American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 96 The Four Ancient Gods and the New Sunshine

"Oh, Isa, it's been so long! I've missed you terribly."

“Oh, Barry, it’s been a long time, but I don’t miss you at all, because seeing you means I have to work again, you know? Chris thinks I’m too busy.”

"Hahaha~ Isn't this a good thing? Your busyness proves that you're popular."

"Isa, do you miss me?"

"Bob, you don't even call me princess, and you expect me to miss you? You're dreaming!"

"hahahaha~Ohhh~It was my oversight, Your Highness."

After lunch, Isabella boarded Warner's van again. After a bumpy ride, she arrived in Burbank, Los Angeles, where she met Barry Mayer and Robert Iger, who had been waiting for her, at a hotel that Warner had booked.

Uh……

Well, they didn't actually wait very long.

Because Warner and Disney are both headquartered in Burbank.

The current hotel is less than two or three miles from the headquarters of both companies.

Have Isabella and Dwayne Johnson finished eating over there? They still have time to set off later.

After meeting, the three parties shook hands and joked with each other, and then everyone went into the hotel's conference room.

Because both Maye and Iger are very busy;

They have a lot to do every day, and the only reason they can come to see Isabella at this time is because they are allies;
So after they sat down, they got straight to the point and talked to Isabella about work that didn't actually require their involvement.

Isabella also wants to finish her work as soon as possible and take a break, because she estimates that she won't have much time to rest after "The Voice" officially starts. As for resting after "The Voice" is over?

Dear!
How about checking out the Goblet of Fire?
Damn, I'm so busy!

While she was internally criticizing herself, Isabella's first job was offered.

That was confirmation from the mentors of "The Voice of China"—

“Isa, we told you before that we wanted to invite MJ, Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney to be mentors on The Voice. Although we were joking at the time, we still gave it a try after we came back. Then, one of them agreed, and that was Elton John. He agreed to join The Voice for one million per episode.”

"Then, if the production team needs him to compose songs, the copyright of the songs he composes will belong to him, and Warner will only have the distribution rights. If he is not needed to compose, then everything will be the same as we discussed before, and the cover song copyrights will all belong to Warner."

Barry Mayer showed Isabella a copy of the signed contract.

This fact surprised Isabella. "How did you manage to get him?"

"We've talked about this before, haven't we? He and Disney are good friends."

Robert Iger added, "He has sung theme songs for many Disney movies and done promotional music for Disney's musicals, so when he received our invitation, he only thought about it for a moment before agreeing."

Before Frozen, Disney's most successful movie soundtrack was The Lion King, and the theme song of The Lion King, which can even be said to be the essence of the soundtrack, was composed by Elton John.

Since the relationship between Rocket Man and Disney is truly wonderful, Isabella stopped worrying about it.

He nodded and said, "And then?"

"Then our second mentor was Sting."

Barry Mayer showed a second contract, “His asking price is slightly lower than Elton’s, $80 per episode.”

Sting is very famous in the European and American music scene.

He is a British singer and the former lead singer of The Police.

She officially debuted in 77, achieved great success in 78, released her first album in 79 and immediately topped the charts in the UK, became popular in the US in 80, won a Grammy in 81, and was invited by Francis Ford Coppola in 82 to create the soundtrack for "Rumble Fish". The song was a huge hit on MTV, so much so that when she held a concert in 83, the average number of ticket buyers exceeded 7.

Not only that, he is also an evergreen in the music industry. Fans' tastes in the Western music scene change very quickly, but no matter how their tastes change, he has never become outdated. When he released a new album in 2000, it was still able to easily sell triple platinum.

and so……

Invite him to be a mentor on a talent show?
To be honest, talent shows are not a good fit.

"Okay, continue."

Isabella was delighted with the invitation, and as she nodded, the name of the third mentor appeared—it was…

Mariah Carey.

“We didn’t actually contact Maria; she contacted us first. She said she really liked your songs, so she asked if we needed a mentor. That was in mid-July, right after you had just finished your… uh… showdown with Eminem?”

“Because we were indeed short of people, we talked to her, and her asking price was 50 per episode.”

"How much?" Isabella wondered if she had misheard.

Niu Benshan is a man of strong emotions, and Isabella knows this very well.

Therefore, it's normal that Niu Benshan took the initiative to seek cooperation after she exposed Eminem's true nature.

