Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 217 is astonishing.
The entire month of June was filled with nothing but busyness. Fortunately, all the work on Gu Jingyi's official first album has been completed, and after internal discussions, Huace Company has confirmed that Gu Jingyi's comeback date is July 1st.

Other activities, including the opening of album pre-orders, promotion of the lead single, and special stages, are also being meticulously prepared.

When Gu Jingyi's new album release and comeback date were announced, some singers who had originally planned to release their albums during the summer vacation were so startled that they changed all their plans. They also urgently withdrew the resources they had released and began to renegotiate their comeback dates.

This includes idols like Cai Xukun, as well as veteran singers.

Especially Cai Xukun, who had been consistently overshadowed by Gu Jingyi since December 2017, finally experienced a major breakthrough in February 2019.

She was only exposed for a performance after being appointed as the NBA's Chinese New Year ambassador.

At first, no one cared about this disaster. Until it became relevant to everyone. Cai Xukun finally broke out of the public eye.

She became the kind of top celebrity that fans dream of, someone whose fame rivals Gu Jingyi's, even though it's through controversy.

Riding on this wave of popularity, the man who changed his name to August also secretly withdrew an album teaser.

The album, originally scheduled for release in August, has been postponed to October.

Coincidentally, following Pigeon's initial postponement, more and more singers are using various flimsy excuses to delay their album releases.

Although they were ridiculed for their cowardice by Jingfei and passersby, the employees of their respective record planning departments are now truly grateful.

Fortunately, Huace announced Gu Jingyi's return in late June, and fortunately, Gu Jingyi chose July instead of August.

They still have a chance to have a sip or two of soup.

If Gu Jingyi hadn't had such a huge hit with "Ashes of Love" from March to May, his schedule wouldn't have been so packed.

According to the original plan, there will be ample time for his official first album and tour.

The addition of Gu Jingyi to the cast of "Ashes of Love" made it even more popular than in the original timeline.

All data points are far ahead, with 17 new business additions.

The number of people checking in on Weibo has reached a new high, from a peak of 140 million to 210 million!
Gu Jingyi became the first celebrity to surpass 200 million check-ins on his fan supertopic, yet no one questioned whether he had inflated his data.

Because of that man, after he became famous, he was criticized...

As soon as it was posted, it was immediately reported by fans to the official account...

Soon, it was revealed that the official data was fabricated by the US. Even the cover used was of Pigeon.

The fans were furious. On one hand, they felt sorry for Gege being targeted by everyone, and on the other hand, they wanted to drag Gu Jingyi down with them.

Coincidentally, at that time, Gu Jingyi's fans were also boasting about having 210 million sign-ins on their supertopic, and with a shared sense of desperation, the fans were eager to drag Gu Jingyi into the public opinion storm as well, to relieve the pressure on Gege.

They're all clamoring for the data to return to its original state, demanding a clean and honest entertainment industry. They're calling for a "vote clearing" and a thorough investigation of Gu Jingyi!
This prompted many casual observers who liked Gu Jingyi to comment, "Does Gu Jingyi need to buy data? He's T0 in the current version."

"The Chinese entertainment industry has never seen such a powerful top star. Gu Jingyi has suppressed all the other top stars without any ambition to usurp his position. He is too strong, both in terms of popularity and his works."

"It's not surprising that it's Gu Jingyi. 'Ashes of Love' just finished airing at the end of May. It was a prime-time drama, so of course it has a large fan base. It's perfectly normal for someone to sign in for Gu Jingyi."

"666, so you report me because you can't beat me, huh?"

The fans who love Kun are jumping up and down, acting like clowns.

Soon, something even more embarrassing happened.

The official account directly reposted and liked Gu Jingyi's Weibo post, seemingly expressing support for Gu Jingyi.

Weibo, sensing the underlying meaning, posted that Gu Jingyi's data was perfectly normal. On the contrary, Cai Xukun's supertopic was temporarily shut down for 7 days due to abnormal data.

Now everyone knows that Gu Jingyi's data is accurate, and his incredible popularity has attracted the attention of major sponsors.

The early endorsements I signed with companies like One Leaf, Mosen, Lychee app, Peacebird, and A Chinese Ghost Story were all one-year contracts, which expired two months ago.

