Twenty years on, Chinese rock rolling to a halt

BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) Like their music, the location of rock band Subs' rehearsal space will probably never be popular with mainstream Chinese.

Hidden in a poor fringe of Tongzhou -- a satellite city of Beijing -- the nine-square-metre space is a study in rock credibility and a stark reminder of rock's ''long way to the top'' ethos.

Trucks thunder down a cracked road and crop-laden tractors chug along past the cramped houses of the capital's less affluent.

But the real noise is inside.

''This space costs us about 250 yuan to rent a month,'' said lead-singer Kang Mao, between blaring song rehearsals. ''We were spending too much money hiring rehearsal rooms in the city.'' Amongst the hundreds of bands vying for stage-time in Beijing's handful of live music venues, Subs are one of the most popular. They make about 300 yuan each on a good night.

''Actually, we're really happy to make 300 from a bar gig ... But, there are only so many weekends every month,'' Kang said.

For Kang and her three band-mates, making a living from music in China is a beautiful dream -- and so far, like most rock bands, an elusive one.

NO ROCK 'N' ROLL LIFESTYLE But the cost of living and other frustrations that Subs sing about are not just shared by the bands.

The traditional stereotype of fat-cat record label executives enriching themselves off the sweat of overworked, underpaid rockers just doesn't hold in China, according to Scream Records label boss, Lu Bo.

''No one makes any money in this business,'' said Lu from the label's headquarters -- an apartment in Beijing's western suburbs scarcely larger than Subs' rehearsal room.

''I thought about giving it away, but if I didn't do this there would be no Scream Records and China would have 50 per cent fewer rock albums.'' The handful of albums Scream releases every year might sell about 10,000 copies and net a typical band a one-off payment of 30,000 yuan.

''Each band member might get 5,000 yuan. They'll buy a guitar and that's all their money gone,'' Lu said.

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