As the only award of China's phonographic industry, China Golden Disc Award (CGD) is being prepared to promote the home-made music name brands, said Piao Dongsheng, deputy director of China Audio-Video Association (CAVA)in Beijing on Sunday.

"With these awards, we hope to regulate the development of China's domestic music industry and to promote China's music in the international phonographic industry," said Piao, who is also the director of the organizing committee of the second CGD, the selection of which has been started this August.

From 1998 to 2001, China's phonographic industry had been in decline. Although the sale of China's legal audio-video products hit a record of 2.577 billion yuan (310.48 million US dollars) in 2003, China, as the second largest market of audio-video products in the world, witnessed itself only in the 12th position in the world sale list, said Wang Ju, secretary general of the CAVA.

US sales that year were 12.8 billion US dollars, some 41 times of that of China, said Wang.

According to Wang, the awards decision process of the CGD mainly borrows the Grammy Awards, but considers "the situation and characteristics of China's music industry."

"As the only award classified not only according to music categories but the music production process of China, the second CGD awards will see 56 prizes of 21 categories, including China's traditional opera and classic music, which, although not very popular now, hold important positions in China's musical culture," said Wang.

The decision process will consist of three phases. First, the initial nomination will be made by a member committee composed of thousands of members recruited from 15 categories of professional applicants around the country.

After three rounds of discussion by an expert committee, a final nomination list will be returned to the member committee to make the final decision. The results will be announced and awards will be given next March in Beijing.

A contract with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) will give CGD award-winners candidacy for the World Music Awards held by the IFPI.

According to Wang, Jan Smith and Eric T. Johnson, two musicians from the US who have got the qualification of the adjudicators of the Grammy Awards, as well as China's famous musicians including Alan Tam from Hong Kong have agreed to be members of the expert committee of the 2nd CGD awarding.

The CGD will become an annual award, said Wang.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2004)