Tehran, Iran, June 4
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iran's first online concert application was unveiled on June 1 with many celebrities from music and motion pictures, ILNA news agency reported.
As the first online show, well-known traditional vocalist Alireza Qurbani brought his band to the event to cast his performance online.
Qurbani is among many musicians in Iran whose concerts have been repeatedly closed down by semi-governmental organizations despite having acquired necessary permits.
Project manager Hamed Anqa said the online system was created with 300 staff members, adding that by the launch time, it had 10,000 users.
Ministry of Culture spokesman Hossein Nushabadi in May decried what he called "an organized current" for having been closing down music concerts in Iran.
He condemned the closure of concerts of famous musicians as an "obstinate" act performed by "extremist groups".
Some inside Iran refer to the close-downs as a scheme to damage the social reputation of President Hassan Rouhani by rivals who nonetheless hold sway over ultra-governmental organizations.