40 years on

Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Western music has made its way into concert halls and conservatories in most major cities in China.

In 1985, Wham! made headlines for their groundbreaking concert at the People’s Gymnasium, the biggest stadium in Beijing at the time.

They were the first Westmillion ern band to play in the country.

Since then, China has emerged as a crucial territory for bands of all sizes.

Now cities frequently turn up on touring itineraries. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi and Ellie Goulding have all played in the country in recent years.

The China Music Industry Report 2017 said that the total size of the country’s music industry exceeded 321 billion yuan ($50 billion) in 2016, growing by nearly 8 percent year-onyear.

The total revenue from music copyright was 184 yuan, based on statistics from the Music Copyright Society of China, an increase of 8.2 percent yearon-year.

The popularity of the internet has triggered a growing market of online music streaming platforms, which have greatly changed people’s listening habits.

The country’s leading online streaming platform Tencent Music Entertainment has worked out partnerships with more than 200 music labels, including major companies such as Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music since 2013.

Tencent brought music streaming providers KuGou and Kuwo under its banner QQ Music, which has more than 100 million active users daily.