TWINS, JOEY YUNG Cho-yee, Eason Chan and Edison Chen Koon-hei. What do they have in common? They are all singers with the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG) record label. And, yes, they are all very young.
Is this a new trend in the music industry? Likely. A shrewd business strategy? Most certainly.
'Record companies are trying to expand their sources of revenue. By becoming managers they get money not only from the songs, but also from the singers' other commercial activities,' explains RTHK DJ Brian Chow Kwok-fung.
When record companies like EEG become managers for newcomers, the contracts are often for 10 years, ensuring maximum returns. The long contracts make it necessary for the artists to be young.
'A singer can do a lot between 19 and 29. But if you sign on a 25-year-old it's harder to see where they will be by the time they're 35,' says Chow.
Since 'pop kings and queens' no longer guarantee success, record labels are now more likely to experiment with new faces and groups.
Chow predicts that the next few years will be the most prosperous for newcomers: 'Fans should expect drastic changes in singers' chart positions, which we DJs are happy to see.'
