Since 2017, Split Works had the honour of working with Cigarettes After Sex across Greater China. This is not just a story about one band’s journey from underground darling to arena-filling phenomenon — it’s also a case study in what’s possible when artists take the time to build, listen, and engage with Chinese audiences on their own terms.
When we first booked Cigarettes After Sex for a China tour back in 2017, they were early in their career but had a sound we believed would resonate here. We took a risk on a couple of small livehouse shows—sub-1,000 capacity—and the response was immediate. Both shows sold out fast, and we sensed the beginning of something with real longevity.
Over the following years, we worked to craft a strategy not just for short-term buzz but long-term presence. In 2018, we continued with small venue shows, this time partnering with Sounds of the Xity on local promotion. The appetite was growing, and so was our ambition.
China is a market that rewards patience, cultural fluency, and authentic connection
By 2019, we knew it was time to go beyond touring. We collaborated with the band’s label, Partisan Records, to launch a comprehensive campaign for their album Cry. The results were beyond even our expectations — 30 million new followers, front-page coverage across DSPs, and mainstream media love from Southern Metropolis Daily, Numero, Vogue Me China, and Q Magazine. The song Heavenly became a seasonal favourite on Mid-Autumn Festival playlists, reaching 870,000 plays alone. We closed it all with a beautiful, intimate listening party in Shanghai that sold out instantly. Then the world changed.
When COVID shut down live music, we shifted gears. In 2022, we brokered a livestream deal with China’s biggest streaming platform, NetEase, for a broadcast of the band’s performance in Los Angeles. With strong visuals, smart platform placement, and engaged fan management, it turned into a digital success story.
Cigarettes After Sex didn’t try to blow up fast. They just kept showing up. That’s the key
In 2024, as China cautiously reopened, we launched the campaign for their new album, X. The post-pandemic landscape was different, but the fan base had grown in their absence. We rolled out dedicated RED and Bilibili channels, generating strong traction, and re-engaged NetEase and QQ Music to spotlight Kiss It Off Me. Followers jumped by the hundreds of thousands. V Magazine featured them across print and digital, and we even held a vinyl release party at Mintone Record Store in Chengdu—a nod to their loyal fans in the southwest. And finally, in March 2025, it all came full circle.
In partnership with Digitune Entertainment and Showstart (a new local promoter and one of China’s largest ticketing companies, neither historically likely to partner with international agencies), we mounted a three-show arena tour. Across Shanghai and Beijing, it sold 24,000 tickets. The band closed their world tour in China, the same place in which we’d once quietly debuted them to a handful of dedicated fans. To me, this journey is not just about Cigarettes After Sex. It’s about a blueprint for international artists who want more than fleeting viral success in China. It’s a market that rewards patience, cultural fluency, and authentic connection.
China isn’t a checkbox on a world tour — it’s a living, evolving audience that deserves genuine effort and respect
We’ve seen this approach work with other artists too. Mono, for example, have spent years nurturing their following here while returning consistently to play major venues. Chris James’s fans have grown with him across multiple tours and releases. This indie artist from Germany now has 1.3m followers on Bilibili, 1m followers on Xiaohongshu and will return to China in July to tour 10 cities. We see firsthand the effect of consistency and care with regard to this market every single day. Cigarettes After Sex exemplify this mindset. They didn’t try to blow up fast. They just kept showing up. That’s the key.
At the same time, we are seeing a small renaissance for international artists visiting China. On top of the recent Cigs tour, Imagine Dragons are playing 6 nights in stadiums this month (April) and Travis Scott announced a stadium show on Hainan in November that sold out 45,000 tickets in minutes. Ed Sheeran also played 6 nights (sold out arenas) in Hangzhou in February of this year, while smaller promoters are also bringing in a raft of developing acts and festivals continue to grow in all corners of the Middle Kingdom.
At Split Works, we’ve been building bridges between international music and China since 2006. We believe in the slow build, in listening more than we talk, in understanding that China isn’t a checkbox on a world tour — it’s a living, evolving audience that deserves genuine effort and respect. Cigarettes After Sex have put in that effort. The result? A real relationship with their Chinese fans. Eight years strong, and we’re just getting started.
