Thúy Nga Productions

Thúy Nga Inc. (listen) (dba Thúy Nga Productions, variously referred to as Thúy Nga Incorporated, Thúy Nga Paris, and Trung Tâm Thúy Nga) is an American entertainment company founded in 1984 in Paris, and currently based in Westminster, California. The private company is known for its Vietnamese-oriented entertainment, such as the variety show and direct-to-video series Paris by Night, and music released as part of the record label Thúy Nga Music.

Thúy Nga, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Genre
Founded1972: Saigon, Republic of Vietnam
Refounded: 1983: Paris, France
FounderTô Văn Lai
HeadquartersWestminster, California, United States
Area served
  • United States
  • Canada
  • France
  • Australia
Key people
Tô Văn Lai (Chairman)
Marie Tô Ngọc Thủy (President/CEO)
Products
  • Music
  • variety shows
  • film
  • magazines
  • audiobooks
  • posters
  • calendars
  • radio
  • television
Divisions
  • Thúy Nga Productions
  • Thúy Nga Music
Websitethuynga.com

History

1963–2000: Background and founding

Founder Tô Văn Lai first formed a music company in 1963, in Saigon, South Vietnam, as a precursor for the current company and record label.[1] After the Fall of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam, the company had to stop operating for a period of time.

Tô began operations for Thúy Nga in 1984, in Paris, France, starting with production for the show Paris by Night. Afterwards, the company transferred to Orange County, California, which has one of the largest Vietnamese populations outside of Vietnam.[2] The company has since produced more shows in the series, along with other videos, and a catalog of albums by various artists from the Thúy Nga Music record label.

2000–present: Digital piracy

In the 21st century, however, the company began to lose revenue due to the piracy of the video and album releases, with chief-executive Marie To commenting, "Profit? We are barely making it." Works released by the company are also banned in Vietnam, which has the largest source of pirates.[3]

Due to the rampant online piracy, Vietnamese entertainment companies have ceased productions, with exceptions being Thúy Nga, Garden Grove-based Asia Entertainment, and Van Son. In 2008, Marie To commented, "Ten years ago, there were about two dozen music studios, now only three labels are active."[4] In 2010, Thúy Nga nearly shut down, narrowly avoiding it due to community support and new business strategies, which included lowering the cost to perform at venues, and increasing advertising.[3]

The company has since moved to social media by 2010, posting videos of Paris by Night performances and full albums on YouTube along with advertising, in order to lure audiences into purchasing the label's works.[3]

Organization

Although production for the company's products include various freelance workers, producers, directors, and such, the full-time staff is limited to about a dozen people. Many singers for the company have originated in Orange County.[3]

In addition to its headquarters at Westminster, California, and its original headquarters in Paris, Thúy Nga also has regional sales and distribution centers in Toronto, Canada and in Bankstown, New South Wales in Australia. The company also transferred part of its Australian distribution rights to a local music center at Footscray, Victoria.

Associated labels
  • N-Q Records (1996 – 1999)[5]
  • Như Quỳnh Entertainment (1998 – present)[6]

Artists

These artists have released albums (billed as a main artist) under the main Thúy Nga Music label.

References
  1. News, VietNamNet (2019-04-22). "MC Thanh Bạch và bà trùm Thuý Nga sau 9 lần làm đám cưới giờ thế nào?". VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  2. "For Vietnamese, 'Paris By Night' is a mix of Vegas, nostalgia and pre-war culture". Public Radio International. 2014-02-10. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
  3. "MEDIA: Vietnamese juggernaut 'Paris by Night' struggles to survive". Press Enterprise. 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  4. Do, By Quyen (2008-05-10). "Singer Minh Tuyet dreams big in Little Saigon". latimes.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  5. "Tâm Tình Cùng Bạn Đọc". Tuần Báo Mõ (in Vietnamese). San Francisco. February 1997. Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  6. Thuy Nga (2016-12-31). "Paris By Night 52 - Giã Từ Thế Kỷ (Full Program)". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
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