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

New artists and new songs that want to earn money either need to sign a guaranteed buyout contract or go through the "GG revenue sharing" model, with a revenue share of about 20% to 30%. After deducting the platform's operating costs, not much is actually received.

Jiang Chen did not choose exclusive authorization.

He found a startup digital music distribution agency called "Music Era," which specializes in connecting independent musicians with major platforms.

The other party's terms were: a 15% agency fee, with the remaining 85% returned according to the platform's revenue share.

Jiang Chen signed a non-exclusive contract and released the song simultaneously on QQ Music, Kugou, and Baidu MP3.

At 2 PM on February 2nd, the full audio version of "The Power of Love" was quietly released online.

There were no promotional slots or homepage recommendations; everything relied on viewers searching on their own.

Within an hour of its release, it surged into the top ten of Kugou's New Song Rising Chart, and within two hours, it topped the chart.

It dominated the QQ Music New Song Chart, with its play count, search volume, and download count all far ahead of all other songs released at the same time.

Within half a day of its release, the song went viral.

Students set it as their phone ringtone, and it started playing on a loop in music stores, shopping malls, and street shops.

QQ Space is full of posts sharing songs, and the line "Holding you in my hands, burning incense devoutly" has become the most frequently hummed melody among young people.

Even people who haven't watched "Palace" can hum along to a few lines, and countless people started watching the show because of this song.

In just a few days, the popularity of "The Power of Love" surpassed that of "Palace" itself.

While the TV series was still airing in its niche audience, the song became a nationwide sensation, becoming the first phenomenal hit of 2011. Its melody was everywhere, both online and offline, making it incredibly popular.

Jiang Chen was holed up in his rented room in the Huangtingzi residential area.

Three backend pages were open on the computer screen in the living room, and the data changed every few minutes.

He opened the QQ Music backend and glanced at the number of plays for the day.

It broke three million in a single day.

Based on the current revenue sharing model, you can earn about two to three dollars per thousand views, which is less than ten thousand dollars a day, not much.

But this is only the first day.

The real money comes from the ringback tone service.

In 2011, the ringback tone market was still alive.

On China Mobile's wireless music platform, a hit song can be downloaded in the millions as a ringtone, with the lyricist and composer receiving about 12% of the revenue.

Jiang Chen authorized the song to a company in Yanjing with a mobile SP license in advance. The company promised a minimum of 200,000 yuan, and any amount exceeding that would be split 50/50.

Given the momentum of "The Power of Love," it's no problem for ringback tone revenue to exceed one million.

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, scrolled down the page, and went to the comments section.

"This song made me cry, and I listened to it on repeat all day."

"Finally found the full version! This song perfectly matches the love story of Qingchuan and the Eighth Prince."

"I need the lyrics to copy into my notebook."

"Is anyone else like me who listened to the song before watching the show, and then started watching the show?"

"The composer is Jiang Chen? Never heard of him, but this song is amazing."

Jiang Chen ignored the comments and stared at the numbers on the screen, silently doing some mental calculations.

Based on the revenue sharing from GG, with 3 million views on the first day and 2 yuan per thousand views, I would receive 6,000 yuan.

If we can maintain an average of two million views per day for the next month, the revenue share from GG will be around 120,000.

For the ringback tone service, he signed a contract with a guaranteed minimum of 200,000 plus a 50/50 split.

Based on the download growth rate reported by the distribution channels, the number of downloads in the first month is very likely to exceed one million.

At that time, the cost of a single ringback tone download was generally two to three yuan, with the operators and SP companies taking the lion's share, and the lyricists and composers actually receiving about 10% to 12%.

One million downloads would generate a revenue share of approximately 100,000 to 120,000, plus a guaranteed minimum of 200,000, after which the distribution channel would take a 50/50 cut.

He signed a contract with a minimum guaranteed amount of 200,000, with any amount exceeding that amount split 50/50.

In other words, the first 200,000 goes to him, and the excess is split 50/50 with the SP company.

If the revenue share from the ringback tone service in the first month reaches 400,000, he will receive a guaranteed 200,000 plus a 100,000 share, for a total of 300,000.

With the revenue share from GG and the ringtone combined, and after deducting Yinshang Times' 15% agency fee, the song "The Power of Love" could bring him an income of 350,000 to 400,000 yuan in the first month.

This is just the beginning.

A song's lifespan is far longer than a month.

Subsequent revenue streams include KTV streaming, cover song licensing, and adaptations in films and television series, all of which generate long-tail revenue.

More importantly, this song made him famous, and his subsequent songs sold even better.

He rubbed his temples a few times, then got up and went to the balcony.

Winters in Yanjing are dry and cold, with the wind seeping in through the cracks in the windows, carrying the distant, sporadic sounds of firecrackers.

He looked down at the empty streets and felt a strange sense of melancholy.

My first pot of gold is finally in my hands.

My phone vibrated slightly, and a text message from Yang Mi popped up. It contained only four words: "Your song is a hit."

Jiang Chen replied, "It's all thanks to you."

The other party replied almost instantly: "Come on, it's because you write well! When are you coming to see me?"

"We'll talk about it when I have time; I'm busy lately."

Yang Mi: "..."

Another text message came in from Tong Liya: "Bro, your song is playing everywhere! You're rich now! When are you going to treat your sister to crayfish?"

Immediately afterward, Zhang Yisan called directly, his voice incredibly loud.

"Jiang Chen! The barbershop near my house is playing your songs! Holy crap! I almost jumped out of my chair when I heard it while getting my hair washed!"

Jiang Chen held the phone away and waited for him to finish yelling before slowly saying, "I know, just wash your hair properly and don't leave any shampoo in the shop."

"No way, why aren't you excited at all? Did you even know your song was released on the streets?!"

"The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are."

"Fuck you..."

The person on the other end cursed and hung up.

Just as I put down my phone, a message from Yang Zi popped up.

"Xiao Chenzi, I've been watching this show for days, why aren't you out yet?"

"Don't rush, I have to wait until episode 31 to go live."

"……All right."

Jiang Chen didn't go out much in the following days.

"The Power of Love" is still dominating the charts, and the numbers on the ringtone platform are jumping up every day. The person in charge at Yinshang Times called, his tone more and more excited each time: "Teacher Jiang, your song is amazing! China Mobile says they want it featured on the homepage next week."

Jiang Chen responded twice, hung up the phone, and continued to curl up on the sofa peeling oranges.

Zhang Yisan called again, saying that the old lady selling pancakes downstairs was humming "Holding you in my hands," and he almost couldn't help but laugh when he bought the pancakes.

Yang Zi sent a text message saying that she had almost finished watching the first thirty episodes and was just waiting for her Fourteenth Prince to appear.

Jiang Chen replied "Don't rush," while Yang Zi replied "Rush."

The days passed by at a leisurely pace.

The radiator in the rented room occasionally made a gurgling sound, and the locust tree outside the window was still bare; winter in Yanjing didn't change much.

February 15th, the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

Winter break isn't over yet; Beijing Film Academy won't start classes until the end of February.

Jiang Chen didn't go out that evening. He cooked a bowl of noodles and sat down in front of the computer with the bowl in his hand.

Episode 31 will air tonight, marking the official debut of the Fourteenth Prince.

……