CHINA // INDUSTRY NEWS
// EDITOR’S NOTE
I’m not going to talk about the TikTok ban.
// STATE-SPONSORED RECORD SHOPPING
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in China last week on an official visit, and made an important stop – Li-Pi Records in Beijing. I’ve been there, this shop is great, but a few points of interest here. Record (vinyl) sales are most definitely on the rise in China (as in the rest of the world), but so is scrutiny of those shops. Printed records require a separate license than normal music distribution in China, and imported records (China gets a lot of imports from Japan) have to be properly claimed. There was a massive fine handed down last year for a shop that had illegally imported records, and even local buyers have a pretty strict limit on the number they can order at one time. This makes selling vinyl in China difficult for international artists, but for those that have socials here, doing a few vinyl giveaways are a fun and effective way to drive some engagement around a release. As far as the secretary goes, did my tax dollars just buy that Dou Wei LP? I hope so.
[Album is linked in this month’s listening section below]
@SecBlinken on X // As I wrapped up my trip to China
@京视频 on Weibo // Beijing customs seized 793 smuggled vinyl records
// MARTIN GARRIX x HUANG ZITAO
Some silly drama here that I don’t really want to cover, but feel that I need to as it made local and national [music] news. Martin Garrix and Chinese singer Huang Zitao have a tune coming out together, as Martin was in Shanghai last week for F1, the organizers planned for the two of them to perform the song together, except they forgot to tell Martin. Or, he just wanted to insult the people of China, depending on your read on the situation. Some angry words and apologies were thrown around, posts were made and deleted, the festival said it was all their fault, and we are moving on. If you only click one link in this newsletter, it should be the Dexter King Animals flip below.
We Rave You // Martin Garrix involved in a confusing controversy during his show in China
Dexter King // Animals ft. Zitao (DEXTER KING Edit)
// FESTIVAL TICKET PRICE CONFUSION IN CHINA
I’ve written a lot in recent newsletters about the live music sector in China this year, positively and negatively, but some troubles appear to be piling up for several festivals scheduled during the upcoming May holiday this weekend.
Some [translated] words from my colleague Ace on the situation: “Following the implementation of a series of new regulations on performances, local governments have gradually begun to suspend subsidies for music festivals. This shift has dealt a significant blow to many homogenized music festivals, which typically feature similar line-ups and stage designs. Previously, these music festivals could continue with government support despite poor ticket sales. However, with tightening government budgets, festival organizers now face direct financial pressures from potential box office losses. This has led to the cancellation or discounting of tickets for over a dozen music festivals scheduled for the upcoming May 1st holiday.”
For some further reading, I’m linking a great post by Eric of MusicDish China on some ticket pricing madness, second [in Chinese] is a blog post from a music fans on how to get major festival tickets at a massive discount by waiting until the last minute. Also a bonus piece from Radii about scalpers in China.
In my opinion, it’s not all bad news, or at least I don’t believe this will be a permanent issue. As a convoluted example of how this all plays out is Fall Out Boy’s sales for their three China shows. They are massive in China, and the tickets for Shanghai are at six different price points between $50 and $220. Every few weeks an additional 500 tickets were made available at the cheapest price, while the more expensive ones were selling out along the way. Tickets are completely non-transferrable. Note also that electronic music festivals STORM and VAC are each hosting their second events of the last few months this weekend, and appear to be full steam ahead.
Eric de Fontenay on LinkedIn // Ticket pricing in China is simultaneously exploding and imploding
滚圈刚刚 on RED // Discounts and price reductions for music festivals
Radii // China’s Live Music Industry is Booming, But Has a Major Ticket Scalping Problem
// CHENGDU DISNEY
In another ‘too fun not to share’ story, I’m bringing you Chengdu Disney. No, it’s not a theme park, it’s just a completely normal apartment complex in Chengdu where a music video to a diss track was filmed. The chorus, “Wo yao diss ni” or “I will diss you” sounds like the word “Disney” in English, and fans of the rapper began showing up in droves to this random location to film their own ‘disses’, wearing Disney costumes or clothing. The song isn’t bad, but I would be pretty annoyed if I lived there, as videos from a few weeks ago showed lines around the block.
What’s On Weibo // Chengdu Disney – The Quirkiest Hotspot in China
SPOTLIGHT // CHINESE MUSIC
This section highlights local Chinese artists, DJs, and labels.
// DOU WEI – BLACK DREAM
This is the album purchased by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, described above. From the Rock In China wiki “Among Chinese rock scene, the innovative artist Dou Wei is like a profound mental meditator. Self-indulgent, a little narcissistic, he harbors such poetic and delicate virtues, and he has an insightful perception in human nature, the essence of life, and sentiment. Dou Wei’s talent in music is unreservedly and unpremeditatedly incarnated in his music aesthetics.”
