Taking Chinese music to the world

Beijing's Modern Sky Festival hosted its second US edition at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield in 2015. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

Recently, Shen announced the launch of Modern Sky UK in Liverpool in collaboration with David Pichilingi, who has over 25 years experience in the international music business and is the founder of Sound City, an annual music festival and industry conference in Liverpool, which has been held since 2008.

The UK venture is the second overseas office of Modern Sky. In 2006, the label opened its first overseas office in New York.

"Though the record business is facing a decline now, we want to run the UK operation like what we did with Modern Sky in the beginning, such as signing bands, releasing albums and launching tours as well as music festivals," says Shen, 49.

As of now, Modern Sky UK has signed four UK bands, Catholic Action, which was founded by four young men from Glasgow in 2014; English singer-songwriter Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott; a five-piece band Fuss and Violet Youth, which has four young men from Blackburn.

Even before launching its overseas offices, Modern Sky had started signing foreign bands and musicians, such as Australian singer-songwriter Lenka Kripac, who is known for her songs Trouble Is A Friend and The Show.

After performing at the Modern Sky Music Festival in Beijing and the Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai, in 2011 and 2013, respectively, Kripac signed a contract with Modern Sky and launched her first tour of China in 2014.

Meanwhile, from May 25 to 28, Modern Sky will collaborate with Sound City to present a music festival in Liverpool, which will see performances by the four UK bands signed by Modern Sky.

Speaking about the festival, Shen says: "Liverpool is the birthplace of the music that influenced my growing years. Liverpool Sound City is a hugely interesting and very diverse music festival. So, going in partnership with Sound City is a great first step for Modern Sky venturing overseas. Pichilingi has a great deal of experience and we can learn a lot from him and his team.

"We are very lucky to become Sound City's strategic partner. We also believe that Sound City will be a new platform to open the European market up for Chinese music talents."