Do Chinese youth like indie music?

[aristotle1990]

Unfortunately, although there is a good deal of decent alternative rock music in China, the overwhelming majority of Chinese young people neither listen to it nor even know that it exists. Music preferences are simply different, and you'll just have to get used to that*. It's revealing that there are so many websites about Chinese rock in English (or Japanese) -- alternative rock in China remains a curiosity supported in large part by Westerners. Just look at Chinese people's tastes in Western music -- Backstreet Boys, Justin Bieber, Westlife, etc...

The closest you can get to rock that's fairly mainstream is 许巍, who is actually quite good.

Oh, and of course, forget about finding acts like Björk or 3OH!3. If alternative rock is hard to find in China, alternative electronica is...even harder to find.

*I'm afraid that this calls for a week-long course of listening to nothing but 凤凰创奇.

[gougou]

10, who while made up of one Japanese and one Korean member, were based in Beijing until they ran into visa trouble, and could be compared to Bjork.

I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for when you mean alternative electronica, but have you checked out Shanshui records? For more experimental stuff, check out the stuff Yan Jun promotes. He used to have regular showcases at 2 Kolegas, but those seem to be over - now he organizes concerts at UCCA every once in a while.

[zening]

If the melody is to my taste, maybe I'll have try indie music.

[aristotle1990]

Thanks for the tip, gougou -- I like what I'm hearing. I was looking for something more lyrical, though, more like electropop (try

and

).

[xiaocai]

But what exactly is "indie music"?

[SiMaKe]

But what exactly is "indie music"?

Here's a description from Wikipedia: ["]http://en.wikipedia....ependent_music]

"In popular music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie", is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing.

Independent labels have been known to strive for minimal influence on the artist they represent, avoiding the artist-cultivating behavior of many major labels.”

[gato]

In terms of musical style (as opposed to business), indie music = alternative music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_music

"Alternative rock" is essentially an umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wake of punk rock since the mid-1980s.[11] Throughout much of its history, alternative rock has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of mainstream culture. Alternative bands during the 1980s generally played in small clubs, recorded for indie labels, and spread their popularity through word of mouth.[12]

As such, there is no set musical style for alternative rock as a whole, although The New York Times in 1989 asserted that the genre is "guitar music first of all, with guitars that blast out power chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzztone and squeal in feedback."[13] Sounds range from the dirty guitars of grunge to the gloomy soundscapes of gothic rock to the guitar pop revivalism of Britpop to the shambolic performance style of twee pop.

More often than in other rock styles, alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism.[12] This approach to lyrics developed as a reflection of the social and economic strains in the United States and United Kingdom of the 1980s and early 1990s.[14]

Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as grunge, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop. These genres are unified by their collective debt to the style and/or ethos of punk rock, which laid the groundwork for alternative music in the 1970s.[1] At times alternative rock has been used as a catch-all phrase for rock music from underground artists in the 1980s, and all music descended from punk rock (including punk itself, New Wave, and post-punk).

While a few artists like R.E.M. and The Cure achieved commercial success and mainstream critical recognition, many alternative rock artists during the 1980s were cult acts that recorded on independent labels and received their exposure through college radio airplay and word-of-mouth. With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became commercially successful.

[xiaocai]

So can I say that they are "less popular" music with a stronger favour to guitar music? Well I've only heard of the relatively more famous ones. I saw a lot people mention Björk, so she is consider as an "indie musician"? But I don't seem to be able to put her name and Sonic Youth and Nick Cave and The Cure and even La Roux or whatever you all have mentioned which I do not know together coz they sound very different from each other to me...

That being said, I think probably it is just that I don't really know their music well. I didn't grew up listening to modern western music and have no understanding of even the basic instrumentation. Sometimes people may comment that "the guitar part is good" or "the drummer is good", but I can't tell much, at all. Also I will be very lost if anyone discusses "the spirit of rock" with me... I listen in a more passive way without doing much research, so that's probably why I have never heard of the names of the Chinese underground rock bands. And I think majority of Chinese youth are like me on this matter.

