Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

The three women fell silent.

They've been in the entertainment industry for years and are used to it.

After many celebrities become famous, other companies will pay the breach of contract fees in advance to help them switch companies.

This has almost become the norm in the industry, and it's also the reason why the penalties for breach of contract are getting higher and higher.

"Where is the problem?" Ge Fuhong asked directly.

She couldn't understand why she had to switch jobs when she could talk to the company about the unequal distribution of profits.

Taiwan's approach is better; their methods are relatively mild.

The situation in Hong Kong is much more serious.

Often, the original company only finds out that someone has been poached after the news has already been released.

"Sister Yang, you know Wang Jingwen, right?" Gu Bei looked at his sugar daddy.

For those in the industry, this name is legendary!

Yang Wanqing certainly remembered: "She is now a princess or queen."

"Yes." Gu Bei nodded. "When she first debuted, New Arts Media named her Wang Jingwen and promoted her as a girl who grew up in Causeway Bay."

"Later, after being exposed, she went abroad for two years of further studies and made a strong comeback with the song 'Easily Hurt Woman'."

"In 94, she changed back to her birth name and began her journey to becoming a superstar."

"Sister Ge, some artists switch agencies not because of money," Gu Bei paused, then continued:

"In the eyes of the company, artists are like commodities, packaged, promoted, and consumed."

"I sing whatever the company tells me to sing, I wear whatever they tell me to wear, and I create scandals with whomever they tell me to create scandals with."

"By the time they gain fame, fans, and bargaining power, they will have accumulated a lot of resentment."

After listening, the three women nodded in agreement, all feeling that what Gu Bei said made some sense.

Ge Fuhong, in particular, felt it most acutely.

For the past two years, she has been thinking about how to achieve long-term cooperation without harming the interests of both parties.

But I still can't figure it out.

"Do you think... the studio can solve this problem?" Chai Zhiping was also very curious.

She's preparing to film a TV series, and will soon face this issue.

"It can't solve the problem, but it can alleviate it." Gu Bei also stated frankly: "Let the artists participate in decision-making, share the profits, and hold the copyrights."

"He will then transform from an employee mentality into a partner."

The three women lowered their heads in thought, feeling that perhaps they could give it a try.

"Who bears the operating costs before the artist becomes famous?" Angie Chai frowned. "The company can't possibly pay for everything, can it?"

"No company would be that stupid."

After a two-second silence, Gu Bei finally offered his long-held idea: "A betting agreement."

A bet?

Yang Wanqing immediately sat up straight and asked, "How do we bet?"

Eagle King doesn't have the resources to train artists in Taiwan. If they want to make Gu Bei famous, they have to send him to Hong Kong.

In that case, the two of them would have to separate...

It would be difficult to get the company to agree to let Gu Bei, a newcomer, open a studio in a short period of time.

It would be best if he could come up with a solution.

Gu Bei waved his hand, signaling Xiao Yun to help him play the soundtrack of "Lovely Woman".

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, the melody of music began to fill the room:

I want a helicopter.

I want to fly to the universe with you.

I want to melt into you.

Melting into the Milky Way

......

"A beautiful and lovely woman who makes me blush"

A gentle and lovely woman who makes my heart ache.

"A lovely woman whose transparency touches me deeply."

"A lovable woman who's naughty but drives me crazy"

......

After the song finished playing, the room became quiet.

Chai Zhiping frowned and commented:

"It sounds novel, a bit colloquial, and has a naive and romantic feel to it."

"It's just...strange."

"It's normal for things to feel strange." Gu Bei took out the sheet music for "Lovely Woman," placed it on the table, and explained:

"The popular songs nowadays are all ballads and slow ballads, mainly about being sad, sentimental, and clear in pronunciation, imitating European and American R&B."

"If I had to describe it, it would be like the rigid, formulaic essays used in ancient examinations."

"And Jay Chou's music..." He pointed to the sheet music: "incorporates American R&B into the four tones of Chinese."

Everyone there understood music theory, and after watching it, they knew where the problem lay.

"Guava's lyrical style is conventional, but it has been proven by the market." Yang Wanqing leaned back lazily on the sofa. "The reason of innovation is not enough to convince the company."

"Unless you demonstrate sufficient value."

She hoped Gu Bei could offer more, otherwise she would have to figure out how to persuade the company to agree.

"It's not just this, Sister Yang." Gu Bei took out paper and pen, intending to write down the thoughts in his mind:

"I have a plan to release a song."

"Wait a moment." Ge Fuhong gestured towards the bodyguard rest area.

In less than 30 seconds, all staff members were asked to leave the stadium.

Those people were very cooperative, as if they had done it many times before.

She nodded to Gu Bei, indicating that they could continue, only after making sure no one was around.

The first line Gu Bei wrote stunned Yang Wanqing!

"Not making money through album sales?"

She looked up at Gu Bei with a puzzled expression: "If you're not relying on album sales for profit in the early stages, what do you plan to rely on?"

"They rely on copyrights, commercial performances, KTV licensing, GG endorsements, and idol drama OSTs." Gu Bei explained as he wrote:

"Record companies need to shoot music videos, chart-topping albums, and appear on talk shows before they can sell albums, and then wait for sales to break even..."

"Too slow...and there's so much piracy."

"What if... I release a single first?"

"Singles?" Chai Zhiping was full of questions: "Release them one by one?"

"Yes." Gu Bei nodded: "Make 10,000 CDs for each single."

"I distribute them for free to internet cafes, bars, shopping malls, large restaurants, KTVs, and schools—places with high foot traffic."

"What are the advantages of doing this?" Yang Wanqing always felt that this business model was very powerful.

But I can't figure out what makes it so amazing.

"How are you going to promote it?" She frowned. "The radio stations don't play your singles, they don't let you promote them, and releasing singles for free isn't enough to promote them."

"Online." Gu Bei had already made ample preparations.

He then wrote another line on the paper: "Build a website, create a personal brand, and upload MP3s for free download."

Gu Bei specifically searched online.

As of June 2000.

The number of internet users in China has exceeded 3000 million.

With the rise of the internet, creating a website is entirely feasible.

Moreover, he wants to lay the groundwork for the mainland market in advance, and to collect Wolf Warrior taxes a hundred years from now.

This also prepares for the golden age of ringback tones three years from now.

One is for their own sake.

Another reason was to help my grandfather find his family and obtain a mainland Chinese ID card.

"I release a single every two weeks, open up pre-orders for the album, and four free singles can keep the hype going for two months, which is equivalent to two months of GG (ghosting).

"This approach is low-cost, low-risk, and maintains continuous popularity."

"When it comes to actually selling the album, I plan to use scarcity marketing..."

"Eagle King can decide whether to continue the collaboration based on how popular the song is."

After listening, the three women quickly analyzed the feasibility of this model in their minds.

Two minutes later, Ge Fuhong looked at the words "pre-order + scarcity marketing" on the paper, her expression grave:

"Gu Bei, there's no need to find the Eagle King."

"I can let you try it right now!"

This model is outrageous; labor costs are negligible, and the initial investment is only 12 RMB.

Once a song becomes popular, an album is immediately released, and commercial operations commence.

If a song doesn't become popular, you can cut your losses in time.

At most, I'll lose a few hundred thousand...

This amount of money was just a drop in the ocean for her.