Chapter 414 Zhou Yi Did Not Cheat, Sun Yanzi Was Not Greedy (5k)
A war of words between top stars seemed particularly lively in the first month of 2003.
The American media, who like to watch the fun, even listed Mariah Carey's song "Clown" in response to Eminem last year.
At that time, many media reporters believed that Mariah Carey's song was echoing Zhou Yi's blog post that criticized Eminem for changing his name, mocking the latter to go to Gotham to become a clown and fight against Batman, so it was jokingly called a mixed doubles of men and women.
But unfortunately, the song "Clown" did not make it to the B list. Like Eminem's song "Idiot" that dissed Zhou Yi in November last year, it only entered the category list at a low position and showed its face on the list.
But now it is different.
Zhou Yi's song "Enemy" made it into the top 100 of the B list for the first time with its excellent song quality. This result is undoubtedly a crushing result compared to Eminem and Mariah Carey.
In terms of popularity, Zhou Yi's song can beat them ten times or even a hundred times, which can be said to be far ahead.
At this moment, no matter how many interest groups there are within Warner, they are temporarily united in their thoughts about Zhou Yi's achievement - at this point, making money is the most important thing.
The factory machines are almost smoking, and the Warner board of directors is almost going to the factory to screw and assemble the single disc.
Even so, the genuine products still can't catch up with the speed of pirated products. Basically, for every time a single disc is sold, there are hundreds of pirated links downloaded, even if Warner has begun to chase and block it, it is helpless.
In early 2003, both the Eastern and Western music scenes officially entered the era of big piracy.
This forced Warner Records to once again pay attention to the cooperation proposal put forward by Steve Jobs from Apple -
As the spokesperson when Zhou Yi was away, Zhou Jianhui also met Steve Jobs, who came to discuss cooperation in person under the introduction of Edgar Jr.
"Within six months, our current goal at Apple is to sell 1 million genuine licensed songs within six months of the official listing in music stores."
As a super-rich man with a personal net worth of more than one billion US dollars, who was kicked out of Apple in the past but was able to found Pixar Animation Studios and made himself famous again with "Toy Story", Jobs was very clear when talking about his entertainment strategy.
He understands the entertainment industry.
This is also the reason why Edgar Jr., who wanted to acquire Warner Records, knew Jobs, who wanted to reach a cooperation with Warner, and now appeared in front of Zhou Jianhui.
"Spike is a superstar. If he is willing to join, I think this number can definitely be greatly shortened. It may be four months, or it may be three months."
Facing Zhou Jianhui, Steve Jobs expressed his appreciation for Zhou Yi's appeal without hiding his feelings: "If Spike is willing to join, we will provide him with an unprecedented profit-sharing contract, and we will only take 10%.
"At the same time, we are also willing to sign a three-year endorsement contract with him to invite him to serve as the spokesperson for the new generation of iPod music players..."
He contacted many other superstars under Warner, such as Madonna, Linkin Park, etc., but the idea of a music store has never been recognized by their respective groups.
Zhou Yi is the only one who is willing to work with him when the market prospects are unclear. The team he contacted was very interested in signing a contract. In addition, he was really jealous of Zhou Yi's popularity in the United States, which was even more popular than his fellow countryman Yao Ming.
According to Jobs's original idea, he actually wanted to split the profit with the record company 50-50.
But in the end, the cruel reality taught him a lesson. The five major record companies, including Warner and Sony, all chose to refuse without exception, and there was no room for negotiation.
After countless negotiations, the final profit ratio was fixed at 30% for Apple and 70% for the record company.
But even so, it was only a preliminary deal for some songs in the record company's copyright library. None of the superstars came, which is why Jobs set the goal of selling 1 million songs in 6 months at the beginning.
In his opinion, iTunes, which lacks superstars to lead the way, is not a good choice. If the Music Store can achieve this result in six months, it is enough to open the champagne.
This is also a helpless solution.
To be honest, Zhou Jianhui is not very optimistic about Jobs' music model.
