American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 71 Miss Beaver Enters the Music Scene

In fact, Hollywood movie soundtracks are usually released before the movie's theatrical release.

The reason for doing this is simple—

Even though images and sound have become inseparable and complementary elements in modern films, what movies ultimately sell is a story, and the music within them is merely an embellishment to the story.

It's like a chef cooking. You can eat a dish without spices, but once spices are added, the enticing aroma will make diners' mouths water even if they haven't tasted it yet. Sometimes, the aroma can even attract passersby to come and watch.

Therefore, selling the soundtrack before the movie's release is essentially using music to generate buzz for the movie's launch.

But there are exceptions to everything.

All of the above are typical marketing tactics for feature films.

In music-themed movies, the soundtrack is usually released after the movie's theatrical run.

Because music is a selling point in this type of movie.

However, in most cases, the release date of a music film soundtrack, no matter how late, will never be more than a month after the film's release. Most entertainment products have a limited shelf life; if you don't release it when it's at its peak of popularity, it's difficult to achieve high sales later, unless you can continuously create huge buzz for your product.

For example, the Academy Awards...

"Humph."

Eminem scoffed, "Warner's idea is brilliant."

The assistant's expression tightened.

He suddenly remembered that his boss also wanted to win an Oscar.

So, his story might disgust the boss?
Before he could even offer an explanation, Eminem added, "Is The Voice going to be taken off the screens?"

The assistant paused for a moment at the topic, then nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, they officially finished showing today."

How much did it gross at the box office?

"Uh...370 million globally? It'll be hard to break 400 million."

《好声音》是2002年12月25日正式上映的，放到2003年的3月24日正好三个月。

For a blockbuster movie to run for three consecutive months is already the industry limit; any longer would be pointless. As the movie ended its run, "The Voice" grossed $2.15 million in North America and $3.73 million worldwide.

Even though it hasn't been released in some smaller countries, those countries won't generate much box office revenue. Therefore, when The Voice's global box office is still nearly 30 million US dollars away from 400 million, it's inevitable that it won't break 400 million.

Even so, this result is already incredibly good.

因为2002年的各大票房排行榜已经可以定榜了，2.15亿的成绩让《好声音》位居北美票房榜第7，3.73亿的数据则让《好声音》来到了全球票房榜第9。

This fact means that every film Isabella Heywood has starred in since her debut has made it into the top ten at the box office that year!
But this is not the scariest thing.

The most terrifying thing is that, thanks to the mess caused by "The Voice of China", "The Twin Towers" will only gross a maximum of 800 million.

The Lord of the Rings will compete with Spider-Man for second place at last year's box office.

Harry Potter will definitely be number one.

When this fact came to light, Isabella held the title of the world's highest-grossing film for two consecutive years!
To be honest, this achievement is an even more explosive gimmick than winning an Oscar.

But what's even more explosive is that it topped the global box office for two consecutive years, had all its films in the top ten, and clashed with the Oscars...

"Ah--"

Eminem smiled.

The more successful Isabella became, the more excited he got!

The more popular Isabella is, the more attention he will receive after his criticism!

"I'll be at the office on Friday, so..."

Eminem, leaning back in his chair, glanced at his assistant.

"I understand, boss."

The assistant nodded repeatedly.

Since the boss wanted to listen to Isabella's songs, the assistant naturally complied.

Not only that, in order to serve the God who paid him, after Eminem left the company, his assistant immediately began to collect information related to Isabella's musical works, and soon a flood of reports appeared in front of him.

There are many conflicting articles, but they can all be summarized in one sentence—

Isabella is awesome!

The assistant was quite envious of those boastful remarks about the achievements.

The overwhelming publicity made him even more envious.

Because all of the above are marketing strategies that the hip-hop community wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"Ugh--"

Is this what mainstream entertainment really is?

"This kind of momentum is truly—"

"too crazy!"

Perhaps humans don't actually exist?
Are all things that humans perceive, including themselves, virtual simulations?
But it's also possible that once you start paying attention to something, you'll subconsciously start noticing everything related to it.

