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

Chapter 894 The Righteous and Loyal Hero Zhou

To say that the number of nominations was unaffected by the shooting would be somewhat self-deceptive.

If it were any other singer, they would probably be bombarded with criticism from music lovers, but this person is Zhou Yi—Spike.

His outstanding achievements speak for themselves, and his legendary experiences have even attracted Hollywood to compete to buy his image rights for a film adaptation. He is undoubtedly a legend.

At the moment the nomination results were announced, Avril Lavigne, who was still on her second world tour, the "Bonez Tour," even spoke out in defense of her friend during a media interview.

"To be honest, I'm not surprised by this result; in fact, I think this nomination is too few for him. If we're just looking at the number of songs by genre on the album, he could have gotten at least two or three more nominations for Best Pop and Best R&B."

"But, it's clear that the Grammy committee doesn't want Spike to set a record that will leave future generations feeling hopeless..."

It's clear that because she was tricked by the Grammys twice, this Canadian young star has lost the aspirations and respect she had for the organizing committee when she first debuted. Now at the peak of her career, she speaks with great confidence.

Anyway, the Canadian band doesn't have much influence in the American music scene, and they are even targeted. After being beaten up for several years, she has now come to terms with reality: "I have never seen any singer who can maintain such a high-intensity album creation speed while also maintaining quality. The range of genres is so wide that it covers almost 90% of the themes and genres in the pop music scene."

"Without a doubt, Spike is a genius that comes along once in a million. I think the Grammys just didn't want the American music scene to lose too badly, so they deliberately reduced his nominations. It's not just this album; it's the same with his past albums..."

Avril Lavigne's words were like a Molotov cocktail thrown into the already heated American music scene due to the issue of the number of nominations.

Nominees, including Mariah Carey, have stated in interviews that Spike deserved the award, much to the dismay of print media outlets eager to stir up conflict.

The remaining Hollywood actresses, including Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Alba, sent their congratulations one by one. Even 50 Cent, the hip-hop artist who was once personally ruined by Zhou Yi, talked a lot about peace and love in an interview and refused to answer any questions from reporters about Zhou Yi.

In a sense—or from an industry perspective—this is actually a manifestation of having one's spine completely broken by the I Ching; it's a sign of fear of it.

After all, this guy is a hip-hop artist.

"There's no other way, we need to eat."

"His mentor, Eminem, was beaten up by Zhou Yi, and he himself was made into a PPT template and released globally by Zhou Yi. So all he can do is talk about peace and love, otherwise Zhou Yi's fans might find something to use against him."

"To be fair, judging from the song 'The Monster,' Zhou Yi's hip-hop skills are indeed quite high. 50 cents is just avoiding the topic because he can't attack it."

"The scariest thing is that this song was written by Zhou Yi specifically to promote the newcomer Rihanna; it was tailor-made for her."

"I don't know why, but it feels really good to see this group of foreign celebrities extolling the I Ching here."

"I don't like English songs, so I'll check out the upcoming Chinese album. I heard the production schedule is very tight. I hope Zhou Yi won't let me down. He's the last singer whose album I'll buy without thinking."

"The song 'Unfortunately, If Only' is about to be released, its first single. Let's hear how it is when it comes out..."

The praise from foreigners, especially foreign celebrities, was repeatedly copied and reprinted by major domestic portal websites. These genuinely admiring comments plunged early 21st-century netizens, who were usually sensitive to the astonishment of their allies, into a frenzy.

After all, they were the ones who truly and directly defeated the foreigners.

This most basic patriotic feeling and sense of pride is not shameful; it's just that public intellectuals often try to portray it as a sin. American elementary school students sing praises of America's greatness during breaks without anyone mentioning it, while Chinese elementary school students are criticized for writing essays about their motherland.

When your raw skill and performance are simply too overwhelming to be countered, they often switch to a different playing style.

such as--

"Zhou Yi is the true god of the music scene. If you don't listen to Zhou Yi's songs in this lifetime, you don't deserve to be Chinese!"

"Is it a crime to die just because I don't like the Book of Changes?"

“My friend has gone crazy. I just said I didn’t like Zhou Yi’s new song and he’s going to cut ties with me.”

