Night owls and clubbers don’t have to entirely miss out on the Bangkok nightlife as they can now tune in and support their favorite DJ talents via a new live-streaming service.
Since United We Stream Asia kicked off last week, it has brought live shows from several nightclubs including Sing Sing Theatre and Safe Room to viewers. Tonight, from 8pm onward, it’s underground club-hangout Mustache Bangkok followed Saturday by rum party bar Tropic City. More details are available online.
“In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the music industry — which usually thrives in nightclubs and at live events — is effectively no more,” the group said in its announcement. “In Asia alone, thousands of artists and music industry employees have been left without work and the venues, clubs, festivals, club nights and parties that define Asia’s music community are on the brink of extinction, with many of them getting no support from the government.”
That support will come in the form of a crowdfunding site where the minimum donation is US$1. It has raised over US$4,200 so far.
Nearly all of the donations will go to a relief fund, but 8% will be donated to regional charitable organisations. In the first month, those are Blue Dragon children’s foundation in Vietnam along with Scholars of Sustenance in Thailand and Indonesia.
As for the 92% meant to support artists and venues, it’s a little more oblique. It says they will be selected from a “catalog of criteria” examined by “an independent jury of local Culture and Night Time Economy leaders.”
United We Stream was first launched in March in Berlin to raise money for music venues and entertainers affected by the pandemic. It has expanded to cities worldwide including Manchester, Paris, Tehran and Ho Chi Minh.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, bars and nightclubs were among venues shut since mid-March, and won’t be allowed to reopen until July 1 at the earliest.
