Outdoor music festivals, specially in the south

There were 269 outdoor music festivals held across China in 2017, a 33.8 percent increase from 2016, according to a report released at the 2018 Small Antlers China Music Business Expo, which was held on April 12 and 13 in Beijing.

The report also says that in 2016 and 2017, outdoor music festivals were mostly held in the southern regions of the country, such as the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

With regard to the music styles played at outdoor music festivals, electronic music was seen as a major trend with electronic music at 49 events, which doubled the number from 2016.

The two-day expo, initiated by China Music Business News, an online music platform, brought together indie musicians, bands, music label owners and music internet companies to share ideas about the country's music industry.

Speaking at the event, singer-songwriter Liu Lian from the Beijing-based jazz and pop duo, Mr Miss, says: "The music scene in China has changed a lot, and the lines between various music styles have become blurred."

The duo, consisting of Liu and Du Kai, won the best vocal collaboration award at the 28th Golden Melody Awards in June 2017. And they are known for using The Great American Songbook, also known as "American standards", as inspiration.

Speaking about how they polished their technique via streaming shows, Liu, 28, who also works for a public relations company in Beijing, says: "I can still recall that we spent about seven years working on our first album because our music style was quite different ... and no record company was willing to invest in us."

But Du says things have changed, "Now, young Chinese music lovers are open to various music styles, which is a good sign for indie musicians."

Xi Tao, the manager of the pop duo, Good Meimei, and singer-songwriter Chen Li, also said that thanks to the internet, the music industry has totally changed, and new artists get more opportunities to showcase themselves and are more open to trying new ideas.

Speaking about the new openness, Xi says: "Creativity is very important for young musicians. They need to break rules."

Good Meimei, which was launched in 2010 by singer-songwriters Qin Hao, a former illustrator, and Zhang Xiaohou, a former engineer, is one of the most popular duos in the country, especially among college students.

Known for covering classic pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s, the duo livestream their shows and record-making process.

Later this year, the duo is to release an album, which has 10 female pop singers perform with them. And one of the female pop singers is Taiwan singer Chyi Yu, who is best known for her hit from 1979, The Olive Tree.

Speaking about the duo's progress, Qin, 32, who was born in Chongqing, says: "We never expected to achieve what we have.

"Music has the same magic as a time machine. We love covering those old hits and that's what we did when we started singing in bars."

In 2017, the duo released their sixth original album, Shi Ming Zhi, and launched a national tour.