IMX International Music Season concluded at 1933 Old Millfun in Hongkou Music Valley, exploring the direction of traditional music in the AI era

The soft glow of vintage chandeliers spills across the mottled stone pillars of 1933 Laochangfang. What was once an old industrial factory building has now become a lively venue for collisions of ideas in the music industry. Recently, the IMX International Music Season 2026 and the "2026 Cultural and Creative Shanghai Competition Music Track" achievement event came to a close at 1933 Laochangfang in Hongkou Music Valley, where a music industry gathering centered on AI, intangible cultural heritage, and global integration delivered a brilliant showcase in a space of industrial relics. This year's IMX International Music Season took "FUSION—The Next Music Industry Begins Here" as its theme. Over the three-day event, more than 40 industry forums and roundtable conversations were held in succession. Copyright institutions, music companies, and creators from more than ten countries and regions gathered here to discuss real issues facing the industry: If a kind of music does not enter data, will it disappear from the AI era? In the AI era, how can traditional music move toward global integration? At the event, 23 municipal-level finalist projects in the "Music Innovation+" track of the "Cultural and Creative Shanghai" competition received certificates of honor. After the competition launched its call for entries in March this year, it received 419 submitted projects from around the world. These music ideas do not remain merely proposals. At present, with the matchmaking of the Hongkou District Cultural and Creative Industry Association, more than ten music companies have already developed the intention to land in Hongkou. Music concepts on paper are expected to take root and grow in Music Valley. The most closely watched moment was the announcement of the "World Traditional Music Seed Bank Annual Outstanding Cases." Migu Music dug deep into national music treasures scattered across various places, using digital technology to restore and revitalize ancient melodies; Zide Qinshe joined hands with Huang Ling to perform "Wu Yi," and the ancient-style melody went abroad and won the affection of overseas listeners. "Listening to Opera and Seeking Rhyme: Pear Garden Masters' Collection" preserves the precious vocal styles of famous opera artists, while "Aviation Travel National Music" brings folk music melodies into travel settings. There are also the rural sounds of the mountains of southern Shaanxi, recorded and organized into the "Southern Shaanxi Echoes Series"; the ancient Qiang instrumental story "Ranbiwa" has regained its brilliance; and the China-Europe Music Culture Integration Platform builds bridges so that Eastern and Western musical inspirations can collide with each other. Traditional music is no longer shelved away; through technology and cross-sector collaboration, it reaches the ears of more ordinary people. As a digital music expo in China that is both international and industrialized, IMX has held 279 forums and salons since its founding in 2020, linked with institutions in 35 countries, and reached more than a thousand music institutions worldwide. This year, this major event landed in Hongkou Music Valley. The mottled old factory buildings carry entirely new musical dreams. Hongkou holds the resources of the first batch of national music industry bases in the country and the only one in Shanghai, transforming the industrial relics of 1933 Laochangfang into a stage for exchange in the music industry, allowing old spaces to nurture new possibilities. A steady stream of talent and projects is converging on Hongkou Music Valley, exploring diverse integrations of music with technology, cultural tourism, and intangible cultural heritage.