The simmering tension between showbiz artists and entertainment companies came to a head when Chen Chusheng, winner of the 2007 Super Boy contest, walked out of a live New Year concert on Dec 31.

Chen Chusheng sings during the 2008 Kunshan International Beer Festival in Kunshan, Jiangsu province.

He went missing for 15 days before resurfacing on Jan 14 to file a suit to terminate his contract with E.E Media, a big name in China's entertainment industry and a sponsor of television's wildly popular Super Boy and Super Girl contests.

At a Beijing press conference the next day, Chen apologized to fans for his impulsive walkout, but justified his break-up with E.E Media.

He said the company had failed to keep its promise of Chen singing the theme song of the blockbuster Painted Skin and providing him with his own studio. It also arranged too many commercial performances during the post-production of his album, Chen added.

"It is a long drawn out conflict. I can say that I spent almost the whole of 2008 negotiating with the company, all in vain."

A lawyer Wang Jun told the Beijing-based Legal Mirror that Chen could sign up with any other company until the lawsuit is settled and this could take about six months. There has been no official response from E. E. Media so far.

Earlier in 2008, Hong Kong actress and singer Isabella Leong locked horns with Emperor Entertainment Group over her contract. The company filed a lawsuit in the High Court on April 3, 2008 suing Leong for breaking a 10-year contract which Leong's mother signed for her when she was only 12 years old. Leong filed a writ against the company later that month. In November 2008 the legal battle ended in an out-of-court settlement, with the star "free to pursue her career".

Zhang Liangying and Zhou Bichang, both winners of the Super Girl contests, also ran afoul of their management company in 2005, but this got settled out of court.

Wang Xudong of Cosmos Media, another entertainment company, says disputes over contracts are not unique to the entertainment industry.

"It's just that this industry is always under the spotlight and attracts quick attention. Plus, it thrives on controversy."

Zhou Wei, chief editor of www.67.com, a popular entertainment news portal, says some companies are eager to earn quick profits and this often creates problems.

"Some companies try to earn as much as possible in the shortest time, using stars only as money-making machines. For example, they arrange frequent performances for singers who may have just one hit song, making them sing it 10,000 times on all kinds of occasions to make quick money, instead of providing training or setting up long-term plans for their growth."

In the slack Chinese music industry, only the albums of top singers sell more than 100,000 units, at about 30 yuan ($4.4) apiece. For most of the others, a more realistic figure is 30,000 to 50,000. But a commercial concert provides much higher earnings. For a B-list singer, two or three songs can earn 50,000 to 100,000 yuan ($14,700). Some top singers such as Jay Chou and Andy Lau command more than 500,000 yuan for a show.

Senior critic and writer Tan Fei, however, believes the entertainment companies have a point.

"Chen's breach sets a bad example," he says. "I don't think his behavior deserves advocacy, otherwise, we will see many concerts without singers. Moreover, how many firms will dare invest their money and energy in new actors or singers if the risk is so huge?"

The tussle between the stars and the entertainment companies will continue for quite a while, says Tan and adds that aspiring stars should think carefully before stepping into show business.

"They should be mentally prepared that they would have to compromise a lot in this industry," he says.

But all three agree that China's entertainment industry is far from professional.

"It has a short history of only about two decades, while America's has been around for a 100 years," Wang says. "The relevant rules are not adequate."

"This is a vanity fair where rules are not accorded enough respect," Zhou agrees.

Tan says: "In a mature entertainment industry, people would refrain from courting publicity by whipping up controversy that does damage to both the artists and the industry.

"The industry can grow only when honesty and integrity are restored."

(China Daily February 12, 2009)