Chapter 464: Restoring the Glory of the North American Music Scene — Our Generation's Bounden Duty (8k)

"Yes! We love Zhou Yi Jun the most! He's our absolute favorite!"

"Look, look, we even bought every single one of Zhou Yi Jun's Chinese albums, and at last year's campus festival I even took first place performing the song 'Baby'."

"Anything you want to say to Zhou Yi Jun? The only thing I want to say is I hope he can come to Japan and hold a few more concerts. But that's not easy, because Zhou Yi Jun's originally scheduled concert plans only cover mainland China."

"Warner, get to work already!"

"……"

In a random street-interview segment on a Japanese TV Asahi entertainment show, the JK students who were interviewed all started lighting up the moment Zhou Yi was mentioned, each one eagerly expressing their joy at their idol's enormous success.

Some even pulled out their purchase receipts for the Zhou Yi album bundle packages released by Warner (Japan) — a kind of promotional method for older albums, letting fans buy Zhou Yi's all-Chinese CD albums or cassette sets at a relatively better price.

Of course, if you want to buy the English albums, sorry, none available — you can only buy them individually.

After all, among Asian regions, Japan was hit hardest by the Zhou Yi Grammy effect — legitimate album sales have been skyrocketing straight up.

His second album "Forever Young" not only broke the Chinese artist's first-week album sales record once again, but also pushed Zhou Yi's total album sales in Japan past the historical record for Chinese artists in Japan — exceeding 4.1 million copies.

Before this, Chen Meiling and Ouyang Feifei — two Chinese female singers who were hugely popular in Japan in the 1970s before marrying Japanese men — had long held the Chinese artist album sales record in Japan.

Among them, Ouyang Feifei's official album record was 2.66 million; Chen Meiling's was 3.99 million, and considering statistical margin of error, it should actually be just over four million, the highest in history for a Chinese artist.

And Zhou Yi achieved this with only two English albums.

In fact, judging by this trend, it's not at all impossible that Zhou Yi's future total album sales in Japan could catch up to or even surpass his rumored flame Mariah Carey.

As the American diva most beloved by the Japanese album market, Mariah Carey has so far racked up over 12 million legitimate album sales in the Japanese album market; if you add singles, it's over 20 million, far surpassing Madonna Ciccone, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, and others.

Warner Japan has recently been receiving petition after petition from Japanese fans, the bulk of which beg Warner to schedule more Japan tour dates for Zhou Yi's upcoming "Star" concert, so that they, the fans, can catch a glimpse of their idol in person.

Of course, it's not just Japan writing in —

Fans from Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and other East Asian countries are just as desperate to have Zhou Yi come hold concerts, constantly writing letters to Warner to pile on the pressure.

Beyond that, European countries like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain also have plenty of fans hoping Zhou Yi will bring his concerts their way.

The Star concert, originally positioned only for mainland China, has now, riding several waves of peak hype, genuinely turned into a world-class concert tour petition.

However, there is still one place within China's territory that does not allow Zhou Yi to hold public performances — Taiwan.

"F*** your mother! He dared to shout 'fight for equality' in America — if he came in here to perform, what then?! I can't even imagine what he'd shout by then!"

It's just that Zhou Yi's current influence is simply too massive; they can no longer restrict his album sales, otherwise they'd have to ban the albums too.

One can only say they regret it now.

If back in the day, when Zhou Yi was just starting out, they had crushed his albums in the market, they probably wouldn't be having such a headache now.

The key is that a new batch of musicians recently rising in Taiwan all seem to have inextricable ties to Zhou Yi —

No need to mention the batch from the turn of the millennium; just look at the two new stars this year —

Lin Yichen, who starred in multiple Taiwanese idol dramas and became a phenomenal, wildly popular actress, was originally the female lead in Zhou Yi's "Those Years" MV. When attending an event, she inevitably got asked questions related to Zhou Yi during an interview.

