William Griffith, the mind behind renowned music website here in China, Live China Music, joins me today to talk about his efforts over the years to build up a website that people can go to find out about indie music here in China. Starting with his initial video recordings of live shows in Beijing, he began editing videos for local bands and posting them on YouTube. After accumulating a vast selection of videos on an array of bands, he decided to start a website that people could go to to check out what was happening, thus https://www.livechinamusic.com was born.
Although we were introduced by Brad M. Seippel (Episode 42), I highly recommend listeners head over to Zhu Chang Si Le's podcast on which host, Forrest, interviewed William Griffith and talked a lot about Will's background and development of his music website over the last fifteen years.
Part 1:
https://zhuchangsile.xyz/episodes/033
Show notes up on stevensirski.com
Time stamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Episode 45
01:00 - Meet William Griffith
01:42 - Life in Beijing and Shanghai
03:11 - The Music Scene in China
07:17 - Visa Challenges and Expat Life
18:42 - Considering the Future
38:29 - Comparing Beijing and Shanghai
44:02 - Building Live China Music
54:01 - Banned Songs and Censorship
54:32 - Key Bands in the Chinese Music Scene
56:23 - Foreign Bands and Expat Musicians
57:44 - Challenges for Foreign Musicians in China
01:03:31 - Longevity and Success in the Chinese Music Scene
01:05:28 - DIY Labels and Independent Music
01:15:21 - Youth and New Generation of Musicians
01:16:46 - Creating Mixtapes and Curating Music
01:23:34 - Physical Media and the Resurgence of Tapes
01:36:03 - Final Thoughts and Advice for Musicians
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