A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 95 Job-hopping
Just after National Day, Lin Jianlu took eleven beautiful girls to Hong Kong.

The journey to make money through commercial performances has fully begun.

Flying directly from the capital to Singapore, then from Singapore to Malaysia, from Malaysia to Indonesia, from Indonesia to Thailand, and from Thailand to the Philippines, he took on a whopping 33 commercial performances in one go, running around for a full nine days, almost non-stop, but the harvest was also quite substantial - the last time he came here to take on commercial performances, he only made a few hundred thousand dollars, but this time it was a more comprehensive harvest, raking in nearly 270 million US dollars in one go.

And the performance was absolutely fantastic!

Lin Jianlu's singing voice, along with the girls' long, white legs, shocked the entire Southeast Asia!

The word got back to Taiwan, and the event organizers there actually raised their prices, with only one requirement: backup dancers are a must—they're using the same old Southeast Asian methods! Hurry up!

But Lin Jianlu wasn't in a hurry and flew directly from the Philippines to Korea.

Originally, the trip was supposed to last three days, covering three cities, with Seoul as the main destination, taking up two days and one night. The total number of performances across the three cities was eleven, with a total price of 94 US dollars.

As a result, all four shows were a huge hit after the first day, and the Korean promoters were thrilled.

They requested an additional show.

The Korean entertainment industry of this era was probably on the eve of its explosion, and it had already begun to prosper, but it was still a long way from being fully formed or even being able to make money overseas. Therefore, Lin Jianlu's feeling was somewhat similar to that of the mainland—the market already existed, but the supply was still insufficient.

Lin Jianlu's creation, with its exhilarating electronic dance music rhythm of "Bei'er Shuang" and a group of beautiful dancers with long, white legs, struck a chord with Koreans in that era.

The offer was raised to $100,000, then $120,000, and then directly to $150,000.

Lin Jianlu gave in.

Adding five more performances will only take up a little over a day; at most, it just means losing some rest time after arriving in Japan.

So I put on the show—why go against making money!

They stayed for about four and a half days, flying in and out, giving sixteen shows that blew Korea away, and taking home a whopping 169 million US dollars in performance fees—reportedly, 15 US dollars per show is already the price for a second-tier to above-tier singer from America. As everyone knows, Koreans and Japanese are similar, one hating America while the other admiring it; second-tier singers from America are absolute big names when they come here.

Then they went to Japan.

Lin Jianlu is quite popular here, especially with "Bei'er Shuang". Whether in Korea, Japan, or many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, they don't really understand the lyrics and can only parrot them. What hits them is the novel and catchy dance rhythm. Dance music has always been like this, whether in the Chinese music scene, the English music scene, or of course, Latin music. Dance music either doesn't become popular, or once it does, it's an absolute hit!
Back in the 1980s, Zhang Qiang, the queen of electronic music in mainland China, sang disco songs and sold tens of millions of cassette tapes in mainland China. She was a sensation across the country and was once considered an international superstar on par with Whitney Houston and Jennifer Rush. She also became the first Chinese singer to appear on the cover of Time magazine!

So, perhaps in later generations, many people look down on "Bei'er Shuang" mainly because they think its lyrics are terrible. But even in the original timeline, "Bei'er Shuang" was quite popular. If we take it now, this song is truly a hit in non-Chinese-speaking regions. It's no exaggeration to say that this song alone, along with the music video and the dance in the music video, contributed at least a million copies of "Lengku Didao" to its sales!
Although its lyrics are indeed cheesy and awful!

The performance, spanning six cities and fifteen shows, is priced at a total of 120 million US dollars!

Lin Jianlu and the girls who danced with her were already completely familiar with the routine. On the way and at the hotel, they slept and ate as usual, touched up their makeup as soon as they landed, and were sure to be dazzling when they stepped on stage!
One of these events was rather special, taking place in Tokyo.

It was for the Tokyo premiere of an Asian tour concert by a Japanese singer named Shinji Tanimura. Actually, this was a combined event, because Tanimura was also going to Shanghai for a concert reportedly for 6,000 people, and Lin Jianlu would be a special guest there as well.

His Asian tour is also quite special – his world's first DVD music album, "Shinji-Ramunita," was released globally on October 1st.

DVD, not CD!

Ge Fuhong said that Sony Columbia Records put a lot of effort into promoting Shinji Tanimura's tour, inviting heavyweight guests to each show. However, the real purpose was not to promote Shinji Tanimura himself, but to promote their DVD!

Well, VCDs sell quite well in China, and they're quite expensive.

But now it seems that DVDs are about to be released.

It doesn't matter, it's just a performance. This kind of commercial battle, or what could be called a battle for industry standards, is definitely not something Lin Jianlu can participate in. He can just enjoy the show and be done with it.

As a result, Lin Jianlu and others had already arrived backstage before the concert started. With the help of Ge Fuhong's translator, they chatted with Tanimura Shinji for a few words. However, as soon as he left, another uninvited guest arrived.

Zhao Mingxin, the CEO of Sony Columbia Records.

A few years ago, Sony acquired Columbia Records, a large American media conglomerate, which caused a global stir. Regardless of how well it has been managed since the takeover, it is said that Sony has been working hard to integrate its various resources into Columbia Records, including not only artists but also various copyright libraries.

I guess it can be considered a success?

I'm not sure about movies, but in the record industry, they're generally recognized as the world's leading giant.

Shortly after acquiring Columbia, Sony Columbia began its foray into the Chinese music scene, specifically by establishing Sony Columbia in Taiwan, with a branch in Hong Kong as well. It boasts a large number of singers and wields significant influence.

