Sandy Monteiro, president, Southeast Asia, Universal Music Group, gave students in the International Media Producing program at New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia an inspired vision of the music industry in Asia. Technology, he said, is the key to the positive changes that will take the music industry into the future. He spoke about the rise of digital, the comeback of music videos, and the new cloud innovation.
Monteiro gave the students an overview of why the record business declined and where it is going now. With the recent purchase of the EMI library and with artists like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Florence +The Machine and much more, Universal dominates the market in Southeast Asia. Every two out of three songs is a Universal tune.
Monteiro said “ Never let the past cloud your vision for the future.”
According to Monteiro, consumption of music has never been greater, yet the record companies have not been able to monetize it sufficiently. Monteiro said, “That is all changing. There is massive opportunity if you know how to think outside the box.”
He encouraged the students to do just that.
“If you always do the same thing the same way, chances are you will end up with the same result.”
