Music Distribution in China: Dos and Don’ts for Industry Stakeholders
Building on their extensive expertise in the music and entertainment sector, Partners John McLellan and Anthony Leung provide a comprehensive chapter on “Music distribution in China: Dos and Don’ts”, featured in the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers’ (IAEL) 2025 publication, “Music Without Borders: Hot Legal Topics in the Music Business After the First Quarter of the 21st Century”. This follows our continued contributions to the IAEL publication in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
This insightful analysis traces the remarkable transformation of China’s music market from a piracy-dominated landscape two decades ago to becoming one of the world’s largest and most digitally advanced music markets today. The authors explore critical aspects such as the dominance of key streaming platforms, the evolving collective rights management system, the end of exclusivity in licensing, and the unique legal and cultural environment that artists, labels, and publishers must navigate when entering the Chinese market.
Key topics covered include:
- China’s music landscape
- Collective rights management
- The age of exclusivity
- Life after exclusivity
- Cultural and commercial landscape in China
- Branding concerns for artists
- Generative artificial intelligence (AI) consideration
Explore the IAEL’s full publication here: https://www.iael.org/publications/26/
Learn more about Haldanes’ media and entertainment legal services: https://www.haldanes.com/practice-areas/media-entertainment-sports/
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