Mainland music snubbed by fans
- Source: Global Times
- [09:34 July 28 2010]
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Sammi Cheng at her Shanghai concert this month. Photo: IC
By Guo Song
Early next month, Taiwan pop star Show Luo will give a concert at Shanghai's Hongkou Soccer Stadium. It is one of scores of pop concerts in Shanghai.
This year, singers and groups from China and foreign countries have been adding to the profitable market for pop concerts in Shanghai. They have ranged from older generation stars like Sandy Lin from Hong Kong and the Backstreet Boys from the US, to the current idols like Jay Chou from Taiwan. Hong Kong's Sammi Cheng appeared at the Shanghai Grand Stage on July 19.
But in this cluttered calendar of entertainment it is strikingly difficult to find performances by stars from the Chinese mainland. Of the concerts already staged in the first half of the year, only one concert at the Culture Center of the Expo site on May 1 was delivered by a Chinese main-land singer - Song Zuying, the famous Chinese folk song singer who has also performed at the Golden Concert Hall in Vienna.
And this concert could not be considered as a purely Chinese mainland affair. The highlights included Song's performances with the worldfamous Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, pop icon Jay Chou and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
The one upcoming made-in-the-Chinese-mainland concert in the second half of 2010 will be the concert by Zhang Liangying, a young Chinese pop singer rising to prominence from the 2005 season of Super Girl, an American Idol-like Chinese television talent quest.
Singers or bands from the Chinese mainland are having a hard time competing with their counterparts from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries. And the preference shown by Shanghai's concertgoers does have reasons.
"For concert organizers, pop stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan are more likely to have better ticket sales," said Mu Qian, a Chinese columnist for the Financial Times.
For example, in November, Faye Wong, one of the most popular Chinese singing icons from Hong Kong, will give five concerts in Shanghai at the Expo Culture Center after putting her career on hold for nearly five years. Ticket prices for this concert range from 300 yuan ($44) to 2,500 yuan which is higher than most pop stars ask.
"It is quite expensive but I'll buy a ticket anyway because I don't know when she will give another live concert," said Gill Pan, a native Shanghai girl and a huge fan since she was in middle school.
Audiences never lack the passion and willingness to pay for a good concert. The problem is whether the performer is worth the price or not.
"Some stars misunderstand this and think that higher ticket prices for their concerts means they automatically have higher standards or qualities," said Tong Ningyu, manager of a Shanghai-based entertainment company.
"But not every artist has the power to ensure a good box office return," said Song Ke, the General Manager of the Taihe Rye Music Co., Ltd, the country's largest music production company.
A concert usually lasts for between one and two hours, so first a star or a band has to have enough works to fill the program.
"If a singer wants to be considered for a concert, he or she should at least have five very popular songs, and about 10 songs that are familiar to the audience," said Dai Fang, an experienced music critic.
The sad fact facing pop stars from the Chinese mainland is that they are short of songs, especially new songs.
