You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Lu Xi, Chen Xin, Li Feiyu, Chen Xiang, and Li Mubai.
Lu Chen's bright gaze slowly scanned the faces of everyone in the room.
Some were his relatives, others were friends, a few were former colleagues, and some were original fans.
By chance, they all found themselves gathered here, forming a small but determined team.
Regardless of their past professions or current roles, they were all newcomers in the entertainment industry, grappling with uncertainty and a lack of experience.
What gave Lu Chen confidence was the unity of this team!
The current workshop resembled a newly sprouted seedling— fragile yet resilient, with roots that were flexible and full of life. Even when faced with the weight of large stones or the onslaught of storms, they still had the strength to endure.
He felt fearless.
"Honestly, everyone is overthinking this."
Lu Chen smiled, "We don't need to defeat anyone. As long as this album is released and available for sale, that's a success in itself. Plus, we don't need to exhaust ourselves competing for sales rankings; the real focus is on recovering our costs."
"Our costs are incredibly low."
The production cost of the album "My Old Classmate" is something most industry insiders would find hard to believe.
Typically, a complete album of acceptable or even outstanding quality can cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions. It's not unusual for expenses to exceed a million, and when promotional costs are added, it can soar to 3-4 million.
However, the total production cost of "My Old Classmate" is just 100,000!
All ten songs were penned by Lu Chen himself, meaning he didn't have to spend a single cent on purchasing songs from others, saving tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.
A well-known songwriter usually charges tens of thousands for a single track.
Moreover, for composing, arranging, and recording, Lu Chen chose the lesser-known Nirvana Workshop over top-tier production companies like Heavenly Sound.
This decision saved him several hundred thousand!
According to Lin Zhijie, the music director at Flying Stone Records, the true value of the album produced by Nirvana Workshop for Lu Chen should be between 200,000 and 300,000, making it a fantastic deal.
The production cost of 100,000 is roughly equivalent to the price of a standard advertising spot on WeChat Music for just ten days!
When you factor in this advertising cost, the remaining expenses, excluding labor, are only 200,000!
According to the contract between Lu Chen's workshop and WeChat Music, "My Old Classmate" will be sold as a complete album without splitting it into singles. The price for regular members is 10 Yuan per copy, with VIP members receiving a 20% discount.
Lu Chen's workshop and WeChat Music will split the revenue 50/50.
Even if all copies are sold at the VIP price, as long as 50,000 copies are sold, they can recover their costs, and anything beyond that is pure profit.
Such a profit margin is something Cui Zhengzhi, Zou Bei, or Ling Xiaoxiao cannot compete with.
The advertising costs they invested in their albums are in the hundreds of thousands, and with production costs, they would need to sell at least 400,000 to 500,000 copies to break even, which is completely unattainable without resorting to underhanded tactics.
Of course, whether it's Cui Zhengzhi, Zou Bei, or Ling Xiaoxiao, the companies they are signed with are not focused on recouping costs through online album sales; they primarily profit from the artists' performances, endorsements, merchandise, and more.
Thus, the objectives of both sides are fundamentally different from the outset.
Lu Chen's expectations are modest; he would be very satisfied just to break even. As long as the album earns a good reputation and enhances his status in the entertainment community, there will be plenty of opportunities to profit later on.
So, Lu Chen doesn't need to compete with Qi/Dou Qi for fame, nor will he spend excessively to gamble on success.
"We just need to focus on our own work!"
Lu Chen told everyone, "Let them be strong; it doesn't matter if Cui Zhengzhi's album drops on the same day. Our goal is 50,000 sales; hitting that mark is a victory!"
"50,000 is a piece of cake."
Li Mubai scoffed, "The members of the Lu family army alone exceed 50,000. There are over a million followers on Live Streaming and five million on Wave Blog!"
Lu Chen shook his head with a smile. Aside from the die-hard fans of the Lu family army, how many of those followers on Live Streaming and Wave Blog can be converted into paying customers is still uncertain, especially since the number of blog followers is often inflated.
His Wave Blog boasts over five million followers, meeting the basic criteria for a major influencer, but most of them are casual viewers, many drawn in during previous blog battles, and not true fans.
It would be naive to expect these casual fans to spend money on purchasing songs.
Of course, with the backing of the die-hard fans of the Lu family army, reaching 50,000 sales should be achievable.
Compared to the online sales on WeChat Music, Lu Chen is actually more focused on the album itself, as that truly carries prestige!
Ding!
At that moment, Lu Xi's phone, resting on the desk, suddenly rang.
She picked it up to check and then opened her computer: "Little Mei has sent us some news."
Sister Little Mei, Chen Little Mei, works as a receptionist at Lu Chen's workshop and helps Lu Xi search for news online during her free time, especially gossip and insider information from the entertainment industry.
