Expanding Markets for Musicians

Surprisingly, a post titled "Between A Rock and a Hard Place" on Communication Breakdown recently detailed the emerging markets for U.S. musicians outside of the country. Specifically, it detailed the expansion of popular artists such as Avril Lavigne and Linkin Park into countries such as China. This is exemplified by sold out venues and concerts in the country by these artists as well as increased international sales. What is most interesting in this post is the link to the New York Times article "Western Pop Acts in China" which discusses the challanges and frustrations felt by Western music producers attempting to go abroad into countries such as China.

What works in China, however, can sometimes conflict with the larger goals of Western businesses. Linkin Park is among the biggest foreign bands in China, but its label, Warner Brothers, has not released its latest CD there. And despite recent tours by Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Chinese division of Universal has not released their records either. The labels say that piracy has made the effort futile. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group, estimates that 85 percent of the CDs sold in China are counterfeit. Leong Mayseey, the federation’s regional director for Asia, says the piracy rate for downloaded songs is close to 100 percent.

These first hand accounts of doing business in China display the need for increased criticism upon the Chinese government for intellectual property rights. This is a central need for any economy to attract foreign investment and the musicians demonstrate personally just how difficult selling their product in emerging economies still is.