Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 428 Support from the Entire Chinese Music Scene
Keep it simple, keep your way of speaking simple.

Please omit the progressive emotions.

"You're not an actor."

"Don't go into those details."

……

Shanghai, Shanghai Stadium.

Tens of thousands of people filled the entire venue to capacity.

Screams of "Ahhh..." echoed throughout the room.

The atmosphere at the scene was incredibly lively.

Near the stage, a production crew hired by QQ Music was also filming.

QQ Music purchased the broadcasting rights to Wu Zhuo's fan meeting for 20 million RMB.

QQ Music launched a live stream, which was played on the QQ Music platform.

In other words, in addition to the fans at the venue, fans all over the country can watch Wu Zhuo's fan meeting via live stream.

At the same time, as Wu Zhuo began singing "The Actor," several major online platforms also released the song simultaneously.

All viewers can listen to this song online for free.

Besides this one, there is another song called "Special Person".

These two songs are the first singles from Wu Zhuo's new album.

At this moment, as Wu Zhuo began singing, a large number of people immediately flooded into the QQ Music live stream room.

The comment section below the live stream exploded instantly.

"This song is awesome. The melody seems average, but for some reason, the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate it."

“I’ve been listening to pirated music all this time, but I have some spare money recently. When Wu Zhuo’s album is released, I will definitely buy a copy as a way of thanking him for letting me listen to so many good songs over the years.”

“I’m not convinced. Why are the prices in China lower than abroad? It’s like I can’t afford them. I’ve already pre-ordered ten tickets. I have to let foreigners know that we pamper our own singers.”

"Upstairs, it's clearly Abel who made it cheaper to cater to domestic listeners, how come it's wrong from your perspective?"

"Of course I know this is Wu Zhuo's good intention, but go look at the foreign websites, damn it, those foreigners are all mocking us for not being able to afford it."

"Damn, which website is it? Send me the link, brothers, let's go over there and show him what we're made of."

"Brothers, after the Dragon Boat Festival, the Koreans have claimed Wu Zhuo as their own, and they even say that Wu Zhuo has Korean blood."

"Why bother with them? Everyone knows what kind of people the Koreans are. In their eyes, all the good things belong to them."

"I can't stand their way of thinking. Damn it, they're asking for it. Let's go, let's go and curse the Koreans."

As the internet becomes more and more widespread, it has gradually become a way for many people to pass the time.

As more and more people post and discuss various issues online, online chaos is becoming increasingly severe.

Online battles often erupt over various issues.

Among them, there were countless verbal battles that broke out because of Wu Zhuo.

In the previous two years, Wu Zhuo's fans had done the same thing as the fans of several other new superstars.

He often takes on two opponents at once.

Several superstars have a huge number of fans, and every time they argue, it becomes known throughout the entire internet.

On one occasion, the situation escalated to the point that an offline fight was arranged.

It was only after Wu Zhuo and a few others personally intervened that the situation was calmed down.

However, the days of fans of several superstars fighting each other are over.

Since last year, Wu Zhuo's international influence has been growing.

Domestic fans began to migrate to overseas websites.

Sometimes it involves fighting with artists from other countries.

Sometimes it involves fighting with fans of other countries.

Yes, especially with Japan and South Korea.

Fans from the three locations often argue over various issues.

Especially in South Korea.

By this time, the No. 5 Pipeline Plant had already taken shape.

The Koreans always like to try and get everything from their country.

This thing belongs to his family today, and that thing belongs to his family tomorrow.

This already made Chinese netizens very unhappy.

However, as Wu Zhuo's global influence grew, South Korean netizens started doing something outrageous: they completely monopolized Wu Zhuo's online persona.

He directly announced on YouTube that Wu Zhuo actually has Korean ancestry.

Wu Zhuo certainly wouldn't get involved in such a matter.

Even if it were for the money in South Korea, he wouldn't stand up and reprimand them.

But he doesn't care; Chinese netizens do.

Domestic netizens already disliked them, and now they've pulled this stunt—they're just asking for trouble!

So the two sides started fighting directly on YouTube.

This war of words has been going on for more than half a year and it's still not over.

To be fair, South Korean netizens are quite resilient; they manage to come back stronger after losing several times.

