Welcome to the latest edition of Six Questions With..., a weekly short and sharp interview with a live music figure. Email jhanley@nbmedia.com if you would like to take part or recommend someone for inclusion.
This week's Q&A is with Eric Zho, CEO and founder of China-based A2LiVE, promoter of Shanghai's Storm Electronic Music Festival.
Storm, which has featured DJs such as David Guetta, Tiesto and Skrillex, announced it was expanding to Taiwan and Australia earlier this year. It is partnering with the International Music Summit for its IMS Asia-Pacific conference, set for Shanghai from September 21-22. Zho will be one of the speakers at the event.
What was your first job in music?
My first job in music was when I directed a music video for Dhani Harrison [George Harrison's son] while I was at Brown University. It was just a bunch of friends screwing around, but I get to practice cutting a video to music. That was really the start of my career in music.
How long have you been in your current role?
I've been doing what I'm doing now for over 12 years.
What is your favourite thing about working in the live music industry?
My favourite thing is to be involved in making the magic that affects millions, whether it be creating a new track for an up and coming artist, to promoting a mega festival that hundreds of thousands of people attend. Seeing the faces of fans who love their idol is priceless, it's like all their worries go away and they are frozen in time, totally mesmerised by the artist they came to see.
What is the one thing you would like to change about the business?
The one thing that I want to change is to disrupt the manager-agent-promoter relationship to streamline efficiency and eliminate the middle man.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight of my career was when I see the amount of fans my creation, Storm Festival, has generated over the years, especially when we don't even need to announce a line-up to sell out a festival.
What's the best gig you've ever been to?
The best show that I can remember was The Wall tour from Roger Waters at Staples Center in LA.
