BEIJING (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Association of Independent Music and the UK government body UK Trade and Investment opened a music services office in Beijing to help British musicians crack the lucrative music market in China.
The office will offer advice to independent labels and artists on how to make contacts within the country.
The Chinese CD and DVD market is worth approximately $200 million per year, but also has a massive problem with piracy and an international market for mass produced illegal music and video products.
The Beijing office will be run by Stuart Watson, the former head of Zomba Records.
The primary aim of the office will be a first point of contact for music companies wanting to break into the Chinese market. In conjunction with Chinese music marketing consultancy SWAT, it will be able to arrange contacts with key local figures in the industry.
Minister for Trade Ian Pearson said: “The British music industry’s huge talent must compete on the international stage and there is no market growing faster than China.
“The British music industry already employs 130,000 people and earns well over a billion pounds in exports; a mere taste of what it can achieve with the right help in a fast changing global economy.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