"I did send a text to congratulate Zhou Yi, but after all, there's a time difference between the US and home, so we can't really chat on the phone for too long."

Compared to back then, Lin Yichen — whose cheeks have now lost some of their baby fat — smiled exceptionally brightly when talking about Zhou Yi: "Zhou Yi is a really good person, and I've always been grateful to him.

"The first drama of my life came about because the director saw my performance in the 'Those Years' MV. If I hadn't taken part in Zhou Yi's MV back then, I probably wouldn't have had this opportunity."

The way Lin Yichen lit up with joy chatting about those days left countless female models and minor actresses grinding their teeth in private jealousy.

Damn it! What dogshit luck!

And if Lin Yichen's explosion merely made Zhou Yi's old metaphysical reputation flare back to life domestically, then Wang Xinling's forceful rise completely brought back that "Ziweistar" nickname of his —

On February 24, 2003, Wang Xinling, who had finally graduated from school and ended her trainee period, was launched by Avex Records with great expectations, releasing her debut album: "Cyndi Begin."

The album's lead single "When You" became Wang Xinling's big hit in Taiwan. Riding the coattails of having filmed Zhou Yi's MV, her buzz became comparable to Cai Yilin's hit single "Say Love You," which marked Cai Yilin's full comeback in Taiwan in early March.

And the rumored relationship between her and the newly crowned Taiwan's First Beauty, Lin Zhilin, added even more legend to the story —

"Cyndi, I heard that the reason you got to appear in Zhou Yi's 'Da Cheng Xiao Ai' MV was because you beat Lin Zhilin among the competitors — is that true?"

In early 2003, a nine-head-body-proportion model named Lin Zhilin successfully rose to fame through heavy marketing, advertisements, and photo books, squeezing out Xiao Qiang to become Taiwan's First Beauty.

And as Wang Xinling became famous with her debut album, the fact that Lin Zhilin had lost to Wang Xinling in the competition for Zhou Yi's MV actress was dug up by someone, instantly causing an uproar.

Too many people who appeared in Zhou Yi's MVs have gone on to become famous.

And among those who lost out, Lin Zhilin is the only one who managed to rise to the top through marketing her beauty and figure.

"I'm not really clear about all that." Wang Xinling, whose debut was actually positioned as a Japanese-style singing-and-dancing idol, played it safe after a handshake event when a reporter asked her this sensitive question.

"Then why did Zhou Yi choose you? Were you two really together privately back then?"

"Of course we weren't together, although I do think Zhou Yi would be an ideal boyfriend standard."

"Including his playboy ways?"

"So it's just an ideal, isn't it?"

Knowing she couldn't escape the Zhou Yi question, Wang Xinling welcomed the attention, milking the traffic for all it was worth while also revealing between the lines that a non-playboy Zhou Yi would be her boyfriend standard.

And Lin Zhilin, who still harbored some grudge over losing out on Zhou Yi's MV back then, was somewhat awkward when asked about it —

When others get asked, they can at least say a sentence or two; she had never even met Zhou Yi face-to-face, and could only say that if she got the chance to meet him in the future, she would really like to work with Zhou Yi.

"Zhou Yi Goes All Out, Three More Candidates for Tianwang's Wife!"

"Celebration Press Conference! Zhou Yi Spotted Celebrating in New York with Two Female Models!"

"The Ziweistar Shines…"

"……"

These past few days, the headlines on every single page of Taiwan's entertainment media have been about Zhou Yi's Grammy and various female singers and actresses — even the rumored "Double J Romance" fight news couldn't make the front page.

Cai Yilin has completely given up.

Tired, let it all burn, whatever happens, happens.

Even Chen Zheshan was advising her to temporarily stand down and stop wasting her effort.

Sometimes, no matter how hard a self-made talent works, she still can't match the sustained explosion of a genius.

Chen Zheshan's words stabbed Cai Yilin right through the heart.