"Got bullied? It's okay, just listen to Zhou Yi's songs a few more times and you'll learn to comfort yourself..."

By using sarcastic and unconventional language, they attempt to deconstruct the awe-inspiring achievements of the I Ching, then further amplify this through satirical rhetoric to incite a rebellious mentality among some, muddying the waters and seizing the opportunity to stigmatize it. They then continuously invest effort in perpetuating this stigmatization as much as possible, turning it into a historical stereotype.

In this way, once the hype is set, even media outlets that haven't received any money will naturally join in the fray as long as they sense the hot topic and buzz.

From Europe to Africa, from Africa to Latin America, and then to Asia—

Since the end of the Cold War, almost all the methods of manipulating public opinion have remained largely unchanged.

“I don’t care about these things. I only serve my fans who appreciate me. What do I care about what the rest of the people think of me? There’s absolutely no need to listen to their voices.”

On December 10, Zhou Yi, who once again appeared on the "Super Interview" stage for promotional reasons, nonchalantly stated when asked by Dai Jun: "Time will eventually prove whether I am right or wrong."

Dai Junle's eyes were almost slits.

As always, Zhou Yi maintains a clear stance of never playing the neutral card and rarely speaks nonsense. Whenever he appears on a program, it is basically the program's highest-rated program of the year.

"What do you think of the emerging group of online singers? Many people say that their songs are of poor quality and vulgar in content, and that they are outsiders who do not belong to the mainstream market."

The female host, Li Jing, cited examples of Warner Music's previous signings: "For instance, as we all know, you previously launched a musician program on the QQ Music platform, and this year you signed your first online singer, Xu Song, who is said to be a college student with a very poor background."

"Problems that can be solved through learning are not problems at all, and I believe in his learning ability. As for my opinion on online singers... to be honest, I don't think traditional record singers have anything to be proud of in this regard."

After clearing his throat with two coughs, Zhou Yi defended online singers: "In my opinion, they are just a way for the new generation of singers to debut. Are singers in the traditional record industry born knowing how to sing and write songs?"

"Take myself as an example. If the internet had been as large as it is now when I debuted, do you think I would have become one of the first online singers to release songs online?"

"We can also take another example, the most developed music scene in the United States. The hip-hop and rap genres that are popular in the American music scene now originated from being despised by the mainstream music group at the time. But now? Do people say they are non-mainstream?"
"I won't go into the content and connotation, but if you look closely at the singers in the record industry, you'll find that many of them are not much better than others."

"If you insist on comparing it with the music of artists like Jay Chou, Wang Lihong, and Tao Zhe, that's unfair, because even if they debuted as online singers now, they would most likely achieve the same level of success."

"This is a problem with people, not with the identity of an online singer..." The reason why online singers are associated with the "non-mainstream" is purely due to the influence of the times.

The rapid development of cities and the lagging urban-rural structure have jointly created this so-called non-mainstream era, which is essentially a synonym for the post-90s generation that was criticized as the "lost generation"—and record companies wanting to suppress this group of uncontrolled online singers.

The emergence of online singers has completely disrupted the traditional record company's survival model. Becoming famous online before signing a contract gives some highly talented top singers the confidence to negotiate with record companies when signing their first contract, preventing them from signing a child labor contract and working for the company for many years right from the start.

This is undoubtedly fatal for record companies already facing a collapse in the record industry.

Because the record market has been taken over by internet piracy, most companies can only make money through artists' commercial performances and advertisements rather than album and copyright revenue. However, when online singers become famous and then sign a contract, this is the area where they make the least concessions.

To put it simply, it's about autonomy.

Why was Xu Song able to release two solo albums during his time as an online singer? Because commercial performances were really lucrative.

Why did he release two solo albums before signing with Ocean Butterflies? It was because Ocean Butterflies gave him the autonomy that other companies had been unwilling to grant him for years.

The group of online singers, including the Three Giants, Hou Xuan, Ben Xi, Xiao Jian, and Xing Di, received a higher percentage of revenue when signing with record companies than newcomers from regular record companies, and their contracts were not the typical ten- or eight-year civil servant contracts.

In the record industry, record companies could justifiably say, "I nurtured you and helped you become famous," so it was reasonable for you to receive a low share of the profits in the early stages.

