NetEase Cloud Music Holds China's First Indie Music Artists Ceremony, Helping China's Independent Music Head Toward Mass Market

BEIJING, Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 17, China's streaming music platform NetEase Cloud Music held the 2017 NetEase Cloud Music Original Artists Ceremony in Beijing. As China's first ceremony for independent artists, this ceremony has great symbolic importance towards the transformation of China's independent music from niche market to mass market. As independent music is booming globally today, NetEase Cloud Music also helps to push its development, not only opening a bigger market for independent artists locally, but also exporting Chinese independent music to the international market.

Currently, the market size and share of independent music in global markets is increasing at a fast pace, and it is becoming a genre comparable to mainstream music. According to statistics from the Worldwide Independent Network, independent labels earned USD 6bn in 2016, making up 38.4% of the global recorded music market. China's independent music is also heading towards mass market. During an interview at the ceremony, Chen Hongyu, founder of the Chinese independent music label Zhongyueji, said that China's independent music markets have changed greatly over the last two years. He felt that market acceptance of independent musicians was increasing.

According to the "Report on the current state of Chinese independent artists" published by NetEase Cloud Music in 2016, the most influential factor for these independent artists' development they paid most attention is exposure opportunity. This event provides these artists a centralized exposure opportunity with great symbolic significance. Over 20 independent artists and music groups are invited to the ceremony, gathering the better half of all famous independent artists in China, including Pu Shu, highly influential Musician in China, and Wan Xiaoli, a famous Chinese folk artist.

NetEaseCloud Music, China's largest independent artists platform, has 400 million users, and over 50,000 independent artists settle in. Vice President Mr. Ding Bo said that they would not only continue promoting their plan to support independent artists, but also focus their functional resources towards independent artists. Meanwhile, NetEase Cloud Music will focus on allowing artists to find wider space for development in different regional markets. Also, promoting overseas music from Europe, America, and Japan in China has always been one of its strengths.

For example, in November 2017, NetEase Cloud Music commenced strategic cooperation with Asia's leading digital music service brand KKBOX, of which one important part will be to promote the dissemination of high-quality original music in the Asia region. Last month, NetEase Cloud Music commenced a partnership with leading music services company Kobalt Music for strategic cooperation and distribution in mainland China. Kobalt believed that NetEase Cloud Music users were characterized by appreciating different music styles around the world.

Starting from events like this ceremony, NetEase Cloud Music will play an increasingly important role in the Chinese independent music market, and also continuously strengthen the links between Chinese and global independent music markets.