In the history of the Thai music business, few companies have been more than just music labels; they have influenced the tastes of listeners nationwide, and "RS" the music label of Hia Ho - Surachai Chesdachot is one of them.
Many grew up with the voice of Itthi Plangkul, some remember the rise of Tao Somchai or Dome Pakorn Lam, while another generation grew up with D2B, Kamikaze, K-OTIC, FFK, or artists from RSiam. Behind these artists is a company once hailed as one of the "powerhouses of the Thai music industry."
Over more than 50 years, the company has created hundreds of artists, accumulated tens of thousands of songs, and grown into a major force in the Thai music industry. But in an era when some music businesses struggle to survive by selling albums, the legendary Thai label RS, having weathered many storms, is making a significant move again by launching Artist Icon, an AI artist underRS Music X.
Instead of praise as a technology pioneer, this project has sparked intense criticism and social media debate worldwide, questioning whether this legendary label is shaping the future of the music business or simply experimenting with AI on its decades-long legacy.
Back in 1976, brothers Surachai Chesdachot and Kriangkrai Chesdachot started a business with an investment of about 50,000 baht, launching a small operation called Rose Sound, offering cassette tape recording and audio equipment sales.
At that time, the Thai music industry was still in the vinyl era. Tape recording grew with cassette popularity, and Rose Sound gradually expanded from a distributor to producing its own music.
In 1982, the company officially established RS Sound Company Limited (RS Sound) and began creating artists for the teenage market, which had few players then, led by Kiriboon, Fruity, Rainbow, and Brandy, the early artists who laid the foundation for RS’s recognition as a youth-oriented label.
From the late 1980s to early 1990s, RS grew rapidly, rebranding as RS Promotion Company Limited (RS Promotion) and declaring itself a full-fledged entertainment company, no longer limited to music.
During this period, RS produced continuous superstars such as Tao Somchai, Touch Na Takuatung, Dome Pakorn Lam, James Ruangsak, Pan Thanaporn, Lift & Oil, Raptor, Blackhead, Hi-Rock, Boyscout, among many others.
RS shaped the country's Pop, Rock, and Teen Idol trends, turning the RS-Grammy rivalry into a cultural contest that created the iconic terms "Grammy Kids" and "RS Kids."
In 2003, a milestone arrived when RS was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, reflecting the competitive music label business and the evolving Thai music consumption that transformed a tape recording and audio equipment shop into a major entertainment company named RS Public Company Limited.
RS maintained its business peak for over a decade, launching Kamikaze in 2007 targeting internet-era teens, producing breakout stars like Wai Panyarisa, Kanomjeen Kulamas, Fay Fang Kaew, K-OTIC, Kiss Me Five, 3.2.1, with many songs later hitting hundreds of millions of views.
Additionally, RSiam Company Limited (RSIAM) became another pillar, focusing on luk thung and folk songs, creating famous artists such as Baw Wee, Pong Lang Sa On, Jintara Poonlarp, Bai Toey RSiam, Kratae RSiam, and Ja RSiam. RS thus dominated both pop and luk thung markets, marking another era that transformed the Thai music industry.
Afterward, music business success did not continue uninterrupted. The advent of the internet, copyright infringements via MP3s, and the collapse of the CD market rapidly reduced labels’ main income. The album sales business model became ineffective.
RS had to make major adjustments, expanding into film (RS Film), radio (98 Cool FM, 88.5Z Pop), and television. The company acquired broadcasting rights for the World Cup and UEFA Euro, expanded satellite channels, and ventured into digital TV with Channel 8.
RS further diversified into health, beauty, product sales, and rebranded asRS Groupin 2020, defining a new Entertainmerce model using media and entertainment to build audiences before connecting them to product and service sales through various company channels and commerce platforms—marking a major transition from a Music Company to a "Commerce Company."
However, despite efforts to grow via Entertainmerce, RS faced fierce competition and was impacted by COVID-19 and economic slowdown, pressuring its financial results. In 2024, RS reported a net loss of 304.58 million baht and faced market confidence challenges.
Amid these challenges, the company revisited its core strength: a music catalog of over 10,000 songs, which in the streaming era has become a recurring revenue asset through listening, licensing, and diverse content development.
In 2023, RS reignited fan interest by announcing a renewed music business focus through a joint venture with Universal Music Group, establishing RS UMG to manage legacy music rights and promote Thai artists internationally.
In 2023, RS launched RS Music X, a project reviving hits in RS’s catalog by collaborating with various labels, artists, and producers to reinterpret songs for today’s listeners. While many see this as a music business comeback, it actually marks the company's shift from a record label producing its own artists to a "Music IP Company," leveraging intellectual property (music catalog) to generate recurring revenue.
Rather than rapidly creating new artists, RS revitalizes its catalog of over 10,000 songs accumulated over decades—from cassette tape era pop, rock, luk thung, and T-Pop across generations—through collaborations with multiple artists and expanding uses of music rights beyond listening alone.
The various projects show RS does not just release compilation albums but divides into sub-projects paired with different labels or genres. For example, RS Music X XOXO features T-POP artists like 4EVE and ATLAS reimagining 1990s–2000s pop songs, while RS Music X What The Duck includes indie artists like THE TOYS, QLER, YourMOOD rearranging RS hits and re-singing them. Many songs have high streaming and view counts, bringing RS’s catalog back into popularity.
This model aligns with global music companies increasingly focusing on Music Catalog management since long-term royalty income is more stable than relying solely on new artists. Especially in the streaming era, these catalogs gain value as older songs do not expire but generate recurring revenue through Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok, licensing, and reunion concerts.
After about two years of revitalizing its catalog through RS Music X, RS took another step by creating “new form artists” in theArtist Iconproject, unveiling six initial artists: Tamin, Joy Joy, Aryn, Noir, Stella, and Luna.
This project differs because these artists were not discovered or developed traditionally but were created using AI technology from the image, personality, and character to their universe and backstories, expressed through songs, music videos, and digital content.
The first artist introduced was Tamin with the single "Keb Tawan 2026," a reinterpretation of Itthi Plangkul’s legendary song in a Lo-fi Boom Bap style mixing contemporary music and rap, becoming one of the most talked-about social media topics recently.
However, the Artist Icon launch is not just about AI-created artists but reflects RS’s strategic shift from managing Music IP to creating Character IP as a new asset class that can generate long-term value.
Although AI and the music industry are hot topics, the debate is not solely about technology.
If a tech company or startup launched AI artists, it might be seen as natural business innovation. But since RS, the owner of culturally valuable music rights, is responsible, audience expectations differ. Many view RS not just as a music company but as a custodian of Thailand’s musical heritage.
When the company chose to relaunch songs like "Keb Tawan" through AI artists, the question isn’t just whether the new version sounds good but whether the company is using technology to enhance the song’s value or exploiting cultural assets for marketing buzz.
Another term emerging is AI Washing, meaning using AI as a marketing gimmick without substantially changing a product’s true value. This question arises with Artist Icon as well: Are listeners interested in the AI aspect or the song quality? Without the AI label, would these works attract the same attention?
Ultimately, Artist Icon may be part of experimenting with a new business model rather than merely creating artists. Building real artists is not measured by initial views or launch criticism. Over 50 years, true value in the music business comes from the relationship between artists and audiences, not just technology or platforms.
This is the key challenge for RS Music X as the company transitions from a music label to a business fully driven by Music IP, Character IP, and AI.
Source information RS
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