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

Chapter 937 Believe, belief needs no reason.
"Pain!"

“You made me a you made me a believer!!
"Believer!!!"

The unrestrained, almost shouting voice unleashed a torrent of suppressed emotions during the climax of the chorus, striking the listener's heart like a heavy hammer blow!
It's an attitude, an attitude that's highly likely to resonate with countless people.

The blood flowing in my veins seemed to boil unconsciously with the music; the allure of rock and roll was on full display. My head swayed to the rhythm without my noticing, and I was already humming along without thinking.

Then, everything came to an abrupt end.

The song was a little over four minutes long, which flew by in the blink of an eye for Bernard, who was completely immersed in the melody and rhythm. He wanted to hum along, but then he felt a surge of dissatisfaction: "Fuck!"

Gone?

That's it?

The radio host, whom he had never met before, began to introduce the behind-the-scenes story of the song in his skilled tone, but this did not satisfy Bernard—he didn't want to hear any bullshit behind-the-scenes stories; he just wanted the damn host to rewind the song and play it again!
There was no way around it; the melody and drumbeats were just too catchy. On the first listen, I was so focused on the melody that I barely caught the lyrics and didn't even understand the general meaning.

Forget about behind-the-scenes stories; as long as the song is good, people will naturally dig deeper—and it's obvious that Spike's song is among the good ones.

Even though Bernard himself wasn't particularly fond of rock music, "Believer" still managed to win him over with its composition and arrangement.

"Apple Music Store—oh right, Apple Music Store!"

Bernard, too lazy to listen to the noisy radio, suddenly remembered that the man was the sole spokesperson for the Apple Music Store, and immediately turned on his computer to take a peek—

Spike's new album "25" will be released on August 15th!

Spike's new album's lead single "Believer" has been released and is now available on radio stations worldwide!

The bright red banner was eye-catching, and the album list included the now-unbanned song "Believer," but that was it.

The song title "Believer" is grayed out and cannot be clicked to purchase; only a preview is available. Clearly, the Apple Music Store hasn't participated in this radio wave and will likely have to wait until 10:08 AM on August 15th to unlock it along with the entire album.

However, the song comments section specifically for Spike were not closed, and when Bernard saw it, the number of displayed comments had already reached the red-highlighted limit of 999+.

"It sounds so good! So good! So good!!!"

Spike, love comes from New York! You're number one in the world!

"Many of my classmates like to listen to Eminem or other singers, but I've always stuck with Spike."

“I often listen to their hobbies, but I always feel like something is missing. I became a fan in high school with ‘Baby’ and ‘Good Time’. So many years have passed, and Spike’s works can no longer be described with a single word.”

"I love Spike. His songs have a power that touches the depths of my heart. I wish Spike's songs could become classics and be passed down forever!"

"Only by understanding the beauty behind the pain can we truly understand this song—we are believers in pain, the embodiment of suffering!"

"I've already pre-ordered four digital copies and plan to buy two more deluxe copies in-store! Spike is worth it!"

"I cried while listening to this. In my real life..."

"..."

There are those who are overly effusive, those who are praising, those who are looking forward to all the songs on the new album, and those who are here to band together for comfort.

Some people have even pasted the lyrics that weren't available on the Apple Music Store directly into the comments as a way of paying homage to Spike.

The Bernards, who were seeing this scene for the first time, were dumbfounded.

Dude, you just got on the radio, right? How come there are already so many comments and reading comprehension exercises?
I listened to it once and still couldn't understand the lyrics, and you guys just typed out the lyrics and praised it to death?

Are they all super brains?

And then there are those who said they cried while listening to it...

Bernard subconsciously raised his hand to touch his eye sockets—hmm, they were quite dry.

He was only drawn in by the melody, never expecting that this group of people had been moved to tears by Spike's song.

Am I too cold-blooded?

The young male college student fell into self-doubt.

Out of habit, after leaving the pungent comment section, he subconsciously clicked on the pre-order page—

The physical CD edition is priced at $35.9, the deluxe edition at $55.9, and the premium edition at $99.9 – these are Warner's three versions. However, the Apple Music Store doesn't offer deluxe or premium edition pricing options; it's just a regular digital music album.

In terms of offline pricing alone, if I remember correctly, this is Warner Music's third price increase for Spike's albums. The last price increase was for the album "Listen/Future Sounds," with the standard edition CD selling for $25.9, the deluxe edition for $35.9, and the premium edition priced at $69.9.

Grass!
"Is Warner even a human being?!"

Bernard, after looking at this price list, practically wanted to drag Warner's pricing team out and behead them.

"Is selling a deluxe edition for $100 a thing? Has Warner Bros. become so greedy?!"

The following day, Zhou Yi, who had been a constant presence on the front page of the news since arriving in the United States, once again experienced a surge in discussion after his new song was unbanned on radio.

Whether online or in traditional print media, there has been a constant stream of praise for the song "Believer," and many bar singers have even begun to urgently learn the song.

Whoever learns to sing first will gain an advantage in the bar singing market and make a lot of money.

