Is the Taiwanese music scene really in decline? "Super Celebrity List" judge and musician Xu Changde doesn't think so. He believes that the market has never lacked singers who can sing, nor has there been a shortage of audiences willing to listen to Taiwanese songs. What is really worrying is that even though more and more singers are well-known, they lack masterpieces that can be remembered and sung repeatedly by a generation.
"Nowadays, some singers are so popular that everyone recognizes them, but if you ask what their masterpiece is, you can't name it. This is the real fault." In an exclusive interview with "Free Entertainment", Xu Changde pointed out that if a singer can only become a familiar face in variety shows and a performer in events, but does not have a work that is enough to stay in the market, the Taiwanese music scene may seem lively on the surface, but its foundation is actually loosening.
He pointed the question at the production mechanism of Taiwanese songs. Xu Changde analyzed that in the past, the production of many Taiwanese songs was supported by karaoke-related income for a long time. When companies have to cut production costs from limited income, music will naturally tend to be completed with low budget and quick copying. Insufficient budget not only affects arrangement, recording and promotion, but also causes creators who are truly willing to write songs tailored to singers to gradually leave.
"If you write a very good song, how can you sell it out?" He said that the creator behind the good song is unwilling to sell the rights at a low price, but the record company may not have enough cost to purchase and operate it for a long time. In the end, the market can only continue to copy proven types. When a song is only quickly put on the shelves and consumed quickly, it will be difficult for the singer to develop the recognition of his own work no matter how good he is at singing it.
Xu Changde believes that the problem of some record companies is not that they have few resources, but that they lack the vision to invest in their works. "Few of the bosses of these companies understand music, and they are not open-minded enough to accept talented creators to write songs for them." If they only produce songs in the most budget-friendly way, of course the creators will not produce the best work, and the singers and the entire market will be hurt in the end.
Copyright issues have also plunged Taiwanese songs into another vicious cycle. Yu Meiren pointed out that many good songs should have been constantly covered and re-given life, but due to complex rights relations, they are even monopolized by a few people, and the song selection of the program is often limited. Xu Changde believes that there are not many Taiwanese-language song programs in the first place. If the copyright holder only regards the works as a short-term charging tool and is unwilling to let the songs continue to be sung, no one will profit in the end, but the entire market will become smaller and smaller.
Yu Meiren also added from the perspective of singer investment that for an artist to be truly remembered by the public, it is never just about having a good voice. "To bump into a singer or a song, you need to invest in addition to luck." She said that buying songs, finding producers, shooting MVs, and promoting them are all costs. If the market only wants to use the lowest budget for the fastest return, it will be difficult to expect the next generation-penetrating work to appear.
Xu Changde even believes that if the record company does not change, it may be replaced by the singer himself in the future. Self-media allows singers to directly contact the audience, and AI also lowers the threshold for arrangement and production; when creators can write, sing, and publish by themselves, record companies are no longer the only entrance. "Singers no longer need the support of record companies." In Yu Meiren's view, "There are no simple answers to complex problems." The dilemma of the Taiwanese music scene involves creation, production, copyright, and the market, and no one party can solve it alone.
