Coronavirus got you down? Try cutting loose with ‘cloud clubbing’

People stuck at home can now join live-streaming DJs on TikTok and music festivals on Bilibili

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Coronavirus got you down? Try cutting loose with ‘cloud clubbing’

Masha Borak

Published: 5:00am, 13 Feb 2020Updated: 5:35am, 13 Feb 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

This Friday night, many people in China will be stuck at home as they continue to self-quarantine because of the coronavirus outbreak. Music events are cancelled, bars are closed and the only deafening sound in clubs is silence. But some music labels and clubs are joining together to introduce “cloud clubbing” on video platforms like Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Last Friday, one Shanghai club live streamed DJs on Douyin for four hours and earned 700,000 yuan (US$100,400) from 71,000 virtual party-goers that tuned in to watch the show, according to a report by live-streaming industry service platform Zhaihehe. The next night, another club raked in a whopping 2 million yuan (US$286,900) over five hours, the report says.

These cloud clubbing sessions are making money using a common feature on Chinese live-streaming platforms: Users can spend real money on virtual gifts for performers. In this case, Douyin offered a virtual gift that’s become scarce in the real world amid the coronavirus outbreak: Face masks.

DJs from the Shanghai club TAXX rocking virtual face masks on Douyin. (Picture: Screenshot from Douyin)

Despite the odd name, cloud clubbing (aka cloud DJ-ing or cloud disco) isn’t a new concept. Many music events these days are available online.

But with millions of people now stranded at home, obeying government directives to prevent infection, many are turning to video platforms to relieve their boredom -- and video platforms are happy to bank on the trend.