America: Child stars start with The Shining

Chapter 115 John Lennon's Test!

It has been a full month since the release of AC/DC's album "BackinBlack".

Huamei Records made a fortune in that month.

In just the first month, the album sold an astonishing 960,000 copies in the US market!

And this is only the sales volume in the American market.

The performance in the global market was even more dramatic.

Not long ago, Back in Black's global sales had already far exceeded this number, reaching 190 million copies!

This sales figure almost completely surpasses Queen and the Rolling Stones.

It's worth noting that Queen's "The Game" and the Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" only barely surpassed 150 million copies sold globally this month.

In any other context, this would certainly be considered a very impressive achievement.

The problem is, now there's an extra copy of "Back in Black".

Compared to this album with its black cover, Queen and Rolling Stone's originally dazzling sales figures suddenly seem less impressive.

This has caused several executives at Warner and Universal a major headache.

During their weekly meetings, they were always trembling with fear and dared not boast about the week's sales performance.

And the leaders' expressions were, of course, very unpleasant.

It's worth noting that they could have increased their market share significantly from this figure, but now, they've lost a lot of market share because of "Back in Black".

More importantly, this gap in market share is continuing to widen!

Because the popularity of "Backin Black" did not decline rapidly after the first month ended.

On the contrary, after a month of radio bombardment, record store stockouts, and spontaneous dissemination by young people, the album's influence has spread far beyond the rock scene!

It's no longer just an album that rock fans would buy; even many young people who like listening to pop music couldn't resist buying a copy after word of mouth spread about it.

This is the benefit of positive word-of-mouth!

Most importantly, this album was a project released directly by Huamei Records, without relying on the distribution channels of any other major record companies.

This means that, aside from necessary expenses, Huamei Records can maximize the profits from this album.

Cash flow.

This is completely different from working for big companies like Warner and Universal.

If Charles had simply handed over AC/DC to Warner or Universal for distribution, it might have sold well, but the real bulk of the profits would have gone to those big companies.

Now, most of this money will flow into Huamei Records' own account.

Of course, global market settlements will take some time.

After all, it involves multiple countries and tax revenue sharing issues between different regions, so it's impossible to confirm things as quickly as in the domestic market.

However, even the revenue that has already been confirmed in the American market is enough to cause a dramatic change in the financial situation of Huamei Records!

Los Angeles, Huamei Records, office.

Ovitz sat at his desk, looking at the reports that the finance department had just submitted, his expression a mix of emotions.

During this period, Huamei Records' offices also underwent a round of renovations.

Charles generously rented an entire floor of office space and subsequently hired a large number of people.

The current Huamei Records is no longer the small workshop label that used to require Charles to personally handle everything.

With departments for publicity, distribution, finance, and legal counsel, it was far from being comparable in size to giants like Warner and Universal, but it at least had the beginnings of a legitimate record company.

AC/DC can now delegate some of its promotional and operational tasks to its staff.

And Aniston has witnessed firsthand the major changes at Wah Mei Records during this period.

From the initial somewhat shabby little office to the current floor covered with the logo of Huamei Records, her mindset has gradually shifted from initial shock to becoming somewhat accustomed to it.

As one of the earliest employees hired by Huamei Records, it was naturally impossible for her to continue working at the front desk.

Charles has already promoted her to his personal secretary.

Of course, this so-called secretary is not simply someone who serves coffee, answers the phone, and... does other work.

She also has to handle some specific company affairs.

Although she was young, she was quick-witted and, having spent a long time by Charles's side, was relatively familiar with him and had become somewhat adaptable to his whimsical ideas.

At this moment, she was standing to the side holding a stack of documents, listening to Ovitz report on the financial situation, her expression still somewhat...

subtle.

Ovitz looked down at the report, a hint of emotion in his voice: "First month sales: 960,000 units..."

'

"Charles, if this trend continues, Huamei Records will be able to sustain its revenue for a long time with just this album."

Do you know what this means?

He looked up, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement, and said, "This AC/DC band is practically our cash cow!"

"With just those few people, we're already living a life of plenty!"

Ovitz even couldn't help but laugh when he said that.

For a record company that has only been established for a short time, achieving such success with its first album is simply a stroke of luck.

More importantly, the sales of "Backin Black" are far from over.

Based on the current trend, as long as the restocking pace keeps up in the second month, breaking one million is almost a certainty.

It won't be long before this album officially receives platinum certification.

Ovitz became more and more excited as he thought about it, which meant that Huamei Records had now completely established itself in this brutal industry!

Charles smiled, put down the report in his hand, and said, "Ovitz, don't get so excited. This is just the beginning. We can't rely on just one album to make money for us."

"Now is not the time to pop the champagne. We still need to find more singers and artists."

Ovitz immediately understood what he meant.

A hit album can certainly make Huamei Records a fortune.

However, it is actually very dangerous if a record company's fate is entirely tied to a single band.

The better AC/DC sells now, the stronger their bargaining power will be, making it more difficult for Huamei Records to negotiate revenue sharing terms for their next few albums.

Those band members weren't fools, of course.

If Huamei Records wants to truly establish itself, it cannot rely on just one album.

Just then.

The office landline phone suddenly rang.

Ovitz took the microphone, put it to his ear, and said, "Hello, this is Huamei Records..."

'

"What! You say you're John Lennon's agent?"