Global Media News

Music Artists Quarantine Livestreams Breaks Records on Instagram

Social distancing and quarantined? Events cancelled/postponed? Need some entertainment and music? No problem! In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, celebrities, DJs, and other Instagram users with a large platform are not letting the pandemic stop them from connecting with their audience. Instagram live and other livestream services has made it possible for everyone to be together, virtually, in the comfort of their own home. Music is helping the whole world lift their spirits up and breaking records while doing so.  

DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine"

Clubs were closed and parties were cancelled but Bronx native DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine" was still open. He was the first to start the virtual party wave on Instagram and the beginning of the pandemic with just a few 100 followers on Wednesday, March 18th. Once word got around that DJ D-Nice was playing the hottest old school ,slow jams, country, hip hop, pop, and R&B music, more people joined the club. By Saturday, March 21^st, his party grew to 100,000 viewers, breaking Instagram’s live record. The Obamas, Oprah, Kim Kardashian, Bernie Sanders, Janet Jackson, Joe Biden, Drake, and J-Lo were a few of the celebrities he shouted out that “walked in the club”. Before Quarantine, he had less than 20,000 followers, now he has over 2.2 million new followers that he can’t wait to party with in real life. DJ D-Nice explained on his live: “Sitting at home I started to feel empty…There’s nothing like playing the music and feeling the music”.

Tory Lanez "Quarantine Radio"

R&B and Hip Hop artist, Tory Lanez, went viral with his own "Quarantine Radio" and followed the club scene. Lanez told USA Today "I saw what DJ D-Nice was doing and I just wanted to play music and have some sound clashes with some of my friends. I didn't even think it was going to be big...". Playing music for fans, hosting dance competitions, and adding famous friends to his live caused Tory to break DJ D-Nice's Instagram record at 350,000 live viewers. To celebrate, he donated money to fans displaying their talent and best dance moves while also sharing their cash apps for viewers to donate as well. 

Swiss Beatz & Timbaland "Verzuz"

 Swiss Beatz and Timbaland are two well-known producers with legendary catalogs and responsible for the classics sang by the most successful artist. Both producers were on live, battling toe-to-toe their best hits catching the attention of more than 200,000 viewers. Major blogs reposted the clips with thousands of users commenting who they think won. All the buzz caused the producers to create the Instagram live series “Verzuz by Swiss Beatz and Timbaland”. Every week since then, the duo began promoting the lives battle between two producers, songwriters or artists who have a music catalog of at least 20 hits. Some of the matchup battles include: The Dream v. Sean Garrett, Scott Storch v. Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and Lil John, Ne-Yo v. Austin. Baby Face v. Teddy Riley also battled, getting a huge reaction from social media, breaking Tory Lanez' record at 500,000 live viewers. You can check it out here.

Diddy's Team Love Dance-A-Thon

Sean "Diddy" Combs is known for his smooth dance moves and fun, lavish parties. What better person to throw a dance-a-thon to raise money for COVID healthcare workers? Diddy and his six children went on Instagram live to dance with celebrity friends like Lebron James, Drake, J-LO, A-rod, DJ Khaled, Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, and the list goes on. All together dancing in the comfort of their home, they managed to raise over $4 million. Check it out below

The main concern of record labels was the decline of revenue during this pandemic, especially to those artists who have planned tours and album releases. Finding a way of promotion for released music and for artists to interact with fans was difficult. Instagram live fixed this problem and high profilers took advantage to put everyone in a good mood. It's a smart marketing idea, I must say and it's all for a good cause. According to a Business Insider article, an Instagram spokesman said Instagram live usage jumped 70% , March through April and views have doubled successfully.

 

How Are Chinese Social Media Aiding Surveillance?

Civilian proving a green health code by having a QR code scanned. Source: South China Morning Post

Chinese social media apps are used by over a billion people. The Chinese government is using the popularity of these apps and smartphones to aid in surveillance efforts relating to COVID-19. Major global technology companies are working on new devices and techniques to alert people if they could have been exposed to COVID-19. 

WeChat and Weibo, which are more traditional social media websites as used in China, are being used to locate those who are potentially infected with COVID-19. The efforts on social media to track the virus are as simple as posting a message and pleading with the public to pass on the message to their followers. Social Media techniques were used to track down a bus that was thought to have 12 passengers who have been exposed to COVID-19 within hours, South China Morning Post reports. The license plate was shared on social media, and residents called into their local health authorities to report anyone they thought could have been a passenger on the bus. The efforts the Chinese Government is taking to contain the virus is as simple as sharing a post on social media. 

A color-coded system designating a person's health is being tested in major cities in China. This began in the city of Hangzhou in correspondence with Ant Financial, the owner of Alipay, New York Times reports. The technology is an add-on to the popular wallet app Alipay and breaks down the health of civilians, simply, - into green, yellow, and red groups. Those with a green color code may travel freely, while those with a yellow or red color code may be denied access to certain locations and be asked to quarantine based on status severity. The app has become widely accepted within the area and up to 90% of the entire population of the province Hangzhou is located is signed on to use the app. Ant Financial is working with other cities within China to bring the technology country-wide.

People around China need a green health code to enter locations throughout the country. Source: Abacus

Modern technology and social media are critical in China’s response to tracing COVID-19. These color-coded QR codes aid the Chinese government’s surveillance efforts throughout the country. The new technology designed in response to the worldwide pandemic requires users provide real, personally identifiable information to utilize it, South China Morning Post reports. The location of users is sent to Ant Financial’s servers while officials are blatantly asking for the location of specific residents on social media. Residents may be forced to scan the new QR codes to ride a city bus or enter a market.