Oct. 10 – The “Antonio Stradivari ” Makers Consortium of Cremona, representing over 60 luthiers, and Salvi Harps a world leader in the manufacture of harps, are just some of the names who will represent our country in the 12th edition of Music China, held in Shanghai from today until October 13. The fair is a major event for professionals and fans of the musical instrument sector, with the participation of 44 Italian companies of which 36 participate, for the 5th consecutive year, via ICE’s participation agency. The Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies, in collaboration with ACISA, the Association of Italian manufacturers of acoustic instruments, has set up an Italian pavilion for a total exhibition space of 400m2. The most represented sector is that of violin making, but there are accordions, components and accessories as well. Music China is a showcase of great prominence for companies interested in China: for the last edition, Italy was the first non-Asian country for number of exhibitors, overtaking Germany. In the last decade, the entertainment industry in China has experienced a rapid evolution, with musical culture leading to the development of Chinese musical instruments, whose turnover in 2012 exceeded €3 billion, an increase of 11,3% over the previous year. Based on the statistical data from China, in 2012 suppliers of musical instruments to China saw Japan in first place followed by Indonesia, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Italy remains stable in seventh place, with exports worth $4.78 million and an increase of 9.4%. Italy is still the leading supplier in China for stringed instruments (violins, violas and cellos), with a market share of more than 50% of the total, for a total value of our exports of U.S. $ 862,000.
