Haomeimei's Qin Hao Haomeimei's Zhang Xiaohu Photos: Courtesy of Haomeimei
It's been more than a year since I last interviewed Haomeimei. When I wrote about them last year I referred to them as "a small independent band that has earned its popularity online." Seeing them now Cheap Air Max Free Shipping , the two look even younger: Zhang Xiaohou has changed his hair, while Qin Hao shaved his beard.


"People always want to pretend to be mature when they are young, and try to look young after they've gotten old," Qin explained.


Recently, this indie folk duet announced that they would be holding a concert at the Beijing Workers' Stadium on September 12. Compared with their last concert at the beginning of the year at the M Space in the Beijing Matercard Center, which could hold an audience of around 2 Cheap Air Max Outlet ,000, this time the duo is looking to take on a 40,000-seat venue that only a few Chinese mainland singers or bands have been able to handle.


"We've made some leaps after we started our music career, going from bars to live houses, and then to theaters and concert halls. But this time it was an accident," Qin told the Global Times. He explained that when crowdfunding platform JD Finance contacted them to see if they were interested in holding a concert using this new financing model Cheap Air Max Shoes , they immediately wanted to take the most difficult path. In this case, they didn't just need fans to help them promote the concert, but actually fund the concert itself.


"Workers' Stadium is such a milestone for many singers. So we put our goal there. Even if we didn't succeed, we thought it was fine. We could just tell ourselves that we are just not popular enough yet and need to work harder," said Zhang.


Zhang said he had never been to Workers' Stadium before they had decided to hold a concert there, not for a concert nor a soccer match.


"I went to the Linkin Park concert there last month. It was really cool seeing ten thousands of people getting so excited at the venue. I want to see my fans having a great party with us there too."


Huge party


Dreams are always beautiful Cheap Air Max , but the problem is making them come true. The duo's crowdfunding effort started in June, with tiers offering T-shirts, concert tickets, albums with signatures and even some chances for a face-to-face meeting with the two.


According to the crowdfunding page, tickets for the concert are being sold at 99 yuan ($15), an incredibly cheap price considering that seats close to the stage for a concert at this kind of venue usually sell for more than 1 Cheap Nike Air Max Mens ,200 yuan or even 2,000 yuan.


Qin explained that they considered how much their fans could afford.


Zhang told the Global Times that most of their fans are young - either students or people who have just entered the workforce. He added that the two had just spent the past few months visiting more than 20 universities in Beijing and Tianjin, sharing their grass-root stories of working as professional indie musicians.


"We are grass-roots and close to our fans. We don't try to teach them principles, just tell them our own experiences and how two amateur music-lovers become indie singers and made our dreams come true," Zhang said.


The two quickly reached their crowdfunding goal of 1.98 million, eventually making 2.38 million yuan in over a month. They no longer need to worry that they may show up to an empty stadium as nearly three fourths of tickets have been sold so far Cheap Nike Air Max Online , and sales are still going strong.


"What we need to focus on now is how to give a great party for this huge audience. We will change some of our folk songs to a style that can cheer people up and we are preparing some surprises for them," Zhang said confidently.


Leaping roadblocks


After Haomeimei's announcement that they had reached their crowdfunding goal and would soon become the first indie group to hold a concert at Worker's Stadium, many in the music industry began thinking about what this meant for the industry.


"We are trying a mode that other people can copy and study. We still need to earn a profit from the concert even though ticket prices are low," said Zhang, explaining that they are still negotiating with sponsors.


"Working in music industry for years, I've seen it move from traditional media to the online digital era Cheap Nike Air Max Free Shipping ," Zhan Hua, a music planner, said. He explained that when he first heard that Haomeimei wanted to hold a concert at Worker's stadium he thought it was an impossible goal.


"But crowdfunding is a very efficient means for indie musicians to release albums and hold concerts. It helps them get support directly from their fans. Haomeimei's Workers' Stadium concert might be the most successful example of crowdfunding and music industry cooperation so far," Zhan said at a conference for Haomeimei's concert on July 8.


Crowdfunding has already become a normal means for indie musicians to publish their work. With the help of this new model, folk singers Mo Xizishi and Shao Yibei released their album. On the other hand, many singers also see crowdfunding as a way to promote their work. Sing My Song champion Huo Zun and singer Huang Ling both have used the platform to promote their music videos.


"Now musicians are able to freely release and promote their work Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet , and hold their own concerts without relying on record companies, agencies or other industry roadblocks," Guo Xiaohan, a deputy manager at Yuetong Music, told the Beijing Times in an interview.


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