Screen shot of the Star Space app Photo: IC  

Fans gather for Lady Gaga  Photo: IC

At a release event titled "Stars Shine for You" on Saturday in Beijing, Shenzhen Nesound Kankan Information Technology  CEO Zhang Yubo announced the release of the company's newest social media app Star Space, which will allow fans to follow the adventures of their favorite stars.

More than 20 A-list celebrities such as Hu Ge and Yang Mi attended the ceremony and interacted with fans before beginning to use the Star Space app. The all-star lineup made this tech launch feel like a film festival.

Just one day after the official launch, Star Space leapt onto the top 10 best-selling entertainment apps and App Store best-seller lists on the Apple store.

Zero distance

Looking to enter the fan-based economy, Star Space is a platform designed to move away from passive text posts and static images and allow fans to follow their idols in a more active way such as live video and other more intimate means of communication.

Just like how Facebook brought live video to users a few days ago, Star Space is also aiming at making live broadcasts and real time interaction its main features. Aside from a pre-recorded welcome video, every star signed with the app will continually host live broadcasts for the app's paying members.

According to Zhang, Star Space aims to have fans go from being "onlookers" to more actively interacting with stars, and also becoming content creators in their own right.

"All the stars are A-listers! It's so great to have a platform that allows us to interact with our idols! I was really touched by the fact that Tang Tang (the nickname of actress Tang Yan) took some group pictures with fans during a live broadcast! I love her!" user Zengyucen commented on the Apple app store.

Interaction between idols and fans has undergone several rounds of changes since the dawn of the Internet age.

Fans used to scan forums or chat groups to get the latest gossip. However, after the rise of social media, platforms such as Sina Weibo further closed the distance between fans and stars. In 2012, smartphone apps brought the dream of real-time interaction and zero-distance even closer to reality.

Brand recognition

Some Western stars such as Adele and Madonna even released personal branded apps as early as 2011. However, Such products wouldn't be seen in China until the beginning of 2012 when the Xiamen Ruike team developed the first personal app for Dong Jie, a well-known actress. Not long after several other A-list stars such as Yang Mi and Chen Kun followed in her footsteps.

Most of these apps give users access to exclusive content including the idol's latest music and videos, but lack the chance to interact with the stars themselves in real time. Acting for the most part only as platforms for the release of news and lacking a clear commercial strategy, these apps gradually lost the attention of fans and eventually most of them stopped being updated.  

In contrast, Star Space is attempting to create a single platform collecting numerous stars that is more than just a bulletin board featuring the latest news about these stars.

Targeting the youth of today who have grown up with the rise of the Internet, Zhang believes that this special crowd will be willing to pay for the privilege to interact with their favorite performers and singers.

This attempt is likely to establish a new model of live entertainment in China and change the way the fan economy and entertainment industry interact.


Newspaper headline: Reach for the stars