However, this reason no longer holds true in the era of online singers.

As a veteran singer who once released records, Dai Jun truly did not expect that Zhou Yi, now a symbolic figure of the last glorious era of records, would actually vindicate the group of online singers—after all, he is not only a singer but also the boss of Warner Music.

The owner of a record company.

As the owner of a traditional record company, Zhou Yi's attitude towards new-era online singers who are not under his control is indeed astonishing.

That's not right!
Shouldn't you put yourself in Warner's boss's shoes and think about it?

This is a stark contrast to the attitude of management at companies like Sony Universal.

“I don’t lack money. I’ve already earned more money in the music industry than I could spend in several lifetimes, so naturally I want to do my best to make this industry better and better.”

Faced with Dai Jun's veiled reminder, Zhou Yi, with his hands clasped in front of his chest, smiled and said, "If I fail to achieve it in the end, it's my own incompetence, and I'll accept it. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Great, needless to say!

Dai Jun, who was still muttering to himself, didn't know what to say for a moment, and could only express his respect for the Book of Changes.

Unsurprisingly, after this episode aired, most of the newly emerging online singers were deeply moved and filled with respect.

nice guy!

This is a good person!
This is what it means to stay true to your original aspiration!
Zhou Yi has not forgotten his roots; he always remembers that he is a musician and a singer!
Even though he is now his own boss.

"He can speak out for Iraq, which is thousands of miles away and has nothing to do with it, and he can also defend the online singers in China who are often discriminated against. It all stems from his disapproval of it. Zhou Yi is really... awesome!"

"He really made me cry to death."

"To be honest, if I want to become a singer in the future, my first choice would definitely be Zhou Yi's Warner. Just the fact that the boss is the best option is much better. It is said that among the major record companies in China, Zhou Yi's Warner has the best conditions and treatment."

"I am just an online singer. I have published several original and cover songs on YYFC music website. I can only say that I never expected Zhou Yi to be recognized without prejudice. It is surprising that such a legend would pay attention to people like us from the lower classes."

"To be fair, wasn't that college student named Xu Song discovered and signed by Zhou Yi himself after listening to his songs? Zhou Yi really doesn't discriminate against online singers."

"Putting everything else aside, I've only ever listened to it on my own before, but this time I'll definitely support the I Ching..."

The audience for the new generation of online singers is very broad.

Leaving aside QQ Music, which is currently backed by the I Ching and Warner Music, the traffic of other internet music websites on the market is not to be underestimated.

Let's not even mention Fenbei.com, which was established even earlier than QQ Music and incubated internet hits like "Mice Love Rice" and "The Pig Song." Even YYFC Music Network, which was only officially established last year, received over one million visits in just over a month after its launch.

Abroad, they indiscriminately kill all sorts of monsters and demons; domestically, they strive to cultivate new singers in the industry and treat everyone equally.

In that instant, countless core fans of the I Ching inexplicably felt a sense of pride and superiority, and couldn't help but hold their heads high with pride as they typed their lines.

What defines a high-quality idol?

You bunch of haters, all you do is criticize our Zhou Yi brother!

Hey!

Fueled by both domestic and international buzz, on Monday, December 12, 2005, Zhou Yi's new album "Appreciated by All" released its first single, "Unfortunately, If Only," on radio broadcasts.

In less than four hours, the song defeated all the popular singles by singers including Sun Yanzi, Xiao Yaxuan, Jay Chou, and Wang Lihong, and quickly topped the daily charts in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau!
The speed was so fast that countless people exclaimed "Holy crap!"
They had thought the data from the I Ching would be impressive, but they never imagined it would be this impressive!
On December 15th, despite Zhou Yi's absence from any promotional activities and official suppression, "Unfortunately, If Only" broke through numerous obstacles and topped the charts on various radio stations in Taiwan!
The song's power was so great that countless Taiwanese media outlets exclaimed that it was invincible!

On the 16th, "Unfortunately, If Only" topped the daily charts of all major radio stations in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, including charts in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries, leaving many people astonished.

October 12th, Sunday.

The long-form music video "Unfortunately, If Only," starring Zhou Yi and Wang Likun, has been officially released.

In just one day, it garnered a staggering 430 million views across the entire internet!

(End of this chapter)