Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 60: Golden Melody Awards Announcement

"Awesome! All the guys in my WeChat Moments have changed their opinion of him."

"Indeed, this song is all over my WeChat Moments now. It's completely flooding my feed. Some people have even posted it under that Bigfoot game ad. It's just unbelievable."

"I've really gone from hating to being a fan now. This song is really something. I can't believe that Kun Ge could sing it. If you have this singing ability, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"It's so pure, this song has such a authentic feel, the musicality and artistry are off the charts, and the production is absolutely top-notch."

"If you're criticized for too long, you'll naturally become like a black person."

"I'm a farmer, and what's on top is sugar beet."

"Oh no, have they really been ostracized from the Chinese entertainment industry and made it to the Grammys?"

"Did he go to Berkeley to take Hua Zi Ge's place?"

"Soul is the authentic style in China, a very classic and retro black blues singing style, the arrangement and singing skills are impeccable. There are few singers in China who can grasp the rhythm and subtle emotions of soul. I didn't expect it to be our Kun Ge when I first heard him."

"When I first listened to it, I thought it sounded really good, and I thought it was a new song from a master of soul music from America. But when I saw the artist's name, I couldn't hold back my laughter the moment I saw it."

"To be honest, isn't this much better than the karaoke in the villa and that 'Come on, come on' thing? This is real singing!"

"I was shocked. It's amazing that Cai Zhiyin sang such authentic soul music. I can't think of anyone in China who has done this before. It's on par with Western hits. Listening to it in the middle of the night, I felt a deep sense of emotion, as if my soul had been touched."

The hype exploded right from the start.

Many people say that Cai Zhiyin has completely overturned his image in the eyes of ordinary people this time.

In the following few days, Cai Zhiyin's name became a hot topic.

Subsequently, July Records quickly launched its music festival plan, which was officially announced by Cai Zhiyin's personal studio team.

First and foremost, it must fit the setting of going to sea, starting directly from La, which is Los Santos.

Then the second stop is Melbourne, and so on, to travel around the world.

I'll go to any famous music festival I can find!
Given the urgency of the situation, it was too late to prepare for a solo tour at this point.

Then, after quickly participating in a music festival, Cai Zhiyin once again ignited the buzz with a live performance comparable to a CD.

In just one week after its launch, Cai Zhiyin completed the entire closed loop, transforming himself from a universally despised figure to someone whose reputation was completely changed.

The official media outlets that had previously criticized his vulgar and tired jokes have changed their tune and this time praised and reported on him from a positive perspective.

After all, it's a way for Chinese people to make their mark on the international stage.

Don't worry about whether it was sent by the company or not. Ordinary people wouldn't think about these things, and they wouldn't know about these things.

With just this one move, they achieved an incredible comeback, leaving Xia Shen dumbfounded.

He had originally planned to learn from July Records' experience in pursuing a boutique approach, to learn a thing or two and then use it himself.

But he never expected it to be done this way.

How can he learn this?
They invested tens of millions of yuan to buy promotion, comments, and online trolls on a large scale, and also pre-selected a series of well-known music critics.

This alone is enough to deter small and medium-sized companies like Visual Effects Culture.

However, despite the promotion, it cannot erase the fact that Cai Zhiyin himself is a man of substance.

If it weren't for his singing skills and professional competence, Xia Shen wouldn't have been able to produce such a challenging song.

It has to be said that this is where big companies are smart: they know how to combine their work with marketing plans.

This is what we call complementary. If the singer themselves isn't good enough, no matter how much you promote them, it won't work. Nowadays, netizens are becoming increasingly difficult to fool. For example, the trick of switching the main actors was exposed a while ago, which illustrates this point.

Then, July Records wisely leveraged the strengths of the work itself, making a decisive move that almost forced Tsai Chih-yin to abandon his original path and his original fans. They directly switched to a route as a powerful vocalist, using the contrast to instantly overturn people's preconceived notions of Tsai Chih-yin.

And the marketing was a success. It was an exceptional success.

Although it can't match the popularity of Xia Shen's new album's "Wealth from All Directions/Cause and Effect" and "Great Ambitions" (the three songs in the album).

But in reality, they are not much different.

"I can't learn this, I really can't learn it." Xia Shen shook his head.

This wave will most clearly show the differences between companies and also the unpredictability of the current market.

Let's put it this way: in the current climate, if Xia Shen were to release a song like "Deadman" on his own, it would be a complete flop without a doubt.

The data might even be worse than that of "Give Me a Song's Time".

It's niche, unpopular, and has a high barrier to entry for appreciation.

It occupied almost all the negative factors that it shouldn't have occupied and that were detrimental to the spread of the virus.

Xia Shen now understands that in today's music market, having a good song doesn't necessarily guarantee a hit; being able to create something truly amazing is what makes someone a hit.

In other words, in the Chinese music scene, you can not live, but you cannot be dead. It's that simple.

But this kind of song, released by July Records and Cai Zhiyin, became a hit.

A significant investment of resources is needed to attract the audience's attention.

It has to be said that seeing this setup, he was increasingly looking forward to the vice president's promise to use July Records' resources to help him find an opportunity to create high-quality products.

What kind of opportunity will it be?
Although the vice president did not give him a direct answer on this point, he did give him a general response.

“There is indeed an opportunity here, but the competition may be quite fierce, so we can’t guarantee anything. But what I can guarantee is that as long as the company can secure it for you, you will definitely change the public’s perception and have the opportunity to produce high-quality products.”

Let me put it this way: it's an international-level event, about to be held in China, and a host of the world's top stars will be there.

"Since this kind of event is being held in China, we definitely need to make a gesture, at least to give Chinese people some exposure. That's the opportunity we've secured for you."

The vice president spoke very seriously.

They also gave a deadline guarantee: "At most, within one month, I will give you an answer!"

"Thank you so much!" Xia Shen immediately expressed his gratitude.

"No need to thank me, we should be thanking you, Teacher Xia Shen. The song you gave us played a crucial role." The vice president said, "Now the most important thing is that you should get ready. The Golden Melody Awards are about to start, and your chances are very high this year."

Just as the vice president had predicted, feedback came from overseas on the very day Xia Shen returned.

The album's overseas success is back.

The result was a massive data explosion!
And this explosion wasn't just any ordinary explosion; it was an incredibly rapid and terrifying rise, directly securing the top spot for Chinese-language musicians on Spotify!
Yes! That's right! First place!
Furthermore, on Douyin and Kuaishou, Xia Shen's new album has officially surpassed 100 billion views today!
The data is so exaggerated that it can make people momentarily dazed.

When the news reached China, it sparked a variety of reactions.

First, within the rap community, there was naturally a wave of excitement, as this album had consistently received positive reviews within the rap scene.

But it's different among the general public.

It was a scene of utter despair, with people crying out that the Chinese music scene was doomed.

It just so happens that the Golden Melody Awards are about to be announced.

Xia Shen also received an invitation.
(End of this chapter)