In short, after Eminem's assistant began to show concern for Isabella, he discovered that his life was suddenly filled with a number of people, events, and discussions related to her—

For example, when chatting with a colleague, the other person might ask him if he knows that Isabella won an award;

When communicating with partners, they would say things like Isabella seems to be releasing an album soon;

When he travels, even though he takes the most familiar routes, he still finds Lily Zeller's image posters popping up on many public billboards and in front of large shopping malls.

If I had to describe it, this scenario is like precise streaming in the internet age entering your life.

However, Eminem's assistant knew that this was Warner's ground sales team making a strong push.

Such a grand gesture truly proclaims to the world that Isabella is Warner Bros.' little princess.

While waiting for Friday to arrive...

Early in the morning, Eminem's assistant arrived at the nearby music store and found a number of young people already there, snapping up music. Why use the word "snap up" to describe the scene? Because many people were on their way to work or school!

"Boss, Isabella's new album—"

"Hermione Granger's works are all on the first shelf!"

Before the impatient young man could finish shouting, the cashier, while taking payments, announced loudly, "We have two items today, eight versions each! The two items are Hermione Granger's mini disc and The Voice soundtrack!"

"Each of them comes in four versions: cassette tape, standard edition, deluxe edition, and deluxe CD!"

"The deluxe and premium soundtracks come with movie-related merchandise!"

"Only Hermione Granger's personal mini-disc contains her personal items!"

So——

"You must think carefully before you buy!"

"And the prices are all pasted on the plastic wrap!"

His loud, booming introductions started directing traffic inside the music store.

This also helped Eminem's assistant understand the current situation.

Move closer to the shelf...

Good guy!
The hefty price surprised him.

The soundtrack for The Voice includes all the songs and background music from the movie, totaling 25 tracks.

The cassette version is priced at $15.99, while the three CD versions are priced at $25.99, $39.99, and $59.99 respectively.

Isabella's personal mini-album contains a total of five songs.

The cassette version is priced at $9.99, while the three CD versions are priced at $19.99, $29.99, and $49.99 respectively.

This price is already top-tier right now.

Currently, the only ones in the entire pop music scene who dare to set such prices are the superstars and divas.

Because, based on the price of the cassette version on a mini disc, one of Isabella's songs costs two dollars.

Based on the base price of the CD version, Isabella's songs cost four dollars each.

At this price, if Eminem were to sell it, he simply wouldn't be able to make it a hit!
Hip-hop artists' songs are very cheap!

Because the audience is poor.

These words may be a little hurtful.

But that's the truth.

Only artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Britney Spears, who have a wide audience and whose fans have financial means, dare to sell like this!
Isabella's debut mini-album was priced to be comparable to Madonna's.
This……

Looking around at the figures selecting goods, and watching the dwindling number of deluxe and premium edition discs on the shelves, the untouched cassette tapes and regular CDs tell the world one thing—

'Sorry, having a lot of fans really does give you the freedom to do whatever you want.'

"That's actually pretty cool."

With a sigh, I took ten deluxe edition tickets—

Five soundtracks and five mini-discs.

Eminem's assistant knew his boss's temper; if a competitor's work was exceptionally good, he would smash things.

So, it's always good to buy more.

And he himself has to listen.

Swipe the card, pay the bill, and $550 is gone in an instant. Back at the office, after placing an original soundtrack and a mini disc in the boss's office, the assistant finally returned to his seat and started playing with Isabella's new work.

The soundtrack cover and the movie poster are almost identical:
On the glitz and glamour of the stage, Isabella is singing her heart out, with the product name displayed below her.

The Voice Movie Soundtrack

Upon opening the package, he found a signed poster bearing Isabella's personal seal, a songbook, a letter from the creative team to the fans, and a collection of stories telling the behind-the-scenes tales of the film through Q&A and illustrations.

Eminem's assistant wasn't interested in these things; he simply glanced at them and tossed them aside.

He picked up the mini disc again; the advertisement he had seen on the street earlier was the cover of the mini disc.
It was a hand-painted oil painting. In the upper right corner was a golden sun, and in the background was a lush green meadow. Isabella appeared in the center of the painting in profile, her hands raised high, facing the sun, uh…

She wasn't shouting "Cong Cheng" (a popular internet slang term for oranges), she was holding a small beaver in her hands.

