1994: From a young man from a small town to a second-generation resident of Shanghai

Shanghai Music Radio.

Director Lorraine rushed into the studio, "Has '1994' aired yet?"

"There are still two songs that haven't finished playing."

"Two more songs? We'll insert them right away. After this song finishes, we'll switch to another one immediately. This is a song that Shengtian Group is going to promote."

Upon hearing the name Shengtian Group, the announcer had no further objections.

After playing "Gently Tell You," they immediately started recommending "1994."

"Dear listeners, I'm sure you were still savoring the song 'Gently Tell You' we just played. It was sung by our dear Yang Yuying. If you're interested, you can buy her album to listen. Next, I'd like to share a newly composed song with you. It's a duet by a new duo, and their singing is solid with a beautiful melody. I believe you'll all enjoy it..."

After setting the stage, the announcer switched to play the song.

Meanwhile, the radio station's backend is also monitoring real-time playback data.

Listener retention and completion rate are crucial metrics for the survival of a new song.

After putting on some music, Liu Dongdong leisurely took a sip of goji berry tea, feeling quite relaxed and content at work.

At that time, being a radio announcer was still a very good job. Every household could live without a television, but not without a radio.

And music is something that the general public enjoys.

However, once the internet becomes widespread, radio stations will face tough times.

The back-end data monitoring center.

In the listenership section, a line suddenly appeared on the previously flat screen, and it was rising in a straight line!

The staff showing the surveillance footage were stunned. "What's going on? Is the monitor broken? How can it be such a steep straight line!"

He had never seen anything like this in his more than ten years in the industry.

…………

Zhou Tingting's home in a lane in Gaoqiao Town, Shanghai.

Zhou Tingting is a senior in high school this year and will take the college entrance examination next June.

Although winter break hasn't started yet, she has already left school and is studying at home.

The tense atmosphere at school put a lot of pressure on her, so after talking with her parents, she went home and studied on her own.

One way to relieve stress is to place a radio next to you while studying, specifically playing music from Shanghai Music Radio.

This radio station mainly plays music geared towards youth, featuring songs sung by young singers.

She didn't like listening to the songs of those older artists.

Listening to music can relieve her anxiety and also help her to think more broadly, thus improving her learning efficiency.

As she was diligently working on her problems, her train of thought suddenly paused. "Something seems off about this song?"

The melody of the song was something she had never experienced before; it was inspiring, moving, and powerful.

When did domestic music reach this level?

It's just as good as the music from Japan and South Korea, isn't it?

After listening to the entire song, she was convinced that it was a newly released hit song!

But there was only one time; there was no second time.

What a pity!

I really want to hear it a second time, but how can I hear it?

Sometimes missing a song is like missing the most important person in your life; the sense of loss is indescribable.

This feeling compelled her to find the song.

Fortunately, the announcer followed up by introducing the song's background.

"Is this a song sung by a newcomer? Who is so amazing that their first release can surpass all the classic songs she has ever heard?"

It is no exaggeration to say that "1994" is a groundbreaking masterpiece.

For Zhou Tingting, who loves listening to music, it's something she thinks about day and night.

"No, I absolutely have to buy a CD to listen to!"

With an idea in mind, Zhou Tingting put down her pen and left the room.

Wang Fang, the mother who was taking care of her daughter at home, asked her, "Tingting, where are you suddenly going?"

"I'm going out to buy a CD, I'll be back in a bit."

Wang Fang had always trusted her daughter, so she didn't ask any further questions.

My daughter has good grades and has a good chance of getting into a top university. She is also very self-disciplined in her studies at home.

After leaving home, Zhou Tingting ran to the video store and asked the owner, "Do you have a CD of the song '1994'?"

"1994? Never heard of it, there probably isn't one."

Zhou Tingting was slightly disappointed; there were none available, and she wasn't interested in anything else the boss recommended.

"Boss, where do you get your CDs from? Where can I buy the latest ones?"

The boss had something to hide; all his CDs were pirated. He couldn't buy the latest ones; he'd have to wait until pirated copies came out before he could buy them.

However, I still recommended a legitimate CD store to her.

Zhou Tingting took a bus to a CD shop in Pudong, which was full of officially licensed CDs.

They happen to have the latest stuff, and even music magazines.

Zhou Tingting found the "1994" DVD she had been longing for on the latest section of the shelf, holding it close to her chest, reluctant to put it down.

Just like the little boy two years later who bought the latest episode of Ultraman Tiga on DVD.

I also bought a magazine about musical figures. The magazine has a lot of news about musical figures, recommendations for their historical works, gossip about their life stories, and more.

Zhou Tingting was very curious to know who the two singers were. When she saw that the two lead singers were both incredibly good-looking men and women, she instantly fell in love with them.

In particular, there's a fondness for Chen Yong; it's true that some people are not only handsome but also incredibly talented at singing.

In terms of looks, no one in the entire Chinese music scene can rival him.

Because a lot of time had been spent outside, my mother and grandparents were quite anxious when I got home.

"Little girl, where did you go?"

"I went to buy CDs, and I got them. I'll let you hear my idol sing in a bit."

…………

Shanghai Music Radio.

Director Lorraine was somewhat incredulous when he saw the premiere data for "1994"—it was definitely going to be another New Year's Eve hit!

The listenership was a staggering 3%, and the completion rate was an even more astonishing 90%.

In other words, anyone who listens to this song will choose to listen to it to the end.

Most people will switch channels when they encounter a song they don't like, and then switch back after the song finishes playing.

The song "1994" immediately captivated listeners. "I've never seen such good results in my entire career."

Loran quickly reported the song's data to his superiors and also shared the data with the distributor.

After receiving the data, Yang Lan of Tianmei Music immediately reported it to the group's chairman.

At the same time, word spread throughout the company.

"The song '1994' is a smash hit! A complete smash hit!"

Yang Yuying also learned of this news and suddenly felt a little regretful. She hadn't contacted Chen Yong recently, and the next time she heard from him was that his song had become a huge hit.

So she quickly called to share the good news.

Mao Ning jogged over and said to her, "Ganggang, have you heard? '1994' is a huge hit! The premiere ratings were amazing, and they're definitely going to get even more promotional resources. Hey, our company is about to have another big star. It'll definitely affect your position."

"Don't worry about it. He's a rich kid and a college student; he probably doesn't care about being a celebrity. He's different from us!"

Yang Yuying called Chen Yong to tell him the good news.

Chen Yong knew about it earlier; it was Chen Fang who told him.

…………

Chen Fang was at home, rolling around on the floor with joy, "Our song is a huge hit, it's so popular!"

Do you think we could become stars overnight?

Chen Yong quietly ate the Chilean cherry, uninterested in whether it was popular or not; he was more interested in the cherry in his mouth. "The Chilean cherries are really delicious."

"Eat less, it's two hundred yuan a pound! Leave some for me."