Chapter 54

Liao Liao is really becoming famous.

To measure whether a singer has become popular, there are countless criteria, but without a doubt, the most direct ones are only three.

First, look at album sales.

To tally the entire market's sales, it takes a certain amount of time, and it usually lags by about three weeks. Currently, only the first week's sales statistics for the album "Liao Liao" have been released, which is 18,933 copies.

This sales figure is certainly ordinary, but that's not a problem because everyone understands that the data from that week did not yet reflect the album's strong market presence. So, what does her current strength look like?

Second place on the Dongguan Bookstore sales chart!

11,484 copies!

This is the sales data created despite a nationwide shortage of "Liao Liao"!

If it could be supplied adequately, how terrifying would its sales be?

Even the most professional people couldn't guess, but everyone had a sense of it.

Second, look at the invitations.

Commercial performance invitations, program invitations... Just a day or two after the second-place sales data from the Dongguan Bookstore chart was released, Changsheng Records received over 200 commercial performance invitations!

It's important to understand that performance organizers have the most sensitive instincts! They are dealing with real money, and if they are willing to pay a certain price, it definitely means your market value has surpassed that price!

To put it bluntly, they are in it for the money!

And those famous programs that previously required personal connections and even queuing to get on, are now actively urging Liao Liao to appear.

As long as Liao Liao is willing to appear, talking about sponsorship fees would be hurtful!

As long as Liao Liao is willing to appear, what's the point of queuing? She is so busy; how could we, how dare we waste her time by making her wait? As soon as she arrives, we can record!

This reversal, at the core, is still about money.

The current Liao Liao can make everyone earn money!

And this is what is called status.

Third, look at the China Voice Golden Melody Chart.

This chart is currently recognized as the most authoritative single-song popularity chart in the country, and it can most intuitively reflect the audience's and fans' affection for the songs on the market. The top ten songs selected each week almost always represent a best-selling album and a very popular singer. If an album can have two songs on the chart at the same time, then congratulations, you are already one of the most popular people in the pop music scene!

Even though "Liao Liao" had two songs on the chart last week, and even though industry insiders had a premonition, and even though last week was the chart period for Liu Liangming's new album, the king of the Chinese music scene, everyone thought that with Liu Liangming's status and the quality of his new album, it should have a deterrent effect. However, when the latest week's data came out, the entire pop music scene couldn't help but be amazed!

Because the album "Liao Liao" had five songs on the chart at once!

"Unfinished Love," 10th place!

"Wildflowers," 7th place!

"My Passionate Hometown," 4th place!

"Cheers, Friends," 2nd place!

"Perseverance," 1st place!

With a bang, it seemed something had been ignited!

If the influence of the album "Liao Liao" was previously limited to the fans who usually enjoy listening to music and are more willing to follow the music scene, then after a few weeks of fermentation, with the rapid spread of word-of-mouth and the expanding scope, the already sufficiently heated "Liao Liao" reached a new level of popularity with the announcement of the China Voice Chinese Song Request Chart this week!

At this point, the entire country and society seemed to suddenly become wildly enthusiastic!

Radio and TV stations broadcast it daily, the request lines were dominated by this album, various newspapers and magazines featured several review articles in each issue, and the big speakers outside music stores played it on a loop. No matter which city or street corner you walked through, you would inadvertently hear someone humming a familiar melody, and your friends would one by one say, "Wow, this song is so beautiful..."

Even those who don't usually listen to music suddenly felt, "Oh, this album is so good and so many people like it, I should buy a copy to listen to it too!"

Thus, "Liao Liao" became even more popular!

Thus, after the most sensitive performance organizers and performance companies sent invitation letters in bulk to Changsheng Records, various radio and TV stations, newspapers, and magazines also sent interview and feature invitations!

Thus, when Liao Liao, unaware of the situation, flew to Chengdu to record a radio program, nearly ten local media outlets, including Tianfu TV, Chengdu TV, Southwest Voice Radio, Tianfu Radio, Chengdu Radio, Tianfu Evening News, and Jin Guan Cheng Daily, gathered at Jin Guan Cheng Airport in the afternoon, having somehow found out the information and unable to contact Liao Liao's agent through Changsheng Records.