But a price of 50...

That's way too low!
Robert Iger understood Isabella's meaning. He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and shook his head, saying, "Maria isn't doing well right now. On the surface, it seems like a diva coming to our talent show is... a condescension? But actually, she's in a better position because her music career is plummeting from its peak..."

Since her divorce from her ex-husband Tommy Motura, Mariah Carey's career has been on a downward spiral.

After her solo film "Starry Night" flopped, her music career also plummeted.

His singles didn't even crack the top 50 on Billboard, and his album only sold two million copies worldwide.

Because she lost money in everything she did, Virgin Records, which had signed her for 8000 million, was willing to pay a 2800 million penalty to kick her out of the company, which shattered her reputation.

Therefore, she took the initiative to join "The Voice of China" as a mentor?
From a capital perspective, Sister Niu's goal might be to use the show to clean up her image and then gain a new wave of fans.

Because she debuted in 90, the young people who were fans of her back then have all grown up.

Now, young people are chasing Harry Potter.

"Oh—so did you sign it?"

Isabella clearly remembered that in her past life, Mariah Carey did indeed fall into a slump and then make a comeback.

Therefore, Sister Niu's purpose in coming here... may be, as Mayer and Egger said, not so simple.

But that's not important, right?

Having a singer like Mariah Carey, whose solo albums have sold over 100 million copies, as a mentor on a talent show is definitely a high-profile choice.

and……

If Niu Benshan can showcase her comedic talent on the show, the show's popularity will likely explode from beginning to end.

"It's signed."

Barry Mayer continued to show the contract, saying, "It's a good thing for us that she can come and record the show."

Maye and Egger aren't stupid.

Even if Mariah Carey's commercial value is low, she is still a superstar.

She is the female singer with the most number-one singles and the longest number-one singles held in the 1990s, and the most untitled number-one singles in music history.

With her, Rockets, and Sting sitting on the mentor panel, all other talent shows can be considered GG.

Well, Mayer and Iger's current goal is to crush all their competitors.

As for the reason?

Do not ask.

The question is specifically about American Idol!
"Okay, so what about the fourth one?"

Now that Sister Niu had signed, Isabella was relieved.

As she asked the question, the two, who had been talking peacefully, suddenly looked at each other and then shook their heads at the same time.

Iger said, "Isa, if Michael Eisner hadn't attacked you with Eminem, it would have been easy to invite a fourth mentor, but after Eminem attacked you... it's not so easy to invite a fourth mentor."

“What? Why?” Isabella didn’t understand what he meant.

Mayer added, "Jay-Z is in 'Party in the USA,' and he's qualified to be a mentor."

“Ohhh—” Isabella understood.

Right now, everyone knows that "Party in the USA" is the promotional song for the first season of "The Voice of America." And then, there's a singer in the song who could be a mentor? It just wouldn't be right not to invite that person.

But inviting Jay-Z is something like...

Aiger doesn't want to do it.

Because Jay-Z is dirty.

He has all the bad habits of gangster singers: he not only uses drugs, but he also traffics them; he not only owns a gun, but he also dares to commit shootings in Manhattan; and he is friends with Puff Daddy.

What did Puff Daddy and his ilk do? The general public might not know, but capital...

No firm is willing to seriously invest in gangster singers because the risks are too high.

Income and risk are not proportional at all.

So, why would Disney allow such a scoundrel to appear in a Disney project?
This is something Iger would absolutely not allow.

"So what are you thinking?" Isabella asked.

“I don’t want to use Jay-Z,” Iger said clearly.

"Then we don't need to."

Isabella laughed and said, "If someone asks me why Jay-Z didn't come, I'll say that his schedule might not have been right. If they keep pressing me, I can also say that Britney Spears is in the song too, and we couldn't get her to come either."

"If those people insist on making a big news story, then I can say that from a creative point of view, the celebrities in the song are just personal names. Our use of personal names is like a magician pulling a prop out of his hat."

"And Maria is part of our mentor team, isn't she?"

Isabella winked at the two of them.

“hahahahaha——”

Iger and Mayer burst into laughter!
They gave Isabella a thumbs up!

They liked Isabella's explanation!
“Okay, in that case, we can show you the fourth contract.”

Mayer then made her final invitation: "The fourth judge on The Voice is Bruce Springsteen..."

Maye and Iger could just say no to Jay-Z.

