Aussies Eye China Market

A new initiative called The Sino-Australia Music Exchange will see four Aussie indie acts tour China.

Melbourne trio The Vasco Era played the Oct. 1 to 4 Midi Festival Zhejiang before heading to Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai for club shows. The group will be followed in coming months by psychedelic group Dead Farmers, jungle-folk group East Brunswick All Girls Choir and indie folk duo Digger and the Pussycats, who will tour the major cities including Wuxi, Shenyang, Nanjing and Changsha.

Chinese acts including Beijing-based post-punk trio P.K.14 and indie rock trio Carsick Cars will, in return, play in Australia. Carsick Cars toured Europe with Sonic Youth in 2007 and played this year’s South By Southwest.

The Sino-Australia Music Exchange is organized by an initiative called “Imagine Australia: The Year of Australian Culture in China,” Sydney’s Chalk Horse cultural gallery and Sydney-based DIY tour and production firm Tenzenmen.

Australians are also involved in the Nov. 5-8 Global Summit, which is organized by the Chinese International Council to promote multinational corporations.

It brings together CEOs from China’s top 1,000 companies and execs from 56 government ministries.

Brisbane singer-songwriter Nik Phillips, whose single “One Big River” reached No. 4 on the Chinese National Radio Network charts, will perform.

Shayne Locke, CEO of Phillips’ label Cowbell, is encouraging Australian firms to also become involved.