When Snow Jiang (Snow.J) steps into a room, the conversation tends to shift. That was certainly the case at the Harvard Business School China Classroom in Chengdu, where the Founder and CEO of Cheerful Music returned as a featured case-study guest to unpack one of the most urgent questions facing the global music industry today: what really matters when music can be created infinitely?
As AI-generated tracks flood the world at unprecedented scale — more than seven million new songs every single day — Snow offered a refreshingly human answer.
“When music is no longer scarce,” she told the classroom, “the real scarcity is being heard.”
As the first Chinese music company selected as an official Harvard Business School teaching case, Cheerful Music’s session, The AI Future of the Music Industry, explored how technology, culture, and emotion collide in an era of abundance. Snow traced the company’s strategic evolution from hit-maker to ecosystem builder, emphasizing that while AI can generate sound, it cannot replicate intuition, taste, or emotional intelligence.
Cheerful Music’s track record speaks volumes. From Xiang Si Yao, which ignited a global short-form video movement inspired by classical aesthetics and amassed over 50 billion views, to Luo Le Bai, a viral chart-topper fueled by mass participation and dance culture, the company has consistently proven that resonance — not volume — defines success.
The discussion didn’t shy away from hard truths. Snow openly acknowledged that marketing costs have surged dramatically, with promotional spending now four to five times higher than it was five years ago. Yet rather than viewing this as a setback, Cheerful Music sees clarity: attention is the currency, and connection is the asset.
Beyond creativity, Snow unveiled the company’s fully owned AI music ecosystem — a rights-secure, modular system designed to eliminate copyright ambiguity and enable sustainable scale. Complementing this is Cheerful Music’s virtual artist strategy, where digital performers act not as replacements, but as visual amplifiers of music itself.
With global momentum building — from partnerships with Sony Music to standout showcases at Amsterdam Dance Event and an upcoming appearance at SXSW 2026 — Cheerful Music is redefining what it means to be a music company in the AI era.
In a world overflowing with content, Cheerful Music is betting on something far rarer: joy, relevance, and real human connection.