I don't think there is anything wrong listening to Britney Spears or Justin Bieber though, as long as you like it. There must be a reason why they are so popular. I don't need to say anything if I don't like it, coz different people have different taste, and especially for what kind of music is good, which most of the time is a subjective matter. I listen to 周杰伦 but also 戸川純, as long as it sounds good to me.

Well I don't think I can represent anyone else anyway, and I agree with what msittig has said. But I don't want 永生, so I don't 信春哥,

[renzhe]

So can I say that they are "less popular" music with a stronger favour to guitar music?

Not necessarily less popular.

Alternative music is music that is different from the music that dominates the media. Much of the music today is produced by corporations like a product, and sold like a toaster or a bicycle. It is composed for specific market segments based on a marketing strategy and pie chart diagrams and tends to sound bland to many people because of this.

Indie/alternative music is primarily rock-influenced music which is created outside of the influence of the major record labels, often published by smaller record labels who allow more creative control. Much of the music is written just to express what the band are feeling. Because of this, many bands that are considered "indie" or "alternative" sound very different from each other. Some of them have become really popular doing that, like R.E.M. and The Cure. Others play to a small devoted fan base and never make money.

[gato]

Looking at the US radio top 40 list from 1980 to today, it does seem that "alternative music" has become much less popular in recent years. I'm surprised that Blondie and Pink Floyd making number 1 and 2 on the top 40 in 1980. Both would be considered in the "alternative" style of music today.

http://www.famousinterview.ca/top_40.htm

[gougou]

I don't think there is anything wrong listening to Britney Spears or Justin Bieber though, as long as you like it. There must be a reason why they are so popular.

Yes. That reason is marketing.

See also this very interesting article by You Are Not So Smart.

[aristotle1990]

Yes. That reason is marketing.

No, the reason is a combination of innate song quality and random (or at least unpredictable) social fluctuations.

[gougou]

The social fluctuations may be unpredictable, but that doesn't mean they cannot be influenced. That's were marketing comes into play.

[Simon_CH]

To me, music taste has a lot to do with refinement. I doubt anyone who actively listens or plays music will ever end up listening to Britney Spears, just as no chef would ever declare a Bic Mac to be the best food ever. You may, however, in a moment of guilty pleasure listen to Britney Spears and eat a Big Mac, just make sure you're drunk and don't tell anyone.

I will be excited to see what the music scene in China is like, will try to make it to a festival too.

Disclaimer: not to be taken too seriously please.

[xiaocai]

Yes. That reason is marketing.

Which I think also plays an important role in the success of many independent musicians.

[xiaocai]

Not everyone wants to be a chef. I love my fried noodles even that I know it will never be the best food ever. And I would not feel ashamed eating it in front of others while I'm still sober.

[gato]

Music is about emotion. Different people like different music because they have different emotional needs.

[miss_China_so_much]

Well, I'd consider anything that is less cheesy, non-"main melody"(主旋律,纯中国特色，哈) and not purely Chinese folksong-like "inde" in China.

Rock&Roll is never mainstream in China, neither punk or heavy metal. Only for a brief period in the first half of 1990s it saw a good number of talented musicians bringing different voices into Chinese music landscape. I'd call it a part of the post-8*8 (forgive me that I don't want to cause any problem for this website) phenomenon.

[Simon_CH]

Hi miss-china

I heard the same from a friend in China who loves rock music. There seems to have been a time where it was rather popular, but now the interest is fading again.

@xiaocai: Good response. I agree, it's not always the fanciest stuff you have to listen to (or eat...;) But in general I still think you like

the more sophisticated stuff if you know a little bit about music (or food).

[gato]

This classic article is worth reading on the government's effort to shape musical taste in China.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/world/asia/25shanghai.html

The Sound, Not of Music, but of Control

By HOWARD W. FRENCH

Published: October 25, 2007

Zhang Zhuyi, an official of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said he doubted that a radio station dedicated to rock 'n' roll would be allowed in China.

"New radio stations need approval, and regulators would consider whether the content fits with social trends and national policy," Mr. Zhang said.