From Beyonce to Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, United States musicians are touring China. Musical super-stars and underground bands are going to China for touring revenue, not CD sales. Given rampant piracy in China, the music market there provides insight into the future of the global music business, where CD sales shrink in importance, while touring, merchandising and endorsements provide new sources of revenue. Beyond music, this story also points to China's emerging role as new and voracious consumers of the global economy's goods and services, including advanced aeronautics, extracted minerals, mobile handsets and world-wide tourism.