Entertainment: Is this how you play music?!

Chapter 402 Great, we rolled in the wrong direction.

Once a variety show achieves both critical acclaim and popularity, more attention will be focused on it.

However, it is no longer like before, where it becomes a toy as soon as it takes off, or a universal place for celebrities to gain prestige.

Quite the opposite.

"The Stage of the King" has even become a haven for high-caliber artists.

Li Can's invitation, which "attracted external enemies," deterred many potential candidates. After all, if trouble were to be stirred up with such a diverse pool of contestants, it wouldn't just be a problem for the music industry.

Losing means you're bad at the game, but if you win and there's controversy, it means you can't accept defeat.

When a single-minded person becomes trapped in two ways, very few people would want to take a shortcut.

The overall environment is hard to predict, but at least it's not worth making a stubborn mistake on just one show.

When Mr. Li, the CEO of Tencent Music, took a break from his work and examined the program without commercial considerations, he couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

One person may never be able to drastically change an entire circle, nor can one contend with complex relationships and human nature.

Li Can cannot allow the music industry to become entirely focused on musical works.

But he could completely transform his surroundings back to the essence of music and art.

Am I being too cautious?

Mr. Li murmured unconsciously, feeling that he had misjudged Li Can's influence in the music industry.

The meticulous, year-long preparations have unexpectedly come to fruition so early.

The impact was far greater than imagined.

Of course, Mr. Li will not be careless about the subsequent operations just because the current results are good.

In fact, the storm has only just begun.

The stark contrast reveals an extremely large gap in quality.

Netizens are not best at praising or criticizing people.

Instead, it's about praising one while criticizing another.

The problem with "The Stage of the King" is that it was done so well that it made the other performers look like they weren't even human.

The more comparisons are made, the more serious the tendency becomes to criticize one and praise the other.

If you have some ability, it's alright; you won't suffer too much damage.

The problem is that there aren't many capable people in the industry.

A high-quality stage performance with live vocals alone is enough to make netizens want to compare the two worlds apart, not to mention that the stage effects are not just high-quality, but godlike.

The most tragic one was Wei Cheng, who had just blew up his microphone on the Glory stage.

Those internet celebrities are at most ridiculed for overestimating their abilities and being desperate to break into the entertainment industry.

But Wei Cheng is truly stuck in a rut, neither rising nor falling. He is indeed a professional music performer, but he's only slightly better than an internet celebrity, and he's easily outshone by real professional singers.

In addition, there was a slight mishap.

The newly built grave, which had just been erected a few months ago, was dug up again by netizens, who launched a vicious personal attack.

【They're all just playing the idol drama game. Jiang Youzhen is a million times better than you, Wei Cheng!】

[Oh dear? Where are the people who defended Wei Cheng before? What do you mean by "many unexpected events on set"? Go talk to the King of Glory stage about it!]

I knew there were many bad structures in the Chinese entertainment industry, but without comparison, I really didn't realize they could be this bad.

[An annual income of 1.2 million is all? I might as well do it.]

Wei Cheng's greatest contribution to the music scene is not releasing any songs.

"."

To criticize one and praise another.

If you've already received praise, it's not too late to criticize.

As the intense rhythm began, Jiang Youzhen, who participated in "King's Stage," felt a cold sweat break out all over her body. The joy of being criticized but fortunately not being yelled at did not last long before turning into unease.

The value of conservative marketing is still increasing.

If an idol is a proponent of aggressive marketing, they would only secretly rejoice at seeing similar marketing tactics that involve belittling one person while praising another, and would further solidify their persona.

But for Jiang Youzhen, this kind of praise and criticism, in terms of scope and intensity, is like poison.

"It's fine to criticize me, but please don't praise me; go praise someone else!"

In her anxiety, Jiang Youzhen, who had just returned to the company, was so numb that she started spinning in circles.

"With so many big shots here, I'm just a nobody!"

"There's nothing I can do, you're the worst, so I'll just compare you to them."

The agent looked somewhat helpless, but spoke the absolute truth.

If you only hear this sentence, it seems to hit you hard.

The reality is quite the opposite.

Jiang Youzhen felt a sense of relief, at least it meant that the company wouldn't lose its mind and use her for forced marketing and promotion.

"Do you expect netizens to compare Wei Cheng with Zheng Jie? With Teacher Li Jianwei? With Li Can, Ao Kali, and the like?"

The manager patted Jiang Youzhen on the shoulder and sighed softly.

