Obsessive fans organise to push Chinese idols to top of global hit parades
- Devotees dip into their own pockets to get their favourites to No 1.
- Multibillion-dollar ‘fan economy’ effectively a closed shop for non-Chinese.
American pop star Ariana Grande had every reason to expect that her new single, Thank U, Next, would race to the top of the charts in the United States when it was released earlier this month. When she checked iTunes after its release, though, she met with a surprise. Kris Wu, a superstar in China, not only had the No 1 spot on the iTunes’ singles chart but also seven of the top 10 songs.
It was an extraordinary achievement for an artist with almost no North American profile, and Grande and her camp were not buying it. Rumours started flying on social media that “bots” were behind Wu’s chart dominance.
Sceptics were right about one thing: there was an organised effort to boost Wu’s sales. But it was organised by Chinese fans who spent their own money to push him up the US charts, not music promoters or programmers.