It's the logo from the opening scene of the movie "The Voice".

In the painting, Isabella is lifting the baby beaver high in the air as if she were teasing a cat.

Both little ones had happy smiles on their faces.

"Wow~"

"This drawing is just like a fairy tale..."

Eminem's assistant admitted that the painting was quite good and appreciated it before tearing off the plastic wrap.

Open the album box—

Inside was a handwritten letter to fans, printed in print.
One sheet of stickers, two posters, three bookmarks, and four sticky notes;

Then there's a lyric book and a keychain.

On the surface, these things are not worth thirty dollars at all.

but!
All of the above have beaver elements!
Take sticky notes for example. Each sticky note has a beaver icon in the bottom right corner, and each one is different.

After sipping it and gently swiping, the feeling of turning pages in an animation immediately comes to life.

The adorable little beaver sometimes laughs, sometimes cries, sometimes makes funny faces, and sometimes hops around.

Full of creativity.

Moreover, the posters are very unique.

Like the cover, both posters are hand-painted oil paintings.

One of the photos is of Isabella, the little beaver Lily Zeller received in the movie "The Voice," and the other is of a beach where the little beaver has transformed into a straw hat and is playing with Isabella on her head.

Honestly, after seeing all this, Eminem's assistant's first reaction was that Isabella's fans were going crazy.

Because these things are really cute—

Any normal child should like it.

Isabella's fans are all normal kids.

Because these things were made with real care—

Like the bottom right corner of both posters, there are two names on them.

One is Isabella's seal, and the other is Catherine Haywood's mark.

Who doesn't know that Catherine is Isabella's sister these days?

And the posters for Isabella Mini Discs were all drawn by themselves?
Or perhaps, everything on the mini disc was designed by them?

Fans love this!

"Why do I have a feeling this mini disc was released by Disney?"

Eminem's assistant glanced at the box again.

The Warner logo made him feel like he'd really gotten carried away today.

Because Isabella's mini discs are made to look like a Disney gift set!

It's outrageous!
Put aside anything that's meant to 'please (or deceive) fans' (and make them happy).

Eminem's assistant then removed the CD and put it into the Walkman.

At that moment, he was filled with curiosity.

The packaging of the mini discs is so exquisite, the contents inside must be... pretty good, right?
While he was pondering, a few seconds later, a brief voiceover appeared:
"Hi~~ Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good midnight to all of you wearing headphones and with the speakers on. I'm Isabella Haywood. I'm glad you're listening to my work. I hope the next twenty minutes will bring you joy, or perhaps sadness or something else. But whatever your mood, I wish you all a happy life after you put down the music..." The playful voice made Eminem's assistant nod.

This kind of blessing would be appreciated by any normal person.

Shortly after the voiceovers disappeared, the melody of "Be What You Wanna Be" began to play.

Immediately afterwards——

Tears In Heaven

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"

"The Climb"

Four songs appeared one after another.

Since these songs have all been featured in the movie.

Or perhaps, those people in the industry have already thoroughly studied the two songs written by Isabella.

It's pretty good, but that's about it.

Therefore, when listening to these songs, Eminem's assistant simply appreciated them.

Because if he were to say he could get excited at this point, it would be too fake.

Isabella wasn't his boss, after all.

But as "The Climb" ended, a rhythmic strumming sound appeared, and his ears immediately perked up. He sat up abruptly, leaning back in his chair, and squinted to listen.

"Is that a guitar? And a banjo? Wow~ such a light and cheerful sound~"

People in the music industry all understand music, otherwise you can't do the job. Therefore, as soon as the intro to Isabella's new song started, Eminem's assistant immediately noticed the details: it was a medium-tempo lyrical melody.

As soon as the string music began, he felt a fresh and romantic country breeze blowing towards him.

If he had to describe it, the music at this moment made him feel like he was lying in a vast farmland.

The sound of the wind blowing through the wheat fields has both the vitality of spring and the languor of summer.

That carefree joy enveloped him, making him completely absorbed in it.

"Oh~Sxxt~ This melody is quite nice."

"But this is a song that was rejected by the film?"

"This……"

"Isn't it right?"

Since Isabella previously stated in an interview that the new songs on her personal mini-disc were written for the movie but were not ultimately included, in most people's minds, the quality of Isabella's new songs should be average.

This logic is easy to understand.

Because high-quality songs definitely meet the standards for use in movies!

How could a song that meets the standards for use in a movie not be included?
You should know that there were two cover songs in the movie "The Voice"!
Why not use cover songs when you have original compositions?

This……

This can only prove one thing.

That is, Isabella's third song was relatively mediocre.

Right?

In that case, any normal person wouldn't have high expectations for Isabella's new song.

If one had to describe it, in the eyes of Eminem's assistant, before Isabella's mini-album was officially released, the public's impression of her album was that it was something to buy and listen to, but everyone knew that they probably wouldn't get a "wow" feeling while listening to it. This was also why he was so nervous before he actually listened to the songs.

But now?

As soon as the intro melody started, Eminem's assistant found it very catchy!

Putting everything else aside, just the quality of the intro alone is better than "The Climb"!
So what's going on here?

Eminem's assistant was a little confused, but before he could figure it out, the fifteen-second intro was already over.

Then, the verse began—

"We were both young when I first saw you~"

(We were both young when I first saw you)
"I closed my eyes and the flashback starts~"

(I closed my eyes, and scenes from the past floated into my mind.)
"I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air~"

(I stood on the balcony, the air filled with the strong scent of summer.)
"See the lights see the party the ball gowns~"

(I see lights, a lively ball, and gorgeous costumes.)
"See you make your way through the crowd~"

(I saw you struggling to squeeze out of the crowd)

And say hello~

(They greeted me)

Wow~Wow~~Wow~~~

"This is cool!! This is cool!!!"

At the same time, there were many other people in the industry listening to Isabella's mini-album.

There's nothing we can do; Isabella is just that popular.

Isabella is a household name in the film industry, but in the music industry... although popularity in the entertainment industry isn't so easily applied—a high box office for a movie doesn't necessarily mean explosive record sales—that's just the general case.

When Isabella's foray into music films is a successful crossover, the film's box office success will undoubtedly cause her album sales to explode.

Because the public has already witnessed the level of her side business through her main job.

The public knows that her level in the music field is OK, so what are the obstacles for her to cross over?

Right?

Since Isabella's single is guaranteed to be a bestseller, the guys in the music industry will definitely start studying her, because ultimately, Isabella's current actions are essentially stealing food from someone else's turf.

You've already started rummaging through my rice bowl, so it would be strange if I didn't keep an eye on you.

And after they all set their sights on Isabella...

Wow~ This song is pretty good~

"Besides the guitar and banjo, does this song also feature cymbals, violin, and drums?"

"Compared to other types of songs, the use of these instruments is not extensive, but in country music... the use of these instruments is already quite popular, and this can even be considered an innovative attempt."

In Los Angeles, Dr. Dre took off his headphones.

Although he plays hip-hop, that doesn't mean he doesn't understand other genres.

As soon as the CD started turning and the sound came out, he knew that Isabella's new song was far above the industry average.

Or rather, Isabella's new songs are even innovating traditional country music, because traditional country music is mainly based on string arrangements and it strongly rejects electronic synthesized sound effects.

The main creative idea behind traditional rural music is simple melodies, steady rhythms, and strong narrative.

And what about Isabella's new song?
It seems to have electronic elements? There are drum beats? And the last repeated phrase even has a whole tone raised?
This……

To be honest, if you're looking at the song from a country music perspective, this approach is a bit unfair.

but……

Did Isabella write this song herself?

In New York, Madonna flipped through the lyric booklet on her mini disc.

When she discovered that Isabella had written, composed, and arranged her own new song, she immediately looked at her assistant.

"Warner Bros. didn't create any idols, did they?"

To be honest, as a recognized pop diva, Madonna would theoretically not pay attention to Isabella.

Because no matter how famous Isabella is, she is still just a newcomer to the music industry.

Even if her music films sell well, they don't reach the level of being noticed by God, but there are always exceptions, aren't there?
Madonna has also heard about what's going on in Hollywood.

