Tata Wants Europe Dancing To A Thai Tune

[Jai Dee]

Tata wants Europe dancing to a Thai tune

The boom in bootleg music in the last 10 years is killing off the entertainment industry in Asia, preventing the region's clutch of up-and-coming stars from making it on the world stage, Thai pop sensation Tata Young said.

Young, who has won success in Japan, India and China with her English-language albums "I Believe" and "Temperature Rising", said Asian music piracy -- normally the target of U.S. and Europe complaints -- took a far bigger toll on local performers.

"I wish I sold more albums and not pirated CDs," the 26-year-old, who is often seen as Asia's answer to Britney Spears, told Reuters. "We're making a living out of 20 percent of what we used to be earning."

"It takes me 6 months to a year to produce an album, with all the travelling, the jet-lag, the effort and the crying that goes into it. That's my hard work, and then some selfish person just takes it and sells it for a quarter the cost? It's so unfair."

Having won a national talent-spotting contest at the age of 11, the ebullient English-speaking teenager attracted the attention of record executives who saw in her a rare chance for an Asian to make it beyond purely the domestic market.

Her debut Thai album "Amita Tata Young" -- she was born Amita Marie Young to an American father and Thai mother -- sold 1 million copies in a matter of months, and by the age of 15 she was one of the biggest names in Thai pop.

"I Believe", launched in 2004, marked the start of a push through the region, starting in southeast Asia and expanding to India, China and Japan.

In April, she takes her high-energy pop and dance show on the road to Europe for the first time, with a tour of Germany that her manager-father hopes will blossom into gigs in Italy, France, Spain and Britain.

Even though many Europeans are familiar with southeast Asia as a 'sun, sea and sand' holiday destination, she is under no illusions about the difficulty of breaking into a market so far from home geographically and culturally.

"My target this year is Europe," she said. "But it's almost like we're starting from zero -- 'Hi, I'm Tata Young', all over again.

"I hope it works out, but if it doesn't, I hope it works out for other artists because there are so many talented performers in Asia. I feel like, God, we should be selling albums and making it big in somewhere that's not Asia."

She also denied rumours circulating in Thailand that she has become engaged to long-time boyfriend Prem Busarakhamwong, son of one of the country's biggest kick-boxing promoters. "It's going to be a while," she said.

Source: Reuters - 30 January 2007

[Acquiesce]

I feel like God

Do you realy Tata, do you realy.

[Dupont]

The word has been down the years that anti-piracy laws are enforced more rigorously when Thai music and movies are concerned.

Many of my Thai friends with bars etc, will not touch bootleg Thai Music. The rest? Just the usual shop bought blank DVD's that we love.

The music industry will find few peoples sholders to cry on.

The big difference for her is being happy and smiling. If she was an Anorexic, chain smoking, foul mouthed, drug ridden prima donna, who never smiled at anyone, she may have a chance out west.

Most of the west get by on miserable depressing soul destroying lyrics, bad mouthing, stupid street talk etc. All those weekend "gangster rap" lovers who turn up for their 9 - 5 jobs every monday morning and call the boss sir. Do me a favour.

The great thing about Thai music is the lively smiling simplicity of most of it. Just fun and dancing, hope they don't throw that away as well.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Dupont

[spot]

UK record contracts give the performer around 12-15% (if my memory is working today) of album sales - after costs have been 'recouped'.

Depending on how much has been spent on developing the artist, it could take a long time for the artist to get anything, if anything at all from the deal.

As pirating is rife in Thailand, the cost of promoting artists such as Tata must be far more than the money recouped.

I don't know how the Thai pop industry and Tata actually make a profit.

This is why it's important to make a breakthrough in Europe/USA/Japan

By the way - inane jumping around to crap conveyer belt produced music actually makes me depressed....

Rap is just as bad - at one time it was good and interesting, now it's re-packaged for the stupid.

[GuestHouse]

"Artist"

LOL

[Acquiesce]

"Artist"

LOL

[spot]

Yep, in a record contract the 'performer/s' are described as 'the artist'.....however unartistic and sh*t they actually are.

This is why Prince, when having problems with his record company, sarcastically described himself as 'the artist formally known as'..