The appearance of a large number of cameras, camcorders, and microphones directly caused many arriving passengers to linger. Upon discovering that the person the journalists were waiting for was Liao Liao, the scene instantly became a frenzy of waiting.

Thus, when the completely unaware Liao Liao and Huang Wenjuan arrived at the waiting hall, they were directly stunned by the hundreds of fans gathered on the scene. In the end, they had to escape the scene hurriedly under the protection of airport security and the reception staff from Jin Guan Cheng Radio, who had arranged to meet them.

That night, Liao Liao's stiff smile appeared on the evening news of Chengdu TV, the front pages of the entertainment sections of several local newspapers, and the "Evening Entertainment News" and "Evening Entertainment Broadcast" of several local radio stations.

That night, Xiao Yuandong, the manager of the artist department of Changsheng Records, who was overseeing the preparation of a concert for the company's lead male singer Zhou Feng, flew from Songjiang to Chengdu.

The next day, following the requirements of the general manager, Zheng Changsheng, he accepted three radio programs for Liao Liao and politely declined the program invitations from several TV stations and the interview invitations from several newspapers and magazines. Of course, although the schedule was tight, he could still squeeze in some time for magazine cover shoots between programs...

Thus, Liao Liao's schedule was forced to change.

...

All of this unequivocally proved that Liao Liao was really becoming famous!

But it wasn't just her who was becoming famous.

For fans, if they think a song is good, they only pay attention to the singer. They don't easily care about which company released the album or who wrote the lyrics and composed the music. To them, these things are meaningless.

But it's not the same within the music industry.

Just as in the film and television industry, where "characters make actors," in the music industry, "good songs make singers" is not a new topic.

And take a look at the lyrics of the album "Liao Liao"!

The five most popular songs, the five songs that simultaneously entered the top ten of the request chart, were all written by the same person!

The lyrics were written by the same person!

The music was also written by the same person!

How blind would one have to be to not see this?

How ignorant would one have to be to not understand why "Liao Liao" became famous?

Thus...

"Hello, I'm Zheng Changsheng... Oh, Mr. Zhang, hello, hello, hahaha, thank you, thank you! Everyone is making money, everyone is making money!... Oh, she's been blocked by several local media in Chengdu! Sigh, this girl, how should I put it, she's naive, you know! Seeing so many cameras, she didn't know to hide, she just walked straight over... Hey, that's right! She doesn't even know how famous she has become!... Oh, you're talking about Li Qian! Ah, hahaha, yes, yes!... Hey, it's like this, he's Liao Liao's friend!... Yes, yes, a talented person, hahaha! Yes, yes, we are negotiating a contract, yes, yes! Hahaha, Mr. Zhang, you... joking, joking! Of course, we will sign him! Liao Liao called me yesterday, saying she wants Li Qian to be the producer for her next album!... Of course I agreed!... Oh, song requests, that's easy, easy, we are friends, of course we can cooperate! This is easy, you can rest assured, when we meet, I will personally talk to Li Qian, and if there are suitable songs, I will definitely send them to you, okay?..."

"Hello, Mr. Lin, it's rare for you to call me... Hahaha, thank you, thank you!... Oh, Liao Liao... Yes, we have been negotiating a contract with Li Qian for a while, and we are almost signing it!... Yes, as you've heard, he is still in high school!... Hahaha, yes, yes, thank you, thank you! Good, good, good, when he has suitable works, I will definitely send them to you!... Hahaha, easy, easy!..."

"Hello, Mr. He, I'm Zheng Changsheng. Hahaha, thank you!... Yes, the preparation for Liao Liao's next album has already started, yes, yes!... Yes, Liao Liao's idea is to have Li Qian be the producer for her next album! Hahaha, yes, yes, yes!... With Li Qian? We are very familiar!... Yes, yes, very familiar!... Easy, easy, you can rest assured, we will definitely have the opportunity to cooperate!... Good, good, I will call Li Qian and Liao Liao, and we will all sit down together... Good, good!..."

