I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 103 Concert Guests

If we're talking about the hottest newcomer of 2012, it's definitely Jiang Chen.

The Legend of the Ancient Sword premiered in July and had been airing for more than four months by the end of December, but its popularity has not waned.

The cumulative number of online views has exceeded 52 billion, and the Douban rating has risen to 7.1 instead of falling.

For a historical drama adapted from a game, this is almost a miracle.

The number of Weibo followers has increased from 180 million before the broadcast to 2180 million now.

His Baidu Index peaked at 68, surpassing all male celebrities in the same period.

The physical and digital albums of "Evening Breeze and Youth" have sold over 103 million copies.

This is the number one selling album by a male artist in mainland China in 2012.

In the entire Chinese music scene, it is second only to Jay Chou's "12 New Works," which was released on December 28th.

这张收录12首歌的正规专辑，发行仅3天就跻身湾湾五大唱片2012年年榜第5名，香港首周销量破8万张，亚洲地区最终销量达180多万张。

As a five-song EP, achieving sales figures so close to Jay Chou's year-end release in 2012, a year marked by a sharp decline in physical record sales, is already a legendary achievement for a newcomer in the Chinese music scene.

"The Wind Rises" topped the charts for four consecutive months until it was dethroned by Jay Chou's new song in early December.

But it is also the most controversial.

The articles attacking him haven't stopped —

Today they say he rose to fame through women, tomorrow they say he's a celebrity who doesn't deserve his position, and the day after they say his album sales were inflated by his fans.

Cai Yinong's comment about traffic stars has been brought up and hyped countless times. Every time Jiang Chen makes a new move, someone uses this sentence as a headline.

"Do traffic stars deserve it?"

How long can a celebrity's popularity last?

"The essence of traffic stars is a bubble."

Jiang Chen seemed to have a good attitude towards this.

With fame comes trouble. He rose too quickly and his foundation was unstable, so naturally others would try to take him down.

There's not much to say about this.

Once he gets up, he'll get his hands on others too!

All he can do right now is produce a few more hit dramas to prove himself.

But this will take time.

December 29th, the day after the concert announcement was released.

The media's stance has indeed shifted.

The entertainment section of the Beijing News:

From a popular celebrity to a stadium with tens of thousands of people: Jiang Chen's 2013 – a risk or a bubble?

"In December 2012, the Yanjing concert market was unprecedentedly crowded."

Eason Chan, December 1st, MasterCard Centre, lowest ticket price 380, highest 1880.

Yu, December 24, Capital Gymnasium, 280-1280.

Zhang Xin, December 29th, MasterCard Center, 280-1680.

Yang Kun, December 30, Capital Gymnasium, 280-1280.

Which of these singers didn't start out in small venues?

Wang Lihong only started a large-scale tour in 2002.

Currently, there is only one person, namely Jay Chou, whose first solo concert was "Fantasy" in 2001, which attracted nearly 10,000 people to the Taipei Stadium.

Jiang Chen debuted in 2010 and was scheduled to enter a stadium with a capacity of 10,000 in 2013.

Universal Music is taking the gamble with him, and we understand.

But a stadium with a capacity of 10,000 is not a stage; it's a precipice.

Southern Metropolis Daily

Jiang Chen's Concert: An Extreme Test of Traffic Generation

We have compiled a list:

In December 2012, among the new generation of mainland singers, only G.E.M. and Fang Datong were able to hold more than four concerts.

Hsiao Ching-teng, Lin Yu-chia, and Yang Tsung-wei can only hold 1-3 large and medium-sized concerts.

Xu Jiaying can sing at the Taipei Arena in Taiwan, but in Beijing and Guangzhou she can only sing at LiveHouse.

this is the truth.

Jiang Chen's fans do have strong purchasing power, with 103 million albums sold.

But the album costs 35 yuan, what about the concert ticket?

Even if only 80% of the seats are opened in a stadium with a capacity of 10,000, there will still be 8000 seats.

How much will the ticket price be?

280?

480?

880?

Can the fans afford it?

Being able to afford it, but whether one is willing to buy it, is another matter entirely.

The comments section is quite lively.

"The blogger's comments are quite objective, but you also said last time the album would lose money —"

"You got slapped in the face last time, so you've learned your lesson and switched to risk analysis this time?"

"A stadium with 10,000 seats is definitely risky; a livehouse with 3,000 seats would be more reasonable, wouldn't it?"

"Universal Music isn't stupid; the fact that they dared to sign them means their data is solid enough."

"Eason Chan earns an average of 2200 million per game, Wang Feng earns 1000 million per game, so if Jiang Chen earns 700 million per game, he'll be considered successful, right?"

"I'm waiting to be proven wrong; I'm not buying it anyway."

"You're not buying? I'll grab three!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen's national fan club group was in an uproar.

Bai Mengyan was sitting in front of the computer, watching the messages on the screen scroll by.

"Aaaaaaah, the concert!!!"

"Three cities!!!"

"Yanjing, Shanghai, Chengdu!!!"

