A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 158 Global King!

Lin Jianlu's temporary home on New York's Upper East Side.

A heated argument is raging in the living room.

The main point was Zhao Mingxin's verbal battle with the two directors of Columbia Records.

A global music director and a global marketing director.

Sylvia Chang occasionally chimed in—she flew over, she had to fly over, because she could finally hear the whole album. Moreover, it is said that after the master tapes of this album were processed and the first demo disc was finally pressed out, the entire executive team of Columbia Records was shocked.

Although the sheet music for three songs, including "Baby," was already viewed favorably by Columbia Records headquarters after it was received—otherwise, they wouldn't have given the green light so readily, facilitating the recording of an English album by a newly signed Chinese singer from an Asian subsidiary label—Columbia Records highly valued the album once those three songs were produced. For a Chinese singer with no Western music background, they immediately agreed to provide B-level global promotional resources. Furthermore, provided Sony Columbia was willing to take certain risks, they ultimately agreed to increase this promotional investment to B+ level!
For a top-tier global record label like Columbia Records, this was an incredibly high level of confidence, a gamble that the album would become a massive hit—however, when the entire album was recorded, Columbia was still stunned.

There's no other reason than that the album's brilliance, richness, splendor, comprehensiveness, and shock are truly unprecedented.

Upon hearing this, Colombia immediately dispatched two global directors.

They came all the way from headquarters to New York without any airs, and when they heard that Lin Jianlu was at home, they also came to visit her home without any airs. As a result, an argument quickly broke out.

Of course, Lin Jianlu did not participate in this argument.

If the singer has to do everything personally, what's the point of having a manager and Zhao Mingxin?

The core reason for the argument was just one thing.

Lin Jianlu's promotional strategy for this album is to play the "half-hidden face" game in the early stages—in short, not to reveal his identity!
After the album was released, the first step was to promote "Baby". Even when filming the music video, the dancers had to wear hoodies and hats, and only occasionally be shown in a few fleeting shots so that the audience could roughly see that the person was young and looked like an Asian. That was enough, and the focus was on the dance.

The reason is simple: to deliberately obscure the background of Chinese people, or rather, people who are neither white nor black in Western society, and therefore not part of the mainstream society—to let you listen to the songs first, to grab your attention, and thus minimize any subconscious resistance or discrimination against Asian music.

At the same time, avoid any publicity that requires public appearances—TV shows, roadshows, music festivals, etc.—all the usual promotional tactics a singer must take in the early stages of a career.

Once you've listened to the song and it's captured your attention, then I'll tell you who I am.

This is the first step.

The second step was to release "HandClap," including the music video filmed at an American party. Everything was very American. At this point, Lin Jianlu would frequently show her face, but her background and origins would still not be promoted.

Whether these two steps result in a positive outcome, a negative outcome, or a mixed outcome, it doesn't matter.

If it becomes popular, that's the best outcome, as it will only push things higher. Even if it doesn't become popular, there's still a final, grand finale.

Let's release "Believer" and that music video that was expected to be extremely glamorous and extremely Chinese-style!

At this point, everything was exposed.

Asian superstar, creative genius, Eastern martial arts god, kung fu master, etc., you can just throw out all those manuscripts. As for bragging, go ahead and brag all you want.

The requirement is that taking this step requires achieving physical sanctity in the Western music scene.

Yes, this is a whole set of publicity and distribution plans that Lin Jianlu has been thinking about and deducing since he started considering releasing an English album. Just like when "Cold to the End" was released, he insisted that Moyan's own distribution channels not distribute the album first, but release the music video first, launching it with a high-profile and fast-paced style to take advantage of the time difference that pirates could not react in time. This is all based on Lin Jianlu's understanding of American society in his two lives, including the examples of movies like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" that were big hits in Europe and America. He slowly figured it out little by little.

In his own view, a good work paired with a good publicity strategy is almost the safest approach, and once successful, it is likely to be the most groundbreaking idea.

