We’ve just discovered an article by Jonathan Campbell that draws upon a wealth of personal experience to not only highlight how China’s independent music industry has developed, but also to convey the difficulties in breaking Chinese bands to an international crowd.
Through the story of Sichuan band Baishui’s (白水) unlikely debut in Texas, we get a glimpse of some of the challenges they faced in breaking away from the labels and assumptions associated with being a Chinese act. Chinese bands didn’t become a regular SXSW feature until 2010. Though the festival is opening up to Chinese acts and offering an increasing number of showcasing opportunities for East-Asian artists, the focus of panels has been rather one-sided. “How can we get our acts out there to the un-tapped masses” has been the focus for international business development, and this thinking has pervaded many of the initiatives we’ve seen this year on the live circuit. Furthermore it has been difficult to convince Chinese industry folks to make the trip to SXSW (this may well change soon given the right incentives says Campbell).
But back to the example of Baishui, one of the most powerful comments they make is in relation to credibility. In Campbell’s words, Baishui has packed music clubs from Guangzhou to Beijing and sold albums as fast as they can be pressed. Those sales – plus paid downloads via iTunes, Bandcamp, and other sites – have provided plenty to live on and established a career for the act. Internationally the band wants recognition for sharing with the world ‘Baishui music’: for being a band that strives to create and perform great songs, and not recognition that’s based purely on the novelty of being Chinese.
Read the original here, it’s well worth it.