The Guanxi approach to networking in music
Your network is not your net worth, your Guanxi is.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
The Guanxi approach to networking in music
Moving from transactional exchanges to mutual obligation in the music scene.
Why it matters
The music business is built on relationships. “Your network is your net worth”, as business people often say. However, the networking advice given to artists is usually poor.
In standard Western business, networking is often treated as a transactional, high-volume game. We treat humans like data points in a CRM. Think of a salesperson at a trade fair, handing out business cards after a 30-second elevator pitch, scanning the room for a better conversation while you are still talking.
In a creative industry driven by emotion and trust, this transactional approach fails.
Networking in music looks different. It’s more like spending two hours talking to a junior lighting engineer about your favourite holiday destinations, without ever asking for anything. Ten months later, that lighting engineer might mention your name to a talent agent they happen to chat with because they like your vibe.
Building relationships in music is not about desperately hunting opportunities, but more like confidently farming relationships through mutual exchange.
This dynamic reminds me of the Chinese concept of Guanxi (关系). It is a classic social mechanism, but it is probably the most effective approach for modern artists seeking to build a sustainable career.
How it works
Guanxi is deeply embedded in Chinese society. It is impossible to truly understand Chinese business, social life, or even day-to-day interactions without a grasp of it.
Broadly, it refers to a network of social relationships and connections that facilitate business. Unlike Western networking, which often ends when the deal is signed, Guanxi is built on mutual obligation, trust, and the exchange of favours over a lifetime.
For much of China’s modern history, formal legal systems were weak. To achieve goals such as securing a job or enrolling children in good schools, people relied on their personal networks. Guanxi became the most dependable way to navigate bureaucracy.
While I do not claim to understand every cultural nuance of Guanxi, the underlying principles offer a powerful antidote to a cold email in music. Here are five elements of Guanxi to apply to your career:
Renqing (人情): This is the “emotional currency” of Guanxi. It refers to the exchange of favours, but with a twist: doing a favour creates an unspoken obligation for the other person to return it later. This is not cynical transactionalism. It’s viewed as the proper way to nurture a human bond.
Mianzi (面子): Often translated as “face,” this is about social standing and reputation. In a public-facing industry like music, Mianzi is everything. To build Guanxi, you must be an expert at giving others face (publicly validating them) and never making them lose face (embarrassing them or wasting their time).
Xinren (信任): This implies a deep trust in capability. If you recommend a producer to a label A&R, you are staking your Guanxi on that producer’s ability to deliver. If they fail, your connection with the A&R weakens.
Ganqing (感情): This is the emotional or personal element. Western business often tries to strip away emotion to be professional. Guanxi acknowledges that business is personal. It is built over long dinners, shared struggles, and late nights.
Zijiren (自己人): This translates to an insider or “one of us.” This is the goal of every scene. Once you are considered Zijiren, the gatekeepers stop guarding the gate and start holding it open for you.
Unknowingly, the best music networks already operate on the basis of Guanxi. We cannot simply hack our way into the industry because music careers are built on a delicate web of mutual obligation.
Yes, but..
Guanxi is slow. It requires patience. The debt of a favour might not be repaid for five years. But while a standard network can disappear when your hype fades, Guanxi lasts a lifetime.
Take action now
This is what artists can do right now to build relationships in music using concepts of Guanxi:
Stop pitching, start hanging out. If you are trying to enter a scene, your presence is your pitch. Attend events without a demo link in your pocket.
Don’t ask. For your first three interactions with a new contact, do not ask for anything. Offer help, offer a listening ear, or offer company.
Nurture warm intros. Stop emailing A&Rs directly. Find the person who knows the person.
Bank your favours. Do favours that don’t scale. If a promoter is in a bind and needs a last-minute opening act, do it. If another act needs content help, hold the camera.
Give face relentlessly. Publicly validate everyone you work with. Shout out the sound tech, the photographer, and the bartender from the stage.
Your thoughts
Further reading
From Guanxi to Coffee Chats: Why Networking in America Is More than What Many Chinese Think (Asia Society)
The Importance of Relationship Building in China (Harvard Law School)
Guanxi - an overview (ScienceDirect)
The limits of business logic in music (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists should do things that don’t scale (The Fanbase Builder)
The strength of weak ties in fanbase building (The Fanbase Builder)
How to track Asian pop culture (The Fanbase Builder)