However, they also had to consult with Isabella while doing so.

This is not only a matter of respect for allies, but also a way to prevent accidents. If everyone is not in communication and then outsiders ask Isabella about it and she gives the wrong answer, wouldn't she be making headlines again?
This is no small matter.

The reason they previously brought up Jay-Z was to cover up the money-grabbing rhetoric from their rivals.

When Jay-Z has this connection with them, they can't make headlines with Jay-Z.

What if this reminds people of the money-grabbing practices in the music industry...

Isn't that disgusting?
Right?

The person they invited, Bruce Springsteen, is no ordinary person either. He debuted in 1971 and created his best-selling album, "Born in the USA," in 1984, which sold over 30 million copies.

Then, he also composed the theme song "Streets of Philadelphia" for the movie "The Philadelphia Story".

Like Sting, who was invited by Mayer, Springsteen, nicknamed "Boss," is also a music evergreen. His new rock album released last year won this year's Grammy. He has been popular for decades and is still popular, leaving no room for young people.

Isabella was pleased to see someone like that join "The Voice of China".

The appearance fee is also reasonable.

Like Sting, he earns $80 per episode.

With the four mentors confirmed, the second task arose: the filming plan.

Disney's plan is for "The Voice" to have a total of 15 episodes.

In other words, if the show starts on September 20th and airs one episode a week, they can postpone it until December 27th.

The final team will be able to benefit from the Christmas bonus.

Once the number of episodes is determined, the rest can be arranged. The grand finale will definitely take up a separate episode, and the group battles and elimination rounds of the four mentors will each take up an episode, making a total of nine episodes. In this way, the number of episodes belonging to the double selection will only be six.

Since there are 150 participants, the average number of people showcasing their work per round during the selection process is 25...

"Wait a moment!"

"Twenty-five people in the first phase?"

How do I record this?

Upon hearing the number of participants for the single-round presentation, Isabella immediately made a "Stop" gesture and said, "It takes four minutes to sing a song, right? Let's say six minutes for the introduction and exchange. Ten minutes for each person, and twenty-five people would be two hundred and fifty minutes."

"It's been more than four hours here."

"And then add commercials, opening and closing credits...you want to make a show five hours long?"

Isabella thought the duration was a bit ridiculous.

Because a program that airs for five hours straight can make viewers sick of watching it.

And this...

"Oh, Isa, you've misunderstood."

Iger laughed and said, "Theoretically speaking, if every contestant were to give a good performance, then each episode would indeed be five hours long. But the problem is... the double selection period is pre-recorded..."

“In this case, we can reduce the length of the less exciting performances.”

"When the performance time of those eliminated contestants can be cut by half or even more, the official broadcast time of a show is only about two hours, which is a reasonable time. It can start at eight o'clock and end at ten o'clock."

"Admittedly, this approach is cruel to those athletes, but..."

"At least we provided them with a platform. Wouldn't it be even crueler for them to have no platform at all?"

“Okay.” Isabella was fine with it. Two hours was an acceptable length for a talent show.

Or, to put it another way, isn't this the normal time it takes for a TV station to air a movie?
As for what Iger said about cruelty...

Isabella doesn't care.

Cutting out bad performances is a common practice in the entertainment industry.

Because time is money, and everything is business.

Since "The Voice of China" has 15 episodes, the appearance fees for each person are quite clear.

Rockets' Elton has the most, at 1500 million;
Sting and Springsteen are in the second tier, both at $1200 million;
Mariah Carey, who was going through a low point in her life, came in third with a total income of $750 million for the season.

Apart from Sister Niu, the appearance fees for the other three are already quite high.

Isabella was joking when she said she'd get 100 million per season.

No matter how popular a celebrity is, they won't earn 100 million yuan just by recording a variety show. Or rather, the calculation method for appearance fees on variety shows corresponds to the length of film remuneration. If a movie is filmed for three months, an A+ level celebrity can earn 15 million or 20 million yuan, which is considered a top-tier price.

Even if the variety show ratings are high, they won't exceed this number.

unless……

The IP address is your own.

Only when you are your own boss can your income be considered separately.

What is our current advertising revenue?

Since the recording arrangements were fine, Isabella then started to worry about her income.

Iger said, "The title sponsorship fee is 100 million, and we won't know the rest until the show finishes airing."

