How Kris Wu beat Ariana Grande on the itunes chart

AMERICAN pop star Ariana Grande had every reason to expect that her new single, Thank U, Next, would race to the top of the US charts 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 singles chart, but 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 weren’t buying it.

Rumours started flying on social media that “bots” were behind Wu’s chart dominance.

Sceptics were right that 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.

The campaign wasn’t unusual. For years, Chinese fans have gone beyond simply buying the music of their favourite stars and engaged in mass efforts to boost their chart positions and brand equity.

Fans of the Chinese boy band Tfboys have, among other activities, bought up an entire run (120 000 copies) of Harper’s Bazaar featuring a member on the cover, purchased billboards in Times Square to wish another member happy birthday, and prepared custom textbooks for another member when he prepped for China’s college entrance exam.

The success of this multibilliondollar “fan economy” has been so profound that Chinese brands are now actively trying to profit from it.

Western companies looking to break into the mainland market would be wise to pay heed.

The origins of China’s fan economy – roughly defined as the value and revenue generated by the interactions between fans and stars – predates social media. In

2005, a scrappy provincial television station launched the Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest, an American Idol knock-off.

Viewers voted for their favourites via text messages (for which they paid) and, during the final episodes, formed fan clubs which campaigned for particular favourites. What drove this intensity remains obscure.

But it seems for many young Chinese, celebrity-worship represents a rare opportunity to express support for lifestyles and backgrounds marginalised in China. | Bloomberg