Interview with Music Matters speaker - Gary Chen, CEO, Top100.cn

GARY CHEN, CEO, Top100.cn, is at the cusp of a huge breakthrough in China and he knows it. The Beijing based co-founder of Top100.cn, a download service, believes that the possibilities are limitless now that Google has signed a deal with the company. With Google’s clout among advertisers and the website’s partnership deals with all the major labels and more than 140 smaller ones, there’s now a way for the legitimate service to take on Baidu and other unauthorized pirate sites. More importantly, it’s a big step towards monetizing the industry on the Mainland in the 21st century. Ahead of his upcoming forum at Music Matters, Chen talked to Scott Murphy at length about how the past has prepared him for the present and the future.

Let’s talk about your background a bit. At one point you studied in the States. Can you tell me more? Chen: I was born in China and I went to college here at Beijing University. Then I went to Brandeis University, got my Masters Degree in finance and worked in the States at a finance company for a couple years. In total, I was there for nine years. I came back in 1998 and started and started a small talent agency called Pulay Talent Agency.

Why the switch from finance into entertainment? Chen: It was just a personal decision. Even when I first went to the States in 1989, the plan was always to come back to Beijing at the age of 30 and do something that I really loved, which is music.

Did the Tiananmen Square incident affect your decision in any way? Chen: I started applying in 1987 but wasn’t able to get a scholarship. My parents only made about US$100 a month. It was impossible for me to go to a school like Brandeis at that time, but I managed to get a full scholarship and I got some money to live every month.

What were your thoughts on the U.S.? Chen: I never felt that I was a poor guy when I was there. From the first day I arrived there until the day I left America--the first two years I was a poor student but never felt that way. I always felt like I had money. I could even buy a used car; my first car was $400. I really felt that America was indeed a good, great country. Everybody has a chance. It doesn’t matter what your background is.

So why did you go back to China? Chen: How do I say this? At that time I felt I could get more opportunities to participate and join the business to do the stuff that I really love, which is the music industry. I had no experience in the music industry. It’s very tough. My first project in the music industry was that I promoted a tour of a Chinese rock singer whose name is Cui Jian and then I promoted a tour for him in the States in 1995. I was totally an amateur, I didn’t know about venues, the booking, I just called a lot of places.

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