Simply Tai

Cindy Tai was the person who got The Beatles’ music licensed in the Middle Kingdom as head of EMI Music (China), before co-founding one of Shanghai’s top PR firms, APNC. Here, she talks music, VIPs and the wow factor.

As a mover and shaker in China’s music industry, how did you help bring the Stones here in 2006? Actually, the Rolling Stones were originally supposed to perform in 2005. We had introduced them to the right local performance company and everything was good to go. We even had already made the first round of promotion. But then the SARS scare happened, so they delayed the trip for a year. The Rolling Stones were great, but what I’m most proud of is actually bringing The Beatles’ music to China for the very first time in the late 90s. It took me six years to convince the record labels to agree to license their music here. Six years of persistence!

Why was it so difficult? At the time, everywhere else in the world, The Beatles’ CDs would sell for up to USD$15, so it was difficult to negotiate the labels to adjust the price to the cheaper local market. I told them, “China isn’t America. If you don’t lower the price, you won’t sell anything.” Eventually it worked out, and millions of legitimate copies were sold in China. To celebrate the success, I organized a “Tribute to The Beatles” party where artists from different labels like Cui Jian performed. It was the first time and the last time that ever happened... I have a strong belief in music. I believe music goes beyond nationality and belongs to all mankind.

If you’re so passionate about music, why did you leave the industry? Originally I was more of an investor in APNC in 2002. But things weren’t going the way I had wanted, so I wanted to take it over myself. I didn’t want to embarrass the government [who had invested in APNC] by taking their shares and losing money. So I left EMI Music and took over APNC at the end of 2006.

How did APNC partner up with the government arm, Shanghai Exhibition Company?The government were doing some wonderful, big-scale events in those years. I always aim to start really high and embrace challenges, so I talked to them and they took a small part in our company and we jointly handled some big projects, like the reception of the mayor of Milan.

Are there other advantages of working with SEC? If we needed help, of course there would be some advantages, but I think basically we can handle most of the situations ourselves. We definitely enjoy having the comfort of someone backing us up when we need it, but we don’t ever abuse that privilege.

What are your services? That depends on the client. Mature brands like Gucci already have huge international resources and a team who knows a lot about China even before they come to the market. They normally come to us with ideas and we will put it all together.

What is the biggest misconception? Most people overlook that the cost of operation here is very high. The rental in sought-after malls in big Chinese cities can be like those in New York or Tokyo. The misconception is, “China is a cheap country because when something is made in China, it’s cheap.” But in reality, when you come to market your products at prime locations in China, it can be very expensive.

What’s the key to APNC’s success? Our strength is our very extensive, intense network with the VIPs. It’s essential for us to target the right VIPs to bring to the right event. Bringing the target guests is a very difficult job which can’t be measured in a quantitative way, but we can feel it. We know who is okay, who is good and who is great for each event.

How do you get a VIP on board? To convince them, you must be very cultured and well-educated in a lot of areas – in luxury brands, art and lifestyle related things. I have to understand a lot of things to work well, to speak the same language and be on their level.

Tell us about putting on fabulous events. I like quality over quantity. I only want to create something interesting that will be remembered for a long time. The Dior Rouge party some years ago is still talked about today. We lit the Pearl Tower into a red lipstick symbol. We had to overcome many technical, licensing and financial issues, but something touching and exciting happened. I like to have that big wow effect. That is my mission, and the only limitation is myself.