Music festival founder tunes into growing market as it plays catch up with West

Up until he was 15, music to Zhang Fan consisted of Chinese pop songs and revolutionary numbers that celebrated the birth of New China. Then one day, Zhang's father brought back several tapes of rock songs from Australia - and the world of music as he knew changed forever.

Zhang could not get enough of rock. He learned to play the guitar, wrote songs and formed his own band. That allowed him to become a star of sorts on campus, at a time when China was opening up and the younger generation grappled with multiple and changing cultures at home and abroad.

All these experiences continue to fuel Zhang's passion for the music. Now 45, he is the founder and organizer of what is considered the country's oldest and largest rock music festival.

Zhang says he is determined to spread the power of rock to more youngsters in China through platforms like his Midi Music Festival.

"Rock is not only an attitude, but also a lifestyle. The festival provides a place where all the young people can find the like-minded," Zhang says.

His festival started out in 2000 as a performance in the Beijing Midi School of Music, where Zhang served as dean since its founding in 1993. The event was so successful that it attracted thousands of rock fans from outside the school community.

Midi finally ventured outside of Beijing and expanded to Shanghai, Rizhao in Shandong province and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province. Audiences can number up to 20,000 people in a single day and many fans consider it the Woodstock of China.

"Wherever Midi is held, it will remain faithful to its rock roots. We won't play to different markets; instead we will educate them. All the young people share the same passion ... they want genuine artistic performances, and we are there to provide them," Zhang says.

The festival's theme this year was "PM 2.5", an important gauge of air pollution, which has become a serious public concern in China. The theme last year was "Love bear", a dig at bear bile producers. Previous themes include environmental protection and peace.

"We want to say out aloud what we support and what we oppose," Zhang says.

"Ten years later when you look at the themes of Midi, you will know what has happened to China over the decade."

Music festivals of all sorts have been flourishing in China over the past decade, looking to profit in the live music market as the record market began to shrink. More than 100 music festivals took place in China last year.

Considering the population and vast market in China, the industry expects to continue growing.

Britain, for example, hosts more than 500 music festivals annually while Germany has about 1,000.

But Zhang knows that many music festivals find it hard to stand out and do not last long. His Midi faces the same challenges.

"I was totally awe-struck the first time I went to a blues and rock music festival in Melbourne in 2002, where as many 40,000 people attended. Midi had only 5,000 attendees a day at that time," he says.

"The development of Western festivals like Woodstock set a very good example for us. We have learned a lot from them; for instance, safety management, stage setting and audience services."

To help address these concerns, Midi already collaborates with Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal music festival in Germany, exchanging bands with each other.

The event this year featured bands including the Ramones from the United States, Nasser from France, and the local Tongyang, Muma and Third Party acts.

Zhang's festival was not raking in any profits until 2007, seven years after its founding. Now, about 70 percent of its revenue comes from the box office and the rest comes from sponsors. While Midi is "wide open to possibilities", it insists on preserving the right to link itself to any commercial brand, Zhang says.

The fans who give Midi financial and spiritual support have helped keep it alive, he says.

Music festivals are still seen as fresh entertainment for most Chinese audiences, especially those who are young and eager to explore new areas, Zhang says.

"Many Westerns bands told me that Chinese audiences are the coolest in the world. Audiences in other countries may have grown tired of this form of music, but Chinese audiences have not. Once their passion is ignited, they are really amazing," he says.

Some fans of his festival do not have enough money for better means of transport, so they stand in trains for 24 hours just to make it to Beijing, Zhang says.

When Midi was held in Zhenjiang for the first time, some people walked from nearby Shanghai and Nanjing to Zhenjiang, carrying banners to show their support for the event.

"Midi does genuine music that never lets the fans down. Word of mouth is very powerful. A brand, especially a cultural brand, should stick to its own characteristics to build a firm foundation for audiences," Zhang says.

"We will stick to our own style in the face of competition. Competition is fine. But we should arrange the styles, the place and the time to differentiate us from others. Every festival has its own features and we should not judge our peers. Respect is primary. You have the right to like or dislike something, but you have to respect their right of existence," he says.

The formula seems to be working. After seeing tremendous success in Shanghai for the second time this year, he expects Midi to expand to more cities such as Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Shenyang, in five years. He also expects daily attendances for Midi to increase to 50,000 by that time.

"There are many college students in these places and they help form our main audience," Zhang says.

"These places have all reached a certain level in music appreciation and spending power."

sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/18/2012 page21)