Sound Of The Xity Day 1 Part 1

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As mentioned previously we had the pleasure of attending Sxity, which partnered with WOMEX to curate an amazing series of talks and panels. It was a long day one; lots of ground was covered with the theme of technology enabling new routes to market and socialised music consumption running through most panels. We’ll give a general run down of some of the highlights, and at a later date, try to expand on some of the key points, case studies and arguments.

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Breakthroughs and Developments in Chinese Traditional Media and New Media

We started the day drawing comparisons between the traditional and new media paradigms. Representing the new media corner we had Li Yu (李宇) General Manager of Tudou. In the traditional media corner we had Youdai Zhang (有待) Founder/DJ of New Music Mag and All That Jazz. Of course one of the first points raised was the bureaucracy surrounding traditional media, and how practices much alike payola in the west continue to undermine the content creators at broadcasters.

Another theme was how the prioritization of ROI over content quality has led to the increased imposition of advertising on original radio programming. What this all amounts to is a lack of trust. According to Youdai, listeners and creators believe traditional media are supporting their own best interests over the experience.

Li Yu talked much about how Tudou is leveraging the ‘fair and open’ Internet, and shared a number of upcoming projects with the audience, including a foray into MV (music video) creation for established South Korean talent. South Korea’s capacity for original content creation across the TV / film and music industries far exceeds that of China’s. Tudou sees many opportunities for engaging the impressive audiences that follow South Korean entertainment as a part of their lifestyles. This involves integrating elements of ‘self-media’ or personalized experiences that are built around user profiles, enabling self-curation and dissemination.

The key takeaways were that compelling content creation should drive programming, which should be accessible both across online and traditional channels. Accessibility and searchability are key. However, one of the major difficulties for most creators is that there is a fundamental lack of support – financial in particular – for generating said content. Content buy-outs often undervalue creators’ works, and yet depending exclusively on new media is a hard slog, as making new media profitable is an ongoing challenge for all players.

Glastonbury: A Case Study Of The World’s Largest Outdoor Festival

Malcolm Hayes – Promoter and Talent Buyer for the Silver Hayes zone of the festival – gave a run down of Glastonbury’s history, and the various initiatives being done to provide an amazing experience that doesn’t come at the cost of the environment. The major point of contrast for Glastonbury versus pretty much all of the outdoor festivals in China is that 1 – the festival is steeped in history to the point that it represents an entire lifestyle and ethos and 2 – the festival doesn’t indulge in any major sponsorships with brands. It is a brand-free endeavor for the most part. Of course China’s festival need to take baby steps to reach the scale and success of Glastonbury, but is the continued subsidy of festivals by brands going to cost the live sector in the long run? In the short term the bills get paid, but if viability is dependent entirely on attracting the right brand sponsor, then there is an obvious power differential. Having said this, brands that understand a festival’s ethos can take calculated steps which enhance live experiences. They can follow festival narratives whilst activating the brand in subtle ways.

That’s it for now as we digest what we’ve learnt. Look out for further posts on the conference!

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