"Why?" Isabella asked, confused.

Mayer, who also comes from a television background, explained: "Because spoken advertising and branded advertising are flexible, not only can the number be increased or decreased, but even the price can be adjusted periodically..."

Income in the television industry is not fixed.

Except for the main sponsors, which cannot be changed, everything else can be replaced.

Take "The Voice of China" as an example. Hua Shao's rapid-fire delivery, which is like reciting the names of dishes, can be modified. For example, if KFC paid money in the last episode, and Dicos is paid in the next episode, okay, then change it.

Since this thing can be exchanged, its price will fluctuate.

Right now, this thing is worth $40 for a name in Iger's eyes.

Single period.

In other words, every time Johnson announced a name during the show's broadcast, the production team would hear a commotion in their ears—

"Ring—40 yuan has been deposited into Hailibao's account—"

Cough cough cough...

Then, if the average viewership for the first episode is 3000 million, then starting from the second episode, each name will have 80 viewers.

In addition, the revenue from advertising slots such as pop-ups and whiteboards is also variable.

Take pop-up ads as an example. Anyone who has watched TV knows that when many programs are broadcast, a banner-like advertisement or a floating splash screen often appears in the lower left corner of the TV screen. The price of these things is not fixed.

Currently, Disney's bottom line is 200 million per phase, with a total showtime of no less than one minute.

However, if the average viewership for the first episode can be maintained at 3000 million...

Sorry about that.

Starting from the second phase, the price for this location will increase to 400 million.

If you receive five pop-up ads, which is five minutes of pop-up ads in 120 minutes, the number is very small, but the income can reach 20 million US dollars.

Based on Isabella's commission rate, she can take 10%, which is 200 million.

In just one of the 15 advertising slots, she could earn 3000 million yuan in revenue sharing.

This revenue is much higher than the previous fixed price.

That's how wildly popular variety shows make money.

Otherwise, how could the copyright of "American Idol" have sold for 7000 million?

Uh... speaking of prices, some people might notice a problem.

If a single period of pop-up ads can reach 400 million, then aren't the sponsorship fees for Coca-Cola and McDonald's a bit too low?
Because 400 * 15 = 6000, while the combined sponsorship fees for Coca-Cola and McDonald's are only 100 million.

On average, each family has 5000 million.

But that's not how you calculate it.

Besides the money, Coca-Cola and McDonald's have also been providing the show with a complete set of food and beverage supplies, which is also included in the total sponsorship fee. Furthermore, to cooperate with the show's promotion, Coca-Cola and McDonald's have long been co-branded with "The Voice of China," including modifications to Coca-Cola packaging and promotions at McDonald's offline stores, all of which are also covered by the sponsorship fee.

To put it bluntly, the resources invested and the capital support provided must also be converted into money. Although it's difficult to quantify, you can't deny someone's contribution because of that, right? No business does business like that, let alone when they're giants.

"Okay, since you guys are so professional, I can finally relax and lie here..."

Isabella is very satisfied with her expected income.

Nobody dislikes money, right?

Her candor made Maye and Egger burst into laughter.

After discussing the general details of the variety show work, the two, who still had other things to do, got up to say goodbye.

However, Isabella couldn't rest yet because Nathan Bailey had given her a bunch of materials.

“Isa, the top three in each state have actually been determined.”

"Just tell me who you like."

"But you must report it to me before the 10th."

"Because the athletes participating in the national competition will not arrive in California all at once, but we need to sign contracts with them before the national competition begins. Since they are located in 50 states, we need to visit at least 40 places, so time is tight."

That's right~
The job that could influence the future of Isabella's music industry is finding talent.
And this...

"Wow! Isa, Mom, how did you manage to bring back so much data?"

Isabella and her mother had just had their assistant carry two bags of documents back to their room when Catherine's surprised voice rang out.

Along with them came Robbie's curious gaze.

They didn't go into the meeting room because Robbie wasn't suited to listen to the planning and profit-sharing of "The Voice of China".

Even though she has shown great composure so far.

Therefore, after the three parties met, Catherine, knowing that her sister and Warner were going to talk about serious business, took the initiative to say that she was tired and asked Robbie to accompany her back to her room to rest. Only Isabella and her mother actually went to talk business.

Vivian shrugged and replied to her older sister's question, "It's about choosing people."

