The Grammys Set Their Sights On China

The Recording Academy is partnering with Bravo Entertainment and China Music Vision Ltd. over the creation of The Grammy Festival, a touring music event that will debut in China in 2018. Beida Jade Bird Music Culture Industry Group, Guo Guang United Cultural Development, Weibo and Toutiao have also signed on as co-organizers of the event. While no artists have been attached to the event, organizers plan to present live entertainment in China featuring award-winning artists, or nominees, performing live shows. However, such a tour would present challenges, particularly as China has launched a campaign to cleanse the entertainment sector of content that it views as inappropriate or culturally unhealthy. Just last month, Justin Bieber was blocked from performing in the country as part of his Purpose world tour. "If there are restrictions and things in that nature, we have to be respectful," Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of the Recording Academy, told Reuters in Beijing, the capital. Other artists who have been disinvited from performing in China in recent years include Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi.