Chapter 157: Selling Two or Three Hundred Thousand Copies Would Be Enough

"Super Visit" was a rare entertainment program in the early millennium that could go head-to-head with CCTV's talk shows.

Premiering in February 2000, after more than a year of accumulation and settling, "Super Visit" not only achieved success but also successfully launched the careers of its two hosts, Li Jing and Dai Jun.

Many big shots in the music scene would appear on this program during their promotional periods.

Thanks to his outstanding performance on "Happy Camp" previously, as soon as Zhou Yi returned to the mainland, the "Super Visit" production team immediately extended an invitation to him.

"I don't know if you've heard the male host Dai Jun's songs; he was once a very popular singer, but after fading from the spotlight, he transitioned to hosting and found a second spring for his career."

On the phone, the busy Qian Jiang introduced the background of this invitation: "Moreover, He Jiong from 'Happy Camp' has a good relationship with him. Your performance on 'Camp' last time left a deep impression on mainland entertainment variety shows."

"Rumor has it that when preparing the guest list for a special episode, Dai Jun privately asked He Jiong how you were. He Jiong gave you a very high evaluation, stating that rumors about your eccentric and domineering personality were false."

"That is why the 'Super Visit' production team included you in the scope of potential guests and, after comprehensive consideration, issued an invitation to you."

"If you agree, they will produce a special episode for you. Of course, the premise is that you must cooperate with them to dig up some past events not exposed on media cameras, some stories from behind the scenes of your music career, and they might even interview people around you..."

As an entertainment talk show, without topics about the guest's past, some interesting anecdotes to share, or even VCRs of friends roasting each other, it would be absolutely embarrassing to appear on screen.

The reason "Super Visit" is so popular now is precisely thanks to this model that feels fresh and new to mainland audiences.

After all, who wouldn't want to eat the melon of a big star?

"That's no problem. How should I cooperate?"

"My idea is to first have some of the outdoor filming crew from 'Super Visit' come over to shoot some content of you at the MV recording site, including some behind-the-scenes footage, so that it will be convenient for promoting your album 'Jiangnan' and EP 'Graduation' later;"

"Then follow up with regular promotional methods, such as having the production team get some photos of you from childhood, old singing videos, or even interviewing your former classmates..."

Qian Jiang poured out all his ideas in one breath, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

It had been more than two months since Zhou Yi's second album "Jiangnan" was released. At a time when "Jiangnan" successfully dominated the market, the sales growth trend of the genuine albums was naturally shattered by piracy everywhere.

Thanks to Zhou Yi's outstanding performance on "Happy Camp" previously and the big commotion he caused in Hong Kong, the genuine sales of "Jiangnan" have rebounded. Taking advantage of this rare Graduation EP, releasing some behind-the-scenes footage and the like could at least pull up the heat a bit more.

Of course, as the biggest gimmick of the Twin Stars, an interview with Sun Yanzi is absolutely unavoidable.

"Interview me? Really?"

In the lounge, Sun Yanzi, who had not yet appeared on any mainland variety show up to this point, immediately showed eagerness upon hearing this: "Can I say anything?"

"If you're not afraid of being cut out entirely, I don't care."

"Tsk."

Sun Yanzi pouted, interlaced her fingers behind her head, and flopped straight back onto the wide sofa: "Oh right, President Zhou was just about to look for you."

"But you were on the phone with Qian Jiang at the time, so I told him. He asked you to find him after you finished your call."

"Looking for me?"

Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise, then put down the sheet music in his hand, left his lounge, and went to knock on the door of Zhou Jianhui's office—

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

Zhou Jianhui, still sitting in his chair reviewing documents, raised his hand to push up the glasses on his nose. Seeing that it was Zhou Yi entering, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "You made quite a stir in Hong Kong; even the White Dragon King is praising you."

Zhou Yi blinked, looking innocent: "President Zhou, you know me; I was completely forced into it."

Everyone at Warner knows that Zhou Yi is famously elegant and easygoing.

"Alright, don't act like you're getting something for nothing in front of me."

Zhou Jianhui happily took a document out of his office desk drawer and handed it to him: "Jackie Chan's 'Rush Hour 2' had very good box office results in its first week in North America, with a pleasing upward trend."

"Among this, your insert song 'Lazy Song' also attracted some attention. When Jackie Chan was asked about this song during promotions, he would mention you."

