Why Thailand’s Songwriters Are the Music Industry’s Best-Kept Secret

Sony Music Publishing’s Thailand GM spills the tea on why global labels are sleeping on Bangkok’s hitmakers. Spoiler: It’s not for lack of talent.

The Underground Hit Factory You’re Ignoring

Let’s get one thing straight: when music execs think ‘emerging markets,’ they’re usually picturing Latin America’s reggaeton factories or Africa’s Afrobeats wave. Meanwhile, Bangkok’s songwriting scene has been quietly producing global-ready hooks with zero fanfare. I sat down with Tatchara Longprasert, Sony Music Publishing Thailand’s GM, to unpack why Thailand’s music industry remains criminally undervalued—and who’s finally paying attention.

The Domestic Market Myth

"Walk into any A&R meeting in LA or London," Longprasert tells me over lemongrass-infused sparkling water (very Bangkok), "and they’ll still ask if Thai music travels beyond pad thai restaurants." The numbers tell a different story:

Spotify streams of Thai artists grew 137% internationally last year
Sony Thailand’s catalog placements in K-pop and Western pop doubled since 2022
Three Thai composers now have credits on Billboard Hot 100 tracks

The K-Pop Connection

Here’s where it gets interesting. HYBE and SM Entertainment have been quietly outsourcing melody composition to Thai writers since 2020. "Our composers understand the sweet spot between Southeast Asian folk scales and Western pop structure," Longprasert reveals. She namechecks two writers who’ve penned tracks for aespa and NewJeans—under NDAs, naturally.

Streaming’s Blind Spot

Despite DSPs touting ‘global curation,’ Thailand remains lumped into generic ‘Asia’ playlists. Longprasert’s team now ships instrumentals directly to LA producers: "A Thai folk riff becomes Olivia Rodrigo’s next bridge before anyone checks the metadata."

The AI Wildcard

With Udio and Suno scraping global music data, Thai composers are suddenly valuable for their ‘untainted’ musical DNA. "We’ve had three AI startups license traditional Thai motifs this quarter," Longprasert notes. "Suddenly our ‘ethnic’ tag is an asset."

Who’s Betting Big?

Warner Chappell opened a Bangkok outpost last month
TikTok’s Thai music accelerator added 12 songwriters
Believe Music signed first-look deals with 5 Thai producers

The takeaway? Thailand isn’t ‘the next big thing’—it’s already here. The industry just hasn’t bothered to look up from its spreadsheets.