Beijing Boyce

The February issue of that’s Beijing has a story by Oliver Robinson about the apparent demise of Beijing’s Kandi Klub, under the Ministry of Sound’s Hed Kandi label. This part is compelling:

“We are dissatisfied with the way the current licensee is operating the facility,” says Michael Wilkings, president of Ministry of Sound International. But despite said dissatisfaction, Wilkings maintains that Hed Kandi’s reputation in China has not been damaged. “The Hed Kandi brand has not been compromised.”

So the local partner is doing a crummy job and the club is flailing, but it’s not hurting the brand? Hmmm…

Then there’s this, also attributed to Wilkings:

“There is no difference in working with Chinese partners or any other nationality, inside or outside of the PRC. It all depends on the individuals involved, and their personal business philosophies.”

So the cultural context, business practices and regulatory environment of a particular country are unimportant if you have a local partner with the right “personal business philosophy”? Hmmm…

People do get taken out of context, so I emailed Wilkings and asked if the above quotes were accurate. His positions: he hadn’t expected that’s Beijing to print his comments, he had no interest in talking to the media about these issues, and the Hed Kandi brand has not been compromised by “a single stumble.” Fair enough. He did add, though, that MoS will be back ASAP with a “killer club.” Let’s hope it goes better the second time around.

The full story includes comments from Kandi Klub’s former marketing and promotions manager, among others.