The only partner that could afford Gu Jingyi's 1300 million yuan per year was Mosen Glasses. The rest of them went down to the next level or signed short-term endorsement deals with celebrities who had experienced a brief period of popularity.

However, Gu Jingyi did not accept the endorsement deal with Mosen Glasses because the brand is of average quality. Like Bolon, Helen Keller, and MUJI, it targets the affordable market.

Lindbergh, on the other hand, was on par with Cartier and was known as the "Hermes of eyeglasses."

A pair of glasses frames costs over 6000 yuan, which is higher-end than Ray-Ban and Gucci. After all, the frames from those two luxury brands only cost around 2000 to 3000 yuan.

Moreover, Lindbergh was very sincere; their offer to Gu Jingyi was 1500 million per year. It was entirely based on their market price, with no room for negotiation.

What reason did Gu Jingyi have to refuse? Of course, he would take her on.

In the current fan-made chart, Gu Jingyi is already the "Ambassador of Nine Luxury Brands".

With these achievements and fashion resources, no one in the entire Chinese entertainment industry can match them.

Although some people are laughing at the fact that "Jingfei's" support shirt shouldn't be Gu Jingyi's GoodGu Polo shirt, it should be a custom-made cultural shirt made from "Excel header".

Despite her reputation for being unbeatable in tearing things apart, Sister Jingfei was surprisingly magnanimous, with many commenting on the homepage, "Hey, my brother is just too popular. Those who criticize him can't find anything to criticize, so they resort to finding fault with Sister Jingfei. Fun fact: Gu Jingyi's achievement list is overflowing. But your brother has practically no achievements at all. Such a self-deceptive victory!"

These words were more effective than any argument.

The sound of "snap" shattered the hearts of countless rival fans.

As Gu Jingyi's career has progressed, his fans have become more mature. They have evolved from "newbie fans" and "first love fans" to "veterans".

Huace doesn't need to guide the fans' opinions; the fans are all mature now.

The Gu Jingyi supertopic is currently buzzing with discussions about his new album, which is his first official album since his debut.

A formal album generally refers to a physical album. Gu Jingyi's previous collaboration with Douyin on the "Douyin God Album" was only a digital album and is not considered a formal album.

This led to a frenzy in the entire fan community when Huace announced that Gu Jingyi would be making a comeback on July 1st, with everyone discussing his new album.

After the album pre-sale channel opened, Gu Jingyi's physical album has already sold 50 copies.

As soon as this result was announced, countless people in the industry were envious.

This is the streaming era, and physical album sales channels are extremely limited. Let alone pre-orders, an album that sells this much from the beginning to the end of the year is enough for singers to celebrate with great fanfare.

Gu Jingyi's fans, however, were not entirely satisfied with this result.

One after another, fans of "Orange" (a nickname for Gu Jingyi) put in a lot of effort in the super topic, determined to give Gu Jingyi the best possible treatment.

Gu Jingyi was deeply moved. Compared to this, even his life from the album release in July to the airing of "Go Go Squid!" and the start of his Asian tour in August wasn't so bad.

If it weren't for the phenomenal success of "Ashes of Love," Gu Jingyi's album could have been completed in April. And he could have started his tour in May or June. There would have been plenty of time; it wouldn't have been so rushed.

However, the immense popularity of "Ashes of Love" has sparked a growing interest in Gu Jingyi among countless viewers. This has led to a thorough research into Gu Jingyi's background, including his music and previous film and television works.

It's important to know that "Ashes of Love" was a primetime drama, and its fan base and age coverage are unmatched by other dramas.

Gu Jingyi's popularity has soared to the top of the national charts. In addition to the 17 new endorsements she's secured, she's also been getting more and more commercial performances, earning 300 million yuan per event.

Commercial performances differ from other events; the organizer needs to pay 50% to the singer's company before finalizing the agreement. The remaining 50% needs to be settled two to three days before the event.

That's how singers will go on to do commercial performances.

There's no need to say much about Gu Jingyi's songs; his two albums were among the top sellers in 2018. Both were mini-albums and viral hits on Douyin (TikTok). Only he himself could break his records.

