HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 28 [028] Qi Yuan Has Become a Millionaire
The mainland market is becoming increasingly important for record companies and singers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and has become a market that cannot be ignored.

As soon as Zhou Jianhui took over the affairs in Taiwan, he sent a trusted assistant to the mainland for investigation.

"What were the results of the inspection?" Zhou Jianhui asked.

"The mainland is indeed a huge market, but piracy is rampant. A new record only has a golden sales period of one week after its release. After that, a large number of pirated copies will flood the market, and then the legitimate records will not sell well."

Even so, the sales of legitimate records over there are still considerable. For example, the album "Too Softhearted" released by Rock Records at the end of last year.

I checked the shipment volume with the legitimate manufacturers in mainland China, and it had already reached millions of copies a long time ago.

There are too many pirated copies to count, probably over ten million.

By the way, I discovered a very promising newcomer during my trip to the mainland. He released his self-titled debut album on the 10th.

Over 600,000 legitimate records were sold in a week, and this was despite the record company being too conservative and not having sufficient initial stock.

After listening to his assistant report the results of the investigation, Zhou Jianhui was slightly surprised.

So fierce?
They sold 600,000 records in a week, even with insufficient stock.

If we have enough stock, wouldn't we be able to reach 700,000 or 800,000 units?
"What's this newcomer's name? He's so amazing!" Zhou Jianhui became interested in this newcomer from the mainland music scene who sold 600,000 records in his first week.

The development of the mainland music scene started too slowly and couldn't keep up with the pace of Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Many popular songs in mainland China sound like outdated old songs when played in Taiwan.

Therefore, being popular in mainland China does not necessarily mean being popular in Taiwan.

Zhou Jianhui was unsure whether this newcomer from the mainland music scene would be well-received in the Taiwanese market.

"I bought a disc. The originals are so popular, I can't buy any. This one is a pirated copy, so the picture quality is a bit poor." The assistant handed Zhou Jianhui a disc called "Prayer".

Zhou Jianhui carefully examined the cover of the disc. A young man in a retro suit sat in the center of the picture, sitting on a sofa with his hands crossed.

The overall tone of the image is bright on the left and dark on the right, with only the right half of the face clearly visible.

Nevertheless, Zhou Jianhui could tell from the right half of the face that the cover's protagonist was quite good-looking.

The person who designed the album cover must be a master; he certainly hopes that listeners will focus more on the music than on the singer's looks.

"I want to hear just how amazing an album that can sell 600,000 copies in a week really is," Zhou Jianhui said with a smile.

Forty minutes later, he listened to all ten songs on the disc.

Then he sent his assistant out and locked someone in a room to listen to the recording again.

More than an hour later, he emerged from the room, seemingly lost in thought.

What a genius! Such a musical prodigy has actually emerged from mainland China.

They cleverly blended foreign R&B elements with local Chinese musical elements, creating a new musical style.

Zhou Jianhui remembers clearly that he had just taken over Warner UFO's affairs on the 6th of this month.

In the Taiwanese music scene, a behind-the-scenes musician named Tao Ze stepped into the spotlight and released an album of the same name called "David Tao".

This album is based on R&B, but incorporates various musical elements such as pop, soul, and Chinese style.

The album's release gave people the feeling that it was a generation ahead of the Taiwanese music scene.

This album, titled "Qi Yuan," shares a similar theme with Tao Ze's "David Tao."

As the general manager of Warner Music, if he had to choose between the two albums, he would choose Qi Yuan's album.

Because Tao Ze's album wasn't commercial enough, apart from "Love Is Simple" and "Quicksand," the other songs weren't down-to-earth enough, and ordinary listeners might not be able to accept them.

Qi Yuan's album is different; every song is easy to understand and reaches a wide audience.

Songs like "Small Town Girl," "Everyday," and "Starry Night" appeal to young people. Songs like "The First Time," "I Thought," and "You'll Be With Me All My Life" are also popular with middle-aged people.

Tao Ze wouldn't work; find a forty-year-old middle-aged man and ask him what he thinks of "The Airport at 10:30".

The middle-aged man will most likely frown and say, "Wha, what is this?"

"Which company in mainland China does this young man work for? We must get him to Warner Music," Zhou Jianhui decided immediately.

"There's a small company in Beijing called Wheatfield Music. It's been established for less than two years and has only released two albums." The assistant was very professional; he had investigated all the information thoroughly.

“Have someone go to the mainland… no… book me a flight tonight, I’ll fly to Beijing myself.” A plan came to Zhou Jianhui’s mind.

If this idea can be realized, Warner UFO will quickly emerge from its slump under his leadership.

……

Beijing.

Under the impact of piracy, the sales of legitimate records plummeted, forcing Qi Yuan to switch to a business model.

Under Mai Tian's arrangement, he held many autograph sessions and campus tours in Beijing, which not only increased the sales of his official records but also enhanced his influence among young people.

On this day, Qi Yuan came to one of the most popular music and video stores in Sanlitun, Beijing, and sang popular songs such as "Love Corner", "The First Time" and "Because of Love, So I Love" with deep emotion.

During the autograph session, all fans who purchased the original records received his autograph.

Qi Yuan signed autographs until his hand cramped, giving out over a thousand autographs in two hours—a painful yet joyful experience.

After his debut album became a huge success, Qi Yuan's net worth skyrocketed. Once Mai Tian recouped their investment and split the profits with him, he would be a millionaire.

Being a celebrity is indeed very lucrative; these days, singers who become famous earn far more than actors.

The thought of becoming a millionaire fueled Qi Yuan's enthusiasm.

In other provinces, a wealthy man offered over 10 yuan for an appearance fee to have Qi Yuan cut the ribbon at his newly opened club and sing a few songs.

Neither Qi Yuan nor Song Ke dared to take on such a job.

Even a veteran superstar like Andy Lau gets bullied in mainland China for randomly accepting commercial performances, let alone a newly popular singer like him.

The security situation in China in the 1990s was really not good.

Qi Yuan named the campus tour "Wishing for Fame," intending it as a good omen and also subtly playing on the homophony of his own name.

Qi Yuan chose to hold the first stop of her campus tour at her alma mater, Beijing Film Academy.

In the following days, I visited top universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, and I must say, the results were really good.

Over the course of a few days, tens of thousands more genuine records were sold.

After all, buying an official copy of the record gives you a chance to get Qi Yuan's autograph, something that pirated copies can't offer.

Wheatfield's final campus tour stop in Beijing will be at the Central Academy of Drama.

"Remember to assign me a few more security personnel, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to leave the Central Academy of Drama campus." Qi Yuan said, both amused and exasperated.

He was considered a public enemy by male students at the Central Academy of Drama, yet he went to the Central Academy of Drama to do a campus tour, which was somewhat like a direct attack on their faces.

However, he has many "enemies" at the Central Academy of Drama, but also many fans, so the event should still be held.

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything. Oh, and I should tell you that now that you're famous, some brands want you to be their spokesperson."

Song Ke, the owner of a record company, actually became Qi Yuan's manager.

(End of this chapter)