The Backstreet Boys to Play Livestream Show On China’s WeChat

The Backstreet Boys have formally partnered with Tencent-owned social media app WeChat “to provide followers in China the efficiency of a lifetime.”

The Backstreet Boys, who hit the highway as a part of their DNA World Tour about three weeks in the past, only recently unveiled the WeChat partnership. Sponsored by Lincoln – mentioned sponsorship’s specifics haven’t been publicly disclosed – the “free” digital live performance on the middle of the deal “is anticipated to attract an astounding 40 million viewers,” in line with the formal announcement message from the occurring’s organizers.

This determine displays an enchancment of about 13 million watchers from the final worldwide livestream gig that the controversial WeChat hosted, a show from “iconic Irish boy band, Westlife.” In fact, those that comprise 24-year-old Westlife are hardly “boys” regardless of the longstanding classification of their group, and equally, The Backstreet Boys’ 5 members have a mean age of over 46 years outdated.

However the veteran nature of the acts at hand – together with their publicity to followers in China over the past couple many years – seems to be a key element of the technique behind the exhibits, for which an organization referred to as East Goes World is the manager producer.

Aiming “to bridge the hole between China and the remainder of the world,” East Goes World has labored with artists together with The Chainsmokers, Jessie J, John Legend, and Troye Sivan, per its web site. The identical supply states that Australia’s Sivan has racked up extra subscribers on Douyin (three million) than its worldwide counterpart, TikTok (1.7 million), with 4.3 million NetEase Cloud Music followers to his credit score, 3.6 million followers on QQ Music, and 1.6 million followers on Weibo.

Again to the choice to faucet The Backstreet Boys to play the WeChat livestream live performance, the concerned groups indicated of Westlife’s aforementioned efficiency: “As one of many first western bands to develop a considerable presence amongst Chinese language followers again within the late 90s, the 2021 occasion was a testomony to the band’s ongoing reputation in China.”

“Delivering a digital live performance is one factor. Delivering a highly-impactful second between cultures is one other. To say I’m thrilled to see this occasion and partnership come collectively can be an understatement. I can not look forward to the world to witness historical past,” East Goes World founder and CEO Andrew Spalter mentioned of The Backstreet Boys’ WeChat gig, which is slated to happen tomorrow morning.

Extra broadly, the event arrives as many within the music business – together with the foremost labels – are bolstering their operations in China’s quick-growing music market.

Over the past month or so, as an example, Sony Music has rolled out RCA Information in mainland China, w.as Stay Nation finalized a licensing pact between its Fabled Information (a label that intends to “break Chinese language-influenced music content material globally”) and Common Music Group.