“Netizens may not use their brains, but they are not brainless. No one will compare Wei Cheng to others; it is more normal to compare him to you.”

"."

Jiang Youzhen suddenly shivered and shuddered.

Hearing the comparison between herself and Wei Cheng, she actually felt insulted.

This made Jiang Youzhen feel like she was getting a little arrogant, so she quickly banished the nausea from her mind.

After all, on a normal stage, Wei Cheng would be a rising star, much younger, and a popular contestant who is being actively supported.

Although he had the status of a senior, he was also somewhat outdated, and his status and treatment were not on the same level.

Although, compared to Wei Cheng, Jiang Youzhen is indeed a top-tier performer.

But the reality is.

Jiang Youzhen is only passable, far from being a true talent, while Wei Cheng is simply inhuman.

It's one thing to fool others, but Jiang Youzhen thinks that if she were to fool even herself, wouldn't she become the next Wei Cheng?
The value of conservative marketing is still increasing.

Compared to Jiang Youzhen, who was only somewhat uneasy, Wei Cheng was truly terrified.

I had mentally prepared myself, but I didn't expect it to come so violently.

Being criticized and attacked in this situation will not only fail to generate buzz and fame, but will also negatively impact one's personal value.

In the past, being criticized could increase one's social standing.

After all, there will be fans who will defend them and willingly become their victims.

But after being criticized this time, Wei Cheng realized with horror that even his subsequent business projects had been greatly impacted.

There is no other reason.

The main reason is that Jiang Youzhen and Wei Cheng's roles overlap slightly.

It's just that their skills are lacking and their stage presence is vastly different; they can't shake the foundation of the idol's fanbase. Those who listen to the songs and those who follow the idols are not the same people.

But Jiang Youzhen
He's an idol, so even though he's a bit older, he still maintains a good image.

This is just great.

The phenomenon of fans betraying their idols and defecting to the enemy has begun to emerge.

Compared to anyone else, Wei Cheng wouldn't be so bad as to die on the spot, but compared to someone like Jiang Youzhen who's in the same race...

Ma died on the spot.

They are all Korean-style singing and dancing performances, and their performance styles are similar to those of idols.

Jiang Youzhen is completely overwhelmed by the win.

"."

Wei Cheng was listening to his agent explain the upcoming arrangements, but the more he listened, the angrier and more desperate he became.

In the past, they might have attacked each other.

But this time I really don't dare.

Attacking Jiang Youzhen is really not difficult for Wei Cheng.

But was he kicking Jiang Youzhen's drum? No!
That was practically a slap in the face to Li Can.

All they can do is disappear and wait for the hype to die down, but for idols who rely on exposure for their livelihood, this kind of public relations approach is a real, slow-burning poison. Moreover, it's unclear when this storm will finally pass.

"Is there really no way? She's just Kang Yoo-jin! A washed-up idol."

Wei Cheng's words made the agent's expression turn somewhat strange.

He paused slightly before speaking, his tone somewhat peculiar.

"It's not impossible."

"any solution?"

"Go and take care of Li Can, Okali, Li Jianwei, Zheng Jie, and the rest of them."

"."

What a great idea.

Wei Cheng is going crazy.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, I've never heard of needing professional skills to succeed there.

Is this capital so weak it can't even lift a knife?!
"If you have to blame someone, blame Li Can and Tencent. In the current environment, producing high-quality work is more commercially valuable. Rapid packaging and marketing are more likely to have the opposite effect. You can only keep a low profile for now."

"."

This is almost half a prison sentence.

The last person who thought to keep a low profile and wait for the hype to die down before continuing to make money was Lu Ze, who tried to get away with the Yu Yu syndrome by riding on the coattails of Li Can's concert. The person before that who wanted to stay silent and wait for the storm to pass before making a comeback was idol Cheng Jin.

But that's the reality.

So far, one person has been identified but cannot be found, and the other has completely collapsed.

The thought that he might become the third one made Wei Cheng feel suffocated. Li Can wasn't targeting him, but he felt helpless.

"Now they're all spicy!"

On the other side of the huge wave of popularity.

The Metal Storm musicians are reviewing their performance.

This is the eighth detailed recap since the performance ended.

After all, musicians with real commercial value don't need to consider commercial value; they only need to consider their work.

The principle of returning to the essence of music is very simple.

Only those who can't produce good music will focus more on packaging, promotion, marketing, and hype.

Metal Storm is not among them.

Why does Li Can always like to do weird things?

Sofia was completely baffled.

I know your DP band has a diverse style, but why are you even bringing out progressive rock?