They just wouldn't admit defeat no matter what.

He just kept saying, "Wu Zhuo is a member of my Korean ethnic group."

……

"Thank you for your support!"

"thank you all."

Be careful on your way back!

In Shanghai, Wu Zhuo sang a total of ten songs, two of which were from his new album, while the rest were songs from his previous albums, such as "Blue and White Porcelain" and "The Wind Rises".

The online live stream officially ended after the ten songs were performed.

It garnered tens of millions of plays, giving QQ Music a significant boost in popularity.

The promotional effect brought by this live stream was also very useful.

As soon as the live stream ended, the entire internet was abuzz with discussions about the program.

While everyone was discussing how good Wu Zhuo's two new songs were, they were also urging each other to buy the album.

"Everyone must support Wu Zhuo! His album this time in China will not be sold offline."

It can only be purchased on a few major music platforms.

Whichever platform you buy it on, you can listen to these songs permanently on that platform.

Furthermore, after purchasing the digital album, Abel's company will also mail us the physical album and related posters and photos.

If you're lucky, you might even win a concert invitation from Abel. With this invitation, you can enter any of Abel's future concerts for free.

In contrast, the digital album market abroad has gradually matured.

The domestic digital album market has not yet taken off.

People are still used to listening to free songs.

Therefore, in order to avoid a sales slump, Wu Zhuo implemented various measures to stimulate people to buy digital albums.

For example, when you buy a digital album, it's the same as buying a physical album, as the manufacturer will mail the record directly to your home.

Of course, you will need to pay for the shipping yourself.

Then there are photos and posters.

For this album, Wu Zhuo hired a top photographer to shoot hundreds of different sets of photos for him.

These photos will be randomly shuffled, with two photos included in each record.

If you're lucky, you might even get a signed photo of Wu Zhuo himself.

Then, the biggest perk was that Wu Zhuo directly gave away 10,000 tickets to his concert next year.

There's no time limit; as long as you come with an invitation, Wu Zhuo's concert will arrange a seat for you.

These 10,000 invitations, equivalent to concert tickets, were completely randomly shuffled and included in a later album release. Fans who purchased the album in the previous weeks have a chance to win.

That's all for now.

After all, Wu Zhuo couldn't keep sending them forever.

Sony wouldn't be willing to give away too much.

However, even though Wu Zhuo offered many benefits.

Many netizens are also criticizing Wu Zhuo.

The reason is simple: people are used to listening to things for free, and now that they suddenly have to pay, and even members can't listen to them, it naturally causes a lot of dissatisfaction.

"Anyway, I'm not going to buy this lousy album of his. Isn't it better to listen to the free version?"

"I bet that within three days of his album being released, pirated copies will be available online."

"Hehe, not bad. They don't listen to piracy, but go and pay money to buy it. These guys are really stupid."

"Everyone, if you don't want to buy it, that's fine. There's no need to mock people who pay to support the original."

"It is because of people like you that the domestic legitimate music industry cannot continue, and many outstanding musicians have to change careers."

"No, is it wrong for me not to buy records?"

"There's no such logic in the world. I've been listening to music for years and I've never heard of having to pay to listen to it."

A large number of insults and abuses directed at Wu Zhuo appeared online.

This is not an isolated incident involving only one or two people.

Instead, there are many.

People are cursing everywhere online.

They thought he was completely obsessed with money.

To be honest, this is definitely the most criticism Wu Zhuo has ever received since his debut.

Even the previous incidents involving Jimmy Lin and Donnie Yen didn't generate as much controversy as this one.

Wu Zhuo did not respond to this.

He knew this would happen the day he decided to release a digital album in the country.

The domestic music market has been severely affected by piracy in recent years.

Offline, pirated DVDs have long been rampant.

Now, there are even cases where genuine copies can't be sold.

They really can't sell them.

Producing a record requires a lot of money from record companies, including expenses for various equipment, copyright fees for lyrics and music, and production costs.

There are also advertising costs.

To create a nationally renowned song, it takes millions of dollars to produce.

All things considered, if you want a record to sell nationwide, the basic investment is at least five million.

This is the cost, the production cost.

Then there's the cost of recording the discs.

