With five days still to go before the kick off of transmitCHINA, opportunities are already being realized for attending artists and professionals, organizers say. “It’s interesting that Chinese promoters in Beijing and Shanghai are already making moves with some of our showcasing artists,” says transmitCHINA producer Tyl van Toorn. “Additional tour dates and media opportunities are coming in very quickly. This is very indicative of how we saw Chinese industry professionals respond to prospects we created last year.”
Meetings and showcases are taking place in Beijing, the epicentre of China’s hot new alternative music scene, between April 28 – May 1. The conference consists of three days of presentations, meetings, receptions, dinners and showcases. The Canadian delegation will have the opportunity to develop relationships with over seventy-five of China’s most important players in the live and recorded music sectors.
Key topics of discussion will cover everything from the future monetization of recorded content to the ongoing opportunities and challenges of a mainland touring market. “Last year the topics really served as an introduction,” says van Toorn. “This year, I think participants will find that there will be a significantly greater engagement on newsworthy topics such as the new Google/top100.com venture and what this means for existing online music services.” In addition to the conference, many of the delegates will be joining five showcasing artists who will be part of a tour that touches down in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhenjiang and Shenzhen. “What better, real-time experience on working in China, is there then for us to offer delegates the opportunity to actually be ‘on the road’ with artists,” says MD and Artistic Producer for Fan Tan Group, Tracy Summers, who is overseeing all the aspects of the transmitLIVE Tour.
An equally important aspect of the tour is the opportunity for artists to showcase in more regional settings. “We think this is important for the artists and their respective management teams,” says Summers. “They get a chance to work directly with the venues and promoters we are partnered with on this venture.” The scope of the program takes artists in a minimum of four different cities, three of which are endowed with a population of over 12 million.
As a result artists are already getting opportunities to play in other venues and other cities. Franz Schuller of Indica Records has already been contacted for other dates directly with promoters in China. ‘Even though we’ve only been confirmed at transmitCHINA for less than a week, we just got word that Final Flash have been invited to play a second Beijing gig, April 30th at 2 kolegas, with a killer line-up of Chinese rock bands – we’re totally stoked!” says Schuller.
The showcasing is not the only thing happening for the artists attending. Promotional partner and Chinese online music store www.wa3.cn have cut deals with all attending artists and many of the attending labels to promote Canadian content. Media on both sides of the ocean are very present at this year’s event. The coverage includes a four person crew from MuchMusic, sent to shoot the event and cover the Canadian artists that are participating. Chinese media have been calling around the clock for artist interviews.
Although we are only days from the launch of the 2009 edition of transmitCHINA, plans are already underway for 2010. “A big part of this year was about planning next year and beyond,” says van Toorn. “The objective of transmitCHINA was to put thoughts into action to ensure that the initiative was more than just talking.” Plans for next year and beyond include a much bigger footprint with more cities involved.
For more information go to www.transmitchina.com/ www.transmit-LIVE.com
