A vast lineup of famous Chinese musicians and celebrities are taking part in a livestream concert dubbed “Believe in the Future“, which kicked off on May 4 with the purpose of paying tribute to frontline medical workers and encourage Chinese citizens after the COVID-19 pandemic peak.
Inspired by the “One World Together at Home” international event co-organized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and pop star Lady Gaga, the Chinese version also saw rare collaboration between major Chinese digital music industry players—Alibaba’s music streaming app Xiami, NetEase Cloud Music, and Tencent Music Entertainment (TME), among other big tech players like microblogging platform Weibo, and online ticketing platform Damai.
On May 4 and 5, the first two shows have been livestreamed for free on several platforms such as Weibo’s Yi Zhibo, NetEase’s Look Livestream, Alibaba’s Youku, and Tencent Video, featuring performers including singer Faye Wong, pop star William Chan, and folk musician Lao Lang. Chinese netizens also shared over 3.6 million comments with the topic’s hashtag on Weibo.
“Believe in the Future“ is set to have additional episodes soon, although specific dates have not been released yet.
“It’s fascinatingly bizarre that all these people, who are almost impossible to see on the same stage, showed up here,” reads a popular response on Q&A site Zhihu. “We always use words and songs to eulogize the heroes, to commemorate the deceased, and to rebuild the hope of tomorrow,” the netizen added.
Other international music giants like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Live Nation are also supporting the event, which is commercial-free and curated by Gao Xiaosong, co-founder of Alibaba Music Group and chairman of Alibaba Entertainment Strategic Committee.
This livestream concert is not the first example of tech companies promoting online events amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
NetEase Cloud Music recently announced a paid livestreaming project on April 27, dubbed “Lit Up Live Action” to provide musicians with an option to make money while offline shows are still suspended.
In February, record label Modern Sky partnered with video site Bilibili to hold a streaming music festival, dubbed “Stay at Home Strawberry“, which showcased live performances from previous editions of the company’s renowned annual Strawberry Music Festival, KrASIA wrote.
