Trailblazers is an MBW interview sequence that turns the highlight on music entrepreneurs making waves of their native markets, who’ve the potential to change into the worldwide enterprise’s energy gamers of tomorrow. This time, we communicate to artist and producer Pollakit Srisamut (aka Lunaticfluker), one of many co-founders of outstanding Thailand-based file label and media firm YUPP! Leisure. Trailblazers is supported by Consider.
With 54.5 million web customers and an web penetration price of 77.8% of the whole inhabitants (as of January 2022), Thailand’s digital music enterprise reveals a number of promise.
Spotify has been obtainable available in the market since 2017, and in 2021, media big GMM Grammy launched what was claimed to be Thailand’s first localized streaming app (in partnership with Tuned World).
One streaming platform particularly that stands out for its reported attain within the nation nevertheless, is YouTube, which was reportedly seeing 42.80 million customers in Thailand in early 2022.
That’s based on a report from Datareportal, citing updates to Google’s promoting assets. The report added that YouTube’s advert attain in 2022 was equal to 61.1% of Thailand’s complete inhabitants in the beginning of final 12 months and 78.5% of Thailand’s complete web person base.
Yupp! Leisure, a outstanding hip-hop-focused indie label in Thailand has capitalized on YouTube’s attain available in the market.
The corporate, which can also be behind the ‘Rap is Now’ hip hop group, and supplies inventive experience on widespread TV expertise present, The Rapper, at the moment has 2.45 million YouTube subscribers and claims to have reached the primary 1 million after only one 12 months.
Lunaticfluker (aka Pollakit Srisamut) is an artist, producer and co-founder at Yupp!, which stands for “YOUTH WITH DOUBLE UP. He tells MBW that the label makes use of its YouTube channel to drive engagement with followers in Thailand and globally after which pursues reside alternatives exterior of Thailand.
An incredible instance of this technique in motion in motion is YUPP! artist Milli, who was a contestant on the Rapper TV present, three years in the past.
The video for her observe พักก่อน (Prod. by NINO), has generated 93 million views alone, with a number of others racking up thousands and thousands of views of their very own.
Milli went on to carry out at Coachella final 12 months, and was claimed to have change into the primary Thai-language artist to carry out on the competition.
“We’re obsessed with looking for, creating and showcasing native youth skills to the world to encourage the brand new technology,” says Lunaticfluker.
“We are attempting to create a extremely respected music label with robust native content material creation with regional and international affect.”
Commenting on the label’s YouTube viewers and subscriber base, he notes that reside music was Yupp!’s greatest income driver previous to the pandemic, however that it has now been overtaken by digital income and particularly from YouTube.
“[In terms] of [sources] of digital income for YUPP! Leisure, 50% comes from YouTube Music Premium,” says the label’s co-founder.
He provides: “It is rather promising.”
Right here, MBW speaks to Yupp! Leisure co-founder Pollakit Srisamut concerning the hip-hop panorama in Thailand, the expansion of digital platforms, and the corporate’s ambitions for the longer term…
Inform us about YUPP!’s origins…
We’re the founding father of Rap Is Now, the largest group for Thai rappers with the aim [of paving] the way in which for a brand new technology of rappers to shine in Thailand and the SEA market.
We created YUPP! to permit Thai rappers to proceed their journey to change into skilled artists and to feed high-quality artists into the Thai and international hip-hop market.
YUPP! is [positioned] to totally leverage Rap Is Now to create its personal USP because the strongest hip-hop music label in Thailand.
As soon as [we created] a powerful popularity in Hip Hop, we began to broaden to a number of music genres which can be related to our experience.
Inform us about your ambitions for YUPP!?
Throughout [the] COVID [pandemic], we noticed a possibility from streaming music. [Streaming is now] clearly bigger than what we used to think about [it would be]. It has change into [a priority] to [develop] a a lot stronger footprint on digital platforms and to generate a major [portion] of income [from digital sources] and to rebalance [our portfolio] to not give attention to Dwell solely.
Now, YUPP! has gained sufficient [digital] expertise and has constructed a powerful YouTube channel. The power of our channel will not be solely from manufacturing of nice content material, [but] we additionally [carry a large quantity of] content material.
What differentiates YUPP! from different gamers available in the market?
