By Gordon Chu | September 29, 2009
I was 13 when I went to my first live concert. Despite the nose-bleed seats and the fact you needed binoculars to see the band, I was hooked and I never looked back. Last year I went to over 30 concerts ranging from independent bands playing at small clubs to the artists that drew 20,000 fans at vast open amphitheaters.
I don’t necessarily mind the endless lines, the overpriced concessions, or even the terrible ticket transaction fees – there’s still something to be said about seeing a live band over listening to a track on a CD. To me, music is an experience, and, like any other music fan, there is no close substitute than experiencing it ‘live’.
POP CULTURE HISTORY IN CHINA
Now, in China, the live music scene is still nascent. And I’m not talking about the folk singers or patriotic songs that every Chinese boy and girl knows. I’m talking about the ear-splitting and heart-thumping music that defines audience groups, shapes cultures, and marks eras in time. I’m talking about pop culture.
Let’s take rock n’ roll as an example. In the US, rock has been around since the 1950’s and still continues to rule the airwaves today. However, in China, rock has had a less than modest beginning with gaining any real substantial traction until 1985 when Cui Jian (arguably the godfather of Chinese rock) came on to the scene.
Embracing the lifestyle of rock n’ roll with the long hair, electric guitar, and leather pants – Cui Jian made more than just a statement in fashion and looks. He represented the ethos of rock n’ roll with the sense of freedom, rebellion, and voice of individualism. Note, none of these traits fared particularly well with the Chinese government at that time and rock n’ roll genre stayed relatively subdued under a regime of Western cultural oppression.
Take any other music genre and they all followed a similar fate. Pop, rap, hip hop, or punk – they’ve all arrived to China and found themselves playing to deaf ears. Society taught to shun these values and thus pop culture music never found the traction to build a home in China. Until now…
POP CULTURE IN CHINA TODAY
China has made huge strides in opening their ears to new music and embracing pop culture. Although piracy has made it even more difficult to make recorded music a viable business more so in China than in the US, the growth of all genres of western music is very much alive and thriving in China today.
Today, live music in China is paving way for the future and is quickly evolving to be one of the few silver linings of good news in the music industry. While sales of recorded music is almost non-existent in China, the area of live events is experiencing increasing growth.
Take the Midi Music Festival for example. The rock-inspired festival started in 2000 playing to a crowd of 2,000 people (all were given free tickets). Every year they continued to throw this festival despite operating at a loss as part of a revival of the music scene in China. In 2004, the festival promoters charged a ticket price for the first time. And by 2007, the festival turned a corner and made profit with over 800,000 in the audience.
Even Western acts are seeing the growing potential and are slowly finding their ways over to China. On August 15th, Linkin Park, one of the most popular rock bands in the US, made their inaugural performance at Yanshen Sports Stadium with overwhelming success. Thousands of fans filled the venue as Linkin Park made history for live music in China.
Big bands are not the only category who have cashed in on live events - even for smaller bands, concerts are reviving the urban culture. In Beijing, you would be hard-pressed to find a handful of 5-10 venues specific for live events in the 1990’s. Today, there are well over 15 venues that cater to over a thousand bands and artists who populate the Beijing arts scene today. Promoters, for the first time, are finally seeing a viable business to be had with music.
“BRANDS” IN CONCERT
So, why will live music work and thrive in the future for China? Simple. Live music works only because recorded music does not.
The Chinese culture will continue to flood the Internet with pirated music. The youth will continue to not value intellectual property and download illegal copies of the latest Coldplay or Jay-Z album. However, despite their endless ploys to ‘escape’ through music, they will never be able to replicate the experience of what live music can offer. Musicians and bands know this as they plan longer and more aggressive tour dates. And brands are quick to follow suit with this particular trend.
More than just the idea of promoting the arts, the live music scene is a good indication of the commercial opportunities that lie ahead. Especially in the US with music being such a crucial influence on the youth’s demographics, brands are using live events to promote and brand themselves with their target audience group.
I took special notice of Converse and their ‘Love Noise’ campaign over the last year. Converse made a huge push to align themselves with the independent / creative culture in China with this particular campaign. Rather than promoting and sponsoring more well-known established groups (i.e. Adidas and Linkin Park), Converse sponsored a five-city tour throughout China following two independent bands.
Although not a huge commercial success by short-term monetary value, the ‘Love Noise’ campaign was still a successful investment in marketing themselves to a growing and influential demographic. Whether the bands become hugely successful or not, Converse recognize music as an experience and was able to brand themselves with a sub-culture that will only grow as the China becomes more urbanized.
Live events are a direct and efficient way to reach a desired audience group. Not only is music one of the easier and direct ways for brands to align themselves with any one particular demographic, it also develops deeper roots and long-lasting association with their audience. Don’t believe me? Take a look at what Run DMC has done with Adidas shoes or how rock n’ roll has revolutionized the denim industry since Elvis Presley.
CONCLUSION
For China, music is now a mainstay in pop culture after generations of oppressed cultural exposure. Self-expression is the mantra of the Chinese youth market and music will continue to be an outlet of their identity. And as China’s economy grows, so will the commercial opportunities of the music industry (all arts for that matter) – live music first, other ancillary business to follow. Like Jay-Z once famously said, “I’m not a businessman… I’m a business, man.”