Ge Fuhong and Zhang Aijia both had a mysterious trust in him. Even when they communicated, it wasn't really a discussion; they would just ask Lin Jianlu about his considerations one detail at a time, and then accept everything he said.

Although Zhao Mingxin has many years of work experience in America, he received a very traditional Chinese education in Taiwan before studying in America. He was able to fully grasp the unique Chinese cultural flavor in Lin Jianlu's publicity strategy, so he accepted it almost entirely after only a little thought.

Everything was done according to Lin Jianlu's idea, including shooting the music video.

However, all of this is completely different from Columbia's promotional strategy and character positioning for Lin Jianlu and his album. They agreed to make "Baby" the first single, but demanded that they launch a full-scale attack from the beginning and immediately promote the image of Lin Jianlu.

They've even prepared a lot of press releases for publicity.

Of course, to be precise, this was not actually a publicity plan tailored for Lin Jianlu; in fact, it is a common practice in the entire Western music scene.

They were convinced of their own system and didn't see anything advanced about Lin Jianlu's strategy of building suspense and gradually influencing others—"Even in Western societies where people generally have trouble recognizing Asian faces, your face isn't entirely unrecognizable. Besides, your overall image exudes a rugged, Eastern charm. And I heard you know kung fu! Oh wow, kung fu! Americans love kung fu!"

So of course we have to promote you, put you on TV shows, show off your kung fu, show off your kung fu street dance!

By the way, one of their more creative promotional ideas was to have Lin Jianlu choreograph a "kung fu street dance." They thought it would be a huge hit!

These highlights are acceptable, but the overall marketing strategy cannot be modified!

Then... let's argue!
Zhao Mingxin started the argument, Zhang Aijia provided support, Ge Fuhong's English wasn't good enough, so she just listened along, and Lin Xilei simply watched the spectacle. Lin Jianlu, meanwhile, busied herself making and drinking tea, with a stunned Liang Yongqi sitting beside her.

Yes, she flew over again.

This time, however, as an outsider to Lin Jianlu's English album from beginning to end, she finally put on headphones for the first time and listened to the entire album, and was immediately stunned.

A complete and utter shock.

She has a solid foundation in music and vocal performance; otherwise, Ge Fuhong wouldn't have immediately developed a strategy for her to advance in both film, television, and music after signing her. Moreover, she attended a Western-style school in Hong Kong, where people routinely listened to Western music.

Although her talent in music theory and vocals is only so-so, she has at least released a solo album and sold 30,000 to 40,000 copies. It's not an exaggeration to say that she is a semi-expert.

But the more knowledgeable someone is, the more shocked they are!
In her opinion, this album is absolutely amazing!
Almost every song was beautiful, and almost every single one of them was so captivating and uniquely styled that it inspired awe. The day after she arrived, Chen Shuhua also flew over, but this time, she didn't show the slightest hint of jealousy. Instead, she behaved herself and even began to show deference to Chen Shuhua, this "older woman."

At this moment, seeing the two global directors of Columbia Records sitting there, arguing with Zhao Mingxin until their faces were red from the argument over the promotional plan for Lin Jianlu's English album, she was once again greatly shocked—that was Columbia, the world's top record company! And these two people in front of her, as directors who each held great power in Columbia, were also top figures in the global music industry!
If any one of them goes to Hong Kong or Taiwan, all the record companies, bosses, musicians, and singers will worship and treat them with utmost respect!

Now, the two of them have come to "their" home together to have such a serious argument about her boyfriend's first album, a newcomer to the Western music scene!

This in itself says a lot.

As a native Hong Konger, she released a Cantonese album to appeal to the locals, especially since she had already gained considerable fame and popularity in Hong Kong due to her involvement in blockbuster movies and her boyfriend's immense popularity. However, after more than four months since the album's release, it has only sold over 30,000 copies—not a complete flop, but certainly not a success.

