The day the music died

A major KTV chain has closed its flagship Party World in Beijing, in a trend that sees young people seeking new options for entertainment, Sun Yuanqing and Yang Moziyan report.

For Gao Weiguo, a 35-year-old who works in the IT industry, a karaoke bar is where he spent his free time when he was in his 20s. He would go there with his colleagues during lunch breaks and with his friends on weekends.

KTV attracts not only the ordinary workers, but also the celebrities. Gao recalls bumping into movie stars from time to time. The karaoke bars used to provide free buffets, which were another big draw for the customers. A frequent visitor to KTV bars 10 years ago, he rarely goes to them anymore.

"There were not many leisure choices back then," Gao says. "No board games or social network. When we needed to socialize, we went to the KTV. They started to charge for the buffet in 2008 - and we got other, new places to go.".

For Gao's generation, KTV studios are places filled with memories. However, several established KTV clubs in Beijing have shut down lately because of falling revenues, according to Chinese media.

Most recently, Cashbox Party World, a major KTV chain, closed its flagship Chaoyangmen branch, leaving only one of its clubs in Beijing. The company has also closed some outlets in Shanghai.

The branch in Chaoyangmen closed on Feb 1. Old customers reportedly crowded the place on the last night.

Cashbox is not the only KTV that is cutting down its business. Melody and Yuesheng Party Life have also been paring down. Yuesheng Party Life declined to comment on the closures, and Cashbox didn't respond to interview requests.

Low profits and rental disputes have been cited as the reasons for the closure in Cashbox's notice to its staff in the Chaoyangmen branch. A staff member at the remaining branch of the Cashbox says the outlets were closed because of competition from its rivals.

"People still come to KTV, but there are so many other brands now," she says.

The out-of-date systems in the aging Party World is the main reason that it is losing customers, says Zhang Wanning, a college student who lives in the Chaoyangmen area.

"I prefer the Chun K (Show Time) in nearby Sanlitun because it's got a more adequate ordering system and database compared to Party World. I can record and upload my singing immediately via an app in the karaoke box. But when I was at Party World the last time, I could not even find the songs I wanted, not to mention any fashionable apps. It was out of date."

Another factor might be the food.

"Honestly, the buffet is the primary attraction for me," says Wang Xinyi, one of the loyal customers of Kincoo, another popular karaoke spot in Beijing.

"Singing and eating should always go together. I can remember Party World serving free buffets a couple of years ago. They should not have canceled it."

The government's crackdown on official spending on entertainment is also considered as one of the reasons of the closure.

The increasing variety of other entertainment outlets like night clubs, board games and room escape venues is also eclipsing the popularity of KTV.

"The KTV trend is dying," says Xu Huan, a native Beijinger who is studying sociology in New York. "It is about the society. The connection between individuals is getting weaker nowadays, especially in metropolises like Beijing. People become more used to 'wireless' contact instead of the actual seeing, talking, and staying together. I don't know if I should blame this on the invention of WeChat, or the Internet."

"KTV is simply a product of its time, of this generation. The generation has grown up. Now Party World is closed, next it might be Melody. It's just a matter of time," he says.

In southern Guangzhou, where the business is also squeezed by competition, the austerity drive and the changing tastes of customers, KTV lounges are expected to diversify and offer differentiated services in order to survive.

Zhang Kui, a manager of a Guangzhou food and entertainment group that has acquired the local branches of Party World, told local media that his company may try to integrate KTV with fashion, coffee shops and bookstores to cater to a broader base of customers.

Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn