I was initially expecting Mr Allen Guo only for the session and was pretty excited about learning more about the music DNA that Yobo is based on since I love music and analyzing anything that has to do with DNA (somehow life science students feel something for this term in any content). I was already quite wowed by the grandure of the meeting room which was typical of traditionally Chinese-style furnish and layout, not to mention that Mr Guo also brought along influential guests which made me even more taken aback. The guests were Mr Chen Yi Hong and Mr Yue Zhanfeng, VP and deputy GM of China’s International Copyright Exchange respectively, who enlightened us about the copyright protection scene in China and the role of International Copyright Exchange in the Chinese music industry.

A significant amount of time was spent clarifying the reinforcement of copyright protection since we recognize it as an issue, especially so when China is notorious for its copyright issues. One suggestion to improve the issue is to bring the prices of the original copies low enough to be comparable to the pirated copies so that people will not support piracy. I was wondering how this will be in future and I cannot seem to imagine how the VCDs sellers in different countries will be out of jobs, which could introduce another social problem?

More on Yobo, Mr Allen also shared told us that Yobo still has a long way to go. He explained his business started as a recognition engine as people did not know what to search for something that they do not know. Yobo was hence a multi-dimensional dynamic space he created and is a beta service that collects information to personalize and bootstrap database. He also mentioned that Yobo provide technology license to other as a form of monetization where the technology is based on a personality research test done in University of Cambridge coupled with a recommendation system made possible by algorithm done by Yobo. It is also interesting to note that quiet people according to the survey prefer noisy and intense heavy music for pursuit of balance and self expression and the psychology of music really intrigued me to think about the discoveries still left to be explored and the innovations to be tapped.

Mr Guo shared that he has recently met up with Pandora, US based music recommendation system which Yobo was inspired by, since Pandora despite being useful was not able to cater to the domestic Chinese market. He also revealed that Pandora has spent a great deal of sum on its bandwidth and licensing and that he will try to avoid the similar situation by staying in the domestic market since licensing elsewhere is expensive. I empathized with the implications of the regulations and the need to keep a healthy relation with the competitors as it helps the organisation to have a clearer direction on the way forward.

He also shared his experience in setting up a venture as a student in both US and China. He believes that the most essential factor to a successful and sustainable venture starts with a good team, followed by a good market and enthusiasm. It is needed for a leader to know how to stand higher and see further than the others so as to take responsibility and create the vision for a team and without blaming anyone or the market for the outcome of any failure. His advice to starting a business in China is to know yourself since entrepreneurship is definitely not a journey for everyone. To him, it is essential to know your eventual goal by striving to improve oneself, manage the family, build society and make a better world.

What particularly impressed me is the attitude that returnees like Mr Allen Guo share towards China. Having a western college education and having lived in a western country for many years do not dilute their feelings for the country, but instead intensify the sense of obligation and belonging to China. He mentioned that there is a platform in China to be himself and hopes to return to the campus years later when he has more experience and more knowledge to offer. I also particularly like his attitude towards life in that it is a excitement to him. To him, “life only has meaning when you give it meaning”, just like how he injected colors to his life by taking the challenge to set up a venture in the music industry when his background was not in one. It was also very inspiring to hear him share his vision in wanting to make a difference and to change the world with his innovations. I guess I do not have an ambition as great as his but the session has opened my mind to being more receptive and give more thoughts on what are the colours I want in my life.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.