The only thing that could comfort her now was that her comeback album, "Look at My 72 Changes," had sold over a hundred thousand copies, and her songs were catchy enough to be widely sung.

"In terms of understanding pop music, I am unwilling to make the definitive statement that Zhou Yi has already left all singers in the entire Chinese music scene a body length behind, but that is the fact."

Li Zongsheng himself, when accepting an interview, also spoke about the things Zhou Yi had stirred up in the US, and then smiled and admitted his own shortcomings: "The development of pop music comes from the West; there is no doubt about this."

"When The Beatles and Elvis Presley debuted, our domestic music scene hadn't even fully figured out what the concept of pop music was, what genres it fell into, how to make it, or how to blend Chinese lyrics into it."

"For so many years, generation after generation of domestic musicians have thrown themselves into the fray, constantly trying to raise the overall development level of the music scene and the public's musical aesthetics."

"We all clearly know the gap between the domestic music scene and the European and American music scenes, because our start was truly too late, but Zhou Yi's appearance shattered my cognition..."

Luo Dayou, who had just finished a commemorative concert in Guangzhou before the SARS outbreak in February, was now taking a stroll at home. When asked about Zhou Yi on a show, he couldn't help but sigh with a smile: "Undoubtedly, Zhou Yi is a miracle."

"The ability of Chinese people to master English songs is actually very weak, because this is not our mother tongue."

"But Zhou Yi can not only grasp the essence of Chinese songs, but also grasp the essence of English songs. Just on this point alone, he is number one."

Because of the SARS outbreak, the attention of the large number of people who had stopped work and stayed home was instead drawn to the entertainment circle. Evaluations of Zhou Yi by Taiwanese musicians, including Luo Dayou and Li Zongsheng, frequently appeared in newspapers, refreshing every few days, leaving everyone full of gossip.

Naturally, the praise from these two towering figures of Taishan sparked a heated response.

On the mainland music scene, during this special period of staying at home, competition in the television drama field was exceptionally fierce. Co-produced TV dramas led by "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" directly seized a large number of remote controls in the hands of the audience, and a few days ago, "The Story of a Noble Family" suddenly emerged—

Sha Baoliang, who had entered the public eye along with Chen Kun, Dong Jie, and Liu Yifei, carrying the "pension-level" song "Dark Fragrance," became one of the few singers on the mainland music scene capable of gaining attention under Zhou Yi's heavy pressure.

"When the petals leave the flower, a dark fragrance remains~" This line of lyrics, accompanying the broadcast of "The Story of a Noble Family," exploded and quickly swept across the country. "Dark Fragrance" subsequently climbed to the top of various song popularity charts.

Although the most explosive news of the entire month of March was the commotion Zhou Yi had stirred up in the US, hindered by the fact that the audience for English songs in the country was ultimately not as large as for Chinese songs, plus the continuous heat provided by the TV dramas, "Dark Fragrance" defeated Huang Zheng and Yu Quan's "Running" and Zhou Yi's several English songs, directly topping the first place of the Chinese Music Awards.

However, when everyone thought that the coming April would see Zhou Yi, who was in the US, continuously relying on English songs to battle domestic singers in a relay, on April 1, 2003, a piece of news shook the entire Chinese entertainment circle at an explosive speed—

Hong Kong's heavenly king superstar Leslie Cheung, without any abnormal behavior or conduct beforehand, jumped from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong at 18:43 that day, ending his life at the mere age of 46.

"What did you say? Leslie Cheung is dead?!"

Qian Jiang, far away in the US, widened his eyes in disbelief upon receiving this news. His voice, instantly raised by an octave, made Zhou Yi, who was resting in the car, open his eyes and take away the sun hat covering his face.

"Alright, I know. Arrange it for me, send a wreath and a eulogy to Ah Yi."

After hanging up the phone, Qian Jiang saw the awakened Zhou Yi and thought he had also been startled awake, so he couldn't help but sigh: "News about Chen Ze Shan. Leslie Cheung jumped off a building."

