Classical route to success

Kuke Music, China's first online platform dedicated to promoting the development of music other than pop, has just turned 10. Chen Nan reports.

Yu He founded his company, Kuke Music - China's first online platform dedicated to promoting the development of music other than pop, especially classical music - in 2007 when classical music was enjoyed only by a relatively small group in China and rampant piracy was a common problem.

By offering a legal and paid streaming and downloading music service, the company not only survived but also grew into the biggest internet company of its kind in China working with such world-famous record labels as Naxos, Marco Polo and Countdown.

Yu He, founder of Kuke Music, has expanded his business from classical music to other genres such as Chinese folk music. Photo Provided to China Daily

 

Now, the company offers about 2 million songs, videos and audio materials from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and the 20th century to more than 400 universities and 200 public libraries and cultural organizations in China.

Yu says that he did not have a vision for the company at the start due to the tough market conditions, but he knew that a legal music service was the right thing to do. He also believed in the longevity of classical music.

"It is like the fable of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise always comes through in the end," says the 44-year-old at the company's 10th anniversary gala in Beijing recently.

Over the past decade, the country has transformed into one of the largest markets for classical music, and a growing number of licensed digital music services have appeared thanks to the government's commitment to protect intellectual property rights.

"What we do is to bring together music pieces by the likes of Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart and create a bridge with online users. The music library project we launched by collaborating with China's universities, for example, has made classical music more accessible to students," Yu says.

Yu was born in Shanghai into a musical family and received classical music training by learning the double bass.

But unlike his musician brother, Yu Long, who is artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Yu He took a different path.

He studied at the affiliated middle school of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and then furthered his studies at the Duisburg Conservatory in Germany from 1992 to 1995.

Later, after returning to China, he worked in the field of information technology before he founded Kuke Music.

Speaking about his inspiration, he says: "I have always been influenced by the double bass. For an orchestra, it is always placed in the background. But its sound is versatile, which makes the instrument indispensable.

"I hope that my company functions just like a double bass in an orchestra - a link between listeners and artists. It's a necessary part of the classical music industry."

In the early years, Kuke Music built links with Naxos Music Group, one of the world's largest classical record labels providing legal and paid online streaming and downloads, and this enabled Kuke Music to feature music from the company legally.

During the gala, Klaus Heymann, founder and chairman of Naxos Music Group, says in a video: "Naxos Music Group has always been a firm supporter of Kuke Music over the past 10 years, sharing the same goal of promoting classical music education in the Chinese market."

According to Heymann, Naxos now has a catalog with over 2 million tracks that includes content from both Naxos-owned labels and over 600 Naxos-represented third party labels.

Besides classical music, Kuke Music offers a selection of classic jazz, blues and folk music.

It has been adding recordings by collecting and releasing music of China's ethnic groups and music by Chinese composers.

The company is also expanding its horizons with the latest technology in the research of musical instruments and music education.

During the gala, Yu He unveiled the company's new product, the Smart Guzheng, which combines artificial intelligence with the guzheng, a Chinese zither with a 2,500-year history.

The new instrument can help correct and guide beginners.

Looking to the future, Yu says: "I don't know if I could call Kuke Music a success. But if we have another 10 years, there's so much we could do with music and technology."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn