The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 866: The History of Creating Nobel?
Religious culture has a significant influence in most countries around the world.

Even in China, burning incense and worshipping Buddha are extremely popular among the people. The Guanyin jade pendant that Zhou Yi wore before was obtained by Cheng Hao from a temple.

During festivals and holidays, there are countless worship and sacrificial activities to worship gods.

However, due to different cultural traditions, religious culture has always been a subject of repeated manipulation within the Chinese cultural sphere. Most ordinary people simply focus on sincerity and the sense of ritual, without being overly obsessed.

However, the influence of religious culture, with Christianity as its core, in the Western world is far greater.

You were already ridiculous enough before when you claimed to be the first person after God, but people could still accept it. Now you're going to go and claim to be a god walking among humans. Given the comprehension abilities of the large population in Europe and America, if you round it off a bit and steer the narrative a little, wouldn't that make you a god himself?
How come you're more powerful than the Pope?
Undoubtedly, the Los Angeles Times has overhyped the story, but the controversy it has sparked is not one-sided.

Warner Music had prepared a series of meticulously edited and angled photos that were "accidentally" leaked out. Coupled with the pilgrimage-like behavior of the concerts over the past two days, it seems they are determined to elevate the I Ching to a divine status.

"Without God's blessing, Spike wouldn't be able to keep up and jump around for two consecutive days of high-intensity concerts!"

"While I don't agree with this report, I have to say Spike's talent is indeed a bit too outrageous. The Beatles needed several people to work together, and Michael Jackson needed to find a band, but Spike is a solo artist..."

"In any case, I acknowledge Spike's status. I admire his courage. He is doing what God wants."

"I agree."

"Spike is a god, what's wrong with being the god of music?"

"Some people are born to become legends, and Spike is one of them—it took him four years to reach the top of the world's pop music scene!"

"In sports competitions, winning three consecutive championships is generally considered to create a dynasty. Spike has won four consecutive championships, so by that calculation, he can also be considered to have created a music dynasty."

"When Spike wrote 'The Phoenix' and 'Legend,' he never imagined he would be shot, let alone nearly die. This is clearly God endorsing Spike, allowing him to officially become a legend through his music."

"..."

Underneath the "sneak peek" concert video on YouTube, people from various countries gathered in a vibrant discussion. Countless netizens who couldn't buy tickets or have the opportunity to see the show in New York all expressed their admiration for the man.

Of course, most people come to make a wish.

"When are you coming to France for a concert, Spike? You've done it in the UK and the US, you can't miss out on France, right?"

"Germany wants it too."

"Spain, step forward!"

"Spike even made a music film that pays tribute to The Godfather, come to Italy soon!"

"No way, you're only opening in New York in the US? Then you'd have to open in several more cities!"

"What about the concert album? I can't go to the concert, but I can still afford the album? When will Warner release it?"

"It's hard to say. An industry insider on YouTube who has been to Spike's New York concert analyzed the costs of his concerts, and they're too high. It's unlikely that he'll have any plans to release a concert album anytime soon, which would increase his losses..."

Someone directly sent me a video link—

"Warner Music expects to lose between $300 and $400 million on these two concerts? Does Bruno Mars even know anything about music? How can he just spout such nonsense?!"

David Simmons was furious after reading just the beginning of the conclusion.

My Spike is invincible! How could his concert possibly incur such huge losses?!
Isn't this blatant slander?

report!

Must report!

How the hell do I report YouTube...?

“We can do a simple calculation, and you will know where the bulk of the losses are coming from.”

"First of all, the rental fee for Madison Square Garden alone is between $800,000 and $1 million per day. Warner Bros. rented it for a full five days, including rehearsals."

"Secondly, the requirements for singers of Spike's caliber are very high."

"This also means that his band's backup singers and rehearsal fees, stage design, lighting and stage construction, sound and microphone equipment, performance background videos, special effects, and even security checks, fire protection and security, all need to be of a high standard, with industry quotes ranging from $30 to $60."
"In addition, the cost of music director and band, concert director and planning team, stage director and stage design team, sound director and sound team, pre-concert miscellaneous expenses and post-concert expenses, artist costume rental, stylist and makeup artist, etc., is around $10 to $30 per show."

"Of course, Spike probably considered the final cost and saved on costume rental fees for these two shows..."

As Bruno Mars listed the data point by point in the video, David Simmons, who had spent a long time trying to find a way to report the incident, fell silent.

For a college student who works part-time and can't afford to go to concerts and can only watch videos online, this loss is truly beyond his capabilities.

Even so, Bruno Mars, who claims to be an industry insider, said that he had underestimated the costs, and only Warner Bros. knew the true cost.

"You can't find another singer in the music scene today who holds concerts not for money, but simply to satisfy his fans. To be honest, if I were Spike, I definitely couldn't do it."

"Every concert he holds is guaranteed to lose nearly two million dollars. All I can say is that Spike is doing charity..."

Even if scalped tickets are sold at exorbitant prices, it's impossible to recoup the costs.

“I checked, and this isn’t something Spike has just started doing now for show. He’s held many concerts in China before, some of which had 80,000 attendees, but Spike still managed to finish each one without ever lingering…”

I have never touched money, and I have absolutely no interest in it.

At this moment, the saying that the Book of Changes once said has a very concrete and standard answer.

After realizing what was happening, David Simmons directly contributed to global warming efforts, further deepening his respect for Spike.

Look, look! This is my favorite idol!

Stay true to your original aspirations and always be committed to your fans!

Great, needless to say!

At the height of the controversy surrounding this concert, Spike's dazzling image has left all Western singers in the industry breathless with awe.

Fuck!

You're so noble, what are we supposed to do in the future?!

"You're making me sound like some heinous money-grabbing fraudster. I sang so energetically at my concert..." Among Zhou Yi's friends, the first to receive negative comments were Shakira and Avril Lavigne, who were still on their world tour.

Concerts are a major way for singers to make money, and Zhou Yi is the only one in the world who is so ruthless about the cost.

Warner Bros.' retired emperor was helpless.

If it were just a different artist, Linkin Park would still be happily touring.

Zhou Yi was somewhat amused and exasperated by this: "I didn't market this, and I can't control online videos."

He's very shrewd and would never market a concert for financial loss, since that's the foundation of a singer's career. He'll enjoy himself quietly; there's no need to drag other singers into it.

"That Bruno Mars is really something. His self-introduction on his channel says he's a music producer. No wonder he's a failure in life, he has no sense of risk at all." After Shakira's teasing, Avril was clearly also full of resentment towards that YouTuber.

As someone who works in this field, don't you know what you can and can't say?
She's been criticized by her rivals' haters for being greedy for money—because she goes to Asia so often to make money, earning her the nickname "Queen of Asia." There's no way around it; she's extremely popular in Asia, especially in the Japanese market.

"Time will forget everything. The reason I'm being used as a weapon for comparison is simply because I'm currently in the spotlight."

Upon hearing a name that sounded familiar, Zhou Yi's heart stirred, but he said calmly, "I'll have someone from the company contact this Bruno Mars later."

Before seeing the photo, he wasn't sure if the name was the same Bruno from his memory, but he still subconsciously paid attention to it.

There's no way around it; after all, he's a chosen one—a strong contender for the future number one men's world championship.

If he hadn't squandered his talent and voice by giving up during his peak, he probably could have been the true leading man for a while, and wouldn't have fallen to become one of the competitors after the rise of other singers, or even had a tendency to become outdated.

"Okay, I'll have someone investigate what's going on."

Upon receiving Zhou Yi's notification, Qian Jiang nodded, then couldn't contain his excitement and reported, "By the way, Yi, you might not know, but you're going to be nominated for the Nobel Prize."

In this era before the Nobel Prize filter has shattered, Qianjiang couldn't help but be excited.

"?"

Zhou Yi, who slowly typed out a question mark, was completely bewildered.

Does he have even the slightest connection to the Nobel Prize? None of the people he knows are qualified to be nominated.

"It's Columbia University."

Seeing Zhou Yi's confusion, Qian Jiang quickly and slowly revealed the truth: "Columbia University, as a top-tier institution, has produced many Nobel laureates, so they are qualified to submit nominations to the Nobel Committee..."

Regardless of what happened afterward, at least Zhou Yi was initially shot on the Columbia University campus.

Edgar Jr. may not excel in other areas, but he's a master at seeking accolades and prestige. Even while Zhou Yi was holding his concert, he wasn't idle; he used his financial resources to chat with a Columbia University professor who was nominated for a position.

The core demand is simple: Spike got into trouble on Columbia University's turf, don't you want to turn this into a glorious story?

