Music Industry Insight: Traci Smith, Publicist

For our September Music Issue, we asked a selection of the city's music experts for their take on the current state of the 'scene' here in the capital. Their insight was adroit, humorous and controversial in equal measure. In this blog series we post the interviews in full. Next up, Traci Smith, publicist.

On the best acts of the last 12 months
Li Dong, Whai, Devils at the Crossroads.

On the development of the Beijing 'scene'
There has been a significant amount of cross pollination, with bands traveling out of China and better and better bands traveling in. The big names that have come this year, from around the world, has been amazing. The opportunities for Chinese bands abroad seems to be growing year to year.

On the future of 'the scene'
With all the back and forth, I expect to see the bands in China raising the bar as they learn about the music scene outside of China and bring that knowledge back home. I expect to see bands from other countries getting their feet wet in China as they learn about the market here. Hopefully there will be a broader range of interests across the board from metal to folk, giving a range of bands opportunities to find a way to make a living. I hope to see the audience in China broaden as folks here realize bands at home are internationally competitive. I expect to see this market begin to grow and hopefully challenge the stagnant domestic market, much as international competition has spurred growth in other industries, at least in terms of live shows, touring and festivals.

On current trends
The folk scene has been growing exponentially, including folk fusion. The experimentation with what it means to be a “Chinese” alt band has been gratifying to see after years and years of style-cloning.

On how Beijing stands up to other musical cities
Beijing is still the undisputed capital of alt music in China. The promoters, managers, venues and fans are here, at least in terms of the domestic market. Internationally, China as a whole lags very far behind in this market.

On the difficulty of getting recognition
I don’t think being signed or unsigned is a determining factor for recognition, but it does help. Having someone take the burden of promotion, recording costs and distribution off the shoulders of the bands frees up the artists to do what they do best - create.

But having said that, many domestic record companies fall far behind their international counterparts in terms of work while taking a larger cut of earnings than the international standard.

On the main obstacles for new bands
Money. Business skills. Dedication to practice and the production of new, well crafted music.

Money, because without it, how can bands rent practice space? How can they afford even basic equipment (effects pedals, perhaps computers, the chance to go to another town to play and expand their fan base).

Business skills, because someone has to find shows, do some kind of promotion, make sure expenses are accounted for, etc.

Dedication - if you don’t sound good, people won’t come back to your show - unless you’re a charismatic showman/woman, in which case sounding good can only help!

On current influences
I think influences today are more a mixture than in years past. The opportunity to hear music from anywhere in the world is explosive compared to the days of “cut out” tapes and CDs. You can listen to radio stations from anywhere, not to mention things like Sound Cloud.

Having said that, 10 years ago, a musician’s choices of Chinese influences was very narrow. Today what someone, in say, Wuhan or Chengdu, can hear is very broad, crossing a large number of genres. Getting to listen to that music is so much easier now with Douban and Weibo, Xiami, Yinyuetai, etc.

On how to get ahead in the industry
Practice, practice, practice. Think about your music, what you want it to sound like . Not just a copy but actually your band’s sound. Think about who your fans are. Spend time attending other people’s shows. Talk to everyone. Never give up.

On the best way for new bands to get a foot in the door
In the door? With the minimal wages a successful band makes? I’m not sure anyone in the alt music industry is yet living the high life. If they are succeeding at all, it’s thanks to their ties to the mainstream industry, and that takes incredible guanxi, relentless promotion and an unrelenting presence. You have to be there, and sound good every show, and meet a boatload of people. You have to figure out who is important in the place you want to be and not let anything stop you in finding those people. You have to politely and persistently woo them. You can’t take no for an answer, but you can’t pester people either. You have to be smart. You have to work very hard.

On pitfalls new bands should avoid
Going straight to a larger venue, like 2 Kolegas, before doing a few dry runs on empty nights at a smaller place. Play a few times, get your friends to come, figure out what goes down well and what doesn't. Change it up, do it again. After you’ve got it right, start asking for weekend nights. When you’ve got that right, move up to a larger venue.

Click here to see the September issue of the Beijinger in full.