Live onstage, and at home

Audiences of Wang Feng's concert in Beijing have the opportunity to be filmed during the online broadcast. [Photo/China Daily]

"The lowest price for the concert was 280 yuan but it just cost 30 yuan to watch online. Who will pay for the concert? If people have already watched the show online, who will pay for the following stops?" says Xue.

He initially thought about broadcasting concerts live online around seven years ago when he ran a performance ticketing company in Beijing. At the time, he abandoned the idea since the base of Internet users in China was not big enough and the technology was not as advanced as it is today.

But he believes that now is the time to do it. China today has 632 million Internet users, according to the government forum China Internet Network Information Center.

Young people are willing to experience concerts in different ways, Xue adds.

"Wang is very supportive of the idea. As one of the most popular singer-songwriters in China, his live shows have a guaranteed box office," says Xue, who also cooperated with more than 20 Internet companies to sell tickets, including e-commerce giants JD.com and Taobao.com.

It was a smart decision. The online streaming not only enabled more fans to enjoy the show but also helped promote Wang's successive concerts.

According to Xue, the ticket sales are up, especially for the upcoming shows in Hangzhou on Sept 30 and in Taiyuan on Oct 11.