Spike was shot while fighting for peace. Doesn't his noble act deserve a Nobel Peace Prize nomination from your Columbia University election committee?
Don't say that celebrities and stars don't deserve the Nobel Prize. Although the nomination list is supposedly not to be released to the public for 50 years, everyone still has a way to find out the information. Do you really think the Nobel Prize Committee is out of touch with reality?
Bob Dylan has been a Nobel Prize nominee countless times since 1997.

“If it were just about the album, Edgar Jr. wouldn’t have thought of this, but you got shot because of it and almost lost your life, so the situation is completely different.”

Qian Jiang was very excited.

He knew that this might be the only chance in his life for Zhou Yi to be nominated for the Nobel Prize, a world-class award without any qualifiers, and the shooting was his perfect cover.

Even the possibility of winning the Nobel Peace Prize is not entirely out of the question.

This is the Nobel Prize!

If you miss this opportunity, you will miss it forever.

"……also."

Zhou Yi remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.

While the Nobel Peace Prize has always been considered relatively low-profile, that perception won't become mainstream until later. At present, although it may lack some prestige, in the eyes of the global public—especially the Chinese public—it's still considered a prestigious and respectable award.

It's mainly because the Nobel Prize title sounds impressive under the filter.

Of course, most importantly, if he remembers correctly, this year's two Nobel Peace Prize laureates were two people who had been condemning the US invasion of Iraq.
This is indeed a golden opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.

If they can give them this year, then if they can work their way up to give them a peace prize next year, it wouldn't be unreasonable. At the very least, a nomination would be acceptable, which would be making history.

Of course, that depends on Edgar Jr.'s efforts; he can just lie down and watch.

"Okay, I'm glad you agree. Then I'll go and arrange the publicity for you." Qian Jiang was full of energy and quickly ran off.

The Nobel Peace Prize for this year has been decided and will be announced soon. Zhou Yi will definitely miss it. He can only prepare to submit his nomination through his connections at Columbia University and wait for the review results next year.

If no one wins, the nominations will not be announced.

After all, the Nobel Prize only announces the list of winners, not the list of nominees, in order to ensure a fair and impartial selection process.

Currently, all the news reports about being shortlisted for the Nobel Prize are either released by the person or the nominee to create hype, such as Bob Dylan.

Or it could be that the reporters are just spreading rumors and naming names to stir up trouble.

"Pfft! Huh?! Nobel?!"

Unsurprisingly, after Zhou Yi returned and briefly mentioned his nomination, Sun Yanzi, who was drinking juice, choked in surprise, coughing and patting her chest: "Cough cough, really? You have a chance to be nominated for the Nobel Prize???"

Although she is from Singapore, the Nobel Prize is a very prestigious title in this era.

Everyone else also had a look of utter disbelief on their faces.

Apart from Cheng Hao, they came to say goodbye to Zhou Yi.

The concert is over, and seeing Jay Chou still so energetic, it's time for them to head back to China. Especially Jay Chou, he still has concerts to hold in China.

"It's not just a chance, it's a sure thing for me to be nominated. As for whether I'll win next year, it's hard to say."

Even Zhou Yi wouldn't dare guarantee a prize.

After searching his brain, Cheng Hao hesitated for a moment: "If you win the award, wouldn't you be the first person in China to win the Nobel Prize?"

"It's just the Peace Prize, its prestige is off the charts." Zhou Yi curled his lip, not caring much.

The others, their minds in turmoil: "..."

Are you planning to make history as the Nobel Prize-winning star in the Chinese entertainment industry?

This question is way beyond the scope of the curriculum!

"Sometimes what you say is really infuriating, Yi." Jay Chou, with his heavily filtered European aesthetic, is genuinely envious now.

The Nobel Prize is a top-tier award that has been passed down from old Europe.

Although the Nobel Peace Prize is a bit of a joke, it is at least a trophy with a long history.

"If you keep babbling, I'm not going to your concert." Zhou Yi glanced at Jay Chou, who was gritting his teeth, issuing a direct warning not to attend. The latter rolled his eyes.

His unparalleled concert tour is currently in full swing across the country.

Zhou Yi had promised to attend before, but because of the shooting, he hadn't planned to invite him again. He didn't expect Zhou Yi to still be so loyal and remember this.

"You'd better memorize the lyrics. If you start rambling on stage, don't blame me for making a huge fuss about it."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

(End of this chapter)