| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Archie Hamilton, Nathaniel Davis |
| Country of origin | China |
| Headquarters location | Shanghai, Beijing |
| Distribution | Split Works |
| Publication types | Wooozy.com, Chinamusicradar.com |
| Fiction genres | Various/Contemporary (Rock, Hip Hop, Electro, Punk, Folk) |
| Official website | http://www.spli-t.com |
Split Works is a Beijing- and Shanghai-based concert promotion and brand activation agency. Founded in 2006 by Archie Hamilton [1] and Nathaniel Davis,[2] Split Works has produced both branded and independent live music events in Greater China and the wider Asia region. Split Works has worked with both Chinese and Western music artists across many genres.
Conceived at a time when live music options in China were extremely limited [3] Split Works is one of a few notable groups that have aided the growth of the live music industry in China and wider Asia.[4]
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Split Works has organized China concerts/tours for the following visiting artists:
Split Works has organized China concerts/tours for the following local artists:
In early 2010, Split Works established a partner brand activation agency to focus solely on representing clients and brands. This new agency is called Splatter. Split Works now concentrates exclusively on touring, booking and festivals. Splatter has created branded projects and events in China for the following clients and sponsors:
Converse Love Noise (2008–2009)
In association with the advertising agency W+K, Split Works conceptualized, planned and produced the seminal Converse Love Noise road trip. They designed and built China’s first and funkiest tour bus and, with the Olympics looming large, took two of the hottest Beijing bands (PK14 and Queen Sea Big Shark) on the journey that spawned the Love Noise documentary. The tour and post-event publicity generated immense buzz for the Converse brand in China.
Bacardi Sino Sessions (2006–2008)
Split Works launched Bacardi’s B-Live platform over the course of 18 months, from November 2006 to March 2008. At a time when China’s live music scene was under-developed, Split Works proposed a series of well-produced and exciting shows featuring combinations of international and Chinese bands, supported by a fully integrated marketing and media campaign and culminating in the largest music festival in China up to that point. Split Works was Bacardi’s sole agency working on B-Live across this period, and continues to work to build Bacardi in China.
Apple Summer Series (2010)
To celebrate the opening of China's first flagship Apple store in Shanghai, Splatter curated a series of 6 weekly "in-store" performances running from July 25 - August 29, 2010. Artists included Wang Xiaokun, Li Jian and Silkfloss, among others. The summer series was supported by a fully integrated on-and-offline marketing campaign, which amplified the Apple Retail concept across China.
Split Works owns and operates several independent events and festivals in China[5] :
In October 2007, Split Works produced the Yue Festival, an outdoor music festival held in Zhongshan Park in Shanghai, China. Talents included Faithless, Talib Kweli, Ozomatli, Yacht, Banana Monkey, SuperVC, Hedgehog, IZ, Bananas Soundsystem, Dragontongue, Uprooted, and Redstar. A mini-Yue Festival took place at the Star Live in Beijing on October 2 and 3, 2007, with Faithless, Talib Kweli, and Ozomatli. Partners and sponsors included Bacardi, Converse and Neocha.com.
In January 2009, Split Works produced the Jue Festival, a 10-day event taking place at a range of concert venues, art galleries and theatres across Beijing and Shanghai. The event included 57 musicians, 34 visual artists and dramatic performers, and a total of 25 events between the two cities.
Featured events included the Maybe Mars/Sound Destruction! Showcases in Beijing and Shanghai, and performances from French electro group we are ENFANT TERRIBLE. The visual arts component of the Jue Festival included a solo exhibition from Chinese artist Chen Hang Feng, and a joint video-installation exhibition from American artist Bradford Kessler and Chinese artist Cong Longfei. Jue drama performances included “To & From” by Shan Cheng Ju, and “Marriage Counseling: Three Sessions,” which was written and performed by the 5th Wall ensemble.
Split Works produced the 2011 Jue Music + Art Festival which ran from March 11 to April 3, 2011. This marked the 3rd time the festival was held since its inception in 2009. It expanded its duration from 10 days in 2009 to 17 days in 2010 and 23 days in 2011. The Jue 2011 lineup included scheduled performances from more than 46 musical acts and 48 visual artists and performers. The Festival took place in 42 venues across Shanghai and Beijing.[6]
The Jue Festival 2011 featured musical acts included: The Whitest Boy Alive, World’s End Girlfriend & Black Hole Carnival, The Black Atlantic, Vitalic, Shanren and We Save Strawberries .[7]
In 2011 Split Works worked with Taihe Live to produce the first ever Black Rabbit Music Festival Presented by OPPO Real in Beijing Sept 17 and Shanghai Sept 18. The festival had three stages in Beijing and four in Shanghai. Headline acts included Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ludacris and Hebe. [8] Other performers included Yellowcard, Grandmaster Flash, 120 Days, Gold Panda, Mount Kimbie, For a Minor Reflection, Hanggai, Rainbow Danger Club, Perfume Genius, Carsick Cars, Marianne Dissard, Weerd Science, Boys Climbing Ropes, Omnipotent Youth Society, Peng Tan, CiaCia, P.K.14, CNdY, Lil’ Ray, Iron Mic, Optimo, Otakrew, Nanwu, Uprooted Sunshine Soundsystem and Wangwen.[9]
Since November 2007, Split Works have written and maintained China Music Radar, a blog focused on the music industry in China. Written in English for the benefit of the music industry outside of China, the Radar is committed to generating more interest and investment in the China market.
Launched in April 2009, Wooozy is one of the first Chinese-language specialist web publications focusing on both underground and mainstream music. Wooozy Radio sits alongside Wooozy with weekly podcasts featuring Chinese and international independent music.