Conclusions

1)

Like in other culture industries, collaborations and exchanges do not always take place, or need to take place, through official channels. It is often the determination and perseverance of individuals that determines whether a cultural event actually happens or not. Organizing concerts, especially for international artists remains a time-consuming task in the processes involved and in the execution of events. It is therefore essential to have a local partner (Chinese or Western) based in China for logistic and promotional support and sponsors to cover basic expenses.

2)

Corporate and private collaborations within the music business have seen the emergence of more diverse forms of creative expression, a growing number of pop festivals and sponsored events. Corporate sponsorship (notably Chivas, Absolut, Ricard and Bacardi) are actively investing in night events and dance music. Clubs and discos can afford to book international DJ’s because they have been able to find and seal short and long term sponsorship deals. Motorola, Nike and L’Oreal are other examples of corporate sponsors and investors in major music events.

3)

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) remains a huge problem in China. Piracy and copyright issues are a real concern and creative people often don’t get any royalties. Ed Peto, a Beijing-based promoter, music consultant and journalist writes that the music pirates still rule the seas and that “[y]our average western band, therefore, does not sound totally alien, it’s just that no one is willing to spend money promoting an international (and therefore niche) act when 90 per cent of CDs are counterfeit and an even higher percent of online music is pinched.” Despite the rampant piracy, others commentators on IPR issues in the music business like Kaiser Kuo, have argued that the phenomenon has not been entirely detrimental. "The great boom in the Chinese film industry, the explosion of rock music talent coming out of Beijing and other Chinese cities, even much of mainland China's Internet revolution--all this has in large part been made possible by the piracy phenomenon. Piracy has provided an inexhaustible source of inspiration for musicians and filmmakers, raising the bar significantly for them, and created larger and more discerning audiences."