Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Upon hearing about tomorrow's song recording, Taeyeon and her teammates perked up.

"Is it going to be recorded tomorrow?" Kim Tae-yeon asked cautiously.

"What if the recording goes wrong?" Yoona was also feeling uneasy.

Shouldn't we have given them the revised sheet music first, let them digest and absorb it, and then start recording?

What worries Taeyeon even more is that there is no music producer around, which makes them feel uncertain about recording the song.

South Korea's music industry was already quite mature by 2005, which led to a highly specialized division of labor.

However, from another perspective, it can also be understood as singers not having the freedom to perform songs.

Basically, when an album is released, these singers, as idols, have no say in anything, from the selection of songs to the marketing of the concept, and even the arrangement and singing style.

The company will arrange professional producers to provide guidance throughout the entire process, even down to the smallest detail: whether a note should be sung in falsetto or natural voice. The producer will decide everything.

However, this time, no SM Entertainment music production team accompanied him when recording the theme song for Mad Max: Fury Road.

This is due to the need to keep the film's content confidential. The more people who have access to the film before its release, the harder it is to control information leaks, especially when the people involved are from South Korea, across the ocean.

On the other hand, it was also a request made by Lin Yuan and Taylor Swift that they both agreed to give Girls' Generation more freedom.

Although Taylor Swift's plan was very detailed, upon closer inspection it was mostly a framework and suggestions, not a requirement for the Girls' Generation members to perform exactly as she directed.

If the song is interpreted in this way, it is impossible to achieve the core message of the song: the pursuit of "freedom".

The air inside the carriage seemed to freeze.

The girls unconsciously held their breath, and even the rustling sound of their clothes rubbing together could be clearly heard.

Sensing Taeyeon and the others' tension, Lin Yuan's gaze slowly swept over the nine tense young faces, then he asked with a smile, "What? You can't walk without someone holding your hands?"

"..."*9
The carriage was silent; no one knew how to respond.

Kim Tae-yeon unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt, and even the usually lively Im Yoon-ah pursed her lips at this moment.

They haven't even debuted yet, and their extremely limited experience means that even Kim Tae-yeon isn't very confident right now.

"I remember many of you aspire to be top singers. Do you think you can't even walk without SM Entertainment's music director? In that case, wouldn't it be more appropriate for me to just ask your instructor to sing the theme song?" Lin Yuan asked seriously.

Seeing Lin Yuan, who had been all smiles, suddenly become serious, the Girls' Generation members in the car became even more nervous.

Even Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah, who were very familiar with Lin Yuan, felt the overwhelming pressure.

Lin Yuan is right. This is their song, and now that we are willing to hand over the reins to them, shouldn't we be happy?

But when they thought of the heavy consequences, they dared not easily take on this burden.

If it's just Girls' Generation's own album, then even if there's a chance of messing up the title track, Kim Taeyeon is willing to give it a try.

But this is the theme song for Mad Max: Fury Road. If their limited abilities cause the theme song they sing to become a weak point in the movie and lower the overall quality, then that is something Taeyeon can never accept.

Lin Yuan could tell what they were thinking at a glance.

So he smiled and said, "Let's make a bet."

"what?"

"mo?"

"I bet your debut album, with this theme song, will sell over 1500 million copies!"

As soon as Lin Yuan finished speaking, a gasp of surprise rang out in the carriage.

Even Lee Soo-man, who had been smiling the whole time, incredulously took off his glasses.

"Oppa, are you betting that our album sales will exceed 1500 million copies? Are you deliberately trying to lose the bet to us?" Yoona asked, raising her hand.

"This is outrageous! Do you know what 1500 million sales mean?" Kim Tae-yeon exclaimed.

"I don't even dare to hope that I can sell a total of 1500 million copies during my idol career," Hwang Mi-young said softly.

“What’s the stake? I feel like I’m going to win,” Jessica whispered.

Lin Yuan certainly knew what 1500 million album sales meant.

In 2005, global album sales had not yet entered the phase that followed the decline that began with the internet age.

In 2005, physical records still dominated, and digital music was just beginning to emerge, with the iTunes Store having only been online for two years.