Commercial performances and gigs are one of the fastest ways for singers to make money, second only to concerts.

300 million per show may not seem like much, but you have to consider who's ahead of you. Li Ronghao's commercial performances only cost 320 million per show, which is the asking price for a top-tier male singer.

Moreover, Li Ronghao has been famous for many years since his debut in "Model".

Gu Jingyi is a young man who has only been in the industry for a year and a half, so it is quite remarkable that he can offer 300 million.

Commercial performances aren't too tiring; the organizers will arrange airport pick-up and hotel transportation. All the vehicles are luxury cars at the very least.

Commercial performances include shows, music festivals, variety concerts, and opening ceremonies in various cities. Gu Jingyi earned a small fortune from commercial performances alone in the first half of the year.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the fees may seem lower than those for endorsements; the sheer number of events is staggering. These include holidays, birthdays of private business owners, openings, and annual meetings.

With the number of shows piling up, the revenue is truly substantial.

Money can be blinding, and with so many events happening around the time of "Ashes of Love," Gu Jingyi's new album didn't have enough time to develop, resulting in a very tight schedule. There was only one week to promote the lead single and the album's pre-orders, and there wasn't enough buffer between the album's pre-orders and its official release, making everything seem rushed.

But there was nothing they could do; the phenomenal success of "Ashes of Love" was something even Huace hadn't anticipated at the beginning.

With the drama "Go Go Squid!" premiering in mid-July, the album's release on July 1st is a bit tight. However, the huge success of "Go Go Squid!" can still generate a wave of attention for the album.

When major record labels tout album sales, they invariably focus on metrics like first-day sales, first-week sales, and first-month sales.

Although releasing the new album on July 1st was somewhat rushed, it was able to capitalize on the popularity of "Go Go Squid!" which aired in the same month.

Moreover, the return date really can't be postponed any longer. If it's delayed any longer, Gu Jingyi will have to promote "Go Go Squid!" while preparing for the concert.

That was a grueling schedule of promotional activities, regular events, variety shows, and concerts—even an iron man might not be able to handle it.

Therefore, the final confirmed album release date of July 7.1st is the best comeback date that the fan club could negotiate.

Fans had no intention of explaining Huace's considerations, and simply felt that the company was exploiting their idol.

On all major social media platforms, Jingfei is criticizing Huace.

Downstairs at Huace Building, a group of fans even held up banners to protest.

The fans' voices were so loud that Zhao Qinghuan and her grandmother, Zhao Yifang, could hear them clearly even while sitting in their van.

Zhao Yifang was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What's your opinion on the fans' claims that Huace has gone bankrupt?"

Zhao Qinghuan smiled and said, "That's great! It shows that Gu Jingyi has become incredibly popular. Grandma, are you saddened by the fans' insults? Of course I know that Huace is your life's work, but today's fans are different from before. Think about it, why do they only criticize us and not other companies? Isn't it because they feel sorry for Gu? And even though they're criticizing us now, they're still buying our albums. They're also supporting Gu's endorsements."

Zhao Yifang patted his granddaughter's hand, "Look at you, I haven't even said anything yet. You've already spouted one long set of principles after another, you child... But what you said does make sense. Seeing your attitude, Grandma feels at ease entrusting Huace to you."

Mr. Zhao, a veteran businessman who has been in the business world for many years, looked at his granddaughter, who was already capable of handling things on her own, and smiled with great satisfaction.

"Grandma~", Zhao Qinghuan said, calming herself down before getting out of the car.

She came here today to inspect the production line of Gu Jingyi's album "Write Our Story".

The 50 albums that were pre-sold were the standard editions.

This official album is divided into three versions:
The standard edition is 168 yuan and includes a CD, a photo book, six random photocards, and a lyric booklet.

The limited edition, priced at 398 yuan, is a vinyl record instead of a CD, and includes a Q-version keychain of Gu Jingyi and an engraved autographed poster. Each poster is printed with Gu Jingyi's fan number, and quantities are limited.

The collector's edition is priced at 1088 yuan and includes a metal briefcase, a torn piece of film from Gu Jingyi's album shoot, and a film camera.

That's right, Gu Jingyi plans to lead the trend of tear-off sheets.

Even his clothing and styling required little thought. It was the same butterfly design as Ling Di's tear-off film, the only difference being that the butterfly ring he used was a new product that GoodGu was about to release.

Gu Jingyi collaborated with Dior, and the ring is made of 18K gold and set with small diamonds all around, all of which are precious metals.

The pricing was naturally in line with Dior's, set at 18888.

While there is indeed a premium, GoodGu is an accessible luxury brand. Even without collaborations, the prices are not cheap.

This ring, designed to commemorate Gu Jingyi's role as the "father of tear-off film," holds special significance. Naturally, its price cannot be low, as it cannot lower Dior's prestige.

Those who can afford the collector's edition album are all wealthy women, so naturally they would buy the same one as Gu Jingyi.

Taking advantage of the time before the album's release, Gu Jingyi stockpiled a large batch of raw materials for tear-off sheets. When the tear-off sheets became a hot commodity after the album's release, countless scalpers flocked to try and speculate on them.

Gu Jingyi then entrusted Lin Ze to clear out all the inventory and resell it to scalpers.

Just like with Zhou Naicha, let's teach the young scalpers a good lesson.

Gu Jingyi had an idea, and Zhao Qinghuan naturally supported it.

She came to Huace today to inspect the progress of the limited edition and collector's edition.

Seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, she felt relieved.

June 24th, one week before the release of "Writing Our Stories".

What fans are most looking forward to and what has sparked heated discussions is the promotional poster for the album's pre-release promotion.

What sparked the most heated discussion among fans and ignited the entire social media community was undoubtedly the official cover of Gu Jingyi's debut solo album, "Writing Our Story."

This cover doesn't aim for an overly elaborate background; instead, it focuses on Gu Jingyi himself. The poster uses a soft, hazy warm gold tone, giving the impression of standing in the warm glow of a sunset.

Gu Jingyi, dressed in a high-quality off-white cashmere turtleneck sweater, stood slightly turned to the side in front of a retro window. Outside the window, the city lights were blurred, creating a striking visual effect.

He didn't look directly at the camera, but lowered his eyes slightly. His gaze was gentle, fixed on the side and slightly in front of him, as if he were gazing at a specific person, or as if he were listening intently to something.

The light and shadows outside the window cast perfectly balanced shadows on his sculpted profile, outlining his defined jawline and straight nose. A faint yet incredibly gentle smile played at the corners of his lips, a smile that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

The entire cover is like a meticulously painted classical portrait, serene, timeless, yet full of narrative.

Gu Jingyi sheds his superstar aura, his former sharpness now enveloped in a restrained gentleness. He exudes a captivating charm, the powerful atmosphere perfectly complementing his flawless good looks. This cover instantly topped the trending searches upon its release, igniting amazement from fans and casual observers alike.

"Oh my god! That look! Gu Jingyi is looking at me! He's really looking at me! Ahhh, I'm doomed!"

"Help! The atmosphere is amazing! He didn't do anything, just stood there smiling gently, and I already wanted to cry! This is what it feels like to 'write our story'!"

"Gu Ge's looks are truly national treasure level... This cover perfectly illustrates what it means to 'always lose to gentleness.' Cashmere sweater + gentle profile kill, I'm so smitten with his looks!" "Does anyone know which version of this poster is available? Limited edition or collector's edition?"

"Look, Huace has released an announcement. It's a limited edition for only 398 yuan! You can take home a vinyl record, a Q-version keychain featuring Gu Jingyi, and an engraved autographed poster! The best part is that each poster has Gu Jingyi's fan number printed on it. This is so romantic!"

"This cover is so evocative and cinematic! Haha, when will it be released? My wallet is ready!"

"It's noon today. The pre-sale items are the regular edition. The limited edition is in high demand, with only 200,000 copies available. The collector's edition is the same, with only 100,000 copies available."

"What? Only 20 copies were released! Huace, are you looking down on us? Only 20 copies? That's not enough to buy them all. Now I just hope my fellow fans aren't too ruthless QAQ."

"What are you thinking? It's not just Gu Ge's fans who are scrambling for this limited edition. All the scalpers in my WeChat Moments are also trying to sell it at a premium."

"Damn, I suddenly saw a wave of foreign IPs on Weibo. South Korean and Southeast Asian fans are here too! This guy, he's not actually that great! (I'm unfollowing him for a minute, honey, I'm sorry, I'll be a fan again if I can snag this limited edition!)"

"What's in the collector's edition? Why didn't CCE mention it? Does it also include an engraved, autographed poster? @CCE"

"No, this poster is only available in the limited edition. The collector's edition includes a metal briefcase, a torn piece from Gu Jingyi's album shoot, and a film camera."

"What are tear-off sheets? I don't really understand."

"Baidu is back! Oh my god, it's amazing! Honey, I'm so happy! Compared to the tear-off film, I suddenly don't want the engraved poster as much anymore. If I had to choose one, I'd choose the collector's edition."

"Indeed, I'm into photography. People who don't know what tear-out film is should all know about Polaroid, right? Tear-out film is an advanced version of Polaroid. After taking the picture, you need to manually pull out the film, wait for it to develop, and then tear it apart to get a unique photo. Compared to regular Polaroid, tear-out film has a larger negative, more delicate image quality, richer colors, and a retro grainy feel, which is really atmospheric."

"Seeing fellow enthusiasts revealing their secrets upstairs, I'll share my thoughts too. The biggest advantage of tear-off photos is that they best reveal the true appearance of a person, unlike retouched photos which are all the same. In terms of proving good looks, they're more authoritative than a buzz cut or a passport photo. Just look at Gu Jingyi's looks; even if it weren't for the album, I'd want to buy it. It's perfect for those who appreciate good looks. Imagine, with each tear and pull, his stunning beauty slowly unfolds like a painting—my goodness, it's so engaging!"

"Actually, you could also think of them as rare photocards. Gu Jingyi really put in a lot of effort. The cost of tear-off photocards is much higher than that of rare photocards, and most importantly, they are more fun to play with. They're full of ritual, and you can look stunning with just one tear and pull. Tear-off photocards are becoming increasingly rare, Gu Jingyi is truly a genius!"

"My senior classmate who studies photography said that the tear-off film has a built-in retro filter and cinematic quality, making the photos feel very story-telling. No matter what style, tear-off film can handle it perfectly. Ahhh, even I, an outsider, am tempted. The collector's edition price of 1088 yuan is really not expensive. Does the collector's edition also open at 12 o'clock? I want to try my luck!"

The fans' enthusiasm directly translated into astonishing purchasing power when the album's pre-sale channels opened for limited and collector's editions.

In just one minute, all 10 units of the 1088 yuan collector's edition were sold out.

Screams erupted from every household, the joy of those who managed to snag a limited edition overflowing. Those who missed out didn't dare slam their keyboards in frustration, and immediately started refreshing the page to try and get their hands on another limited edition.

Within a minute and a half of its release, all 20 limited-edition units were sold out.
This has caused great distress to fans who missed out on the album. Limited edition and collector's edition copies of "Write Our Story" on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace) have been resold for 7-8 times their original price.

Meanwhile, pre-sales of the regular version are also gradually increasing.

Today, the pre-sale sales of the regular edition have reached 70 copies. In other words, the total pre-orders for Gu Jingyi's three versions of the album have exceeded an astonishing 100 million copies.

Millions in sales? That's nothing!

Gu Jingyi's pre-sale sales alone reached a peak that countless singers in the Chinese entertainment industry could never achieve in their lifetime.

What's even more enviable is that, judging from this trend, the number of pre-orders is estimated to be more than a million by the time the official release date, and it may be an even more astonishing number.

Major companies in the industry are getting restless, as of today.

Gu Jingyi's album earned 3.06 million yuan just from pre-sales of the three versions!
Good grief, do you really think this is some kind of fun bean?
Even if we didn't include Gu Jingyi's music album revenue, HuaCe's total profit for the entire year of its IPO was only 2.7 million yuan. And this is HuaCe!

Although Gu Jingyi alone generated 2 million in profit, this figure is still within the range that most film and television companies can imagine.

Who knew music albums could be so profitable? A single pre-sale sale surpassed their efforts over one or two years.