"Choosing people?" Catherine was stunned for a moment, then realized that she had been there when they discussed collaborating on "The Voice of China." She got up from the sofa, looked at the mountain of documents, and said, "How long will this take?"

"It'll be quick!"

Isabella smiled and waved her hand, leaning back on the sofa next to her older sister. She picked up the resumes of the national competition contestants and started flipping through them. At the same time, she turned to the very curious Robbie and asked, "Why are you sitting so far away?"

Upon hearing this, Robbie, who understood Miss Beaver's meaning, grinned and moved closer.

Immediately afterwards, the name Robert David of Alabama came into her view.

The boy is 18 years old, of average appearance, from a harmonious family, and the songs he sang during the competition were...

"Wow--"

Before Robbie could even finish reading the boy's resume, Isabella had already picked up the next one.

This behavior made Robbie blink, and it also made Catherine, who witnessed everything, twitch at the corner of her eye.

"Have you finished reading?" Catherine asked.

“No,” Isabella replied.

"And then it was passed?"

"hold head high."

"So...casual?"

"Ugh! Sis! You're being so rude! This is called efficiency! Do you understand efficiency?"

"..."

Finding gold in the sand might be difficult for others, but for Isabella, a time traveler... she could tell who had potential and who had no future just by looking at the photos of the national competition contestants.

She wasn't uninterested in entertainment in her past life, so why not just look at the pictures and figure it out?
She quickly scanned all 150 resumes, and then...

'My goodness, Bruno Mars?'

'Katy Perry?'

'Lana Dre, the Thunder Goddess?'

'It's here! It's here! It's here!'

These three were very famous in Isabella's previous life.

Let's start with Bruno Mars. He has so many hit songs. At its peak, "Uptown Funk" had billions of views on the Chinese internet. His music video, featuring a pink suit, white T-shirt, a small top hat, and a gold chain around his neck, was extremely flamboyant.

Then there's Katy Perry, who has a ton of hit songs. Her most famous one, "Firework," not only has a catchy music video, but it also features her getting up every Independence Day to fight Miley Cyrus and then... getting pinned down by Miley Cyrus...

That's right.

Firework is comparable to Party in the USA.

Finally, there's Lana Del Rey. Her second album, "Born to Die," topped the charts in eight countries upon its release, and the title track became popular on the Chinese internet. She also sang "Young and Beautiful," the theme song for "The Great Gatsby."

To put it bluntly, these three are the future of the Western music scene.

If any talent show can unearth someone like this, then it's considered a successful IP.

If a talent show can't produce a genius, then from the audience's perspective, it's not worth watching.

I've spent time, energy, and money on your show, and you still can't create stars?

What's the point of me watching then?!
Isn't this a waste of emotions?

Right?

The American Idol franchise became a hit because it launched Kelly Clarkson's career in its first season.

But to find three immortals at once?
"Wow, I'm so strong..."

Looking at the special markings on the three people's resumes, the brightly displayed "Coypu fans" made Isabella overjoyed.

Catherine started to lose her composure after her younger sister's pause...

"Have you finished choosing?"

"correct."

"You don't even listen to their songs?"

"No need."

"Why?"

"Because they are my fans, and my fans are definitely very strong, I'm confident of that."

"Hahahaha-"

Before Catherine could speak, a burst of wild laughter suddenly erupted.

This sight startled the two sisters, who looked in the direction of the sound...

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Yes, the one laughing is Vivian.

Vivian's daughters' doubts did not stop her.

While slapping her thigh and pointing at little Robbie next to Isabella, Vivian said, her voice trembling with excitement—

"Oh—look at Marg—"

"Ok?"

The two turned their heads.

Then, Robbie, who was trying not to laugh, came into their view.

Perhaps he simply didn't want to show off?
But it's also possible that she's thinking about things she feels ashamed of?

After realizing he had become the center of attention in the room, Robbie became even more shy.

She nodded slightly, licked her lips, and whispered, "I think Isa is right."

"Hahahaha—" Vivian laughed even louder after understanding what she meant.

Isabella, having finally found the answer, slapped her thigh with delight.

Catherine's vision went completely black.

Okay, she's completely forgotten about Robbie!

This guy is also a fan of Isabella!

And it seems that the reason my younger sister signed her was because she was a fan?
"OMG, what the hell is this..." Catherine shook her head, feeling a bit of a headache.

(End of this chapter)