However, if a singer releases an album that sells 100 million copies, they can be considered a singer with top commercial value.

In that year of her previous life, Mariah Carey achieved album sales of 1200 million copies with "The Emancipation of Mimi," becoming the top-selling artist of the year.

Following her, the second best-selling album was Coldplay's "X&Y," with 830 million copies sold, a childhood memory for many.

In contrast, the South Korean music market, with its limited market size, was pitiful and only began to improve after 10 years.

Girls' Generation's debut album, "Into the New World," sold less than 3 copies.

This result is not bad in South Korea; BigBang's "Lies" also sold less than 5 copies during the same period.

Now that Lin Yuan has announced a record of 1500 million copies sold, how could all the girls not be stunned?

"Let's bet on your agency contracts," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

"Mo?" Lin Yoona asked in surprise.

“But we don’t have the final say,” Kim Tae-yeon said.

“Yes, our agency contracts are held by the company,” Hwang Mi-young added.

“If Teacher Xiuman doesn’t agree, how can we afford to gamble with you?” Jessica added.

The remaining Girls' Generation members nodded in agreement.

“I agree! What Mr. Lin says is what I say!” Lee Soo-man dared not have any objection and immediately raised his watch in loyalty.

Lin Yuan said with satisfaction, "Then it's settled. If I win, the contract will be renegotiated, and your album revenue share will be increased to 50%."

If you win, the contract will be renegotiated, and the term will be reduced to three years.

"..."*9
This bet left all nine of them feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Why is it that even though you won, you're giving us huge perks?

And since I won, there's a little perk too, right?

It seems like we're going to win no matter what.

But the thought of that 50% sales commission made all nine of them breathe heavily.

If what Lin Yuan said is true, and the album sales reach 1500 million copies, and they can get 50% of the revenue, it means that each of them is a billionaire!

They simply couldn't even dream of achieving such results. So, is it just empty talk?

Now the members of Girls' Generation are starting to feel conflicted.

They were all young girls; how could they possibly hide their thoughts? Their ideas were completely transparent to Lin Yuan.

They were utterly defenseless in the face of an old fox like Lin Yuan, who had seen through human nature.

This so-called gamble was actually a psychological game played by Lin Yuan.

When Girls' Generation lacks confidence, using provocation won't work; it might even backfire and ruin things.

Direct encouragement won't work either, because they lack self-confidence.

Therefore, in this situation, the best approach is to use comparison to stimulate the other person's desire.

Logically speaking, they should have already made a profit without any risk; they could simply sit back and collect the spoils of a reduced contract period.

It goes without saying how attractive it is for all Korean idol groups to be able to end their first contract early and start a second contract with better terms as soon as possible.

But compared to a 50% revenue share, especially a 50% revenue share from 1500 million album sales, this is utterly insignificant.

Their minds are now uncontrollably preoccupied with whether it's really possible to do it.
Lin Yuan's gamble was essentially a bet with Girls' Generation; he gained face, while Girls' Generation gained substance, and their goals were completely aligned.

At this moment, Lin Yuan spoke up: "Let me tell you how simple the goal of 1500 million albums is."

To me, it was as easy as drinking this glass of sparkling water.

Lin Yuan's confident speech carried an irrefutable persuasive power, making the nine members of Girls' Generation feel that their seemingly unattainable goal was now within reach.

Lin Yuan continued, "This song is first and foremost the theme song for my movie. Just based on the 'Lin Yuan Movie' brand, this album will easily sell 1000 million copies!"
You might not have a concept of this, but let me tell you, none of my past film soundtrack albums have sold less than 1000 million copies!

The girls of Girls' Generation were stunned when they heard this.

So strong?
They all knew that Lin Yuan's films had phenomenal box office success, dominating an era in the film industry and leaving other films far behind.

But I didn't expect the soundtrack album to sell so well.

The main focus is on Lin Yuan's movie soundtrack albums, which don't participate in sales charts, so outsiders who don't follow these topics aren't very familiar with them.

However, given Lin Yuan's popularity, any one of his films has attracted over 5 million paid viewers worldwide.