"Although the soundtrack for this movie is not distributed by us, it doesn't matter. Someone at Warner Music Headquarters has noticed the potential of this song, and I have secured a fund for promotion and charting for you."

"Your Graduation EP will be released at the end of August, and this English single is currently scheduled for release on September 6th. Any problems?"

Flipping through the documents, Zhou Yi could see how much money it would cost to test the waters on the charts in the North American market and even the European market.

Warner is indeed Warner; they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time and have many channels.

This is 2001 US dollars.

If it weren't for the combination of three advantages: Zhou Jianhui's advocacy, the strong performance of his two albums, and the visibly explosive nature of Jackie Chan's new movie, it would be unknown how much Warner would give.

"The hip-hop and rap elements you brought to the domestic scene are not rare in the North American music scene. So, although someone at Headquarters thinks your new song is worth a try, the initial investment is indeed not very large."

Zhou Jianhui, thinking Zhou Yi was dissatisfied with the amount of promotional funding, opened his mouth to explain: "Mainly because there is an absolute superstar in the hip-hop and rap field in the US, and the gap between your Chinese hip-hop rap and his style is too large, causing many people at Headquarters to not be very optimistic about your new song which is not very related to hip-hop."

"But rest assured, once the results show a pleasing upward trend, I will absolutely fight for additional promotional funding for you."

"A superstar in the American hip-hop field?"

"Yes, I don't know if you've heard his name: Eminem."

When mentioning this name, Zhou Jianhui couldn't help but whistle in amazement: "His new album last year sold over 1.7 million copies in its first week, and it is currently said to have global sales of over twenty million or even thirty million copies."

"..."

Then there's no issue.

Zhou Yi, who hadn't reacted immediately, lost all doubt upon hearing this name, after all, Eminem, who was at his peak in the early millennium, was also a huge cheat.

The advantage of English songs lies here.

Except for the domestic market where English songs are practically non-existent, Eminem's "Bizarre" style rap is extremely popular worldwide. It can be said that during this period at the turn of the century, he single-handedly carried the flag of hip-hop, opposing other music genres.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If your single sells two or three hundred thousand copies, that is already a remarkable achievement and counts as breaking into the European and American markets."

Fearing Zhou Yi might experience a psychological setback, Zhou Jianhui quickly added: "Your main battlefield is still at home."

"The company's forecast is that in the Asian region, your album plus EP combined, after a one-year settlement cycle, is estimated to sell around three to four million copies."

Zhou Yi, who had no mindset of worrying about gains and losses, smiled: "I know, rest assured. If we can earn US dollars, we earn them; if we can't, it's not my money that's lost anyway."

Zhou Jianhui: "..."

Although it makes sense, why does it sound so strange?

"Oh right, there is one more thing."

Suppressing the stray thoughts in his mind, Zhou Jianhui asked: "Regarding Yanzi's new album, can you help her write a song similar to 'Green Light'?"

"The Green Light helped Sun Yanzi gain fame simultaneously across both sides of the strait and in Hong Kong and Macau; for her new album, I think it would be best to have a song with an extremely strong rhythm to lead the way."

Zhou Jianhui, who was equally invested in Sun Yanzi's album, shared his idea: "Your duet 'Summer Blown by the Wind' is sweet enough; including it on the album will also help her maintain her multifaceted image."

"No problem, I'll think about it later."

Zhou Yi agreed at once.

Fast-paced rhythmic songs for Sun Yanzi? That's hardly difficult. Setting aside albums by others, just looking at songs from her own future albums, whether it's the exotic "Magic" or the pop-rock "First Day," both are excellent choices.

Not to mention, Sun Yanzi's voice brings a unique flavor to singing such completely different styles.

However, considering popularity and suitability, another song that also fits Sun Yanzi perfectly popped into Zhou Yi's mind—

F. I. R.: "Your Smile."

It is also a sweet love song, only expressed in a pop-rock style. In his memory, Sun Yanzi herself had sung a portion of it, and it sounded very good.

After leaving Zhou Jianhui's office, Zhou Yi, who was pondering the song, turned a corner and immediately saw a somewhat familiar face appear in the company corridor. The latter was startled upon seeing him, then immediately lowered his posture to greet him—

"Hello, Zhou Yi. My name is Wang Feng."

PS: The coordination is done~

Wuhu, take off~

Back to the human world tomorrow, four chapters!

(End of this chapter)