As a middle-aged man who grew up in Hong Kong, he could be said to have personally experienced the years of the Tan-Zhang rivalry in the Hong Kong music scene back then. Hearing the news of Leslie Cheung's suicide by jumping off a building out of the blue, the emotions surging in his heart were beyond words.

The city of Houston, where the sky had not yet dawned, was just like Qian Jiang's mood at that moment, misty and gray.

Zhou Yi's team, having just gotten off the plane, was taking a car to the pre-booked hotel to rest. Tomorrow, Zhou Yi had to start his rounds in Houston.

"When you encounter depression, there is truly no way; this situation can only be resolved by him walking out of it himself. If he doesn't walk out, it can only be said to be a pity."

Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Qian Jiang, with a heart full of emotions, got out of the car first to open the door, then accompanied Zhou Yi into the hotel, with the team, which had added several times the number of security personnel, following closely behind.

Ever since the "Fight for Equality" on the 17th, with public opinion in the US completely reversed, Zhou Yi's travel security now had to be doubled. Warner's biggest fear was that some reckless fool or mentally ill gunman would shoot Zhou Yi—this was not without precedent.

The most famous was the gunman Mark David Chapman, who assassinated the soul figure of The Beatles, John Lennon.

Regarding why exactly this person wanted to kill John Lennon and whether he truly had a mental illness, too much time had passed, and the original truth could no longer be known. The only thing Warner could determine now was to be careful, careful, and then careful again.

Every event, every meet-and-greet, every music festival had to undergo strict body searches, just in case Zhou Yi died under the gun.

Warner had only bought the press release about Zhou Yi making a connection with The Beatles; they did not intend for Zhou Yi to end up the same way as The Beatles' lead singer.

"Michael Jackson's travel security is probably just like this."

Zhou Yi, who had gotten on the elevator, inserted the card to enter the room, and casually tossed his luggage aside, joked with a smile at Qian Jiang, who was conducting various routine checks.

Because the pedophilia scandal was intensifying, this modern King of Pop, whose global album sales were second only to The Beatles and had currently broken 340 million, was already close to ruin and disgrace.

To prevent an over-the-top mentally ill gunman from coming to trouble him, and possibly to prevent himself from being schemed against by those capital forces hiding behind the scenes, Michael Jackson's level of security had reached a degree that could be described as extremely exaggerated.

"Then you are still stronger than him. At least you are a public-facing card-level figure. Those big capitals still won't move against you; in fact, they even want to beg you to join, like Sony, which has always wanted to make a move on Michael Jackson."

Having finished a detailed check, Qian Jiang stood still with a smile, hands on his hips, and took a breath.

Since Zhou Yi had confirmed that he would continue to cooperate with Warner in the future as a partner of the Greater China region, he naturally no longer needed to hide or conceal, fearing Zhou Yi would run off to another company.

"He has too many copyrights on his hands. If it were only the copyrights of the songs he wrote himself, he wouldn't be targeted; in fact, he would be very welcome."

Zhou Yi collapsed onto the soft sofa and stretched lazily, feeling content.

People are multi-faceted.

It is true that Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and charity, but his operation of buying out other singers' copyright libraries through various means, driven by insatiable greed like a snake swallowing an elephant, was also criticized by people.

The Beatles, with global album sales exceeding 400 million, the highest in history; he had the copyrights, even holding a proportion as high as 90%, which made Paul McCartney, who also wanted to buy back the copyrights, so angry that he cursed MJ as an idiot and inhuman.

You have to know that when Michael Jackson first bought The Beatles' copyrights, it was because of his friendship with Paul McCartney that led to the introduction. Later, when buying the copyrights from the copyright holder again, he backstabbed Paul when Paul wanted to unite the band members to drive down the price, securing the copyrights at a price just slightly higher than Paul's.

Since then, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson have had no contact whatsoever, their friendship completely severed.