"6

"Has the time been set???"

Administrator Bai Xue posted an announcement.

"The date for the first match is set! January 18, 2013, at the Yanjing Workers' Stadium!"

"Although Chenchen can't make it to New Year's Eve, she's made a promise to spend New Year's Eve with us, making it the first show of the year to help us fulfill our New Year's dreams!"

The group chat was instantly flooded with "Ahhhhh!"

Bai Mengyan's fingers flew across the keyboard.

Orange No. 2: Ahhh! Beijing! I'll take leave to go!

After sending the message, she leaned back in her chair and talked to herself while looking at Lu Han's photo on the table.

"Little Deer, I'm just going to take a look. I won't betray you. I just—I just want to see what a stadium with 10,000 people looks like."

The group chat is still buzzing with messages:

Bai Xue: "By the way, Chenchen also said that she will sing a few new songs at the concert."

"Huh? Really?"

"Wow wow wow!!!"

"New song!!!"

"What new song???"

"I don't know! But Chenchen said it was never released!"

"Aaaaaaah, I'm going to die!!!"

At 10 p.m., Bai Mengyan's phone rang.

The note says "gossip".

She answered the phone: "Hello, Sister Baixue."

"Orange Number Two, congratulations, you've passed the interview."

"—What?"

"Will you have time to complete the onboarding process for the Chenchen Studio assistant interview in the next few days?"

Bai Mengyan's mouth was open, and she couldn't close it for a long time.

So that's how they infiltrated the organization?

"no problem!"

"Great! Let's set a time for you to report to the studio. I'll send you the address."

The phone hangs up.

Bai Mengyan suddenly stood up and placed Lu Han's photo face down on the table.

"Little Deer, don't worry!"

"I—I'll just go check it out. I won't betray you. Really."

The cold wind outside made the windows buzz.

She suddenly realized that 2013 might be very different.

Jiang Chen was also extremely busy during the last few days of December.

On December 31, he flew to Haikou, Hainan.

Shandong TV's "2013 New Year Concert" and "Music Radio, Ten Years of Celebration" 10th Anniversary Gala.

This event was jointly presented by Shandong TV and China National Radio's MusicRadio, and was broadcast on Shandong TV during prime time on the evening of December 31.

The chief director is Feng Xiaogang.

Nearly 30 popular domestic and international celebrities, including Li Yuchun, Han Geng, Zhang Jie, Pan Weibai, and Lin Junjie, came to lend their support.

In fact, it wasn't just Shandong TV; Hunan TV, Zhejiang TV, Jiangsu TV, and other top-tier TV stations all extended New Year's Eve invitations to Jiang Chen.

But he doesn't need to think twice; he'll definitely choose Shandong TV.

That was his stronghold.

The starting point of "Happiness Knocks on the Door" was the first applause from the audience in my hometown.

They're all here.

Jiang Chen appeared at 8 PM.

He wore a black fitted suit with a white shirt underneath and a silk scarf tied at the collar.

The lights shone down from above, making him appear much more imposing than before.

Redness is good for your health!

This is a very mysterious thing.

One of the hosts, Da Bing, stood on the side stage, watching him rise from the lift platform, and suddenly seemed lost in thought.

More than two years.

The student who came to participate in "Happiness Knocks on the Door" has changed so much!

"The next song," Jiang Chen said into the microphone, his voice carrying throughout the venue through the speakers, "is 'The Faith of Love,' dedicated to everyone."

Then came the second song, "Kenshin".

The opening theme song of "Gu Jian Qi Tan" is Baili Tusu's battle song.

The entire audience joined in a sing-along.

The next day, Jiang Chen returned to Jinan.

I went to take care of something first: the transfer of ownership of that Vanke apartment in the High-tech Zone.

He dragged his parents from their old house on Jingshi Road, and his mother kept scolding them while they were signing the papers.

"Why are you wasting this money, kid?"

"You work so hard to earn money, keep it for yourself, your parents don't need it!"

"Mom," Jiang Chen said with a smile, "your son is making a lot of money now, so you should just enjoy your retirement."

"...

'

The mother wanted to say something more, but the father stopped her.

The father didn't say anything, but patted Jiang Chen's shoulder heavily.

"it is good."

This apartment is located on Olympic West Road in the High-tech Zone, in Vanke New Milestone, a development that opened in 2010, making it one of the newer communities in eastern Jinan.

It's 180 square meters, with four bedrooms and two living rooms, fully furnished, managed by Vanke, and the landscaping is quite nice. There's also an artificial lake downstairs.

Jiang Chen bought it in full, at 8,500 yuan per square meter, for a total price of 1.53 million yuan.

They spent another 300,000 yuan on interior decoration, and furnished the place with all the furniture and appliances, ready for them to move in.

In Jinan in 2012, this was considered a very good house.

In the evening, Jiang Chen first went to Fang Jingwei's house to deliver some gifts as a way of wishing him a Happy New Year in advance.

"You—you're a big star now, and you still come to see me?"

"What you're saying," Jiang Chen laughed, "without you, where would I be a big star?"

