Major int'l acts booked for Pinggu
- Source: Global Times
- [09:08 April 01 2011]
- Comments
By James Tiscione
Pop punk princess Avril Lavigne was confirmed as the headliner of the first China Music Valley Festival, Pinggu district officials announced during a Wednesday press conference.
Also scheduled to appear during the two-day festival, held at Pinggu's Yuyang Ski Resort on April 30 and May 1, are poptronica diva Little Boots (UK), rocktress Juliette Lewis (US) and indie punk band Hot Hot Heat (Canada). Domestic artists will include legendary lady rocker Jiang Xin, Hong Kong rock trio F.I.R. and Taiwanese pop-singer Huang Xiao Hu.
Advance tickets are 200 yuan ($30.55) for one day, and 300 yuan for both.
The majority of the 17 acts scheduled are international artists, a result of the district's cooperation with Gehua Group, the promoters behind Bob Dylan's Beijing concert.
The festival is part of the district's plan to promote itself as a "music valley." Under Beijing's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), developments for the area include a slew of music venues, recording studios and a conservatory, according to district media spokesman Ma Mingyang.
With an estimated 20 million yuan investment, China Music Valley will go head-to-head with Beijing's well-established Midi and Strawberry festivals over the May holiday.
"They're getting on promoting it a little late, which worries me a bit," said Archie Hamilton, managing director of music promoter SplitWorks and owner of the industry blog ChinaMusicRadar. "Plus, I've never understood why everyone rushes for the May holidays. They'd fare better in October."
Located about 80 kilometers northeast of central Beijing, China Music Valley is a trek compared to Strawberry in Tongzhou (23 kilometers east) or Midi in Mentougou (about 30 kilometers west), and distance can be a deciding factor for Chinese consumers, explained Hamilton.
Media reports claimed the festival will dispatch over 100 buses to shuttle music fans to the festival site from "key points" in the city, but transportation details have yet to be confirmed, according to Ma.
"Pinggu is going to have to get between 30,000 and 40,000 people there to make it work," Hamilton said, adding that without corporate sponsors and based on precedent, the festival could lose money.
"It's not every day you get a lineup like that in China," said music fan Zhang Tiangang, 26.
"But since Mr Big is coming to Midi, I'm going to have to skip it," he added.
