What We Strive for is Good Music - Rock Forward Determined to Lead the Internet Music Industry

BEIJING, Sept. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than one year since their release, Lu Han's second album has sold nearly 10 million copies. The series of mini-albums, "Xperience," "Xplore," "Venture," "Imagination," and "I" premiered from October 2016 on QQ Music, Kugou Music, and Kuwo Music, China's dominant digital music platforms.

"Rock Forward has always been committed to innovation - in music production, in music distribution, and in marketing and promotion," said Rock Forward co-founder Huang Zhenfeng when speaking of the company's partnership with Lu Han. "With the revival of the music industry in China, we need to keep up not only with changing habits here in China, but we also need to keep up with global trends and initiatives in music."

Since its conception in 2010, Rock Forward has concentrated on signing original artists. Early on, it produced "Back to Basics" and "Tree & Flower," a series of rock and roll-themed concerts, cementing its reputation as 'The Rock and Roll' music label. "As music lovers, our responsibility and obligation to this industry is to enhance the public's appreciation for continually evolving aesthetics in music. We want to integrate traditional music and the digital world, and in turn produce music that is more international in terms of content and style," says Tang Zhengyi, CEO of Rock Forward.

"The average consumer today wants a lifestyle that is quick and efficient. They don't have time to sit down and listen a whole album from start to finish. We understand this evolution in the consumer market, and had this in mind when we decided to produce Lu Han's new album as a series of mini-albums," Huang says. "We decided to split the production and distribution of the traditional album, so that each release would be have its own listening cycle. The strategy was that by doing this, each release had the opportunity to gain listeners and climb the charts, and in turn, listeners would not only gain an interest in Lu Han, but appreciate his abilities as an artist as well."

How could we make music more fun?  What else, other than clicking on "Buy" to purchase an album online, could we do to make music more accessible, particularly for China's post '95 millenials, who grew up with the internet and who are the drivers of this country's online consumption," Huang remarked excitedly. "We want people to be able to hear Lu Han's music anytime, anywhere - not just when a fan downloads his music online. By integrating traditional marketing with online promotion tactics, we were able to push his music to another level. We made it to the point where you'd hear Lu Han's music when you pushed opened the doors to the local 7-11." 

We created scenarios for music to become a subtle part of peoples' everyday lives, where people were immersed in the music and its contents. We hope that by doing this, we will allow people to be able to discover a song that speaks to them and that appeals to their emotions, no matter where they may be or what they may be doing," Huang said.

Following this strategy, Rock Forward's production team explored ways to combine various genres of music - electric, jazz, dance - in Lu Han' s second album. The two songs in each album not only complemented the other but were also independent works of music. Rock Forward was able to create music and package content that appealed to many different audiences, and was more compatible with the lifestyles of the online generation.

There is no way to predict how much, and what kind of influence, the continually maturing internet will have on the music industry. An unknown number of young people will continue to listen to, debate, criticize, and share music online; Rock Forward is committed to listening, understanding, and responding to the public's voices across social media platforms. 

Since it was founded in 2010, the core of Rock Forward has always been to produce, promote, and distribute original music, and to respect the individuality of each artist, while providing advice and support that allows artists to grow professionally. As a record label with rock and roll in its genes, Rock Forward is committed to maintaining its independence while at the same time finding a balance for improvement with changing times and trends. After all, as the company's founder and Chairman, Li Hui, says, "Who doesn't want to listen to good music? Sure, each generation's taste is different, but the heart of these differing preferences is the same - we want to hear good music.  And good music is the soul of Rock Forward."

SOURCE Rock Forward Entertainment