He has tasted a similar model in China, that is Baidu MP3 launched at the end of last year.
In his opinion, the willingness to pay for songs on the Internet is too low, and singers can't get much money at all. Not to mention that the means of network anti-theft can't keep up at all, and the speed of Internet transmission is fast. Your genuine song has just been put on the shelves, and dozens of pirated versions of the audio source have appeared for people to download MP3.
The situation of Internet piracy in the United States is even more serious than in China.
This is not making any money.
If Zhou Yi hadn't insisted again and again, he would have withdrawn long ago.
"Ipod spokesperson?"
In China, Zhou Yi, who communicates with Zhou Jianhui by phone almost every day, is a little surprised: "Isn't this thing endorsed by Jobs himself?"
"It was the past, and it is now. This music store was born to bundle the new generation of iPods. If he can find a heavyweight musician to endorse it, how can he do it himself?"
Zhou Jianhui sneered: "Don't be fooled by Jobs's nice words, he is just trying to create a high-end image.
"He also said that he doesn't hire a spokesperson for computers, but according to my information, Yao Ming, who plays in the NBA in China, has been targeted by him. He is going to invite Yao Ming to be the spokesperson for the new generation of Apple computers, just because Yao Ming is very popular now."
I really think Jobs is the reincarnation of a god.
"What does the contract say?"
Zhou Yi became interested and was curious about how much money Jobs would give.
"8 million US dollars for three years, not bad, he really understands the entertainment industry. ”
As Zhou Yi’s first music-related endorsement product in the United States, the starting price given by Jobs is actually quite good, and it can even be said that this thing has a premium.
Normally, the endorsement fee for the top mp3 players in the market is only five or six million.
After all, it’s just a music player, and there are so many companies making it on the market.
“…Try to see if you can add a tiered clause, which must be limited to how many songs I sell in the Apple Music Store. For example, 300,000 songs for one tier, 600,000 songs for another tier, and recalculated remuneration and dividend clauses after reaching a million sales, etc. ”
Rubbing his chin, Zhou Yi, who was full of bad ideas, gave Zhou Jianhui a condition that made him feel confused.
What does this mean?
Is this a gamble with Apple?
Don’t you refuse to gamble?
Are you so gambling?
“How can you laugh at Jie Lun for giving money to others in the casino? "
Cheng Hao's house, living room.
After Zhou Yi hung up the phone, Sun Yanzi, who was holding a plate of fruit, sat cross-legged on the sofa and looked at him with a strange expression.
She could guess with her chest that if Apple really accepted this plan, it would definitely reduce the endorsement fee significantly, which is a typical risk hedging for businesses.
"I'm not gambling, this is called investment, you know shit."
Zhou Yi reached out and took the fruit plate that Cheng Hao handed to him, and said comfortably: "It's bound to win, okay. ”
How can you call it gambling if you can see the result?
He was born with this memory hack, and it is not considered open if it is not turned off.
As long as he hits Jobs' pain point, it is not a problem to get tens of millions of dollars more in three years with the ladder clause, and at the moment of signing the contract, Jobs may have to thank him repeatedly.
After all, he is now worried about the future of music stores, and his goals are extremely conservative. This is a great opportunity to make a lot of money.
Damn it, you made iOS so closed. In his previous life, he was disgusted by the closed mechanism of iOS.
When I was hanging out in the reader group, I heard that there was an unlucky guy who used an Apple ID to register an account on Qidian to write novels. As a result, after registering and writing novels, he found that he couldn't even manage the novel comment area on the Qidian app, couldn't participate in the monthly ticket lottery, and couldn't even hang the reader group account on the book introduction.
How miserable it is.
"Are you currently profitable from your investment? Mingdeng? "
Sun Yanzi bit his fork, chuckled, and winked at Cheng Hao maliciously: "You're right, Cheng Hao?"
"From the current recovery speed of the stock prices of major companies and the reports submitted by the company's personnel stationed in the board of directors of each company, although the return on investment has not yet been made, it is just around the corner."