The artists and our mix of genres are based mostly on rap and hip-hop. Our artists are distinctive and genuine. These are the important thing traits our artists must must [attract] gen Z audiences, that are our predominant goal audiences
A robust give attention to digital content material manufacturing of each music content material and video content material particularly on YoutTube, which has very excessive penetration in Thailand and SEA
We additionally give attention to enhancing the audio streaming expertise by specializing in inventive visuals to enhance advertising and marketing and promotion on platforms.
We mix our personal and distinctive inventive imaginative and prescient along with leveraging our companions to drive our digital presence and viewers growth throughout platforms to achieve traction, in order that [we] can drive our Dwell enterprise additional [both] domestically and internationally.
What does YUPP! search for within the artists that it really works with?
We’re searching for devoted, genuine and distinctive skills.
Final however not least, they have to be digitally savvy and capable of perceive and interact with followers digitally as properly. Thailand is a superb house as a result of inventive work is tremendous dynamic with robust streaming consumption YOY.
You point out in your web site that you simply achieved 1 million YouTube subscribers inside one 12 months. How did you obtain that progress?
Within the first 12 months, we centered on releasing a number of music movies of songs to ‘break’ the web, and we did.
We now have bought just a few music movies for songs which can be making waves, from artists like, Morning, TMRW, and มนต์รักนักแร็พ. Their hit songs made [our] subscribers skyrocket.
We study from the info now we have. The info [informs] us [about] the right way to [implement] higher technique to have interaction and develop our fan base. We take heed to video consultants on the character of the music trade and digital followers.
How necessary is YouTube for YUPP!?
It’s our No.1 precedence. We had been born on YouTube and nonetheless going robust. It’s the group for us. I actually appreciated all of the love from the followers that supported us [on YouTube].
Thailand has very robust premium subscription [rates]. YUPP! [also] has a really excessive income contribution from [YouTube Music] premium as properly. It’s rising. We need to [make] it even stronger sooner or later.
What are the largest challenges for the music enterprise for unbiased labels in Thailand proper now?
For me, the problem is to [break] out, keep contemporary and maintain followers shut. Social media goes so quick, day-after-day we obtain new viral [videos] that get folks’s consideration, so we have to work much more to remain on high.
The market is rising very quick throughout all platforms. YouTube could be very large, however audio streaming is coming in quick as properly. We have to guarantee we keep forward of the curve to know audiences on every platform and the right way to interact them.
What tendencies are you seeing available in the market you can inform us about?
I’m seeing cross/mix style going extra mainstream. You’ll be able to’t inform what precisely the track’s style is, however you possibly can inform persons are beginning to get pleasure from it.
Previously, Dwell [music] was [YUPP!’s main revenue [source], by excess of digital, however COVID has modified every part.
We’re clear now that digital income could be the [main revenue source] as properly. Subsequently we’re focusing lots on constructing our digital expertise.
How is hip hop and rap positioned within the music enterprise in Thailand in 2022 and the way is that evolving?
The hip-hop scene in Thailand began in round 2016, from underground rap battle platform ‘THE WAR IS ON’ by Rap is Now.
We even have two TV programmes known as “The Rapper and “Present me the cash” [in Thaliand] that made rap and hip-hop change into mainstream [between] 2018 to 2020.
It was extra [popular] at the moment, however proper now we are able to nonetheless see just a few songs on a chart.
Hip hop leads the way in which [in terms of genres’ ] digital fan bases. On condition that hip hop will probably be blended with a number of genres within the close to future, it ought to deliver digital followers to these genres that we’ll create [songs in] as properly.
What are your ambitions for the approaching 12 months?
We’re specializing in making a fan base domestically and abroad, once more leveraging streaming platforms to additional drive [our] reside [business]. We’re going to maintain small gigs throughout the 12 months for all our native followers, and can go to the abroad competition [market] to fulfill our followers [abroad].
As I maintain saying, digital music would be the predominant [revenue source] for our enterprise.
If there was one factor you could possibly change concerning the music enterprise what wouldn’t it be and why?
It will be nice if we are able to get extra income on digital gross sales/streaming, as a result of the manufacturing prices are fairly excessive. We don’t actually have bodily gross sales anymore. it will assist a small unbiased label to [grow].
We expect to leverage extra improvements like NFTs and the Metaverse to assist us interact with followers higher, with higher ROI in comparison with bodily or regular Dwell exercise.
