For both professional musicians and those who make music as a hobby, Peace Centre was, for decades, one of the go-to places in Singapore for music equipment.
From 1980 until April 2023, the building was home to City Music Co. Pte. Ltd, a music retailer that has grown into a mainstay of the local music community since it was established by Willy Hoe Chian Kok back in 1968. Today, the business is run by Willy alongside his sons Hoe Yeegn Lougn and Hoe Hsin Loong, who serve as its Director of Sales and Director of Marketing respectively.
Throughout its history, City Music has repeatedly shown that it is a company that embraces change by switching up its business strategy to meet the needs of its customers. But this year, the retailer faces a transition that it describes as "a complicated, mixed bag of feelings" — moving out of its Peace Centre unit.
Coming two years after Peace Centre's en bloc sale, the move will see City Music shift its base of operations to LHK Building in May and use the relocation as an opportunity to, once again, devise new ways to serve its customers.
While its old physical space may be no more, long-time patrons of City Music can be assured that the family-run company's unrivalled customer service and desire to build relationships with music lovers will not be going anywhere. In fact, eager fans may now book appointments through City Music's website and Facebook page for private viewing sessions of the new premises before their official grand opening on 24 May.
"We are here for the long run, definitely not hit and run. We are more interested in what customers are buying from us, not what we want to sell to them," said Yeegn Lougn.
In an interview with Hear65, Yeegn Lougn and Hsin Loong talked about leaving City Music's 43-year-old home at Peace Centre and moving into their new space, helping to equip the local music community, and running a family business.
The unit at Peace Centre was one that City Music called home for 43 years. How did it feel to move out of it?
YEEGN LOUGN: It's a complicated, mixed bag of feelings — excitement, happiness, sadness. Very sentimental. I guess the time has come for us to move on to our next phase, which we are very much looking forward to.
Credit: City Music
"I guess the time has come for us to move on to our next phase, which we are very much looking forward to."
What are some of your fondest memories of your Peace Centre store?
YEEGN LOUGN: Definitely the amazing relationships and friendships we have built up with our lovely clients (B2B, B2C) and musicians, [whether they are] professional or recreational. These include friendly loyal customers/fans, professional musicians, sound engineers, studios, music educators, and corporate clients.
Credit: City Music
You’ve mentioned that your new store at the LHK Building will be “transformed from retail to experiential studio”. How did the decision to go in this direction come about?
HSIN LOONG: Covid has got everyone rethinking how to live, work, and play. 90 percent of our customers' journeys today begin online, and we have all along been working very hard to engage them. Our recently conducted market research and focus group (done with the support of the Enterprise Development Grant from Enterprise Singapore) reaffirms our belief in the importance of having an experiential space for us to engage our clients better.
Credit: City Music
"90 percent of our customers' journeys today begin online, and we have all along been working very hard to engage them."
Besides being bigger, what can your customers expect from your new store regarding its physical space?
HSIN LOONG: Many people are asking the same question. All we can say is that besides being an extended experience gallery for our music and audio-visual solutions and e-commerce, this is going to be a collaborative space for various stakeholders in the industry to come together to collaborate, experiment, and create content. We will be focusing on building relationships in B2B, B2C, and C2C (Community Engagement).
Credit: Glen Lai, Aurora Tang, and Huang Qi Feng
"This (the new store) is going to be a collaborative space for various stakeholders in the industry to come together to collaborate, experiment, and create content."
Over the years, you’ve become known as one of Singapore’s most trusted music retailers. What do you think is the key to building a strong relationship with your customers?
YEEGN LOUGN: Integrity is the key. We are here for the long run, definitely not hit and run. We are more interested in what customers are buying from us, not what we want to sell to them. We have emphasised to our sales team that it’s not important what brand or products we are selling; what matters more is that we are the ones offering the solution.
Credit: City Music
"We have emphasised to our sales team that it’s not important what brand or products we are selling; what matters more is that we are the ones offering the solution."
During the pandemic, you helped local musicians by renting out equipment for free and giving them guidance. Why did you feel that it was necessary for City Music to do so?
HSIN LOONG: When our fellow musician heroes lost their performing platform, it was only natural to go online, which many realised all of a sudden might not be as straightforward or simple. We needed to help all of us keep the music going, live. That was a very tough yet special period when we managed to bridge so many relationships with existing and new partners.
Credit: City Music
"That (the pandemic) was a very tough yet special period when we managed to bridge so many relationships with existing and new partners."
Based on your experience, what would you say are the biggest advantages of running a family business?
YEEGN LOUGN: Unity, mutual support, like-mindedness, as well as sharing a common goal and vision of doing good for the family, business, and community.
Credit: Glen Lai, Aurora Tang, and Huang Qi Feng
City Music has never shied away from adapting to the times. Could you tell us about some of your plans to continue doing so in the near future?
HSIN LOONG: The content economy will be an important key pillar for us as well as many other businesses and individuals. In that light, we will be working around curating solutions for this segment and will also continue to explore new ideas and create more engaging content.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