When Warner Bros. and Disney went to such lengths to secure the Oscars for Isabella, she became incredibly curious about what kind of young girl could win the favor of both giants. Then, Isabella's mini-disc was about to be released? She wanted to hear Isabella's new songs. And then, what she heard surprised her somewhat.

Because of this song called "Love Story"? It's a combination of country and pop music.

Although the chords of this song are very simple, and the narrative style and the story it tells are very old-fashioned, just like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Madonna could write a hundred of these in a day. And Isabella's singing skills are practically nonexistent compared to Madonna's, but... it's quite nice to listen to, and it's also easy to sing.

After listening to it only twice, Madonna was able to sing along with the melody.

And this fact...

To be honest, being catchy and easy to sing are actually the key to the popularity of pop music.

Overly intellectual and overly specialized content will only shrink the audience of an industry.

Isabella has grasped the essence of pop music creation!

This was the most unexpected thing for Madonna!
"This song was indeed written by Isabella herself."

Under Madonna's gaze, the assistant nodded and said, "The songs that Isabella wrote were all recorded at EMI's London headquarters, using all EMI staff. After The Voice aired, someone went to EMI to inquire about the situation, and then the people at EMI said that Warner Bros. did not provide Isabella with any assistance because Isabella did many things on the spot during the recording."

“Then, Bai Dai also said that her technique might be a bit immature because she had always studied piano and rarely touched other instruments, but her thinking was very clear and she knew what she wanted.”

"This is a very terrifying thing."

"Because EMI stated that the last person they hosted who knew what his songs needed without knowing all the instruments was John Lennon, and John Lennon was already 15 years old at the time."

"And Isa..."

"She wasn't even 13 when she was making these things."

"So you're saying that acting interfered with her singing?" Madonna understood what her assistant meant.

The assistant shrugged and said, "That's Baidai's idea."

“Okay, okay, okay, that’s what EMI means.” Madonna laughed.

Put your headphones back on and listen to the beautiful music once again.

A moment later, when she took off her headphones again, a look of emotion appeared on her face.

"The pop music scene..."

"Something bad is probably going to happen."

"This song is indeed beautiful."

“It could be the title track even if it were included in my album.”

"Of course, I don't play rural games..."

Madonna spoke in a relaxed tone.

Because she is the most successful female singer right now, bar none, so what does it have to do with her whether the pop music scene has problems or not?
Not to mention that Isabella's main profession is acting, everyone knows that there will be seven Harry Potter movies. Even if Isabella wanted to be a singer, she would have to sell two hundred million albums first to challenge her.

However, Madonna's ability to calmly handle everything doesn't mean that others can calmly accept a nuclear explosion.

With the release of Isabella's first solo mini-album, a buying frenzy ensued among fans. After those who managed to purchase the mini-album carefully examined it, everyone—every single one—was astonished.

Because Isabella's new song "Love Story" is very good.

Isabella's new song "Love Story" is very good.

If you ask them to explain from a professional perspective what makes this song so good, most of them wouldn't be able to come up with a single answer.

But that doesn't matter, does it?

They just listen to songs, they don't write them!
They listened to a song, thought it was nice, and that was enough!

As for the rest?

I don't care how you created it!

This kind of love—knowing what it is but not why—is the epitome of purity!
And when a love is purely pure...

“OhOhOh…”

"Miss Beaver is so cool!"

"Her new song—wait—what's it called again—'Love Story'?"

"Her new song 'Love Story' is absolutely amazing!!"

"Any of you want to give it a try???"

At a school in America, a white girl holds up her headphones and asks a question loudly.

At the same time, similar situations have emerged in many schools.

Frankly speaking, word-of-mouth marketing for Amway is relatively slow in terms of promotional efficiency.

but……

Miss Beaver has a lot of fans.

Fueled by the frenzied fandom and amidst public curiosity, on Friday, March 28, 2003...

Isabella Haywood, Isabella's first solo mini-album, officially took root in the English music scene.

Uh……

This description isn't impressive enough.

To put it another way:

On Friday, March 28, 2003, the little beaver wearing the One Ring kicked open the door to the English music scene.

Head slightly raised, he looked around, hands on his hips, and shouted like a little dragon—

"I want to hit ten!"

hee hee~
(End of this chapter)