If we keep playing with the dialectic of emotion and reason like this, will we end up with math rock next?

"That's not bad. At least the strange parts aren't so abstract as to be outrageous. Their performance this time is actually frighteningly normal."

Patch raised an eyebrow.

It's not surprising that DP Band does anything, because Lee Chan is the very essence of being strange.

"Paying homage is something you can do for fun, but once you're done taking your own stuff, Okali probably thinks the same way."

"But the format for the next round of performances has not yet been determined."

"We need to plan ahead and prepare for the worst!"

A consensus has been reached on the metal storm.

If we're going to start the exam, we need to start it early; we can't wait until the exam papers are handed out before starting.

However, this determination only lasted for a day and a half.

When the program's next content arrangement was passed down, the entire Metal Storm team was dumbfounded.

Damn it, I rolled it wrong!

The direction of the version update has exceeded expectations!

"Cooperation?!"

"Shet!"

"Great, we rolled it in the wrong direction."

The members of Metal Storm looked at each other, speechless.

Collaborative competition is different from individual preparation.

Some things that are revealed in advance are completely irrelevant to collaborative performances.

"Fortunately, our collaborator is Oklahoma City, and her style is a great fit for us. It seems that the production team has considered communication issues and isn't solely focused on creating so-called script conflicts."

Patch's tone was a little strange.

I never expected the production team to pull this stunt.

The stage content for the second round was very simple.

First, they challenged the establishment.

Zheng Jie vs. the evil forces, Jiang Youzhen vs. Huang Ya.

Then it's time for the contestants to collaborate!

All ten performers will be paired up for five rounds of live performances.

During the challenge segment.

The final decision is made based on 70% audience vote and 30% vote from the remaining performers.

The winners advance directly to the final stage of the first season, while the losers will compete in the third round against other performers. The lowest scorers will lose the final performance in the fourth round, but they will not appear on the live broadcast. The variety show will still record a final performance as a showcase.

In addition to showcasing works and engaging in diverse collaborations, the collaborative process also included...

It doesn't involve any fighting; it's a segment where the contestants can get to know each other and interact.

The competitive aspect is better than nothing, which is to focus the appeal of variety shows on the works themselves rather than on controversies. The method of having the audience vote as the main factor can also better reflect the audience's preferences, only indicating the degree of liking, without discussing the level of strength.

The lack of controversy and conflict may make the show less exciting, resulting in a lack of highlights and a fluctuating level of popularity.

In reality, "The Stage of Kings" doesn't need so many frills. It already has enough highlights and popularity, so there's no need to create controversy, conflict, or tension. If it causes dissatisfaction among fans and has a negative impact, it's actually something to avoid.

"It's clear that the show is in its early stages and there's no rush to engage in overly ambitious collaborations."

Sofia could sense a steady and pragmatic mindset just from the program's design.

It is true that Xia Guo's music industry is developing rapidly and is catching up with the world, but it is also true that it still lags behind the world's top standards in terms of music industry and music concepts.

It is true that the folk music of the Xia Kingdom is going global, but it is also true that there are huge differences between Eastern and Western music.

There will inevitably be some friction and communication during this process, but we must not be impatient.

Clearly, this program was just a tentative initial exchange, and there was no rush to move forward.

Based on musical expression.

First, share the stage, then talk about cooperation. Even if we do cooperate, it will only be a superficial collaboration at the beginning.

"Li Can must have been involved in this."

"Indeed, Li Can knows very well what the music industry in Xia Country needs: to unleash potential, it needs a catfish."

"This wave, this wave is purely a case of each other acting as catfish."

The group exchanged glances and couldn't help but chuckle.

Western popular music has been developing for at least a century, and the rapid development of the modern popular music industry began in the 60s.

While Xia Guo's pop music can be traced back to Shanghai in the 1930s, its real period of rapid development actually started in the mid-to-late 1980s, which is at most 30 years.

It is naturally slightly inferior in the music industry and some musical concepts.

However, once development reaches a certain point, it will stagnate or fall behind.

In recent years, Western pop music has become increasingly low-quality and homogenized, and there is a need for more ethnic pop music to stimulate the market.

The overall environment is uncertain, but as pioneers at the forefront of music, we must make breakthroughs early.

The Metal Storm members looked at the list with meaningful glances, and all smiled slightly.

Metal Storm + Okali: a combination of Western rock and Western pop.

They will be facing off against Li Can and Xi Qing, a combination of Xia Guo ethnic rock!

(End of this chapter)