1996–2011：Forward Music Era—The Peak of Taiwan’s Popular Music and Its Transformation Period
In 2001, the global record industry was suffering badly due to piracy. Records were being copied, P2P websites allowed free downloads, and CD burning had become commonplace. Taiwan’s popular music industry also felt the effects of piracy. The market value of the mainstream music industry collapsed, causing earth-shaking changes to the industry. The appearance of streaming platforms, video-sharing platforms, iTunes, and even the small-amount payment method for telephone ring tones altered the profit model long followed by composers.
As popular music in Taiwan faced transformation, Chen did not halt in his musical journey. He continued creating moving songs and proactively cultivating talents in the music scene. In 2006, he was invited to serve as the first President of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music of the Shanghai Film Art Academy. In 2003, he was awarded the Golden Melody Award for Best Arrangement for the song “Taste of Time.” His brilliant composition also won him the 19th Golden Melody Special Contribution Award in 2008. He officially became a triple-gold composer.
Chen was instrumental at the peak of Taiwan’s Chinese popular music. In 2004, he discovered he had developed colorectal cancer, and his long battle with the disease began. He finally succumbed to it after seven years, on March 16, 2011, at the age of 61. Throughout his life, he stood firmly at his post. From his first steps in the industry to his death, he contributed his talents to writing the music for over 300 songs and arranging over 10,000, accompanying numerous Taiwanese audiences through musical eras spanning over three decades.
