One of the hopes we raised in our recent review of aspirations for the future of the Chinese music industry was that Chinese artists would increasingly be able to tour the world as “artists”, not “Chinese artists”. Well, The New York Times has just published news that Modern Sky will be debuting their very own Modern Sky Festival in October.
Rumsey Playfield in Central Park will host two days of concerts featuring Liars, Blood Brothers, Re-TROS, Cat Power, Second Hand Rose and Queen Sea Big Shark amongst others.
This is surely a big move for Modern Sky, and represents a major stride forward for China’s music industry, which is steadily finding its place within the international cultural industries. Domestic Chinese artists who typically have to leverage foreign platforms such as SXSW to gain exposure could finally have a reliable foothold from which to launch into the U.S. and other international markets – of course provided they’re able and willing to team up with Modern Sky.