HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 361 [361] As expected of the artist he manages, he is indeed a genius!
Countless people in the industry were amazed; they never knew album advertisements could be done like this.
No, only Qi Yuan dares to advertise his album like this, at least in the Chinese music scene.

For others, trying this would be tantamount to death.

Singers in the Chinese music scene earn RMB, and with piracy so rampant, selling more than two million copies of an album in a year is considered incredibly impressive.

Chinese singers are trying to compete with Hollywood blockbusters at the box office.

Qi Yuan is different; he earns US dollars.

About two and a half months after its release, "22" has sold over 500 million copies worldwide, generating approximately $5500 million in revenue.

Industry experts estimate that the album could sell 1000 million copies over its sales lifespan, generating over $1 million in revenue.

Hollywood produces nearly a thousand films a year, and when you include films produced in other parts of the world, the number is even more staggering.

Last year, only a handful of films grossed over $1 million worldwide.

If we only look at the box office, "22" can really crush 99% of the movies.

Qi Yuan truly deserves to compare his album's box office performance with that of Hollywood blockbusters.

However... Qi Yuan's choice of Wu Baige as the comparison point is seen as problematic by many.

This is a highly successful international director in Hollywood. His career has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, with the global box office of his three most recent films climbing steadily from $1.5 million to $2.46 million and then to $5.46 million.

How could Qi Yuan dare to compare himself to someone like that? Even if you pulled out last year's best-selling album in the world, it wouldn't sell 5 million copies.

Is Qi Yuan really not afraid that Wu Baige will slap his face until it's swollen?

Furthermore, Wu Baige has achieved several successes in Hollywood.

Qi Yuan has only achieved success in the American music scene once. Can Qi Yuan guarantee that his next album will continue to be a hit with American music fans?

Whether in the Chinese music scene or the Western music scene, it is common for singers to reach their peak upon debut, but it is rare for singers to maintain a stable and strong performance.

From an outsider's perspective, Qi Yuan has become arrogant. Confidence is a good thing, but Qi Yuan's confidence has reached the point of blind arrogance.

[Is the Heavenly King openly declaring war? Is it confidence or arrogance?]

He lost his former humility; this was the beginning of his decline!

All ten songs for the English album have been written. Will Qi Yuan's debut English album replicate the success of his EP?

……

Qi Yuan's speech was so shocking that it not only attracted widespread attention from domestic media, but also alarmed foreign media.

One topped the Billboard charts last year, and the other became the highest-grossing film worldwide last year.

One is the hottest Chinese superstar, and the other is the most successful Chinese director in Hollywood.

The fact that these two are at odds is news on a global scale.

Some media outlets focused on Qi Yuan's new album, while others focused on gossip.

A genius fell because of arrogance!

Paramount Entertainment News, a Paramount publication, featured a photo of Qi Yuan on its latest issue.

Chris released an EP on October 28th last year, and he's going to release a new album at the end of March this year.

It's truly hard to imagine that he could produce such good work in such a short time; it's disrespectful to American music fans!

Following Paramount's media outburst, The New York Times and The Washington Post both criticized Qi Yuan.

Their opinions were largely in agreement: the time gap between Qi Yuan's EP and album was too short, and this was seen as an attempt to exploit the hype for personal gain.

In Europe and America, top stars often spend two or three years polishing an album before releasing it.

You release an album in less than six months, isn't that just ripping people off and making money off them?
American music fans joined the discussion. "I admit that Chris's mini-album was excellent, but releasing a new album in such a short time makes me doubt the quality of this album."

"Are you crazy? John Woo is my favorite director. 'Face/Off' and 'Mission: Impossible 2' are my absolute favorites. This arrogant Eastern singer actually dares to challenge movies with his albums?"

"I have to say I really admire this guy. He's the most unique Asian I've ever met, with a really strong personality!"

……

The controversy was huge, and the resulting buzz was explosive.

Qi Yuan gained exposure in domestic and international media with his speech, and music fans at home and abroad know that he will release a new album at the end of March.

Wu Baige, who was in Hawaii, was furious when she realized she had been used.

That little bastard has gone too far! How dare he try to piggyback on his album "Windtalkers" to generate hype for his album?

How much did Qi Yuan's lousy album cost to produce?
In the United States, the production cost of an English album ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

For a top-tier star like Britney Spears, with multiple well-known producers involved and the team fully staffed, three to five million US dollars would be enough.

Top-tier superstars often have budgets of tens of millions of dollars for expensive music videos to generate buzz.

His "Windtalkers" had an investment of 1.2 million yuan. Even if Qi Yuan's album production cost soared to 1000 million yuan, it would still be twelve times less than his "Windtalkers".

Qi Yuan's lousy album is not even in the same league as his movies.

Does he really think of himself as Zhou Yu and treat him as Cao Cao?

According to the basic rule in the film industry that a film needs to gross three times its cost to make a profit, "Windtalkers" needs to gross 3.6 million to make money, so his and MGM's target is definitely more than 3.6 million.

Even if Qi Yuan sold his albums until they were practically smoking, he still wouldn't reach 3.6 million.

In Wu Baige's view, Qi Yuan already had a way to die.

In his response a few days later, he sarcastically remarked: "It's ridiculous! We're not even in the same league."

……

domestic.

Zhang Hao was numb.

"Brother, you said you were going to promote your album, but I never expected you to do it in such an aggressive way. An album competing with a blockbuster? Are you serious? Wu Baige's movie only broke even with 3.6 million, their goal is to go for even higher box office."

Zhang Hao was worried that Qi Yuan would lose miserably in the end.

But Qi Yuan's words had already been spoken, and there was no going back.

If "Windtalkers" becomes a box office hit, Qi Yuan will definitely be dragged out and humiliated by the media and Wu Baige. This incident will become a permanent disgrace in Qi Yuan's career!

Qi Yuan didn't care at all. He silently went into the recording studio and began recording new songs for his album.

Can he say he's been very conservative? Not saying that "22" completely crushes "Windtalkers" is really restrained.

Windtalkers grossed $7763 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest box office flops in film history.

His new album is really unnecessary to deal with "Windtalkers". He just used the opportunity to create hype and promote his new album.

Zhang Hao heard Qi Yuan record a piece called "The Little Tune of Lao Da," and the moment Qi Yuan opened his mouth, he got goosebumps.

He had a feeling that Qi Yuan's English major might be on track.

No wonder he manages these artists; they are truly geniuses.

(End of this chapter)