a 2 i m

Featured Executive: Hank Chen, Head of Data Science at Beatdapp

Beatdapp logo, purple, pink, white

What do you do at Beatdapp?
I am very thankful to have the opportunity to work with a group of extremely talented  data scientists and analysts on fraud detection and modeling. 

How do you hold yourself accountable?
I am a goal-oriented person. I tend to plan ahead and have high expectations for myself. The cognitive dissonance would be too much for myself if I don’t meet my expectations.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this role since you started?
Beatdapp has grown a lot since I started, and so has the data science team. Striking the right balance between innovation and standardization has been a challenge in scaling our operation.

What life experiences have shaped your career?
It was a cold winter night in St. Louis, Missouri in the U.S., I was driving home on the highway after attending a party. Before I was aware of what was happening, a flat tire led me to lose control of my car. My car did a 270-degree spin on the highway, and for a moment I thought that was it for me. That near-collision experience taught me to pursue my dreams while I still can. Working in the music industry happens to be one of those dreams.

What is the proudest moment in your career so far? 
It was the moment when we found out that we signed a multi-year deal with a client. The reaction from everyone in the meeting room is a moment I will never forget.

What is your connection to the music industry? 
I am thankful that my parents really love music. My mother was a host at a popular music radio station in Taiwan, and my parents have been very supportive of my musical pursuits that didn’t align with my study or career goals at various points in time. Some of these “irresponsible” behavior in the eyes of the stereotypical East Asian parents include attempting a double-major degree in biology and music in undergrad (which sadly led to another change in majors a year later) and joining a band during my PhD studies.

What advice would you give to aspiring industry professionals?
Follow your passion, but also be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses. A career is like a marathon. Without passion, you might burn out and quit. Without proper training, you might fall behind and never finish the race. 

Keep up with Beatdapp!

About A2IM:
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of more than 700 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America’s creative class that represents America’s diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine identified the Independent music label sector as 37.32 percent of the music industry’s U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.

Learn more about A2IM here.
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