HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 402 [402] Brother Yuan, I admit I spoke a little loudly just now.
In February, the ticket prices for Qi Yuan's two concerts in Guangzhou were already outrageous.

Warner has gone a step further this time.

Let alone his colleagues in the music industry, even Qi Yuan himself would curse Warner Music for being heartless if he saw this.

First of all, the Workers' Stadium has just been renovated this year, with its seating capacity reduced from 78000 to 71112, mainly to improve the comfort of spectators and add more supporting facilities.

Qi Yuan also became the first artist in China to hold a concert at the renovated Workers' Stadium.

Just like last time, Warner Bros. has gone to extremes by dividing tickets into four different tiers: low-end, mid-range, high-end, and VIP.

VIP seats account for about 20%, approximately 1.8 seats, with prices ranging from 1599 to 2499 yuan, and the more front-of-the-line the ticket, the more expensive it is.

The upscale section, the area where the inner field and midfield meet, costs 1499 yuan.

Mid-range, meaning the middle section, ticket price is 899 yuan.

The lowest tier, located at the far end and sides of the venue, offers a relatively limited view and costs 280 yuan.

Clearly, the lower-priced tickets are what are truly sold to ordinary domestic fans. They are farther from the stage, but you can still feel the atmosphere of the concert, making them more economical.

The mid-range target customers are domestic fans from families with relatively good financial conditions.

The high-end and VIP categories are designed to attract wealthy female fans and foreigners.

The rich woman needs no introduction; she doesn't care about a thousand or two thousand yuan.

Foreign fans earn US dollars and British pounds, and when they come to China for tourism, their wallets automatically bulge several times to ten times.

For foreigners, premium and VIP tickets cost only a couple hundred dollars, and even the best seats don't cost more than three hundred dollars.

They pay about the same price for VIP seats at top-tier singers' concerts in the US and Europe.

Of course, many people in China don't understand it that way.

They think Qi Yuan and Warner have gotten too big for their britches, as ticket prices have actually started to align with international standards.

Among them, some media outlets in Hong Kong and Taiwan were the most active, constantly criticizing the ticket price for Qi Yuan.

[China's King of Pop, please wait for your Chinese fans!]

[Outrageous pricing! Ticket prices are on par with those in Europe and America, leaving fans with huge financial burdens!]

[A bombshell in the Chinese music scene! Qi Yuan's ticket prices rival those of top-tier Western singers—who gave him the courage?]

……

Beijing.

Another new home for Qi Yuan.

Liu Tao, one of the female leads in the music video, appears here.

Like many others, she was shocked by the ticket prices for Qi Yuan's Beijing concert.

Selling at such a high price! Will any fans actually buy it? If it doesn't sell, won't it become a laughing stock?
Liu Tao expressed his doubts to Qi Yuan.

"Don't doubt Warner's marketing department. Warner set this price after conducting in-depth research."

Qi Yuan said with a smile.

"But many of your fans also think you've gotten arrogant. These ticket prices are not affordable for domestic fans, and they'll be heartbroken. Also, I've seen many media outlets taking this opportunity to criticize you, saying you've become obsessed with money."

Liu Tao continued.

What Liu Tao said are all objectively existing problems.

At the last concert in Guangzhou, the low-end seats were 100 yuan and the mid-range seats were 280 yuan. The cheaper seats took up half of the seats, which took good care of ordinary fans.

Starting at 280 yuan for the lowest tier, this is really not affordable for fans in mainland China.

Qi Yuan's fans have expressed a lot of complaints online.

However... if Liu Tao, a complete novice, could think of these things, it's impossible that Qi Yuan and Warner couldn't have.

Qi Yuan would never do something so short-sighted and foolish as to make money at the expense of winning people's hearts.

"You'll understand when you see the news in a few days. My fans won't complain. As for the media, to be honest, I have to thank them. They gave me some inspiration and helped me find new ways to gain exposure in Taiwan." Qi Yuan silently edited a text message for Zhang Hao, instructing the law students to start collecting evidence of 'defamation' and 'rumor-mongering' by the Taiwanese media. Another opportunity to accumulate work experience had arrived.

In a few days, he will launch a powerful attack to show certain people in Taiwan what the iron fist of the law is like.

Now, of course, we'll have Liu Tao recite "Ode to the Goose".

Liu Tao is not a professionally trained actress, but she is eager to improve and her attitude towards learning is impeccable. She is very serious about reciting ancient poems.

Her appearance and temperament are quite unique, somewhere between rustic and virtuous wife and loving mother, which is one of the reasons why she later gained high popularity among the public.

After the poetry class, Qi Yuan finally understood why Liu Tao was considered the best teacher by netizens.

Even though Liu Tao doesn't have a boyfriend, he seems to be leading innocent girls astray.

Liu Tao actively sought to get close to Qi Yuan, naturally for better career prospects.

A few days ago, she finished filming the two parts of her study abroad series in Japan and officially left the "Foreign Drama" production team. She has quite a lot of ambition.

The influence of "Waiju" can only reach Guangdong Province; it has little influence outside the province.

Actually, the original male and female leads of "The Foreign Drama" were Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law, and the actors they found were the most handsome and beautiful.

However, the second brother and his wife acted so well that they became the most popular characters, and the production team had to adjust the plot, making the second brother and sister-in-law the male and female leads.

This further solidified Liu Tao's determination to leave the production team.

As it happened, Qi Yuan chose her as the female lead for his music video, so she decisively ran away.

She came to Beijing and helped Qi Yuan film two music videos, "Cheers" and "Blue and White Porcelain".

In return, Qi Yuan provided her with one-on-one acting guidance.

As a Golden Horse Award winner and a Golden Elephant Award winner, he is more than qualified to be Liu Tao's acting teacher.

……

On July 20th, tickets for Qi Yuan's Beijing concert officially went on sale, and the price was just as rumored – really that expensive.

Beijing.

After seeing the ticket prices, Huang Bo muttered a few words, "Qi Yuan and Warner are really ruthless."

Starting at 280 yuan, the price skyrockets to 899 yuan for a slightly better seat. Who can afford that?!

Huang Bo used to be quite successful; he owned a small factory and became a boss.

When the financial crisis hit, he, like many other business owners, went bankrupt and was left with a lot of debt.

He has a good girlfriend who stood by him through the difficult times. Recently, they paid off their debts and he has saved some money.

I wanted to buy two tickets to take my girlfriend to Qi Yuan's concert.

As a result, Qi Yuan's ticket price made him hesitate.

He settled for second best and bought a genuine copy of the "23" record from a music store in Sanlitun.

He bought the deluxe version, which cost him over two hundred yuan.

Who told him his girlfriend to like Qi Yuan's songs? Two hundred yuan was enough to make his girlfriend, who had stood by him through his lowest point, happy.

Back at his apartment, Huang Bo put the record on the table and planned to take a shower first. He timed it perfectly; by the time he finished showering, his girlfriend, Xiao Ou, would be home.

Unexpectedly, his girlfriend came home earlier than usual today.

Huang Bo came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, feeling somewhat regretful.

I should have hidden the record better. Even if my girlfriend came back early, I could have surprised her. But there's no going back now.

Just as Huang Bo was feeling regretful, his girlfriend Xiao Ou looked at him with a complicated expression, her eyes filled with surprise and emotion: "You actually bought me VIP tickets to Qi Yuan's concert? And you even hid them inside the CD packaging."

"..."

Huang Bo was shocked, but the clever man quickly realized what was happening.

Brother Yuan, I admit I spoke a bit loudly before. Give me a chance, and I'll be your lifelong fan!
(End of this chapter)