All these investments combined mean that the price of the official album must be kept at a certain level.

If they don't maintain a high standard, record companies will lose money.

Conversely, piracy companies don't require any costs.

CD burning is now very simple and fast. With just a CD burner, they can burn a pirated disc for less than a few cents.

On one side are legitimate companies that have to pay huge costs, such as production fees, singer revenue sharing fees, lyrics and music copyright fees, and even promotion and recording fees.

On the other hand, there are piracy companies that only need a few cents to burn the discs.

The outcome of the competition between the two sides was decided from the very beginning.

No legitimate company can compete with pirate companies in a price war.

Since price wars are not an option, the only remaining scenario is that genuine copies cost 30 or 40 yuan each.

Piracy, on the other hand, means you can buy a collection of a thousand songs for ten yuan on the street.

Given these two options, what do people buy?
Humans are rational beings.

The same item can cost tens of dollars for one thing, but only a few dollars, or even ten dollars, to buy a complete collection of songs by the new Four Heavenly Kings.

Any fool knows how to choose.

Then online.

Since the beginning of online music, most netizens have never spent money to listen to music.

Now you suddenly tell him he has to pay to listen, what a jerk.

It would be strange if everyone were willing to do it.

Therefore, Wu Zhuo had long anticipated that the current situation would occur.

However, he had no choice but to do it.

Don't be fooled by the scathing criticism he receives online.

But singers and record companies across the music industry have great respect for him.

Even Yang Kun, who has always disliked Wu Zhuo.

When asked in a media interview about his opinion on Wu Zhuo's digital album project, he directly stated:
“I used to dislike Abel Wu quite a bit because I noticed that every time he released an album, the media would praise him to the skies.”

What new Four Heavenly Kings?!
I'm getting tired of hearing things like "international superstar" and such.

However, I must say today, he is this one.

He gave a thumbs up, saying, "He is paving a new path for this industry. If he succeeds, I dare say that all music professionals in the entire Chinese music scene will need to thank him."

Because he gave this industry hope to survive again.

Meanwhile, Na Ying attended the Chinese Music Awards ceremony and presented an award.

When asked about Wu Zhuo's absence from the awards ceremony and her thoughts on Wu Zhuo and Dao Lang, she directly stated:

"So what if Wu Zhuo doesn't come? Does his absence mean he won't get the Best Male Singer award?"
Is there anyone more deserving of this award than him this year?

Don't mention Dao Lang. Dao Lang is indeed popular and has high sales, but the two are not comparable.

In my heart, Dao Lang will never be as good as Wu Zhuo.

Whether in terms of contribution to the industry, influence, or popularity, Abel Wu Zhuo completely surpasses him.

Meanwhile, on Weibo, facing a large number of netizens' insults against Wu Zhuo, the other three new Heavenly Kings who got along well with him all reposted Wu Zhuo's post, "New album to be released online on the 15th," and added comments to support Wu Zhuo.

Jay Chou: "@Abel吴焯, at this moment, young man, you are my idol."

Wang Leehom: "@Abel吴焼, I wish you great success with your album sales. I'll be waiting for you to come back from North America so we can have dinner together."

JJ Lin: "I've collaborated with Abel Wu on a song, which is expected to be released in the second half of the year. Please stay tuned."

The three people's reactions seemed to trigger a chain reaction.

After that, all the musicians and singers who joined Weibo forwarded Wu Zhuo's album release Weibo post.

According to statistics from various organizations, nearly 139 singers and musicians of all ages retweeted this Weibo post.

139th.

What is this concept?
These people are all singers who have a certain degree of fame in the country.

This accounts for almost half of the Chinese music scene.

Then, without a doubt, Wu Zhuo's album became the undisputed hot news this month.

Online, offline, and even on variety shows, you can see discussions about this album all the time.

In fact, so many people support Wu Zhuo.

This is not because he is an international superstar and has prestige.

Rather, what he is doing now is truly beneficial to everyone.

If Wu Zhuo succeeds.

Therefore, the digital music era in China will undoubtedly arrive soon.

In the future, domestic singers will no longer suffer from piracy as much as before.

Everyone can release digital albums to make a living.

(End of this chapter)