"..."

There are dozens of large-scale record companies in the domestic music industry, and Zheng Changsheng, with his years of experience in the industry, has always been smooth and resourceful. Plus, Changsheng Records has some influence in the market, so his network is extensive.

In the past, this was one of his proudest achievements, but in the last few days, it has almost become his biggest nightmare...

In the music industry, there might be some people who only understand music and are clueless about human relations, but the bosses and senior managers of record companies are all shrewd!

Perhaps everyone was still watching and hesitating in the past few weeks, but with "Liao Liao" securing five spots on the Golden Melody Chart this week and even overshadowing the king of the music scene, Liu Liangming, the intense popularity immediately made these shrewd people abandon their last bit of hesitation and extend their hands!

Liao Liao... they will definitely try to poach her!

This was predictable!

But on one hand, the company still has a contract with Liao Liao for one more album and a year and a half of management. On the other hand, Zheng Changsheng feels that the company has treated Liao Liao well, especially during the production of this album. Despite his anger and scolding, he ultimately indulged her, leading to the album's current popularity. Given Liao Liao's character, she is unlikely to turn her back on the company for money!

So, he is not too worried about Liao Liao.

At least before the contract is fulfilled, Zheng Changsheng believes the possibility of Liao Liao leaving is very low!

Moreover, he is not foolish enough to leave loopholes for other companies to exploit. He has been planning the new contract these days and decided to personally discuss it with Liao Liao when she returns. He believes that his offer will be sincere enough to keep Liao Liao for at least three more years!

What he is most worried about, most concerned about, and cannot let go of, is... that high school student!

First, he definitely has no contract, he is a free agent!

Second, although perhaps only Liao Liao in the entire music industry knows him and how to contact him, with the huge popularity of "Liao Liao" and the rapid rise of songs like "Perseverance" and "My Passionate Hometown," his musical talent has been fully displayed!

He can write lyrics and compose music, and he is also very skilled at arranging!

He can write folk songs with grandeur, Chinese-style songs with elegance, and even light rock, which no one in the country has truly mastered, with grace...

Such a musical genius, with no contractual ties... it's easy to imagine how many record companies are eagerly trying to find his contact information!

Don't be fooled by their congratulatory calls; Zheng Changsheng knows very well that their only goal is to find out the contact information of that kid!

Even if Zheng Changsheng himself doesn't have Li Qian's contact information, even if he did, he wouldn't be foolish enough to share it! But the problem is, he can't avoid answering whether Changsheng Records has signed Li Qian...

So, he has to... bluff!

At least, he has to deceive them for now!

But, what should he do next?

Li Qian must be signed!

Of course, he must!

But... how to sign him?

Since Liao Liao bought five songs from him and returned from Jinan, various rumors have been circulating in the company. Li Qian's status as a high school student is no longer a secret, but Liao Liao has never proactively revealed Li Qian's contact information to the company, and even after the album was released, she has never proactively recommended Li Qian to the company.

In the music industry, this clearly indicates a desire to keep things hidden.

Fortunately, so far, Liao Liao has not recommended Li Qian to any other record company!

So, Changsheng Records still has an advantage.

But... who knows what their relationship is!

Who knows what Liao Liao... or Li Qian, is planning!

Looking back, Zheng Changsheng regrets not taking a strong stance when Liao Liao insisted on using Li Qian's five songs. At least, he should have recorded the contact information of the songwriter and composer!

But the problem is, at that time, he was just angry at Liao Liao's擅自决定, who could have predicted that a high school student's works would be so popular?

Now, with Liao Liao's fame soaring and Li Qian's reputation rapidly rising in the industry, even though Zheng Changsheng is Liao Liao's boss, he can't afford to be strong with the current Liao Liao and Li Qian; he can only try to please them.

The phone rang again, and this time it was a direct call to his personal, confidential number.

Clearly, the caller was another senior executive from a record company.

After answering dozens of such calls, Zheng Changsheng was already extremely annoyed.

