Rock Empire is bringing Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen to Taipei tomorrow, followed by Michael Shenker next weekend and Edenbridge next month. It is perhaps a measure of his success that Chen said he has already signed Megadeth to play Taipei in late April or early May and is in negotiations to bring Metallica here next year.
KK said White Wabbit also negotiates to bring artists to Taiwan, although, true to its indie-slacker form, "we usually don't succeed." Unlike Chen's business, which faces competition from other labels like Magnum (馬雅音樂, www.magnum.com.tw), owner of Jason's Records, hers is the only business in Taiwan that focuses on the extreme niche of the indie market.
Her partner Xiao Hua (吳逸駿) said White Wabbit was like a consulting firm for people who like indie music. Whereas customers used to go to Tower for advice on what foreign CD to buy, they now go to specialized stores like his. It also helps, he said, that White Wabbit provides album notes for many of its CDs in Chinese; otherwise, a customer wouldn't know what to make of a band name like Broken Social Scene or the Palace Brothers.
The store's collection is so extensive that some foreign musicians performing at The Wall have told Xiao Hua it's better than CD stores back home. And besides, he added, "most people don't know where to download this music anyway."
For your information:
Metal Gate and White Wabbit Orange are located at B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1)
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