TWO North Yorkshire brothers have set up their own company promoting UK music artists in China.

Tom and Max Sanderson, of Malton, are aiming to provide a channel for up-and-coming musicians to tour the country through Red8events.

Tom, a former player for Malton Rugby Club, said China was widely recognised as an expanding market with one of the fastest growing entertainment industries in the world.

He said: “I first went out to China in 2008 to work for a company supplying equipment to the music industry.

“When Max finished university he also came out to work on the design side of the same firm.

“When our contracts finished in February we decided to stay and set up the business bringing artists from the UK to China.”

Tom, 30, said they both found China a wonderful place to live and the people very friendly.

He said: “It is a growth market and according to specialists the Chinese economy will be the largest in the world in less than 15 years. We recognise this opportunity and by living in China, learning the language and adopting the change in culture, we see that everyone can work together to create something magical and special.”

Tom said they had already taken Newcastle singer Aaron James Cashell and singer and dancer Lush, from London, for a four-week tour.

He said: “We are now in talks with the Swing Xtreme Dance Group and the head choreographer from the television programme Strictly Come Dancing to bring a team out in late 2010 or early 2011.

“The Chinese Hunan TV – the second largest TV station in China – bought the show from the BBC two yeas ago and it is really enjoyed by the Chinese.”

Tom said they were currently in the UK looking for sponsorship and investment from the business and entertainment industries.

They are also aiming to work with their 26-year-old brother, Jake – Max’s twin – a music producer who lives at the family home in Castlegate, Malton, with their mother, Judith.

“The Chinese culture is a beautiful culture and the more language we learn, the more friends we are making over there,” said Tom.

“We live in Dongguan in Southern China which is about two hours from Hong Kong and it is a wonderful country and so much more open than it was even five years ago – we love it.”

Tom said they were always looking for people to work with, from artists to designers and web builders to producers.

“About 200 years ago Napoleon returned from China and said ‘That is a sleeping dragon, let him sleep. If he wakes he will shake the world’,” said Tom.

“As entrepreneurs we are setting the music industry path for the future and as this takes off the way we believe it will do, it will carry a lot of people with a lot of exciting prospects.”

For more information, visit www.red8events.com