He pressed the intercom to call in his secretary, Xiao Wang, and said, "From now on, you sit here and answer the calls. If they ask about Liao Liao, say she hasn't returned. If they ask about me, say I'm on a business trip. If... if they ask about Li Qian... just say you don't know! Uh... no, say it's a company secret, confidential!"

After saying this, he sat down on the sofa in the reception area, listening to Xiao Wang handle one call after another, and couldn't help but rub his forehead in frustration.

Then, he finally made up his mind and dialed Liao Liao's number.

He couldn't wait any longer!

This time, Liao Liao answered herself.

After some pleasantries, Zheng Changsheng casually said, "By the way, Liao Liao, has Li Qian, who wrote the songs for you, signed with any other company?"

Liao Liao replied, "No! What's up?"

Zheng Changsheng said, "Oh, nothing, I just think he has real talent in songwriting. Liao Liao, ask him if he's willing to join our company! As long as he's willing, the terms are up to him!"

On the other end, Liao Liao chuckled and said, "Isn't he more famous in the industry than me now! I've received so many calls these days, everyone is trying to find out about him! But, Mr. Zheng, I suggest you don't waste your effort. I talked to him last night, and he said he wants to focus on his studies for now. He will only consider this when he feels confident about getting into college!"

"Uh... so, he doesn't plan to debut or sign a contract in the short term?"

"Yes, that's the impression I got! But don't worry, if he really wants to sign with a company and release an album, he will definitely ask me! I will definitely recommend Changsheng Records first!"

"Oh, I see! Good, good!... Uh, can other companies contact him?"

"Haha, I can't guarantee that! He's currently singing in a restaurant in Jinan! They say he earns several dozen yuan a day, including tips from customers! Who knows when someone might run into him!"

"..."

After hanging up, Zheng Changsheng felt a gnawing discomfort.

The first part was fine, but Liao Liao's last sentence was particularly irritating.

But then, he quickly calmed down.

Musicians, especially good ones, often have strong personalities.

The better they are, the stronger their personalities.

Since Liao Liao has already asked, and Li Qian has no plans to debut in the near future, he probably won't sign with any company before he graduates from high school.

So, if he can't get him, at least no one else can either, right?

Moreover, even if the company can't sign Li Qian, with Liao Liao's connection, they should still be able to get songs from him, right?... Thinking about it, this might even be better than signing him?

After all, once he's signed, as a company artist, his songs won't all go to the company; there will always be some favors to exchange with other companies!

But now... no one else is Liao Liao! No one else knows Li Qian!

That means, except for Liao Liao, no one can get songs from him!

Thinking about this, Zheng Changsheng snapped his fingers in satisfaction.

Just as Secretary Xiao Wang hung up another call, he turned to her and instructed, "From now on, no matter who calls, tell them that Li Qian is still in school and won't debut! If they want to sign Li Qian or get his songs, they'll have to find a way themselves, because Changsheng Records can't get them either!"

As he finished speaking, the phone rang again.

Zheng Changsheng sat comfortably on the sofa, listening to Xiao Wang handle the calls, feeling inexplicably pleased.

"This is the best way!" he thought.

But despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but feel resentful: "You write such good songs, why not just sign up and do music?"

What kind of studies are you doing!

Now, you're studying in high school and singing in a restaurant, earning several dozen yuan a day...

Considering your five songs simultaneously making the top ten of the request chart and the crazy sales of the "Liao Liao" album... saying this is just embarrassing!

To be honest, after doing music for over a decade as an outsider, Zheng Changsheng most appreciates the artistic flair of musicians. With that flair, they always come up with endless creative ideas and create music that touches the heart, and then... make him money.

But, he also most dislikes the artistic flair of musicians, because they insist on doing things their way!

So, Zhou Mo, at the height of her fame, fell in love with an old man and willingly became his mistress, even quitting the music scene! The problem is, the man was not only old and ugly but also poor...

So, Li Qian, a high school student, after using five songs to secure five spots on the China Voice weekly request chart, is honestly staying in his hometown to study and even singing in a restaurant...

In a nutshell—

These people are too stubborn!

***

After writing this, I looked back and realized I used so many ellipses, it felt like a small H text...

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