Word: china
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Nobody would accuse Rick Garson of thinking small. The Las Vegas-based music producer is planning a benefit concert in Beijing on April 17 that will rival - and possibly exceed - such celebrity-spangled extravaganzas as Live Aid and Live 8. The ebullient Garson is well aware that China has what might politely be described as a mixed record when it comes to public performances by foreign artists; 2009 alone featured a trail of government last-minute cancellations. Notable among them was the nixing of Oasis concerts in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, reportedly because of one band member's attendance...
...Garson says this event, dubbed Show of Peace, will be different. "It won't be a problem," he says. "We're doing it to raise global awareness of what good is coming out of China. [The government is] looking at this as the branding of the new China: red China going green." Participating bands will be donating their time, and half of all money raised will be funneled into global projects dedicated to promoting peace and protecting the environment. The slogan on the concert's website encapsulates Garson's oft-repeated objectives: Peace = Green + No War + Water + Food + Health + Education...
...There's no doubting Garson's sincerity, but the question remains: Can Garson pull off what would be by far the biggest concert in China's history? The Chinese authorities have long been suspicious of rock music, notes Kaiser Kuo, a Beijing-based writer and musician who was once front man for one of China's most popular bands, Tang Dynasty. Pop music, initially associated with spiritual pollution from the West, later came to be seen as a potentially subversive force that might encourage rebelliousness among China's youth. But lately restrictions seem to be relaxing, and Kuo says bands...
...Garson says the authorities, who have already green-lighted Show of Peace, probably understand that the concert would be a good way of improving China's image overseas. "Everybody is looking for the next big event that will put China in a positive light since the Olympics," he says. "I think it's very powerful that this statement of green and harmony is coming from China...
...What automakers have found in India is a country just entering the age of motorization, where still only 1% of the 1 billion-plus population owns a car. Although India trails the world's largest emerging car market - China - its sheer size gives it untapped potential that carmakers can't ignore. A decade ago, Mercedes-Benz was the only luxury-car brand in India. In 2006, BMW opened up shop, and it was soon joined by Audi. Though high-end business still only constitutes 0.5% of the overall Indian car market, the brands are already selling more cars than...