This year marks the 20th anniversary of Music China, which will be held from October 13 – 16 2021 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. With an exhibition space of 115,000 sqm spreading across 10 halls, Music China is gathering momentum as it steps towards its major milestone, with a large contingent of leading brands already confirmed to exhibit at the anniversary edition.
Over the last two decades, the show has developed from a humble event with 274 exhibitors into what is today one of the world’s largest trade fairs for musical instruments, reflecting the show’s strong commitment in delivering an effective platform for exhibitors and visitors to extend their reach locally and internationally.
Ms Judy Cheung, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, is proud to see how Music China has expanded in importance and in size over the years, commenting: “Since its launch in 2002, Music China has grown from strength to strength, and has quickly established itself as a renowned trade platform within the musical instrument industry, confirming the show’s overall strength in generating meaningful business results for both local and overseas industry players, as well as providing an ideal destination for brand building, education and networking. Music China offers a unique platform which is indispensable and irreplaceable.”
To help participants seize every possible business opportunity, this year’s Music China has added a “recording and studio equipment” category to enhance its product profile and open doors in the live streaming market, which has soared in popularity in China. Ms Cheung explained: “Taking into account the synergies between live streaming, recording and musical instruments, we hope to extend the product scope to help participants capture emerging business opportunities.” It is anticipated that the new addition will attract musicians, musical instrument teachers, artists, music lovers and KOLs to explore new business prospects with suppliers at the show.
Piano and violin segments remain strong at Music China
China’s music education market exceeded USD 15 billion1 in 2020, and is expected to maintain a growth rate of 8% annually. In particular, the Chinese piano industry is a huge and growing business. In recent decades piano learning has become increasingly popular, particularly among children. According to recent research there are currently more than 30 million2 children in China who are learning to play piano, with an annual growth rate of around 10%. Likewise, the growing popularity of western classical music has also created vast potential for the violin industry in the Chinese market.
Piano has been Music China’s largest exhibition area followed by violin for a number of years. Yamaha Music & Electronics (China) Co Ltd is one of the fair’s loyal exhibitors and they will continue to provide a welcoming showcase area for visitors to try out their collection of finest pianos at the 2021 show. Mr Takuya Kosaka, Senior Manager of the company’s Piano Division Marketing Department is confident about both the industry outlook and the prospects for Music China. He said: “Although the market has been affected by the pandemic, the overall recovery has exceeded expectations. Music China is a great platform that connects manufacturers, retailers, music academies, artists and consumers under one roof where all parties can communicate directly.”
The company has been busy turning challenges into an opportunity. He explained: “People have been faced with the difficulties of being homebound during the pandemic. Yamaha’s Remote Lesson technology can facilitate the simultaneous performance of two Disklavier pianos separated by thousands of miles.” The advanced technology enables every key stroke to be reproduced remotely in real time on a Disklavier piano on the other side of the world, creating a “being on the scene” experience. He added: “Thanks to this technology, Chinese piano learners are now able to receive ‘masterclass’ lessons taught by overseas teachers. This technology has received a lot of attention. We hope to continue to make use of this technology to contribute to themusic and culture market in China.”
The pandemic has also presented people with the opportunity to reevaluate the importance of personal interaction. C A Goetz jr GmbH is a manufacturer of high-quality violins in Germany. Dr Simon Goetz, the company’s Managing Director said: “Overall we saw a surge of demand for musical instruments last year and this continues without any sign of a slowdown. We also saw a small but significant renaissance of music making especially in the classical sector. Social contacts are valued much more than before due to people’s experience during the pandemic. Music making is very much based on social interaction because people enjoy and experience music with friends, fellow musicians, or the public. Given the collective isolation experienced globally in previous months, we expect people to put a premium on social contact as well as music making, even after the pandemic. Last year, we already started to build up capacity, staff and resources to fulfil demand.”
The company has confirmed their participation at this year’s show and they will introduce their newly launched Bohemia Violin, which combines traditional craftsmanship and modern design. “Our current assumption is that vaccinations will enable us to attend Music China and travel restrictions will be eased,” added Dr Goetz.
“In the beginning, Music China was a ‘sourcing’ trade show in Asia, now it has become a truly global platform for relationship building. In the last five to six years, Music China has changed dramatically. We are able to meet most of our European, US, South American as well as our Chinese and Asian customers and partners at the show. For us in the classical strings segment, Music China is the most important global business platform,” Dr Goetz further explained.
The scale of the Chinese market is difficult to find elsewhere
The musical instrument industry is gradually recovering from the effects of the pandemic. In fact, in the second half of 2020, the import value of musical instruments and accessories in China saw a significant increase – a rise of nearly 40% in November when compared to July. From January to November 2020, the total import value reached USD 394 million. In addition, the subject of music has become mandatory for secondary school entrance examinations in some areas of China. It’s expected that music will play a more significant educational and economic role in the Chinese market, in tandem with the population’s rising purchasing power. As such, both domestic and overseas industry players see Music China as an ideal gateway to tap into the huge market potential in the country.
Music China is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the China Musical Instruments Association and Shanghai Intex Exhibition Co Ltd. The organisers will closely monitor the pandemic situation and will strictly follow the local government’s protection guidelines.