However, the majority of the criticism was that the deluxe edition's pricing was unreasonable—it's not like you're selling a posthumous work, yet you're actually selling an album for $100. Surprisingly, Warner Music ignored these comments and didn't take any immediate action to control the situation.

Just one day after the radio ban was lifted, pirated copies of "Believer" appeared on the internet from who-knows-where—riding the wave of discontent with the pricing of Warner's deluxe edition album, digital piracy of "Believer" began to spread with explosive force.

"If Warner Music is being inhumane, then I'll just listen to the pirated version of this song and wait until the whole album comes out before buying the regular digital album or a physical copy."

This is a popular comment on the American internet after the digital pirated version of the single "Believer" was leaked. Warner Music did not take any action to restrict it, and even allowed such videos to spread on YouTube, with the number of views soaring.

The exorbitant price of the deluxe edition, the online piracy of the single, and the stark contrast quickly shifted the music scene's focus from the death of Eminem's friend to the single "Believer."

The audience's emotions fluctuated and were stirred up again as this series of focal events shifted.

What's even more explosive is the quality of the song "Believer".

The leaked pirated single, fueled by a series of trending topics, quickly swept across the American internet, creating a compelling narrative.

Fans and critics of the I Ching have engaged in extensive debates surrounding piracy and morality.

The elite journalists, who instinctively sensed something was amiss, wanted to interview Zhou Yi to find out what was going on, only to be told that he had already flown to Berlin to attend the World Cup closing ceremony.

"The $100 deluxe version is my decision."

Although I didn't get to interview Zhou Yi, Edgar Jr. still "overruled objections" and agreed to the interview: "Because I think this will be a very memorable album. I talked to Spike for three whole days to convince him to find a Chinese factory to replicate the Buddhist beads and jade pendants one-to-one."

"Spike still has psychological trauma and doesn't want to talk about it much, but I think it would be really great if he, as a lucky guy, were willing to share this blessing of good fortune."

"This can also be considered Spike's way of expressing his gratitude."

“Everyone knows that luck, something invisible and intangible, is unreliable, but the bracelet and jade pendant that helped Spike avoid disaster are real. I wanted to ask him to include this unknown luck in the album, and that's how this $100 deluxe edition came about…”

In short, he knelt down and begged Spike for three days and three nights to get this $100, hoping that Spike would come out of the shadows and give this lucky blessing to all those who are destined to receive it, all for the benefit of his family.

Those who want to buy it can buy it; those who don't can directly buy the regular or deluxe edition. Warner Bros. doesn't force anyone to.

"As for the leak of pirated copies of the single, I can only say that I am very disappointed."

Speaking of piracy, Edgar Jr. let out a long sigh, his tone utterly desolate: "Spike was attacked in America, but he didn't discriminate against us or fear us because of it. In fact, after my persuasion, he was willing to share his good fortune."

"But how did we treat him? How did the United States treat him?"
"To allow the piracy of a single to be released just because of some nonsensical claim, isn't that a fatal blow to Spike's intentions?"

“I’m disappointed.

"I'm disappointed that, without knowing when, America has become something that feels unfamiliar and frightening to me..."

Justified and convincing.

Many Americans who were previously following the trend were like weather vanes, blown away by Edgar Jr.'s influence, and lost their sense of self and direction, choosing to follow him and cheer for the I Ching and Warner.

Throughout the entire process, the Book of Changes (I Ching) never appeared.

Or rather, he didn't appear in the United States.

Just as he said in a previous interview, Zhou Yi was very busy. He only came to the United States to release a song on the side, and then rushed to Berlin, Germany. He had no interest in so-called marketing and devoted himself to the World Cup.

What? You mean Edgar Jr.?

In an interview, Edgar Jr. criticized the United States, asking, "What does it have to do with my life in Berlin?"

"What? My single has been pirated? I didn't know that happened. I've been rehearsing for the World Cup closing ceremony performance these past two days."

July 9, 2006, morning of the World Cup final, outside the German Football Association building in Berlin.

Zhou Yi, who rarely makes public appearances, was quickly seized upon by the media, who shoved microphones at him as if they were free.

"If that's the case, I think there's nothing I can do about it."

Zhou Yi shrugged in front of the camera: "I will only choose to continue to believe, to believe that my fans will not continue to be accomplices to evil."

"why?"

"There's no reason why; belief doesn't need a reason. I just want to believe in my fans, that's all."

"Little Edgar said the reason your new album's deluxe edition is so expensive is because of the lucky bracelet and jade pendant that come with the CD. He spent three days and three nights negotiating with you, is that true?"

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Yes, I have to admit that he convinced me and all the executives at Warner overnight. He's very eloquent."

"Regarding your leaked single 'Believer,' it's undoubtedly a song full of positive meaning. We noticed that you mentioned bullets multiple times in the lyrics. Is that because of last year's shooting incident?"

"Yes."

Zhou Yi sighed and put his hands on his hips: "This song is my masterpiece. It's a pity that it was leaked in advance. Its meeting with fans in the United States and even the world should have been more dignified. I am very disappointed by this..."

Indulgences are being sold wholesale without any money involved.

It was still during an interview before the World Cup final that he made a wholesale announcement.

(End of this chapter)