Dear Readers of Bitetone,

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support of Bitetone over the years! I understand this message may come as a surprise, considering Bitetone has been in limbo since 2016, but I’m excited to announce that we will begin writing again on our new home Substack. While the current site will remain as an archive, all new updates will be exclusively available on our new platform. For those curious about why we decided to reboot, allow me to provide some context and reflect on the origins of the site.

Without delving too deeply into my life story, some backstory is necessary. I was born in the States but spent most of my adolescence in Hong Kong. While the idea of moving from one culture to another might seem enchanting, the reality of entering a Hong Kong fifth-grade classroom with the Chinese proficiency of a first grader was another story. Faced with various environmental and academic challenges, much of my teenage years were dedicated to the struggle of fitting in. Eventually, I discovered solace in alternative music and local indie acts. Beyond merely providing a personal soundtrack, they granted me a sense of belonging and identity. In hindsight, it may seem somewhat immature, but hey, sometimes that’s all an impressionable young person needs to feel understood!

When I returned to the States for college, I had a strong urge to share the music that had profoundly impacted my life. This was around the mid to late noughties, a time when Chinese pop music in Hong Kong was dominated by sappy ballads, known locally as K-songs (with the “K” standing for Karaoke). These songs were often formulaic, designed to be sung at Karaoke. While meaningful and high-quality Canto-pop music existed, it was not easy to find. Information on independent music, which I was most interested in, was even harder to come by.

Thus, Bitetone was born: a webzine dedicated to highlighting independent musicians and acts from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China. Our mission was twofold: to present the independent music of these regions collectively under the umbrella of Chinese independent music and to spotlight independent music from the Greater China Area. Along the way, Bitetone evolved into a small but passionate team of individuals who shared this vision. The teamwork and passion we demonstrated toward this purpose continue to be something I am extremely proud of. Shoutouts to all of you who have helped throughout the years—you know who you are!

However, as the site continued to grow, I realized I had underestimated the cultural differences across the Greater China regions, and our initial objective became a greater undertaking than I could have ever imagined. Looking back now, it was perhaps naive of me to think that we could seamlessly bring together such disparate music scenes. Moreover, in the broader context of a continually shrinking media landscape, I began to question the relevance of the webzine. With the latest news on your favorite bands readily available directly through social media or the increased accessibility of music through streaming, doubts arose about the value of our efforts. Eventually, burnout set in, and as other obligations and opportunities arose, we decided to stop what we were doing and put Bitetone on hold.

Fast forward to 2025, after years of reflection, I have come to some meaningful insights. I’m genuinely thrilled to witness the Greater China independent music scenes drawing closer together. While I would like to think we played a part in this progress, I’m simply pleased to see it happen. Moreover, as the line between independent and major label music continues to blur, we felt it was time to expand our focus. With Chinese music gaining unprecedented popularity domestically, and with more acts looking outward, we began to question its accessibility to a global audience. Specifically, we pondered the availability of information about Chinese pop music to English speakers. These questions have led us back to Bitetone, and we feel it’s time to give it another shot.

So here we are, thank you for taking the time to read this, and we hope you will continue to join us as we embark on a new journey. Please follow us here and share your ideas or comments with us by sending a message. See you on Substack!

Yours Sincerely,

Edwin, 2025