[solo siam]

Come off it, her debut album sold more than a million copies in 2 months, she's hardly starving, add in all the pop concerts, advertising and the tour, I'd be surprised if shes not made more than 5 million US$ - not bad for a 26 year old.

[samran]

"Artist"

LOL

"26" years old.

Even funnier...

[Grover]

i don't like her attitude. but thats just me.

even though she tries hard, she can't seem to pull it off, whatever that may be.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Grover

[Dupont]

Maybe I am missing something, but If I wanted to be truly international, I would have pushed Europe and the States first.

Think they could have been thinking of the audience size here (India and China) without thinking about the low income most of them have. Japan was a better move as they do appear to have a few more bob (individually) than the other two.

I am sure there will be tears if she does make it there, as there will be all the questions about prostitution and ladyboys and all the sneers to put up with. Stay in the East Tata.

Stay where your popular Tata, the west won't get it.

[britmaveric]

I think West will get it - they certainly loved Britney Spears or Spice Girls.

[Prakanong]

Did she not also walk away with a couple of million USD advance she got off Sony or BMG when they did not take out an option on her in the USA???

[Phil Conners]

I'm sure nobody would mind paying the 50c most artists get per CD sold, the problem is the rest goes to fat cats who never created a thing in their life.

[terryp]

She’s too old for the European pop crowd

Talking about bootlegs & stealing from artists…I wonder if Sir Paul is getting anything for the blatant rip off of the riff “silly Love Songs”…that is the basis of Tata’s new single ….that Star World irritating promo

Edited January 30, 2007 by terryp

[samran]

rude posts delted.

Keep it clean and take the rude language elsewhere fellas.

[Jookster]

Its I feel like, God we should be selling albums....

There is a comma! Or maybe you are being ironic?

I feel like God

Do you realy Tata, do you realy.

[kmart]

I quite like Tata Young, and don't see why all the vindictiveness here? She is quite talented, and is certainly ambitious. I wish her well...

However, since the recent draconian censorship of retail vids; dvd's; etc, I will stick to Amazon; and street vendors thanks.

[fxm88]

"I wish I sold more albums and not pirated CDs," the 26-year-old, who is often seen as Asia's answer to Britney Spears, told Reuters. "We're making a living out of 20 percent of what we used to be earning."

I admit I don't much about the music industry in Thailand, but in the U.S. most performers make almost nothing off of album sales, what money they can make comes mostly from concert ticket sales & merchandising. In the words of Courtney Love: "The system's set up so almost nobody gets paid." How much does Tata's record company spend getting radio stations to play her music?

[kmart]

I feel sympathy for the artists and musicians who suffer due to piracy and cheating. It must be rather soul-destroying if your'e talented but ain't famous yet, and see no returns on your work at all.

On the other hand the major record companies have been cheating everyone for decades already, and can go hang for all I care.

Edited January 31, 2007 by kmart

[papaya9]

Tata lives in a bubble..She'll never achieve international success. The world has enough no-talent Britney Spears' types. When you look past the fake tits, make-up and tight clothes, she is just an average looking luk Kreung with sub-marginal talent.

Edited January 31, 2007 by papaya9

[papaya9]

I feel sympathy for the artists and musicians who suffer due to piracy and cheating. It must be rather soul-destroying if your'e talented but ain't famous yet, and see no returns on your work at all.

On the other hand the major record companies have been cheating everyone for decades already, and can go hang for all I care.

Who has real talent these days? Why do no-talent singers deserve to make a huge income? I have no sympathy for posers and pretenders.

[kmart]

I feel sympathy for the artists and musicians who suffer due to piracy and cheating. It must be rather soul-destroying if your'e talented but ain't famous yet, and see no returns on your work at all.

On the other hand the major record companies have been cheating everyone for decades already, and can go hang for all I care.

Who has real talent these days? Why do no-talent singers deserve to make a huge income? I have no sympathy for posers and pretenders.

There are some very talented artists (in every genre of music) out there. They are just sometimes "buried" by record companies, in favor of pushing the flavor-of-the-month crap to their young "target audiences" of young kids who mostly comprise the record-buying public.

I will leave your questions up to your own judgement.