Currently, the artists under their management include Ke Yimin, Chen Derong, Meng Tingwei, Lan Xinmei (who is known as the Madonna of Taiwan), Yu Chengqing, Lin Zhixuan, and others. Not long ago, they also signed Wu Zongxian and are going to release an album for him. It is said that they also signed a very fashionable girl named Li Wen—well, I heard all of this when I was having dinner with Yu Chengqing and Wu Zongxian.

Zhao Mingxin is a middle-aged man, very refined.

Upon seeing him appear, Ge Fuhong felt a sudden surge of tension, but Lin Jianlu was indifferent; after an introduction, they simply shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Zhao Mingxin praised Lin Jianlu's musical style as international, diverse, and complex—hey, you might as well just say I'm a hodgepodge. Anyway, I don't care.

We chatted idly, since we were bored while waiting. We ended up chatting for a full twenty minutes.

In the end, Zhao Mingxin's message was that when Lin Jianlu started considering his next record deal, he should definitely consider Sony Columbia. He even bluntly stated that Sony Columbia not only had plenty of money and would never be stingy with signing fees, but also that Sony Columbia's global distribution channels were the best in the world. If Lin Jianlu was willing, they could provide him with a much larger international stage.

Yes, from beginning to end, Ge Fuhong looked nervous and spoke with restraint.

Before leaving, Zhao Mingxin also revealed that Su Huilun's production team, mainly the Bao Xiaosong and Bao Xiaobo brothers, has basically decided to leave Rock Records after their contract expires next year.

Furthermore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, their next label should be EMI Records—well, an even bigger secret Lin Jianlu hadn't revealed was that Wang Fei would also be joining EMI Records next year.

This... is a bit unexpected.

Firstly, producers generally don't like to switch studios, and Rolling Stone treated the two brothers fairly well.

Secondly, Su Huilun would call Lin Jianlu almost every three to five days. Firstly, although she seemed straightforward, she was actually quite clingy and liked to call and chat. Secondly, she was recording a new album and often asked Lin Jianlu for advice on singing techniques and arrangements. However, she never mentioned this matter.

Besides, Lao Duan didn't mention it either!

It was clear that the two brothers were determined to leave, and did not intend to give anyone a chance to persuade them to stay.

Thinking about it a bit more, Su Huilun signed with Rock Records in 94 and released a sufficient number of albums long ago, so next year is actually a contract renewal year, or rather, a year for switching studios!
As expected, Zhao Mingxin said, "If it's convenient, please pass on the message that Ms. Su Huilun can come to Sony Columbia anytime. We can afford the price! And whether it's for her own sake or considering the creative support you might give her behind the scenes, if she comes, she'll be our number one female singer!"

…………

Zhao Mingxin left, and Lin Jianlu soon took the stage.

The performance was a great success.

Actually, long white legs and singing, dancing and rapping don't quite fit with Shinji Tanimura's artistic stage, but it doesn't matter, the fans in the audience still love it.

Backstage, there was no chance to say goodbye to Shinji Tanimura, and there was hardly anyone to see. Ge Fuhong went over to say hello to the performance team, and then everyone left. On the way back, Lin Jianlu dialed Su Huilun's number.

She was also surprised, as no one had thought to discuss the issue of renewing her contract or changing jobs next year.

The Bao brothers, Xiaosong and Xiaobo, never mentioned to her that they would be leaving next year—which saddened her a little, as they had worked together quite well for the past two years. She had assumed they would continue working together indefinitely.

However, she's an optimist. "So what if they left? They didn't even say goodbye beforehand, so what's there to be sad about? Now that they're gone, I'll be without a producer. Perfect, I'll ask you! Write a whole album of songs for me, and help me with the production!"

Oh my god...

"Don't say no! You've already done it for Sister Shuhua!"

"You're two-timing me, Lu! I haven't said anything! You can't just not say anything! You have to!"

"Don't worry, I won't show it, that would be so embarrassing! ...I'm a great actor!"

I hung up the phone, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

It's not that we don't have the inventory, it's just that we don't have the time. Making an album for Chen Shuhua has already taken nearly a month. If we have to make one for Su Huilun next year, and we obviously still have to make our own new album... Oh my god!
Making three albums a year... no, Su Huilun herself releases two or three albums a year!

So it's very likely that we'll be making four to five albums a year!
Furthermore, he will most likely be holding a world tour next year, with dozens of shows...

How can I possibly have time to spend with girls?

His head is as big as a bucket!

Ge Fuhong glanced at the rearview mirror several times, wondering what she had gleaned from Lin Jianlu's expression. Finally, unable to contain herself, she leaned over from the front seat and said, "Alu, it's too early for you to talk about switching companies. Don't think about anything else yet. Don't let Zhao Mingxin's money cloud your judgment. Focus on making the next album a success and ensuring it continues to sell well! Only if the new album continues to sell well will you have more leverage to negotiate a higher price in the future!"

Lin Jianlu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and waved her hand, realizing why she had been so nervous from beginning to end. It turned out she was afraid of affecting her performance and making a bad album.

"You're overthinking it! Even if he offered me HK$200 million today, let alone not making a bid, it wouldn't sway me!"

I'm already a man with a net worth of tens of millions of US dollars!
A man who already owns two luxurious courtyard houses in the capital!

And I'm also a man who's going to buy the dip in US stocks, and the dip in internet and tech stocks!

Simply throwing money at me won't move me!

But... it's an international channel!

Unlike Rolling Stone, which focuses purely on Chinese music and is an independent record label built entirely on its own, Sony Columbia not only has Columbia International Records backing it, but also the even larger Columbia Media Group. It has international channels! And they are top-tier global international distribution and promotion channels!
Hey... that's interesting.

(End of this chapter)