HuaCe's phone has been ringing off the hook with calls.

"Mr. Lin, it's not as glamorous as you make it out to be. The 3.06 million is revenue that hasn't been distributed yet. Album sales revenue goes through multiple stages of distribution, including production and material costs, physical costs, and content production costs. We also have to share with offline channels, online channels, and e-commerce platforms, spend money on marketing and pre-launch promotion, and share with the artists. In reality, after deducting taxes, our net profit is only 818 million, which is only 2.7% of the total revenue."

Zhao Qinghuan answered with a smile, and Gu Jingyi, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly laughed when he heard it.

Noticing this, Zhao Qinghuan gave him a "kind smile," but her tone still softened: "That's right, physical albums really don't make money. Xiao Gu gets 20%+ of the copyright revenue, and Huace bears the bulk of the costs. What big money? We're just working for a top star."

"Oh, can we sell merchandise too?" Zhao Qinghuan's tone suddenly brightened with surprise.

"Great idea! Thanks for the suggestion..."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Jingyi looked at Zhao Qinghuan with a half-smile and said, "Sis, you're acting really strange today. It's not like you at all. I thought I'd walked into the wrong office..."

"You brat, I'm saying this because I'm concerned about stability."

Zhao Qinghuan glared at him, annoyed. Of course, she was telling the truth, but she hadn't told the whole story.

Besides the physical version, an album can also generate additional profits through digital album sales, streaming revenue sharing, and secondary sales of merchandise.

Record company profit margins have always been low, even in the era of physical albums. Record company net profit margins are often below 5%, as they rely on downloads for revenue.

In the era of internet traffic, the monetization of celebrity IP is relied upon.

The biggest holder of Gu Jingyi's IP has always been Gu Jingyi himself. In addition to being the singer, he is also the lyricist, composer, and copyright holder of this physical album. His income far exceeds the company's profits. Top-tier artists usually receive 15%-25% of sales revenue (excluding tax).

HuaCe provided Gu Jingyi with the middle area.

With 20% of the sales revenue, he earned 6120 million yuan from pre-sales alone.

This only includes the singer's income; the copyright revenue from songwriting and composition is not included.

According to international standards, Gu Jingyi, as a lyricist and composer, should receive 8%-10% of the copyright fee from each album.

What is the wholesale price? Generally, it's about 50% of the selling price.
The regular edition is priced at 84 yuan per ticket, the limited edition at 199 yuan per ticket, and the collector's edition at 544 yuan per ticket.

Based on sales volume, Gu Jingyi received 1530 million yuan in copyright revenue from the lyrics and music.

That's not all; subsequent digital album and streaming rights revenue were not included in the pre-sale revenue.

Streaming platforms pay based on plays, such as QQ Music which pays 0.05 yuan per song per person. Songs that rank high on the charts can generate tens of millions of yuan in revenue over the long term.

If the number of plays is 300 million, the annual digital revenue would be: 10 songs × 300 million × 0.05 yuan = 15 million yuan/year.

Not long ago, a well-known music critic confirmed on social media that "The Lover" has garnered 30 billion streams worldwide. This figure includes domestic streaming services like QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, as well as international streaming services like Soundwave and YouTube.

It's not just domestic streaming media that's getting paid; they're getting paid from abroad too.

Based on streaming revenue alone, Gu Jingyi earned a considerable amount from her two albums last year.

The exact amount cannot be disclosed, but the income has already far exceeded the total remuneration for all of Gu Jingyi's film and television works since his debut.

So what ranking does Gu Jingyi hold on streaming platforms? At the end of 2018, QQ Music released a white paper review on Weibo.

On multiple lists, including the Top 100 Male Singers by Popularity and the Top 10 Male Singers by Reputation, Gu Jingyi's name consistently ranks at number one.

Some busybodies pieced these lists together, and Gu Jingyi's ranking changes were a straight line. It was frighteningly stable, like "hanging curtains" on the list.

Needless to say, overseas media outlets have also been a strong force to be reckoned with; Gu Jingyi is stronger than ever before. Like Michael Jordan with his yellow skin, he single-handedly changed the overseas perception of China.