Note that this is based on 5 million "paid" viewers. If we include those who watched for free, the figure is even more difficult to estimate, perhaps reaching 20 billion or more!

On this basis, 1000 million original soundtrack album sales are nothing special.

Therefore, while outsiders may see Mariah Carey as an absolute queen of the music scene, Lin Yuan's crossover acoustic albums are enough to leave her utterly defeated.

For Lin Yuan, no one in the cultural field has the right to flaunt their commercial value in front of him!
This is the throne he built, brick by brick, using thunderclouds thousands of meters above the ground, the raging Hukou Waterfall, fiery tornadoes shooting straight into the sky, the icy polar sea, and super lightning with hundreds of millions of volts as bricks and tiles.

If no one can replicate or surpass the miracles he has accomplished, then absolutely no one can shake his position.

The name "Lin Yuan Films" alone is worth at least 1000 million copies sold, even if it's a crossover project!

"Also, do you know how much the name 'Kim Tae-yeon' helps album sales right now?" Lin Yuan continued to ask.

Upon hearing Lin Yuan's words, the other eight members of Girls' Generation all turned to look at Taeyeon.

"What? I can also boost album sales?" Kim Tae-yeon asked incredulously.

"Yes! After the last bombing in Los Angeles, many people around the world remembered you as a brave young girl. After they learned that you were an artist, they all wanted to support your album."

"It's just that you haven't debuted yet, so you can't buy albums. If it drags on for too long, people might gradually forget about you, but it's only been a few months now," Lin Yuan said.

Wow! I thought you were only famous in South Korea!

"Taeyeon unnie, I didn't expect you to be so popular!"

The other Girls' Generation members said enviously.

"That's not all. Many of the hostages Taeyeon rescued last time were big names in the cultural world. They'll definitely help promote your album this time to repay your favor."

"Therefore, thanks to your name, album sales will increase by at least another 500 million copies," Lin Yuan said.

"My name... is worth 500 million albums?" Kim Tae-yeon was a little confused.

Compared to her disbelief, the other members of Girls' Generation accepted it much more quickly.

Because they all knew that Lin Yuan's words made a lot of sense. Among the hostages that Taeyeon saved that day were countless big stars and big shots in the entertainment industry. Everyone was repaying her with favors, which showed her immense influence.

Lin Yuan nodded and said, "It is indeed worth 500 million albums, but there is only one chance! Next time, we'll see if you can live up to expectations."

Kim Tae-yeon nodded, indicating that she understood.

The public can support her once because of her actions during the bombing.

But if the album quality is mediocre, then I won't continue to support it.

And the favors and connections of those bigwigs in the entertainment industry will always slowly diminish to zero as they are used up.

The quality of an album is the most important factor in success.

The thought of so many people watching her made Kim Tae-yeon determined: "I must perform this song well and never let those who care about her down!"

Just then, Lin Yuan continued, "You see, with the combined efforts of me and Kim Tae-yeon, selling 1500 million copies of the album is no problem at all."

But if you only sell 1500 million copies, that would be a disgrace to you!

These words were like a needle, piercing everyone's heart!
Yes, if the album is released in the future and only sells 1500 million copies.

So none of the members of Girls' Generation would feel happy.

Because it means they didn't play any role at all, they were just coasting along and relying on others to carry them.

Yoona spoke first: "Unnies, we have to work hard and never let anyone look down on us. Our goal is at least 1800 million albums!"

"Only 1800 million? It should be at least 2000 million, right?"

“Let’s fight!”

Seeing that Girls' Generation's fighting spirit had been ignited, Lin Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This is his first step in the music industry, and he has high expectations for it.

Past experiences have proven that this is a legendary girl group and a legendary song.

There is every reason to have higher, even higher, expectations for the final results.

If it's just a minor stunt, why would he bother with so much effort?
With so many resources at his disposal and the huge boost from the last explosion, Lin Yuan had made up his mind to rise to the top in one fell swoop this time.

The pace of integrating film, music, animation, and games into a massive industrial conglomerate needs to be accelerated.

Time waits for no one; now is the best time to expand, riding the wave of the impending global internet era. (End of Chapter)