

Special thanks and best of luck to my friend and colleague Paul Bodlovich, who's moving to the CEO role at FTI after doing so much for the music industry and musicians of WA - now including getting their music into China!