Chinese Music Industry Leaders to Visit Berklee

From December 1-2, the annual Berklee China-U.S. Music Summit will bring together top executives and artists from China’s rapidly growing music market for a cross-cultural exchange of ideas with students and faculty at Berklee College of Music. This private event is presented by the Berklee Chinese Music Industry Club, led by current students Li Gao (president) and Saini Xie (vice president). The weekend will end with a concert at the Berklee Performance Center that will be open to the public.

More than a dozen senior executives from China’s leading companies will participate in panels that explore key differences and similarities between the Chinese and U.S. music industries, and identify new opportunities for collaboration. Topics will include differences in copyright laws, festivals, and touring, business models for record labels, new media and technology platforms, the rise of C-Pop, and more. Throughout the weekend, students will have the chance to network with industry professionals, and interview for internships and full-time jobs in China.

Speakers and panelists will include Rza Li, creative and production director of Sony/ATV Music Publishing China and founder of Nimbus Entertainment; Steven Fock, CEO of China Music World (Group) Limited; Linda Lee, manager for musician Tia Ray; Shan Hua, managing director of Sony/ATV Music Publishing China and EMI Music Publishing China; Alan Deng, director of Tencent Music Entertainment Group; Billy Koh, CEO of Amusic Rights Management; Shiwei Lu, music critic and entertainment journalist; Yang Wei, music director of Weibo; Lenny Wang, general manager of United Entertainment Group; and many more.

The event will conclude with a special concert at the Berklee Performance Center on December 2 at 7:30 p.m., featuring an array of Berklee musicians and Tia Ray, the Chinese soul-pop queen who will be announced as an honorary Berklee ambassador to China during the program. In a celebration that bridges the Chinese and American music industries, Ray and Berklee talent from different countries will perform Chinese and English songs spanning several genres, including soul, pop, R&B, funk, and jazz. The concert committee consists of recent Berklee alumni Jonathan Foo B.M. ’18 (director), Yang Qu B.M. ’17 (music director), and Walter Kwan B.M. ’18 and Eugene Sun B.M. ’18 (assistant music directors). Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, November 9.