Elvis Presley, with global album sales exceeding 300 million, the third highest in history; he also had the copyrights;

He himself was the second highest in history, so naturally he had the copyrights, and then he also had Bob Dylan's copyrights...

Just the combined valuation of the copyrights of those top singers, groups, and himself after the millennium reached as high as 10 billion US dollars. This didn't even count the fact that these copyrights were actually appreciating continuously every year, while simultaneously providing him with various cash flows.

And in the company he partnered with Sony, the copyright income from other singers' songs distributed and released under its banner, according to the contract terms, automatically entitled him to a profit share ranging from 10% to 30%. Plus the share dividends he owned as a company shareholder, the final calculation showed that not only did Sony work for him for free, but it even had to subsidize him.

Sony initially hadn't thought about reconciling with this King of Pop. "We are partners; I can support you as a frontman. At the very least, don't eat with such an ugly face and make me subsidize you, okay? After all, you've earned so much. I, a prestigious major label, have to save face in the world, you know."

But several negotiations ended in discord, and finally, Sony simply flipped the table.

Zhou Yi himself would have to learn this lesson when the time came. He didn't want to flip the table with Warner; Warner could help him solve many troubles, and he happened to be someone who disliked troubles.

Besides, his ambition wasn't great. As long as the copyrights written by his own hands belonged to him, that was enough. This was one of the sources of future "pensions."

Indeed, singers as understanding as me are rare~

After shamelessly gilding himself, Zhou Yi, who was just about to take a shower and then have a beautiful sleep to go see Yao Ming at the Rockets arena tomorrow, had just put down his phone when Qian Jiang suddenly pressed him down—

"There is one more thing. Microsoft has come looking for you."

"?"

"Your PPT."

When speaking of this matter, Qian Jiang couldn't even keep his facial expression in check: "Your PPT was so good that they couldn't stop praising it. Plus, they have always wanted to further expand their market influence in China, so they plan to have a special cooperation with you."

"Cooperation?"

"Please authorize or purchase this PPT. They intend to align it with our country's anti-narcotics policy by deleting some overly gory sections and segments mentioning 50 Cent, retaining only the dangers of drugs, and then promoting it for free."

"..."

Zhou Yi's mouth dropped open in shock.

Microsoft, you thick-browed, big-eyed one, are you doing this too?

"No, if they delete 50 Cent, on what basis do I sell? Tell them I can authorize the image of 50 Cent for ten years at a price of one dollar, or even fifty cents." Zhou Yi immediately voiced his opposition.

Qian Jiang helplessly held his forehead: "A-Yi, is it possible that Microsoft, as a commercial company, would face a lawsuit for using 50 Cent's personal image without permission?"

"Does Microsoft even fear that?" Zhou Yi's tone was contemptuous, carrying the air of a scumbag who knows the law yet breaks it.

"Currently, that is indeed the case."

"Then change the requirement: not just as a Chinese anti-drug propaganda PPT case study, but global."

With the mindset of wanting to annoy them no matter what, Zhou Yi proposed another solution: "Agree to a ten-year authorization for fifty cents, or forget it."

Releasing it only in China is useless; 50 Cent himself won't see it. Are you pulling a China-exclusive stunt on me here?

"... Fine. I'll take some people to talk to Microsoft later, though I estimate the chances of success aren't high."

Speaking thus, Qian Jiang placed several more contracts on the table: "Oh right, there's one more thing. The contracts with Apple, Nokia, and others have all been finalized. Sign them before you go to sleep."

Zhou Yi, yawning, took them, flipped through, confirmed there were no issues, and signed his name.

As expected, due to the inclusion of tiered clauses, Apple's iPod endorsement fee dropped significantly, to only three million USD for four years, but the tiered clauses for song sales...

If Zhou Yi's digital songs listed on the Music Store sell eight hundred thousand copies within six months, the revenue split between Apple, Warner, and Zhou Yi will subsequently drop to 2:8.

If one million copies are sold within six months, the subsequent split will drop to 1:9.