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Cigarettes After Sex are the blueprint in China
Split Works founder Archie Hamilton explains how the American band's investment in the market has paid off
09 Apr 2025
Since 2017, Split Works had the honour of working with Cigarettes After Sex across Greater China. This is not just a story about one band’s journey from underground darling to arena-filling phenomenon — it’s also a case study in what’s possible when artists take the time to build, listen, and engage with Chinese audiences on their own terms.
When we first booked Cigarettes After Sex for a China tour back in 2017, they were early in their career but had a sound we believed would resonate here. We took a risk on a couple of small livehouse shows—sub-1,000 capacity—and the response was immediate. Both shows sold out fast, and we sensed the beginning of something with real longevity.
Over the following years, we worked to craft a strategy not just for short-term buzz but long-term presence. In 2018, we continued with small venue shows, this time partnering with Sounds of the Xity on local promotion. The appetite was growing, and so was our ambition.
By 2019, we knew it was time to go beyond touring. We collaborated with the band’s label, Partisan Records, to launch a comprehensive campaign for their album Cry. The results were beyond even our expectations — 30 million new followers, front-page coverage across DSPs, and mainstream media love from Southern Metropolis Daily, Numero, Vogue Me China, and Q Magazine. The song Heavenly became a seasonal favourite on Mid-Autumn Festival playlists, reaching 870,000 plays alone. We closed it all with a beautiful, intimate listening party in Shanghai that sold out instantly. Then the world changed.
When COVID shut down live music, we shifted gears. In 2022, we brokered a livestream deal with China’s biggest streaming platform, NetEase, for a broadcast of the band’s performance in Los Angeles. With strong visuals, smart platform placement, and engaged fan management, it turned into a digital success story.
In 2024, as China cautiously reopened, we launched the campaign for their new album, X. The post-pandemic landscape was different, but the fan base had grown in their absence. We rolled out dedicated RED and Bilibili channels, generating strong traction, and re-engaged NetEase and QQ Music to spotlight Kiss It Off Me. Followers jumped by the hundreds of thousands. V Magazine featured them across print and digital, and we even held a vinyl release party at Mintone Record Store in Chengdu—a nod to their loyal fans in the southwest. And finally, in March 2025, it all came full circle.
In partnership with Digitune Entertainment and Showstart (a new local promoter and one of China’s largest ticketing companies, neither historically likely to partner with international agencies), we mounted a three-show arena tour. Across Shanghai and Beijing, it sold 24,000 tickets. The band closed their world tour in China, the same place in which we’d once quietly debuted them to a handful of dedicated fans. To me, this journey is not just about Cigarettes After Sex. It’s about a blueprint for international artists who want more than fleeting viral success in China. It’s a market that rewards patience, cultural fluency, and authentic connection.
We’ve seen this approach work with other artists too. Mono, for example, have spent years nurturing their following here while returning consistently to play major venues. Chris James’s fans have grown with him across multiple tours and releases. This indie artist from Germany now has 1.3m followers on Bilibili, 1m followers on Xiaohongshu and will return to China in July to tour 10 cities. We see firsthand the effect of consistency and care with regard to this market every single day. Cigarettes After Sex exemplify this mindset. They didn’t try to blow up fast. They just kept showing up. That’s the key.
At the same time, we are seeing a small renaissance for international artists visiting China. On top of the recent Cigs tour, Imagine Dragons are playing 6 nights in stadiums this month (April) and Travis Scott announced a stadium show on Hainan in November that sold out 45,000 tickets in minutes. Ed Sheeran also played 6 nights (sold out arenas) in Hangzhou in February of this year, while smaller promoters are also bringing in a raft of developing acts and festivals continue to grow in all corners of the Middle Kingdom.
At Split Works, we’ve been building bridges between international music and China since 2006. We believe in the slow build, in listening more than we talk, in understanding that China isn’t a checkbox on a world tour — it’s a living, evolving audience that deserves genuine effort and respect. Cigarettes After Sex have put in that effort. The result? A real relationship with their Chinese fans. Eight years strong, and we’re just getting started.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
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