This is why top singers usually earn more than top actors; the record companies earn less, but the singers earn more.

Therefore, many unscrupulous record companies will manipulate the copyright aspect of the contract.

People like Taylor Swift and G.E.M. have both learned this the hard way.

If Gu Jingyi were a full-time singer, he would actually earn more than an actor.

Although Gu Jingyi couldn't be like Li Ronghao, who wouldn't let outsiders earn a single penny, she collaborated with others on the arrangement of some songs.

However, this does not affect his income; he only pays collaborators. This fee is typically only about 30%-50% of the single's arrangement revenue.

Take this album, "Writing Our Stories," for example; it's worth around 200 million.

Arranging and composing are completely different. Composing involves writing a melody for vocals based on lyrics.

Arranging music involves selecting appropriate instruments to accompany the composition.

Gu Jingyi can only control the overall direction himself, and outsource the other sub-directions to other arrangers.

These tasks are tedious and time-consuming. If Gu Jingyi were to do them all himself, he would need to spend all day in the music room, adapting each instrument to its newest form.

These tasks would consume a significant amount of Gu Jingyi's time; he could easily spare half a day to shoot an advertisement. The revenue from this would barely cover the costs paid to the arranger, barely a drop in the ocean.

This is why almost no one claims to be "100% original" anymore; Li Ronghao is the only exception.

What makes Huace even more envious is the copyright, as Gu Jingyi, as the copyright holder, permanently enjoys the rights to the album's master tapes.

For example, licensing film and television OSTs can cost between 50 and 200 million yuan per transaction.

For song covers, a copyright fee will be charged per cover. This includes, but is not limited to, songs covered by contestants on music variety shows, songs used as opening themes in variety shows, and songs covered by singers during commercial performances or concerts.

While a few hundred thousand at a time may not seem like much, it adds up to a considerable income over time.

As Zhao Qinghuan did this mentally, the more she thought about it, the more bitter she felt.

Gu Jingyi has already earned 7067.5 million yuan from the pre-sale sales of her album "Write Our Story".

She wasn't wrong at all; Huace has truly become a "top-tier working class."

Thinking about it this way, the way she looked at Gu Jingyi became more and more intriguing.

"Jingyi, Huace really treats you like the back of their hand."

Zhao Qinghuan crossed her arms and said with a deep gaze.

"Sis, you can't say that. I only get 30% of the digital album sales; the company gets 40% of that."

Gu Jingyi waved his hand, emphasizing his words as he reminded him.

“That’s different. 40% of what Huace receives needs to cover distribution and operating costs. What you receive is pure profit.”

Zhao Qinghuan felt even more resentful, even though it was true that Huace earned much more from digital albums than from physical albums.

But it depends on who you compare yourself to. Compared to Gu Jingyi, you're really going to break down.

Gu Jingyi rarely saw her like this; in his memory, Zhao Qinghuan was mostly a powerful and influential businesswoman.

She rarely shows much emotion, so this is only because she was truly provoked today.

Gu Jingyi thought for a moment and said, "It's okay, Qinghuan. My Asian tour is about to start, I'll treat you to some meat then!"

Singers earn the most from concerts, which, in addition to ticket sales, also generate revenue from sponsorships, product placements, and merchandise.

It's industry practice that top performers receive a percentage of the revenue.

Original artists receive 25%-30% of the total revenue, while the company bears the costs and then shares the profits with the organizer.

For example, if Gu Jingyi's concert were held in a top-tier venue like the Bird's Nest, with 5 seats and an average ticket price of 600 yuan.

So, for a single concert, Gu Jingyi would receive 1400 million yuan after tax without any risk, while Huace would bear the risk and earn 2310 million yuan.

We can't let Gu Jingyi get all the good things by himself, otherwise Huace would definitely quit.

Zhao Qinghuan then happily made tea for Gu Jingyi and asked him the purpose of his visit to the office.

After discussing the album's progress, Gu Jingyi briefly mentioned the tear-off film incident.

"Mr. Zhao, I photographed a total of 8 types of tear-off sheets. Isn't the probability of a tear-off sheet containing the butterfly element a bit low? Only 3 out of 8 sheets have it. If fans don't get one, will they pay high prices to scalpers to bid for it?"

