Mapping China: Music - Trends & Partners: Booking Chinese Artists

An increasing number of Chinese bands is touring abroad. Often bookings go through personal connections, as specialized management and booking agencies are still lacking in the Chinese music industry. However a number of companies have specialized in facilitating these interactions.

Since music export is part of the goal of “Showcase Festivals and Industry Meetings” such as Sound of the Xity and Dong Dong (by Kaiguan), these events are willing to roll out the red carpet if you are a Western promotor with a serious interest in booking Chinese bands.

At these events you can scout bands, explore the state of the industry, and meet potential partners, including China-based “Music Companies” and “Club Tour Promotors & Consultants” that have helped Chinese bands perform internationally in the past. These include Modern Sky (with festivals in New York, Seattle and Helsinki, the latter in collaboration with Ears), Maybe Mars (for instance organizing China Nights at SXSW), New Noise (mostly post-rock) and Wu Promotions (mainly classical and traditional music).

Additionally, some relevant “Club Tour Promotors & Consultants” are based outside of China, including Miro China (China Drifting), China Music Dish and Earth Beat. The latter is a Dutch booking agency that signed the Mongolian-themed band Hanggai and helped them develop a career touring six continents.

Finally, Chinese bands may be eligible to financial support such as reimbursing travel expenses by the Ministry of Culture. For more information see the subsection “Music Industry Funding” in “State Policy”.

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