Fang Jingwei sighed with emotion, "Good boy, you haven't forgotten your roots!"

Then, he went to Zhengwu Sunshine again.

Carrying several bags of bird's nest, tea, and red wine, they went door-to-door distributing New Year's goods.

Kong Sheng, Li Xue, Hou Hongliang, and Zhang Kaizhou—not one was left out.

Zhouzhou chuckled and joked, "Is the chairman here to hand out New Year's gifts to us?"

Only Old Hou was a little depressed.

He felt that if he were to become a full-fledged official in two years, there wouldn't be a place left for him, right?

This guy is really good at it.

After completing his rounds of prayers, Jiang Chen went to the headquarters of Universal Music in Hong Kong.

There were four people sitting in the conference room.

Zhang Songhui, President of Universal Music Greater China; Chen Yongming, General Manager of Cinepoly Records; Chen Yongkang, Distribution Manager; and Huang Jiantao, Managing Director.

The atmosphere was completely different from last time.

Zhang Songhui personally stood up and pulled out the chair next to the head of the table: "Achen, sit here. Tea or coffee?"

"Tea will do."

Chen Yongming had already pulled out his notebook, adopting a work-reporting posture: "Ah Chen, regarding the concert, we've held three internal meetings, and the plan is prepared to the highest standards. Listen to what's wrong, and if there's anything you're not satisfied with, we'll revise it immediately."

He pushed a document towards me.

"For the stage equipment, we ordered the German d&b sound system, the J-series line array, which is top-of-the-line for concerts in China. Jay Chou and Eason Chan both use this system. It provides even sound field coverage, and you can hear details clearly even in the last row of a 10,000-seat venue."

"The lighting team was hired from Hong Kong. They've worked on Jacky Cheung's 1/2 Century Tour and are familiar with large venues. They handle programmable lights, lasers,..."

LED matrix, fully equipped.

"For the band, we contacted the Mars Radio musician team. The lead guitarist is Zeng Yike's go-to guitarist, the drummer has done Wang Feng's tours, and the keyboardist is from Li Zongsheng's team."

"The choreographer comes from SM Entertainment and has done tour choreography for EXO and Girls' Generation. Each song is independently designed and no two are the same."

Chen Yongkang added from the side, "There are twelve backup dancers, six men and six women, all of uniform height, and all with more than five years of dance experience. We've already started having them practice the dances for 'The Wind Rises' and 'Sword Heart'."

Jiang Chen flipped through the documents, offering no particular opinion.

As I said before, professionals should do what they are good at; these are not his strengths.

Huang Jiantao observed his expression and suddenly asked, "Ah Chen, do you have any ideas about who should be the music director?"

"Yes," Jiang Chen put down the documents, "Li Ronghao, I guess. After all, he helped me with my album, and I'm used to working with him."

"no problem."

"What are your thoughts on the guest performers for the concert?"

Inviting guests to a concert is never a simple matter of social obligation; it's a carefully calculated business strategy.

From a performance perspective, a concert typically lasts 120 to 150 minutes, with the lead singer performing from beginning to end, placing a tremendous strain on their vocal cords.

It will take at least two to three changes of clothes, each lasting five to eight minutes.

We can't let things fall flat during this period; someone needs to step in.

The appearance of the guest performers serves as both a filler and a respite, allowing the lead singer to regain his energy and keeping the audience excited.

From a content perspective, guest performers can enrich the performance.

The more varied the forms of singing—solo, duet, chorus—the more memorable the elements for the audience.

Especially in male-female duets, the emotional tension is naturally stronger than in solo performances, and the atmosphere on stage is more likely to reach a climax.

From a communication perspective, guests are the biggest topic generators.

When two celebrities appear on the same stage, it's like having two fan groups combined, leading to an exponential increase in discussion on social media.

If the two have collaborated before, had a rumored relationship, or had a strong on-screen chemistry, the impact of the publicity will be doubled.

Who are your candidates?

"We contacted Eason Chan," Chen Yongming said. "He happened to have an event in Yanjing on January 18th and was willing to come and support you."

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.

It seems that Universal has really gone all out for him this time.

Even their top star came to help.

Being a guest for this newcomer isn't helping him; it's carrying him on a pedestal.

"Is he really willing?" Jiang Chen confirmed.

"I'm willing," Huang Jiantao nodded, "but I'll only sing one song, his own song, plus a duet with you. The time limit is fifteen minutes."

That's enough.

"On your side," Zhang Songhui asked, "Do any of your friends want to come?"

Jiang Chen thought for a moment.

"have."

"Who?"

"Yang Mi".

The four people in the meeting room exchanged glances.

These two are indeed having an affair.

If Jiang Chen was the most popular male celebrity in 2012, then Yang Mi was the most popular female celebrity.

The combined appeal of these two is terrifying.

Steady!

The Su Xue couple from "Gu Jian Qi Tan" still has people checking in on the super topic every day, calling for them to reunite!

"Anything else?"

"Let me think about it some more."

"6

"good!"

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