Attracting the sign-up of over 500 works as well as 25 million votes through online exhibition shows and voting, and setting up a RMB1.2mln fund dedicated to assisting original musicians in pursuing their dreams, the 2022 Qingdao Original Music support program has experience seven months-long mass-election and competition and seen the finals held last month. Notably, the contest has become a bellwether of Chinese urban music contests as its participating teams, stages and core values were comprehensively upgraded this year.

From 2019 till now, the Qingdao Original Music support program has lasted for four consecutive years. From pure singing while playing music instruments to fabulous stage designs and from fixed music styles to music bands like a hundred flowers in bloom, it has been transformed into a music IP with a distinctive art style. Notably, with the joint promotion of 36 urban radio stations in the original music alliance of Chinese urban radio stations, the event has reached a larger number of fans in 2022.

Since its inception in 2022, the Qingdao Original Music support program has attracted the participation of original musicians from across China. The event initially aimed to support the music industry and to revitalize Qingdao’s nighttime economy, but now it also looks to enhance the influence of Qingdao, extend the music industry chain and involve in every aspect of Qingdao’s music industry. Covering singers, copyright platforms, blockchain technology, Livehouse performance and music entertainment programs, the Qingdao Original Music event not only offers far more than a stage, but also exports music values and growth modes. In a manner of speaking, music is remarkably different as the event is held every year.

The jury thinks that the original music support program, which combines the glorious youth with hardcore technology, is compatible with Qingdao, a modern international city. The event of this year integrated “blockchain + music”. The blockchain technology has realized the real-name voting system that makes the process of voting genuine, transparent and traceable. Furthermore, original musicians and bands can confirm the ownership of original works and stand a chance of have their entries produced and released in the form of “digital music collections”, thereby protecting music copyrights and establishing the industrial channel to run original music.  (Mi Jingyu)

The competition site of the 2022 Qingdao Original Music event. By Wang Lei