She sent Lu Xi a video link via WeChat.
"It's from Cui Zhengzhi."
Lu Xi clicked on the link and turned the computer screen around for everyone to see.
The video was from the entertainment channel of Wave Net, featuring an exclusive interview with Cui Zhengzhi conducted by a Wave reporter.
Wave Net is one of the largest portal websites in the country, benefiting from the popularity of Wave Blog and Wave Games, making its entertainment channel highly influential in the industry.
However, securing an exclusive interview with Wave Net is no easy feat; unless there's substantial content, one must pay for it, which is also a crucial part of publicity and hype.
On the 27-inch high-definition screen, Cui Zhengzhi spoke confidently into the microphone of the entertainment reporter.
The Wave reporter asked, "Mr. Cui Zhengzhi, I hear your first solo album is about to be released, is that correct?"
Cui Zhengzhi smiled and replied, "Yes, it will premiere on WeChat Music on the 8th of this month. I invite everyone to subscribe and purchase."
Cui Zhengzhi is 20 years old, two years younger than Lu Chen. He spent three years as a trainee at a Korean entertainment company before returning to China to officially debut.
Last year, he participated in Xiangnan TV's "Super Boy" talent show, where he finished as the runner-up. His singing and dancing skills, combined with a strong Korean star aura, have earned him a significant fanbase among young audiences.
The Wave reporter continued, "What can you tell us about the style of this album?"
Without hesitation, Cui Zhengzhi answered, "It's passionate and intense, guaranteed to make everyone's heart race. Out of the ten songs, four are written by me, and I believe you won't be disappointed!"
The Wave reporter chuckled, "Everyone says you are a very talented singer. I understand that this year's Singing China champion, Lu Chen, will also release his album on the same day on WeChat Music. Do you feel any pressure?"
Upon hearing the reporter's obviously provocative question, everyone finally understood why Sister Little Mei wanted Lu Xi to see this interview.
"No pressure at all!"
Cui Zhengzhi smiled confidently, "Lu Chen is a strong singer, but I am stronger. My album is even better, so the winner will definitely be me!"
"He's so arrogant!" Chen Xin couldn't help but exclaim, "He doesn't even acknowledge Brother Chen!"
Li Mubai clenched his fists, "This guy..."
Cui Zhengzhi is indeed very arrogant, and his confidence is anything but ordinary; it seems to be part of his nature.
However, to his fans, Cui Zhengzhi appears sincere and straightforward, saying what he means without any pretense.
But anyone who thinks he is naive is gravely mistaken!
This new artist returning from Korea knows how to play the game, and he knows when to be humble.
As for Lu Chen, he is clearly not someone Cui Zhengzhi intends to show humility towards.
The Wave reporter seemed to relish this topic and pressed further, "What gives you such confidence? Some of the songs in Lu Chen's album have received very positive reviews."
Cui Zhengzhi nodded and said, "His songs are good, but they're really outdated, belonging to the nostalgic style of the 80s and 90s. I know what young people like!"
"F*ck!" Li Feiyu was about to explode with anger, "How shameless can he be!"
Saying they are good is actually a dig at Lu Chen, and the sarcasm in his words is evident to anyone listening.
It would be one thing to say this privately, but to say it in a public interview is incredibly arrogant. Not only Li Feiyu and Li Mubai but even Lu Chen frowned.
Even a clay figurine has its limits!
If he remains indifferent after being insulted, what kind of man would he be?
Lu Chen is not a pushover!
Chen Xiang angrily said, "I used to like him, but now I realize how annoying he is!"
Lu Xi's expression turned serious, "He's deliberately stirring up controversy."
After some time of learning and research, Lu Xi has gained a basic understanding of various hype tactics in the entertainment industry. She immediately saw through the act between Cui Zhengzhi and the Wave reporter.
This method of hype is quite calculated.
But it is still intolerable!
The key is that Cui Zhengzhi is unafraid of criticism; he is fully confident that he can surpass Lu Chen in sales.
With so much advertising money poured in, he could easily outpace Lu Chen.
Winners are not blamed; fans will only praise them!
Lu Chen suddenly smiled and said, "It seems that if we don't take this seriously, we'll really be out of the running. Sis, let's invest some money in online promotion!"
Initially, Lu Chen didn't want to spend much on promoting this album, but now his perspective has shifted.
Lu Xi's eyes lit up immediately, "What ideas do you have?"
Lu Chen said, "Let me think for a moment."
His gaze fixed on the screen where Cui Zhengzhi was confidently speaking, a hint of coldness flickering in his eyes.
Since you want to compete, let's have a proper showdown!
(End of this chapter)