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How Many Renminbi for Fame?

Janos Gereben on July 22, 2014
Vienna's Musikverein
Vienna's Musikverein

Vienna's hallowed Musikverein served as the venue for more than 100 Chinese musical organizations last year. Orchestras, chamber groups, and soloists performed and then promptly advertised this distinction. The problem: Most of these accomplishments were bought and paid for, says China's Ministry of Culture, attempting to halt what is known in the music biz as "gold plating." This is a practice of artists renting and performing at world renowned venues. Chinese artists payed $4 million to the Musikverein alone in 2013 for the privilege.

The culture ministry says it will stop approving overseas performances unless they are a legitimate part of the venues' subscription series. The practice has given birth to a string of agents in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and New York, who specialize in booking their cities' halls for Chinese artists.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said: "Rather than attempting to draw crowds and profits, they rent venues at their own expense and give away tickets for free or even pay the audience to attend. They will then advertise using slogans like 'as staged in Vienna,' and declare themselves famous."