Cheng Hao, who was overjoyed, finally saved the man's dignity: "In fact, stocks like Moutai are still rising steadily, but the increase is not very high."
"Heh, vulgar."
Zhou Yi, who pretended not to hear it, curled his lips in disdain, and his eyes were immediately attracted by the news broadcast as background music on the TV screen-
"It is reported that the new single released by our young singer Zhou Yi in the United States has exceeded 560,000 copies so far, becoming the first singer since the beginning of 2003 to exceed 500,000 copies in the United States in the first week of the single release.
"Yao Ming, a young player playing in the NBA, recently said in an interview that he is a loyal fan of Zhou Yi..."
When the camera was given to CCTV's field reporter, a group of black and white people with Rockets logos on their clothes appeared on the road behind him, singing "Enemy" loudly -
"Your words up on the wall as you're praying for my fall"
"And the laughter in the halls and the names that I've been called"
"I stack it in my mind and I'm waiting for the time (all stabbed in my heart sooner or later the time will come)
"When I show you what it's like to be words spit in a mic (like a bullet from the mouth, you can't escape)~~"
The passers-by's heartfelt shouts and choruses can't be faked under the CCTV camera, especially when everyone sang in unison like machine guns.
"Hello, sorry to bother you, are you fans of Spike?"
"Spike? Oh, yes, I just love this guy to death."
A brown-haired down guy hugging a blonde hottie was obviously excited when facing the camera: "Spike is really amazing! He is right, Eminem is the Joker! He should go back to Gotham!"
"We plan to propose this song as a halftime performance song! It's really great! ”
“…”
Obviously, there should be some more people who were interviewed after this, but CCTV’s editing either muted the sound and replaced it with the reporter’s voice or narration, or simply cut it out.
Zhou Yi was very dissatisfied with this——
Can’t you show more?
Sun Yanzi, who didn’t really want to see Zhou Yi showing off, jumped up from the sofa with her hands and feet and grabbed the remote control, and turned to Hunan TV to watch the replay of Happy Camp——
She didn’t like variety shows very much, but she liked to watch variety shows to relax.
Especially variety shows like Happy Camp, which are really fun.
Naturally, the two of them started like two naughty kids at Cheng Hao’s house. A battle for the remote control, Cheng Hao, who was used to it, shook his head helplessly, picked up his fruit plate and sat aside to read a magazine, while letting the two fight on the sofa, and the years were quiet and good.
Since moving into the new house, at first, it was only Sun Yanzi who came to eat in the name of learning cooking. Later, Zhou Yi, who didn't know what shamelessness was, simply didn't bother to eat the food brought back by the assistant. He called it supervising Sun Yanzi and not letting her eat too much, otherwise she would be scolded by the company.
Then, her home became a place where the three of them would often stay whenever they had a break, and the originally empty living room became lively.
"Oh, by the way, Cheng Hao, are you going to the United States to visit your uncle and aunt for the New Year this year? Or stay in China?"
After all, Sun Yanzi, who was thin and could not twist his thick thighs, turned his eyes to his good girlfriend who had lived a quiet life, and asked curiously.
"My mother didn't let me go there, saying that it was too troublesome to go back and forth, and asked me to stay in China with peace of mind. "
Talking about his parents, Cheng Hao shook his head: "My dad's treatment there is very effective. It is estimated that he can be transferred back to the sanatorium in China around June this year."
"Is that so..."
Sun Yanzi nodded in understanding, and then suddenly jumped up from the sofa, reached out to grab his bag, pursed his tongue and reached in for a long time-
Cheng Hao was a little surprised: "Why are you asking this?"
"Dangdang!"
Sun Yanzi touched an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. He held it in front of Cheng Hao as if showing some treasure, grinning: "Are you interested in going to the Spring Festival Gala to spend the New Year with me? Xiao Yaxuan and I are so lonely. Zhou Yi is not in the same time period as us."
"..."
Cheng Hao blinked, looking at Sun Yanzi, whose smile was as bright as a sunflower, as if he thought of something, and then swallowed the words that came to his mouth back into his stomach, and took the envelope with a smile: "Okay, then it's settled. "
"Nice!"
