China's burgeoning live music industry

China's live music industry is now a 3.9 billion yuan ($620 million ) business, with audiences of 13.7 million, according to the 2015 China Live Music Report.

The report by Dao Strategy, a consulting company, gauged how concerts, music festivals, live house shows and other live music performances in the mainland did in the past year. The report was released on Thursday in Beijing.

According to the report, the burgeoning live music business grew 6.4 percent from 2013. At a 20 percent growth rate, outdoor music festivals and live house shows have seen the most dramatic jump in all categories.

The number of performance venues has also grown across the board. According to the report, the country now has more than 1706 concert halls and stadiums that are capable of housing mid to large-scale performances. At the same time, the number of smaller live house venues has also grown by 34 percent.

"Live music business is now a huge market," Mao Xiubing, Dao Strategy's general manager said. "But compare it with the United Kingdom, which has a 1 billion pound business, and you can see how much potential China still has."

Contact the writer at sunye@chinadaily.com.cn