As someone who's reviving the trend of tearing apart films, Gu Jingyi is well aware of how tempting this will be for his fans.

It's like opening blind boxes; you don't want to stop until you get the one you like. You'll keep spending money on it, or buying overpriced products from secondhand marketplaces or scalpers.

"This probability is already very reasonable. The butterfly-themed tear-off piece is similar to a hidden item in a blind box. I initially wanted to set the probability of getting it to one in ten, but you wouldn't allow it. Jingyi, you should know that as an artist, you can't please everyone, nor can you always consider the fans. Some things exist for a reason. If there are no rare items, how can they be cherished?"

Zhao Qinghuan offered gentle words of comfort, yet felt inexplicably at peace.

Gu Jingyi is indeed a loyal and affectionate person; her judgment of character is correct.

"Jingyi, how are your personal studio preparations going? If there are no problems, let's open it at the end of June."

"Ah? It's almost done," Gu Jingyi exclaimed with some surprise.

On June 31, Gu Jingyi officially announced the studio's achievements on Weibo, and he dominated the Weibo hot search list.

#Gu Jingyi Studio Established# #Gu Jingyi Goes Independent# #Consort Jing Celebrates the New Year#
Fans were overjoyed when Gu Jingyi announced the establishment of his studio on Weibo.

"Ahhh, Emperor Jing has ascended the throne!!! Your Majesty, I pay my respects!!! @Gu Jingyi Studio Is this my new home? Quickly present the imperial seal! Now I have a base to conquer the country! Studio, get to work! I want to see selfies, behind-the-scenes footage, schedules, and new endorsements! Understand?!"

This Weibo post represents the mindset of most of Gu Jingyi's fans, who call themselves "Consort Jing" because they have a strong possessive desire for him. The comments were quickly pushed to the top by fans, becoming the most popular comment under Gu Jingyi's post.

The others, ranked by popularity, are, from second to fifth:
"Tears welling up! My brother finally has his own studio! What does this mean? It means more autonomy in resource selection! A more focused team! More powerful publicity! Say goodbye to that lousy company that's holding him back! @Huace Entertainment used to be a partner, but from now on, please call him President Gu! The era of Gu Jingyi's personal studio has begun, and the real capital in the Chinese entertainment industry has arrived! The new album's huge success is just the beginning; movies, high-end luxury, and international projects are all on the horizon! Jingyi's fans, protect him! Charge!"

"Waaaaah, my little one's grown up! He has his own little nest now! Mommy is so proud! I've been looking forward to this day since his debut! My colleagues at the studio, please take good care of Jingyi, he works so hard, remember to remind him to eat and sleep! From now on, he can handle his own birthday parties, fan meetings, and merchandise, no more being controlled by others! Tear-off sheets? We'll print them ourselves from now on! We'll have plenty of butterfly designs! (Just kidding, I'm listening to the studio.) My little one, fly bravely, Mommy will always be with you!"

"Where is the studio located?! What is the decoration style?! Who designed the logo?! (Microscope ready). I don't have high requirements, just something worthy of my brother's unprecedented status as the 'Ambassador of Nine Luxury Brands' in the Chinese entertainment industry! Where is the first official announcement picture? Can we arrange a nine-grid selfie? Also, @Gu Jingyi Studio, please pay attention to network security and privacy protection! The anti-black team is in place."

"The timing of establishing the studio... after the album pre-sales broke records and the tear-off video sparked heated discussions... He's putting his promise to 'write our story' into practice! He'll continue to write the story with us, Jingfei, in an independent way! This studio is the starting point for our shared future! How romantic! Gu Jingyi, you really know how to do it! @GuJingyiStudio Please record every chapter of our story!"

When Gu Jingyi saw this last comment, he specifically called Lin Ze and asked him to log in and reply with a heart emoji.

Pandering to fans? No. This is just Gu Jingyi's self-awareness as an idol; he's just that kind of man who dotes on his fans.

Sure enough, Consort Jing quickly discovered this action.

The fans are in high spirits and incredibly united. They're all giving it their all, determined to make their idol's new album a resounding success!
(End of this chapter)