Quick Answer
Hollywood Branded discusses the mass media company 88rising and how it's bringing Asian artists to center stage.
Discovering Rising Artists and Their Music
These days, the public discovers music artists in a multitude of ways. There are the tried and true ways, such as word of mouth and the radio, and there are more modern ways, such as music streamers like Spotify and social media.
Other ways to push a new artist and expose them to the general public include booking them as an opening act or featuring them on a popular artist's song. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses the mass media company 88rising and how it's bringing Asian artists to center stage.
About 88rising
88rising was founded in 2015 by Sean Miyashiro. He has described it as a "hybrid management, record label, video production, and marketing company."
Photo: Tim Buol | Coveteur
What sets the company apart from other labels is how much it has grown in the seven years of its existence and its focus on bringing Asian music artists to light. Headquartered in New York City, the company has also expanded to Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Beijing.
For those wondering about the significance of 88, the number means luck and double happiness in many Asian cultures. Luck it has had, and happiness it has brought, as the label has helped Asian artists such as Rich Brian, Joji, and NIKI rise to become recognizable names, although not quite renowned... yet.
Photo: 88rising | Last.fm
Music Artists in Film & TV
When an artist is having a big year, they often appear on the soundtrack for a film or show. For example, Kendrick Lamar recorded songs for Black Panther, and Billie Eilish appeared on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack.
Photo: Top Dawg Ent. | Aftermath | Interscope Records
Photo: Netflix | Interscope Records | Paramount Pictures
According to The Face, that's why, when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was first announced in 2018, Sean Miyashiro, 88rising's founder and CEO, began talks with the film's director, Destin Daniel Cretton, about 88rising curating its soundtrack.
Photo: 88rising | Sean Miyashiro | Riff
Photo: Marvel | Destin Daniel Cretton
His persistence paid off, as a year later Marvel contacted him for 88rising to produce the official soundtrack for Shang-Chi.
Not only was 88rising a perfect fit for the album, as all of its signed artists are Asian, but its artists have a strong following among Asian Americans. By including six 88rising artists on the album, the label was able to push its artists out to a larger audience and become part of an iconic piece of pop culture.
Photo: Marvel Studios | Hollywood Records | 88rising | Interscope Records
According to Spotify data reported by the Twitter fan account @keshiupdates, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The Album received over half a million streams within only a few hours of its release!
Being able to produce and feature its artists on a Marvel soundtrack is a HUGE win for any label, as these days it almost guarantees tons of exposure and listens. It's exciting to see what's next for the artists and when we'll next see them on another movie or TV show album.
Coachella Music Festival 2022
While we wait for 88rising's artists to appear on another film or TV soundtrack, there's no doubt the artists and the company are staying busy.
This year, 88rising took over the Coachella Main Stage on Saturday of both weekends, with the sets live-streamed on YouTube. 88rising artists who appeared on the main stage were CL, Warren Hue, MILLI, NIKI, Jackson Wang, BIBI, Rich Brian, and Hikaru Utada, with an appearance by the dance crew The Kinjaz.
In addition to the main stage show, some of their bigger artists, Joji, Rich Brian, and NIKI, performed throughout the weekend on different stages.
Photo: GUESS | 88rising
Photo: Coachella | Goldenvoice
Solidifying itself as THE company that bridges Asian music artists and mainstream music, 88rising also brought in beloved K-pop group 2NE1 for Weekend 1 and rising K-pop group aespa for Weekend 2.
Photo: @daraxxi | Instagram
Photo: SM Entertainment
The surprise appearances by 2NE1 and aespa were each historic moments in K-pop in their own right.
For 2NE1, it was the girl group's first performance since 2015, after officially disbanding in 2016.
For aespa, it was their first performance in front of a live audience since their debut in South Korea in November 2020.
Not impressive enough? 88rising also released an NFT with Coachella.
Emphasizing its representation of Asian culture in pop culture through this NFT drop, 88rising tweeted, "This collection is a surreal visual statement of eternal optimism, and the unending belief in the boundless power of Asian music culture - all redeemable for digital and physical experiences at the festival."
The NFT came with perks such as a private viewing area for the 88rising performance, exclusive access to the 88rising offsite Cloud Mansion, and more.
At Coachella, 88rising demonstrated how a label can partner with a music festival to really highlight its brand and artists.
Head in the Clouds
Coachella isn't the only festival 88rising has been busy with this year.
In 2018, 88rising held its first festival of its own, Head in the Clouds (HITC). Since then, it has been lovingly referred to as "Asian Coachella" and has drawn over 35,000 attendees.
This year, ticket prices for the two-day event start at $249 for general admission, with VIP passes going for $405. The top-tier ticket, the "South Bay Surf Club" pass, is a solid $750 and offers dedicated parking, a special viewing area, VIP bathrooms, and free food and drink.
The 2022 festival features thirty sets, including 12 of 88rising's own artists.
Photo: Head in the Clouds | 88rising
Last year, due to COVID-19, 88rising teamed up with Amazon Prime and Twitch to live-stream the event globally.
Unfortunately, Head in the Clouds won't be live-streamed this year, but the production and organization of the event should improve, as 88rising has partnered with Goldenvoice to put on the two-day event. It'll be exciting to see what differences their involvement brings.
Rising To The Top
With all of 88rising's efforts to bring Asian artists to the forefront of pop culture, it's safe to say the company has achieved its goal.
It shows that when a company is truly rooted in its mission, has a culture that reflects that mission, and is persistent, it can make great strides in getting artists seen and heard.
After all, in the seven years since its beginning, through concerted efforts from 88rising and various partners, it has created its own successful festival, put out capsule collections, appeared at Coachella, and had two songs by its artist Joji go viral.
As a media company and record label, 88rising frequently has its artists collaborate on the songs it releases. That makes discovery easier for potential fans, since listening to one song with a favorite artist also exposes them to a new one.
It's only a matter of time before another song by one or more of its artists catapults them to the top of the charts and cements 88rising as an unforgettable company.
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