If three million copies are sold within six months, Apple will subsequently provide Zhou Yi with an additional bonus incentive calculated as a bonus, where the incentive portion is 40% of sales exceeding three million copies.

It can be said that to secure Zhou Yi, this top-tier superstar, Apple showed every ounce of sincerity. Of course, in Jobs' view, the difficulty was also great.

You see, his initial goal was that selling one million songs within six months would count as success, a super-massive success worthy of popping champagne and dancing at Amazon's doorstep.

This was a gamble.

He coveted Zhou Yi's popularity and the resulting boost in fame, market influence expansion, and benchmark role within the industry; Zhou Yi coveted the online music purchase market, where no one had yet eaten the crab, and the chance to squeeze Apple's wallet hard.

Apple originally wanted to sign for five years and could have even added more money, but Zhou Yi rejected it all.

Others might not know, but he was clear: after the second half of '07, monthly subscription or free streaming services would officially launch, impacting Apple's music market. At that time, there would be no need to cling tightly to Apple.

However, upon flipping to the next contract, Zhou Yi froze: "Nokia, twenty million for three years? Holy crap, did they take the wrong medicine?"

For a giant like Nokia, which never worries about sales, he thought seven or eight million USD would already be generous.

"Motorola, Ericsson, and Samsung got involved after your new album topped the charts, on the 17th." Qian Jiang smiled until his eyes nearly squinted into a single line.

After the 17th of last month, Zhou Yi's personal reputation underwent a qualitative leap in a short time, directly attracting other mobile giants—each offering eighteen or nineteen million, nearly causing the Nokia negotiation team to have a stroke.

They had been watching the endorser about to be signed ascend to the heavens, thinking they could snatch a bargain; now, not only did they fail to get the bargain, they might be taken advantage of while vulnerable...

So they decisively offered twenty million, intending to lock Zhou Yi down first.

"Samsung could actually offer even higher; this is the Samsung one, twenty-three million. You have some improper relationship with that Samsung little princess, don't you? Consider it?" Qian Jiang tapped another contract over.

"Relationships aside, Nokia's global hegemon-level promotion resources are incomparable to Samsung phones." Zhou Yi didn't even glance at it.

At his level, when signing a global contract, what matters isn't the money, but the strength of the channel promotion capabilities.

Don't look at how Motorola and Ericsson can still struggle for now; in the coming years, Nokia will be a veritable global hegemon. No one can stop them; they have promotion channels even in Africa.

Even if Samsung is as awesome as it is, can they sell phones in Burkina Faso?

If Samsung had that capability, he wouldn't mind taking it.

As for the Armani global endorsement, that was the least suspenseful. To show sincerity, Armani added one million after the 17th: eleven million USD for three years, simple and clear.

Soon, after Zhou Yi signed these three contracts and began activities in Houston, Warner officially announced Zhou Yi's endorsement situation in conjunction with the three major brands over three days, releasing one announcement per day, and stated that three grand signing ceremonies would be held for Zhou Yi in the next three weeks.

Correspondingly, 50 Cent was running himself ragged, unable to land a single endorsement.

You see, when he was originally selling his inspirational persona, endorsements actually approached him for negotiations; now, everything is gone.

Some of 50 Cent's fans were still indignant about this, but they were met with furious counterattacks from Zhou Yi's fans—

"You rappers, full of yellow, gambling, and drugs, still want endorsements? Can you pee in a puddle and look in the mirror? Endorse yellow? Endorse gambling? Or drugs?"

"Eminem has been famous for so long and doesn't have a single high-end endorsement; don't you have any idea?"

"What's wrong with a quality idol like Spike having quality endorsements?"

"Spike is willing to fight for equality; your idols only fight for yellow, gambling, and drugs. Pfft! Disgusting, vile!"

"Who has a Houston Rockets ticket? Sell me one, thanks. It's said Spike will go to the Rockets' home court this week to support his compatriot Yao and will also be a guest."