Seeing Cheng Hao accept the envelope, Sun Yanzi briefly blinked her right eye and gave her a wink. While shouting happily, she also gave her a thumbs up, and her short hair swayed with joy: "Let's celebrate the New Year together."
Zhou Yi, who was sitting on the side, watched the two of them talking. While chewing the fruit, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but raise a tiny arc.
Is Sun Yanzi short of people to celebrate the New Year?
This year, she obviously didn't need anyone, Xiao Yaxuan was with her.
"If Cheng Hao doesn't go to her parents' house for the New Year, why don't we just invite her to celebrate the New Year with us? It's more lively with more people, and she won't feel lonely. "
This is what Sun Yanzi said when she first discussed with him.
Having traveled across the ocean to China to work hard, she obviously understood how uncomfortable it was to be lonely during the Chinese New Year, which was why she came to eat for free under the pretext of learning cooking skills.
Of course, she continued to eat for free not because she was greedy and Cheng Hao's cooking was delicious, 10,000 times better than hers.
Absolutely not!
The next day, Sun Yanzi, full of energy, reunited with Xiao Yaxuan and entered the CCTV studio.
The 2003 CCTV Spring Festival Gala for the Year of the Sheep has entered the final rehearsal stage. At this point, only Zhou Yi, who has a big heart, can sit firmly.
Even a frequent guest of the Spring Festival Gala, Zhao Benshan, was very nervous and corrected his minor mistakes in various ways to strive for excellence.
As a model of the old leading the new, Sun Yanzi, who was on the Spring Festival Gala for the second time, had to lead Xiao Yaxuan, who was on the Spring Festival Gala for the first time. Therefore, no matter how many rehearsals they had, the two of them were very nervous during the rehearsal, fearing that the program would be eliminated.
In fact, if the song "Mom and Dad" that they were going to sing was not more in line with the traditional Chinese concept, they might have been eliminated.
As a family-oriented pop song, the song "Mom and Dad" they sang successfully squeezed out "Gathering" sung by 7 singers in the system, and became the last program before the clock struck midnight.
As for Zhou Yi, he squeezed out the spot of Guo Fucheng, the former Warner No. 1.
Guo Fucheng was originally going to sing "Get Moving" in this Spring Festival Gala, but now he is gone, replaced by his "Young China".
Due to Zhou Yi's achievements and reputation, no one objected to this decision. Aaron Kwok's focus has shifted to the film industry, so he has no objection.
"I heard that your overseas achievements have exploded again, congratulations."
In the studio, Zhang Baizhi, who sang the audience-collected song "DV Tonight" with Xie Xiaodong this year, had no intention of avoiding suspicion because of her boyfriend Xie Tingfeng. Even when her boyfriend was in trouble, she still warmly greeted her "boyfriend's enemy" Zhou Yi who arrived at the scene.
How to say it, you can't tell whether she is brainless or just so unrefined.
However, considering that this person dared to take a photo with Edison Chen and posted it publicly after the photo incident, Zhou Yi is more inclined to believe that she may not have the brain to avoid thunder.
"Your rap is too fast, how did you do it?"
……………………
"Honestly, I don't know."
On the evening of January 24, on a variety show in the United States.
Facing the host's question, Mariah Carey, as a guest, also shook her head: "In fact, I have tried many times in private, but it is obvious that I don't have this rap talent. I have to say that this is a pity. I think Spike's rap with extremely fast speed is enough to be a teaching material."
"Better than Eminem?"
"Eminem? Who? I don't know him at all."
Mariah Carey shook her blonde hair and shrugged in front of the camera: "The performance of Spike's song has already said it all. In fact, I do think so, and I am not lying.
"I can issue a challenge. If anyone on the scene can sing this rap completely at the original speed, I can give him one thousand dollars."
Mariah Carey, who looked rich and powerful, issued a challenge that made the host feel unfamiliar-
No, can you do this kind of promotion?