Does the Chinese Electronic Music Market Still Matter to the World?
By an industry insider with label experience
The New Mike 2025/5/14
1. From Ascendancy to Fragmentation:
China’s EDM Boom and Bust
A decade ago, China appeared poised to become the next global electronic music superpower. With the meteoric rise of STORM Festival in 2013, Shanghai became a focal point for global EDM expansion. By 2017, China’s electronic music industry was estimated to be worth over 140 billion RMB, fueled by the explosive growth of festivals, increased access to DJ technology, and a rising tide of domestic producers like Chace, Panta.Q, and Carta.
However, beneath this rapid ascent were structural fractures. As highlighted by several market analyses (Zhongguo Dianyin Hangye Yanjiu Baogao 2024-2030), the industry was overly dependent on imported acts, lacked long-term artist development pipelines, and had minimal support infrastructure outside Tier-1 cities. Many festivals chased spectacle rather than cultivating community, and much of the scene remained top-heavy and capital-driven.
2. Streaming and Short Video: The Double-Edged Sword
The emergence of NetEase Cloud Music and Douyin (TikTok's Chinese counterpart) transformed music discovery in China. NetEase built underground radio partnerships (e.g., DI.FM) and supported curated playlisting, helping introduce global subgenres to Chinese listeners. Douyin, on the other hand, turned electronic hooks into viral memes, driving mass exposure through algorithm-fueled short-form loops.
While this brought unprecedented reach, it came at a cultural cost. As noted in industry reports by iMedia and insights from NetEase's 2023 platform strategy, short-form platforms fragmented music into functional soundbites. Full tracks were increasingly sidelined in favor of "hook-first" viral content. This shift diluted the depth of the electronic music experience and altered the listening habits of an entire generation.
3. The Rise and Fall of Festivals: A Structural Lesson
STORM Festival's fall mirrors the broader decline of China’s large-scale EDM events. Between 2016 and 2019, China hosted over 100 electronic music festivals annually, many backed by municipal governments or private capital. Creamfields, Ultra, and local editions of Electric Jungle surged in popularity.
Yet by 2020, the infrastructure collapsed. Regulatory restrictions, lack of localized curation, weak grassroots support, and over-saturation led to a sharp decline. Reports from PwC and Mixmag China attribute the fall to an over-reliance on imported formats and a failure to adapt to regional audiences. Post-COVID, few festivals fully returned. Unlike Europe’s organic rave ecosystems, China’s top-down festival model proved fragile and unsustainable.
4. The International Pullback: Changing Artist Economics
Amid the mainstream instability, underground electronic music scenes in cities like Chengdu, Beijing, and Shenzhen have matured. Venues like TAG, Zhao Dai, and OIL operate as community hubs. Labels such as SVBKVLT, Ran Music, and Prajnasonic push boundaries with experimental releases that defy genre, often infused with local themes, philosophy, or fieldwork.
Artists like Weng Weng and SHAO (who has released on Berlin’s Tresor) exemplify this wave. These scenes, while less commercially scalable, offer cultural resilience and global relevance. As documented by Mixmag, Bilibili documentaries, and cultural studies from China Intercontinental Press, this layer of the scene is China’s most stable and innovative contribution to global electronic culture.
6. China for Global Labels: Strategic Ambiguity
Does China still matter to international labels? The answer depends on perspective. On one hand, the sheer size of its digital-native population (over 800 million online users, with 600 million predicted to interact with electronic music by 2025) is tempting. Sync licensing with tech, film, and games, along with platform deals with NetEase or Tencent Music, offer real revenue streams.
On the other hand, uncertainties persist. IP enforcement remains inconsistent. Touring markets are limited to major cities. Censorship laws are unpredictable. But global labels that work through local A&Rs, invest in artist development, and build cross-border infrastructure may find lasting value. As cases like SVBKVLT’s Boiler Room collaborations or Ran Music’s EU partnerships show, success lies in cultural integration, not extraction.
7. Conclusion: Patience, Not Presence
China’s electronic music market is not dead. It is rebalancing. The gold rush era is over, but new ground is forming: one built on local creativity, digitally-native formats, and cross-cultural patience. The next phase of global engagement with China won't be about breaking into a market—it will be about co-building one.
As one Beijing-based promoter noted in a 2024 industry roundtable: "China doesn’t need more DJs flying in for 60-minute sets. It needs allies who understand the ground they're standing on."
In that sense, China still matters—perhaps more than ever, if you know how to listen.
