Arena Market: China
After a three-year wait as the country dealt with the pandemic’s wide-ranging effects, China bid farewell to its “zero Covid” policy by reopening its borders last year. During that time, domestic pop and rock artists took advantage, dominating the live music scene in various venues and livehouses.
However, given audiences’ increasing interest in western music, there is plenty of opportunity for overseas acts to make their way back to performing in the country despite the strict criteria on lyrics, tattoos, and artists’ backgrounds – which range from political affiliations to merchandise designs.
“It’s quite difficult to promote certain genres to the general audience in order to drive them into attending gigs,” says Lesley Chang, market expert and head of Creative China– a consulting firm that specialises in working with companies in the music industry. “So, even for some of the professionals who work in music, they get the impression that something like jazz is a niche genre for the minority.”
Given that China only opened its doors to the world around “30…
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