New label & artist management company, Kaleidoscope BKK, launches in Thailand

A team of Thailand-based UK music industry entrepreneurs have joined forces to launch a new artist management company and independent record label, Kaleidoscope BKK.

With more than 50 years of music industry experience between them, the trio of Andy Haggerstone, Andy Griffin, and Chris Craker had long been looking for an opportunity to collaborate. Despite the numerable downsides to the Covid pandemic, the disruption it caused allowed them the opportunity to finally plot their new venture. With their 2021 plans upending, the three found time to pool their resources and formulate a strategy, ultimately opting to launch their own management company and label focused on emerging talent in their adopted home of Thailand.

While not strictly geared towards electronic music acts, Kaleidoscope BKK plan to cast the net far and wide in search of talent, with all sounds and styles up for consideration. “The project doesn’t have any specific genre limitations,” Haggerstone told Mixmag Asia. “I’m more than happy to work with artists of any genre, just so long as I love the music.” On top of their vast industry experience, the three co-founders also have deep connections to Thailand, having each lived there for many years. “The hope is for us to eventually break a Thai artist Internationally,” added Haggerstone.

Interestingly, Kaleidoscope BKK will have an artist-first focus, with the team taking the unusual step of ring-fencing 25% of company equity for the artists on their roster. This means that – on top of the income earned from their music – their artists will also be paid a share of any profit the label makes across the roster. Managing Director Andy Haggerstone explained the rationale for this approach: “We hope that by effectively making artists shareholders in the company, we can foster a spirit of creativity and collaboration on the roster - where the artists help us choose and develop new additions to the Kaleidoscope BKK family, work on each other’s projects, and help each other grow their audience.”

By providing expert guidance alongside transparent and fair deals within the industry, the hope is that the artists signed to the roster will be granted a very real opportunity to make a living from their music. Indeed, the value of the founders collective experience is hard to overstate. Andy Haggerstone has a track record of developing emerging independent artists in the UK, recently launching IndieKnow – a new platform for self-releasing artists. Andy Griffin currently manages Thai alt-rock act Yep May Yep and has an extensive understanding of the live music scene in Thailand, having worked with Riverman Management and Warner Music Thailand. Chris Craker, meanwhile, brings with him not only his experience as a former Senior Vice President of Sony BMG Masterworks, but also access to his world-class recording facility at Karma Sound Studios, Bang Saray.

Kaleidoscope BKK have already begun the search for talented artists to join their roster. If you’re a Thai artist and interested in working with the team, you can submit demos for consideration here