"To buy a ticket, add me xxx..."

"..."

Amidst a one-sided verbal brawl, with spit and saliva flying everywhere, one ticket-selling message was spotted by Taylor Swift, who had come to Houston to meet with the company's musicians.

At only fourteen years old, Taylor Swift was already at the height of an adult woman. After chatting briefly with the temporary assistant arranged by RCA, a record label under Sony, this white giant from Tennessee couldn't help but hold his forehead—

"If you want to go to the Rockets' home court to see Spike, I can actually arrange it for you."

"?"

Taylor Swift, who had always wanted to debut but was constantly told by the company to wait, to polish and refine a bit more, slowly typed out a question mark.

"The company just doesn't want you to debut so early; they think you should wait another four or three years. Entering the entertainment industry too early isn't good. And although you have talent, you aren't mature yet and need time to grow; it's not that they don't want to support your entertainment activities."

"..."

Bringing up this lousy company inevitably made Taylor Swift pull a long face.

Sony is utterly evil!

What do they mean 'for her own good'? With her talent, does she need more training?!

Do you understand what a genius is!

Look at that Spike; he hasn't even properly studied music, yet from the moment he debuted, he went from China to America.

How can you people understand the world of geniuses like us?

She wanted to slip away, but Sony's reputation was right there, so she ultimately hesitated and hasn't slipped away yet this year.

Thinking this, Taylor's puffed-up body honestly stayed at the company, waiting for this temporary caretaker and trainee manager to find channels for her. Bored, she picked up a newspaper placed at the very top of the desk—

New York Daily News: "Reviving the Glory of the North American Music Scene, It Is Our Duty!"

An extremely excited and highly provocative headline left Taylor Swift completely baffled.

What the heck?

Looking closer—

"The new episode of the Billboard chart released on April 1st: all ten songs from your album have entered the top twenty, with six in the top ten, leading many reporters to start hyping up a 'North American Music Scene Defense War' to grab attention."

Houston, a lounge at a certain event venue.

Seeing Zhou Yi looking at that newspaper with a strange expression, Qian Jiang clicked his tongue in amazement: "Your image in the North American music industry has now become that of a Great Demon King. If you really let ten songs dominate the top ten, they would be too ashamed."

"And besides, deep down, they actually want to push your songs off the number one throne."

Qian Jiang, a seasoned social veteran, easily grasped the psychology of those Western scumbags: "To avoid an accident like 50 Cent this time, they selected Linkin Park from our same company and promoted him as the vanguard to fight against you."

Zhou Yi couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.

Linkin Park, belonging to Warner just like Zhou Yi, pursues a rock style that happens to match up perfectly with Zhou Yi.

They officially debuted in 2000, with their first album selling over twenty million copies globally. Their second album, "Meteora" (Temple of Meteors), was officially released on March 25 this year, and the response has been excellent so far, with the rankings of several singles rising rapidly.

Especially that one song, "Numb," which sounds absolutely mind-blowing, and is also the one with the fastest data rise.

This made media outlets, including the New York Daily News and The Washington Post, sniff out a business opportunity—

Yes, a business opportunity.

As newspapers, their first priority is to attract eyeballs and boost sales.

Linkin Park sings rock, has no dirt like 50 Cent, and the team members include Asians, which is enough to demonstrate equality and prevent Zhou Yi from slapping a label of racial discrimination on them;

The songs are awesome, the track record is verifiable, and they are also from Warner just like Zhou Yi. Perhaps they can be provoked to fight each other until both are severely damaged.

Isn't this truly the best sword?

To prevent Warner from refusing, this group even put a high hat on Linkin Park in advance—

"Reviving the North American Music Scene, It Is Our Duty!"

However, from beginning to end, no one asked for Linkin Park's own opinion...

"Huh?"

When asked, Linkin Park's lead singer Chester Bennington looked completely confused: "Let us fight Spike?"

(End of this chapter)