Video-sharing site Bilibili on Tuesday announced a partnership with gaming giant Tencent’s music streaming platform QQ Music to promote and support independent artists.
Why it matters: Bilibili has been broadening its content beyond the anime, comic, and game (ACG) content it was known for to more mainstream entertainment offerings. As a major draw to users, music is increasingly one of its primary focuses.
- In November 2019, Bilibili launched a music incentive program to entice both amateur content creators and professional artists to join its content ecosystem.
Details: The partnership will allow verified artists to receive support and exposure across Bilibili’s and QQ Music’s platforms, the company said in a statement sent to TechNode, though Bilibili declined to provide further detail.
- Bilibili and QQ Music will also jointly host a number of online tryouts for music content creators, rewarding winners with custom-made music videos and guidance from professional producers.
- The first of these events, named “Ganbei Jihua,” or “Project Kanpai,” will take place on Jan. 6.
Context: This is not the first partnership between Tencent and Bilibili. In October 2018, the two companies announced a strategic partnership in anime content and games.
- The partnership looked to increase the presence of Tencent’s games on the Bilibili platform and help the two companies jointly procure, produce, and invest in anime projects.
- Also in October 2018, Tencent invested $317.6 million in Bilibili, giving the gaming titan a 12.3% stake in the video-sharing site.