Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 325, Section 323: President Wang's First Special

In December 2000, the cold winds of China carried messages of change and swept through every corner yearning for novelty.

Just as the craze for "The Proposal" had not yet subsided, and discussions about box office and modern cinemas were still lingering in our ears, another melody, flowing from Wang Sheng's fingertips, quietly swept through the streets and alleys of major cities across the mainland in an even more pervasive way—those film and television theme songs with lyrics and music written by Wang Sheng.

The most popular song among them is "Because of Love," the theme song of the movie "The Proposal," which is currently showing in theaters.

"Here's an old CD for you, listen to the story of our love back then..."

The gentle, slightly melancholic female voice intertwines with the deep, affectionate male voice, perfectly conveying the emotional transformation from "fake" to "real" in the film.

The movie's popularity acted like the most powerful promotional engine, instantly propelling the song to every corner of the city.

Young people are learning to hum along, couples are singing duets in karaoke bars, and even the aunties at the market can hum along to a few lines on the radio.

But this trend extends far beyond just the song "Because of Love".

"Love truly needs courage to face gossip and rumors..."

"Who will I meet, what kind of conversations will we have, and how far in the future is the person I'm waiting for..."

"Where exactly is the world filled with flowers...?"

"..."

These melodies, whether sentimental, inspiring, or melancholic, seemed to have become the warmest background music of this winter overnight.

Their hoarse sounds drifted from the old-fashioned tape recorders in the shops along the street, mingling with the hawkers' cries on the bustling pedestrian street; they became the recurring melodies in the Walkmans of young students, their headphone wires connecting them to their naive dreams of love and the future; they even drifted into ordinary people's homes, accompanying the aroma of dinner and the noise of the television, becoming a shared auditory memory for a generation.

This wave originated partly from the "keen sense" of the piracy market.

Clever pirates naturally wouldn't let go of this easy business opportunity. They would collect songs through various channels (including recordings from cinemas and internally circulated demos), roughly piece them together into various tapes and CDs called "Wang Sheng Film and Television Golden Hits" and "Sheng Ying Hot Songs Extravaganza," and flood audio-visual stores and mobile vendors across the country at extremely low prices.

These pirated products varied in sound quality, had poorly designed covers, and had chaotic track order. However, with their unparalleled price advantage and "complete content," they satisfied the needs of the largest number of price-sensitive consumers, becoming the initial and most widespread driving force behind this trend.

However, in parallel with this, and even in some ways forming a subtle confrontation and complement, is the official release from official channels.

In mid-December, a beautifully packaged compilation titled "Shengying Liusheng: A Selection of Film and Television Music from 1997 to 2000" quietly appeared at the merchandise counters next to the ticket halls of "China Film Shengshi Cinemas" in major cities across the country, as well as at the "Guangying Shijie" audio-visual chain stores that had undergone transformation and struggled to survive but regained hope due to Wang Shengxin's new channel plan.

This compilation was planned with great care.

The cover design uses a nostalgic film reel element to outline the Shengying Media logo. The background is a collage of hazy film stills, including Fan Xiaopang's stubborn gaze in "Flying Colors," Gao Yuanyuan's innocent glance in "A Little Thing Called First Love," and the warmth of a family portrait in "Family Harmony Brings Prosperity"...

Opening the inner pages reveals concise song introductions, corresponding film and television titles, and excerpts of classic lines.

The tracks cover theme songs or end credits songs from many influential film and television works produced by Shengying Media over the past three years, and without exception, the name "Wang Sheng" is prominently displayed in the lyricist and composer credits for all of them.
"Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" (Theme song from the movie "Flying Colors")

"Courage" (Theme song from the movie "First Love") and "Because of Love" (Theme song from the movie "The Proposal")

"Encounter" (Theme song from the movie "My Sassy Girl")

"Deep Sea" (Ending theme song of the TV series "Lurking")

"For You" (A wedding anthem created by Wang Sheng for a wedding film)

"The Chinese" (composed for a large-scale themed social event to welcome the return of Hong Kong to China, sung by a 100-student choir, and bearing a special mark of the times)
"Harmony Brings Prosperity to the Family" (Theme song of the TV movie "Harmony Brings Prosperity to the Family")

……

This compilation album is jokingly referred to in the industry as "CEO Wang's de facto debut album".

The media even used headlines such as "Wang Sheng's debut album sweeps the music scene, a true king of film, television and music."

Music critics can finally set aside the film and examine Wang Sheng's compositions purely from a musical perspective: "The melodies are catchy, the lyrics are touching, and it combines popularity with artistry. Wang Sheng's creative ability has been seriously underestimated by his film achievements!"

Although Wang Sheng had no intention of developing a career in the music industry, the album "Sheng Ying Liu Sheng" demonstrated strong market appeal upon its release, thanks to the huge influence of his film and television works and the high quality and popularity of the songs themselves.

Especially at the "China Film Grand Cinema", it has become almost the best place to sell compilation albums.

On the huge promotional stand at the merchandise counter, photos of celebrities such as Fan Xiaopang, Gao Yuanyuan, and Li Bingbing were displayed alongside album covers.

Many viewers had just finished watching "The Fake Marriage" and were still immersed in the melody of "Because of Love." When they went out and saw the album, they almost instinctively took out their money to buy it.

The cinema staff also received some basic training and would recommend things when appropriate: "This is a collection of songs that Director Wang wrote for all his movies, including the newly released 'Because of Love'."

This "audio-visual synergy" sales model has proven surprisingly effective.

Viewers who have just stepped out of the heartwarming atmosphere created by "The Proposal" and whose ears are still ringing with the melody of "Because of Love" are likely to stop at the merchandise counter and take home the CD or cassette tape that carries even more touching memories.

The cinema's excellent location, fashionable atmosphere, and targeted customer base have led to a steady increase in sales.

The "Light and Shadow World" audio-visual store also achieved good sales results by relying on its long-standing customer base who are more knowledgeable about audio-visual products, as well as Wang Sheng's initial promotion of it as a future channel node.

As the original lyricist and composer and the core promoter of the project, Wang Sheng owns all the copyrights to these songs, and he can personally receive up to 30% of the net profit from the sale of this compilation album as licensing fees.

Leaving aside its economic value, this income is more like a market affirmation of his remarkable achievements in the film and music fields over the past few years, which were "unintentional" but ultimately fruitful.

The steady growth in the figures on the report proves that his melodies can not only enhance the screen, but also stand on their own and generate real commercial value.

(End of this chapter)