Rapper Li Daben (right) performs with Li Jian, leading vocalist and songwriter of rock band The Big Wave in Beijing on Nov 25. [Photo provided to China Daily]
From small beginnings, Beijing record company has established a global presence as it looks to branch out and promote various forms of music.
In 1997, when Shen Lihui, the former lead vocalist of rock band, Sober, founded a music company, he hoped to use it as a way to distribute the music of his friends and his own band.
More than two decades later, the company, Modern Sky, has blossomed into an international label with hundreds of staff members, and is home to over 300 artists and bands. It has offices in New York, London and Berlin, besides its headquarters in Beijing.
"It started real small, almost like a hobby," says Shen. "The priority of launching the music company was to enjoy what we did and have fun. It's never about making a business. It has never changed for the company during the past 23 years. I couldn't help wondering about what Modern Sky means to others."
Last year, when the company underwent its annual team building activity by traveling to Osaka, Japan, Shen, along with some core members, started to consider the question: what was the company's mission? The answer he received was varied and the result was put on hold.
Early this year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which forced Modern Sky to cancel all of its performances in the first half of 2020, including 50 outdoor music festivals. Like many companies, Modern Sky launched online programs. From February to May, over 30 online shows were held, which gathered 270 musicians and bands and attracted over 42 million people. During the past three months, the company has held nine outdoor music festivals across the country, which had 160,000 people attended.
Shen Lihui, founder of Modern Sky. [Photo provided to China Daily]
"We need music in any circumstances. We want to keep people lighthearted, either they enjoy music outdoor or are confined to their apartments," says Shen. "We are proud that Modern Sky has made it. We've been offering people, especially the young generation, creative and good music."
Soon, he got his answer about the mission of his company: "ode to life". It was announced during the recent public event held by Modern Sky in Beijing, reviewing what the company did in 2020 and revealing its plans in 2021.
"We had a rude awakening to the reality of the coronavirus pandemic when our shows scheduled to be held early this year were canceled. Just in four days, we decided and organized the first online program," recalls Zhang Chongshuo, vice-president of Modern Sky. Soon, the company came out with plans to stage online shows by selling tickets, which guaranteed that musicians could have an income during the crisis.
"We tried to figure out how to make the best of it. The good thing is that fans loved the online programs, either singer-songwriters performing from their bedrooms or bands playing intimate acoustic version of their hits. The artists seemed to build up a special connection with their fans during the viral outbreak," says Zhang. "It inspired us to reconsider about what we do with music and what the company will do."
The growth of Modern Sky coincided with the blossom of the country's live house venues and bands, says Shen. One of the company's major products, the Strawberry Music Festival, which was born in 2010 in Beijing, has been held in 29 Chinese cities, and attracted over 6 million people. Most, 86 percent, of them are people born after 1990.
Shen announced that the theme for 2021 Strawberry Music Festival is "Re", which refers to the recovery and restart of the world after the coronavirus pandemic.
