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Alibaba<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s Damai International<\/strong> has launched an artist development and content production label called ORCA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The label, whose name stands for Original Creative Artists<\/strong>, was unveiled on Friday (July 3<\/strong>) alongside a worldwide talent search, the All My Anecdotes Global Audition<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Damai International<\/strong> is the international arm of Damai Entertainment, <\/strong>the Hong Kong-listed entertainment group controlled by tech and e-commerce giant Alibaba<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The audition, run by ORCA<\/strong> in partnership with entertainment label All My Anecdotes<\/strong>, will act as a talent pipeline for the label\u2019s future projects, and runs from July 3<\/strong> to August 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The launch pushes Damai<\/strong> further into artist development, adding to a live-entertainment business that already spans ticketing, event management, artist management, content production and venue services.<\/p>\n \u201cwe are building a platform that empowers talent to grow and pursue opportunities on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Walter Zheng,<\/strong> Damai International<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis program represents an important step in our global talent development strategy,\u201d said Walter Zheng<\/strong>, president of Damai International<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe aim to discover promising talent worldwide and provide them with the resources, training and opportunities they need to thrive. By leveraging Alibaba<\/strong>\u2018s ecosystem and ORCA<\/strong>\u2018s creative capabilities and extensive experience in developing international artists, we are building a platform that empowers talent to grow and pursue opportunities on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n The audition is open to performers worldwide, with no restrictions on gender, age or nationality and no fixed number of places, Damai<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n Selected applicants will join what ORCA<\/strong> described as its existing roster, which the label said currently consists of dancer and choreographer Audrey Lane<\/strong> and singer-songwriter DANY<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Both artists appear in a brand trailer released to mark the launch, and ORCA<\/strong> said it ultimately plans to debut an international music group drawn from the program.<\/p>\n Audrey Lane<\/strong> is a member of Jam Republic<\/strong>, the crew that finished as runner-up on Mnet<\/strong>\u2018s Street Woman Fighter 2<\/em>, and has worked with acts including MEOVV<\/strong> and KATSEYE<\/strong>\u2018s Megan<\/strong>, according to the company.<\/p>\n \u201cORCA is about creativity, artistry and thinking beyond borders,\u201d said Daryl Wang<\/strong>, senior vice president of music business at Damai International<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to have artists like DANY<\/strong> and Audrey Lane<\/strong> involved in this program. For those who join this journey, this is more than an audition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with established creators, develop alongside some of the industry\u2019s most promising emerging talent and become part of a creative community with global reach.\u201d<\/p>\n Daryl Wang<\/strong>, Damai International<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cIt is an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with established creators, develop alongside some of the industry\u2019s most promising emerging talent and become part of a creative community with global reach,\u201d Wang<\/strong> added.<\/p>\n ORCA<\/strong>\u2018s plan to build an act through a worldwide search places Damai<\/strong> in a lane that Chinese<\/strong> entertainment groups have pursued before, though rarely from inside the country.<\/p>\n From 2018<\/strong>, streaming platforms iQiyi<\/strong> and Tencent<\/strong> drove a wave of idol competition series in China, including Idol Producer<\/em>, Produce 101 China<\/em> and the Produce Camp<\/em> franchise, which produced acts such as Nine Percent<\/strong> and Rocket Girls 101<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That wave was curtailed in 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n After fans of iQiyi<\/strong>\u2018s Youth With You 3<\/em> bought sponsor products in bulk to cast votes and dumped the contents, China\u2019s National Radio and Television Administration<\/strong> moved to halt idol competition shows<\/a> that September.<\/p>\n The boy group Into1<\/strong>, formed through Produce Camp 2021<\/em>, was the last act created through the format, and disbanded in 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Chinese<\/strong> companies then took the model overseas, with Tencent<\/strong> filming its Chuang Asia<\/em> series in Thailand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Alibaba<\/strong>\u2018s own Youku<\/strong> platform had lined up a pan-Asian survival show, Asia Super Young<\/em>, as far back as 2020<\/strong>, only to shelve it amid the 2021<\/strong> clampdown.<\/p>\n The TVB<\/strong> co-production eventually aired in 2023<\/strong> and produced the boy group LOONG9<\/strong>.<\/p>\n K-pop companies have been moving in the opposite direction, with HYBE<\/strong> and Geffen<\/strong> building the US-based groups KATSEYE<\/strong> and SAINT<\/strong> SATINE<\/strong><\/a> through global auditions.<\/p>\n HYBE<\/strong> has since launched searches through HYBE India<\/strong> and HYBE Latin America<\/strong>, while SM Entertainment<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s global auditions<\/a> have included stops in Shanghai<\/strong>, Beijing,<\/strong> and other Chinese cities.<\/p>\n K-pop acts have reportedly been unable to stage concerts in mainland China<\/strong> since around 2016<\/strong>, following diplomatic tensions over a missile-defense system.<\/p>\n The label push comes as China<\/strong>\u2018s recorded music market has climbed the global rankings.<\/p>\n China<\/strong> overtook Germany<\/strong> to become the world\u2019s fourth-largest recorded music market in 2025<\/strong>, generating USD<\/strong> $1.9 billion<\/strong> in trade revenue, up 20.1%<\/strong> year-on-year, according to IFPI<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n It is also the world\u2019s largest streaming market by number of paying subscribers, with Tencent Music<\/strong> alone reaching 127.4 million<\/strong> paying users by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Universal Music<\/a><\/strong> Greater China chairman and CEO Timothy Xu<\/strong> told MBW<\/em> in June that, after K-pop, Chinese pop<\/a> will be the next genre to go global.<\/p>\n\n
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