Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | 8th May 2024
88rising, the pioneering global music and media company representing the best of Asian talent, is pleased to present an inaugural exhibition and event celebrating the recent announcement of Future Asian Music (FAM), a new music distribution platform powering the future of Asian independent music by merging best in class creatives, technology, and mentorship. Future Asian Music aims to build an artist-driven community bringing together established and next-generation talent to collaborate, celebrate, and amplify their voices.
Taking place at the experimental arts and technology institution Mercer Labs in New York on May 9, 2024, 88rising will introduce the new initiative in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Festival New York, before officially launching the platform on August 8th, 2024 (8/8). The event will feature exclusive live performances by burgeoning talents Wang OK, no_4mat, and Jonah Love, all with devoted fan bases poised to amplify their reach and visibility through FAM.
The Event will Offer a Preview of 88rising’s New Music Distribution Platform and Highlight 88rising and Microsoft’s New Collaboration Piece, 1999 World That Reimagines the Nostalgia of Early Internet Through 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE
“2024 is an exciting year for 88rising. On the back of our first Moonrise Gala celebrating Asian talent in the industry, and our 88rising Futures stage at Coachella where we continue to be the first-ever label to host a stage at the festival, we’re excited to tease our latest initiative, Future Asian Music (FAM). As we continue to be inspired by the needs of our community, we proudly extend our ambitions to reach and empower the next generation of Asian musicians through accessible tools and new opportunities for collaboration,” said 88rising founder Sean Miyashiro.
Within the event and exhibition, 88rising and long standing partner Microsoft will announce an exciting new collaboration: 1999 World, through an interactive art installation that answers the question of how technology can advance artistry. Inspired by Microsoft’s iconic Windows 1998 interface, the interactive online portal 1999 World reinvents and blends Microsoft’s nostalgic computer interface with 88rising’s newest music collective, 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE, which features guest appearances from Westside Gunn, Offset, Rick Ross, Ghostface Killah, BADBADNOTGOOD, and more. The 1999 World microsite and user experience is powered by Microsoft’s AI tools such as Copilot and Azure, with exclusive 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE digital content and music discoverable throughout. 1999 World is brought to life through a physical installation at Mercer Labs where attendees will be immersed into the world of 1999. By merging creator tools with technology and a new audience, 1999 World is a first example of the kind of partnerships FAM will unveil ahead of its official launch.
1999 World is the eighth project in a series of collaborations between Microsoft & 88rising, which connect artists and fans in unprecedented ways, including Japanese pop group ATARASHII GAKKO!’s QuestAG; singer Jackson Wang’s The MAGIC MAN Experience, inspired by the visual world of his latest album; and the personalization of Clo—the mascot for 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Festival.
“We are proud to work with 88rising and evolve our award-winning partnership, developing new concepts that leverage Microsoft Copilotto bring new audience experiences to life,” said Amy Sorokas, Director Strategic Partnerships, Microsoft. “The latest 1999 World project is an example of how technology and creativity can collaborate, with applications that extend beyond virtual into real world experiences like Mercer Labs.”
The event at Mercer Labs in New York will offer audiences and collaborators a sneak peek into FAM’s groundbreaking potential. Leveraging Mercer Labs’s space—an institution at the forefront of technology and art—to unveil the FAM concept, 88rising will stage a series of immersive and interactive experiences. Visitors can expect to see dynamic light shows, 4D soundscape listening experiences, interactive screens in which guests can create their own illustrations, and an opportunity to interact with the 99 World website on massive screens—all of which will paint a picture of how FAM aims to change the future of how music is created, shared, and interacted with.
The Future Asian Music (FAM) Music and Technology Exhibition at Mercer Labs is a private event produced by new experiences company Tape, featuring special performances and an exclusive afterparty. 1999 World by 88rising and Microsoft will launch online alongside the Future Asian Music Exhibition on May 9, 2024 at www.1999world.com.
ABOUT 88RISING
88rising is a pioneering global music and media company representing the best of Asian talent. Since its inception, 88rising has paved the way for many music industry firsts: the Asian artist to top the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts, Spotify’s Weekly Global Albums chart and enter the top 10 on Mediabase’s Top 40 chart, the first to launch an all-Asian radio channel in North America, and the first and only record label to have a main stage slot at Coachella. 88rising is also most notably the first company to present an Asian-centric music festival in the United States, Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival, now in partnership with powerhouse promoter Goldenvoice. The festival expanded globally, for the first time, to Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Philippines, in 2022. In 2023, the festival also expanded domestically from the flagship location in Pasadena, CA, to Queens for the inaugural Head In The Clouds New York. In 2021, 88rising executive produced and curated the soundtrack to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Marvel Studios’ first Asian-American superhero. Previously, in 2019, 88rising was awarded Label of the Year by NetEase, one of China's largest music streaming platforms. With over 160 million followers across global social media platforms and over 50 billion total streams and views, 88rising’s global influence is undeniable.
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ABOUT MERCER LABS
MERCER LABS Museum of Art and Technology redefines the museum experience. Through fifteen experimental exhibition spaces, interactive experiences, unique listening encounters and immersive installations the relationship between art and technology is re-imagined. Artist led, the Experimental Institution examines the processes by which we create art and experiment with technology. Culture and innovation converge with intention and art humanizes technology.