Meanwhile, her philandering boyfriend, a native-born Chinese from mainland China, came to New York to make an English album that was even more American than American music, yet before the album had even been released, it had already garnered such attention from the two global directors from Columbia...

…………

No complete agreement has been reached.

Arguments have never been very effective; neither of them are insignificant people, and both are very confident, so it's destined that neither can convince the other. However, the two visitors eventually agreed to refer to Lin Jianlu's publicity plan, go back and hold another meeting to discuss it, and try to respect Lin Jianlu's opinions as much as possible to revise the plan.

"Genius! We in Colombia have always held genius in the highest esteem!"

After the argument, the two global directors took turns hugging and patting Lin Jianlu, saying, "Lin, you are the most outstanding talent I have ever seen! You will become the next Michael Jackson!"

Lin Jianlu laughed heartily; he didn't believe such nonsense.

Every era has its own mark. Favorable timing, geographical advantages, and harmonious relationships—all these forces combined to ultimately create a person's extraordinary status and influence, leaving a deep imprint on that era. The golden age of the record industry is about to end, and no one can replicate Michael Jackson's success.

"Michael is unmatched! I'm just a deer in the forest!"

"Hahaha! Yes, yes, yes, of course! You are the next era!"

After seeing the guests off, Zhao Mingxin immediately turned around and pledged his loyalty to Lin Jianlu, saying, "Don't worry, we'll all attend the next meeting, and I'll make sure they accept your publicity plan! I promise!"

Lin Jianlu had nothing to say, so she hugged him and patted him on the shoulder.

He then took his leave.

Zhang Aijia shrugged, a broad smile on her face, clearly quite satisfied with the outcome of today's meeting. Turning back, she said, "A genius is a genius! Everyone will give you face! Everyone will be willing to listen to your ideas!"

Lin Jianlu laughed.

It is said that before they came, these two had already had a fight with Zhao Mingxin. They were quite arrogant and refused to make any adjustments to the established publicity plan. However, after coming here, it was still the same words and the same clash of two sets of ideas. They have obviously begun to make significant concessions.

Otherwise, Zhao Mingxin wouldn't have sensed something amiss and given the guarantee.

Turn around and go back.

She climbed a few steps, hugged Chen Shuhua, and then continued up the stairs. Liang Yongqi stood at the doorway at the end of the steps, her already large and bright eyes shining even more clearly.

It was full of admiration, yet there was also a distinct hint of timidity.

"Ah Lu, you're going to be a global superstar, right?"

"I hope so! I've been trying my best!"

…………

On March 16, regardless of what the final publicity strategy from Columbia will be, Lin Jianlu still followed her own ideas, and the music video for "Baby" officially began filming in a studio in New York.

A hoodie, high-top canvas shoes, and flared jeans with several holes cut into them, the legs of which were also ripped to shreds. A shiny silver necklace adorned the waistband.

He even specially prepared a gentleman's top hat.

The backup dancers started rehearsing last week, and they've been practicing together for three or four days now.

Carefully selected.

Two white men, two white women, two black men, and two black women.

This will be the first music video to be released in the American market. The idea is that everything except the dance and the song itself looks very ordinary, so there is no need for Asian dancers.

However, if the album becomes a hit, and more music videos are to be filmed, including singing and dancing segments, then four to six more Asian faces will be selected—and maybe two more will be chosen from Japan and South Korea.

The first step, of course, is to sell to America and North America, but the ultimate goal is to sell globally.

Singing and dancing.

Not difficult at all.

Even shooting a music video like this is not difficult in itself.

However, in Lin Jianlu's mind, this music video and this dance play a role similar to that of "Bei'er Shuang" from the album "Cold to the End"—regardless of how professional music critics mock it, the fact is that even Lao Duan from Rolling Stone said that the unique rhythm of "Bei'er Shuang" and the dance that Lin Jianlu showed in the music video helped the entire album "Cold to the End" sell more than 150 million copies in non-Chinese-speaking regions!

Every single record sold is a damn money-maker!
(End of this chapter)