UPDATE:
So what was the big announcement made by Modern Sky last night? Well, for those of us expecting something genuinely groundbreaking, it was a little disappointing. As of last night, Modern Sky will be “integrating deeply” with the Beijing based label/ promoter/ artist management company Robust Husband (荔芙娱乐), otherwise known as Lao Xu’s stable of artists. Since Robust wasn’t really a record label, this seems like a pretty good strategic fit. All Robust bands (Omnipotent Youth Hotel, Brain Failure, Steely Heart, Candy Monster, White Eyes and Go Chic) will now be Modern Sky bands.
Although Modern Sky’s PR guy was at great pains to point out that this wasn’t a merger or monopoly, it certainly seems that Modern Sky will now control a lot of China’s indie music talent. Great for their festivals, not so good for anyone else’s. Still, there really isn’t a great deal of choice if you are an indie band in China looking for a label – Modern Sky, Maybe Mars, 13th Month…
Modern Sky is 13. They are having an anniversary party tonight in Beijing with the great and the good of the Beijing music scene. There are rumors going around that MS boss Shen Lihui will make a big announcement at the party.
Anyone care to guess what the announcement might be?