Chapter 182: Taking off from the spot: Cutting the leeks of foreign brainless fans is called skill
As night fell, on several music platforms in South Korea, a recommendation banner for Dream Era's first album, "Dream Era," was hung on the homepage, with a countdown to the release written on it.
In addition to Korean music platforms, this album is also available on music platforms in Europe, America, Japan, and even Southeast Asia, waiting to be released.
But strangely, there is no news about this album on major Chinese music platforms. Simply put, this album will not be sold in China, which makes many Chinese fans feel very upset and feel that they are being treated differently.
There are two main reasons why it is not sold on the China Music platform.
The first reason is because of the restrictions. It is not easy for Korean artists to develop in China now, including album sales.
Second, and most importantly, Su Yang and Tang Qing agreed that exploiting foreigners was a skill. Even if their identities were exposed in the future, it wouldn't have a significant impact on them. So what if Dream Era were a transvestite group? They didn't debut in China, didn't release their albums domestically, and had no intention of making money domestically.
As for those domestically obsessed fans who jumped the gun and bought the album on foreign platforms, that's their business. Who can they blame for being fools and willing to be exploited? At least subjectively, Su Yang isn't exploiting Chinese people, but foreigners. He's also exploiting the foreign obsessed fans. When this is exposed, it might even become a heroic event. Su Yang might even become a hero against the Koreans.
However, for the "brainless" fans in China, this fact is truly disheartening. But as "brainless" fans, their level of stupidity is definitely beyond the imagination of most people. Even with such obvious discrimination, these "brainless" fans can still console themselves by blaming the issue on government policies, saying that the reason the albums aren't released in China isn't because the idols don't want to, but because China simply doesn't allow it.
Meanwhile, within the various gathering places for die-hard fans, many were explaining how to bypass the Great Firewall to purchase the album electronically. Some fan groups even hired dedicated purchasing agents to buy the album in CD form.
While it's not easy to buy digital albums through a purchasing agent, there are CD albums. You can buy them in Korean stores for as little as you want. Bringing them back home is also easy; they're not contraband, so the purchasing agent can bring them back directly or have them mailed.
Besides, some crazy fans don’t care whether they can get the album or not. What they care about is the sales of their idol’s album. This mentality is really great.
As night fell, a spectacular scene appeared in front of some music stores in Seoul, South Korea. Long lines formed in front of many music stores, and many fans lined up to wait for the release of Dream Era's first album.
Some of those queuing up are Dream Era fans in Korea, some are purchasing agents, and some are professional speculators who are targeting limited edition custom albums.
This is especially true for Kang Yun-taek's limited edition album, limited to 9,999 copies worldwide. Each one is meticulously crafted, and includes Kang Yun-taek's autograph and a photo poster featuring him. Furthermore, each poster is unique, with each set consisting of 99 copies, for a total of 101 copies.
Each poster is well-made, with Jiang Yunze's autograph, corresponding number and anti-counterfeiting mark on it. The price of such an album is even more terrifying, with each album priced at 999,999 won, which is equivalent to 5,506 yuan in RMB.
More than 5,000 RMB per album, this price is really making many people drool. Damn, more than 5,000 RMB per album, most people really can't afford it.
However, it is precisely because of this price that some speculators are attracted.
This is a blind box setup. Especially the posters and photo posters inside, and each one is different. And there are 99 posters in a series, which is a serial trap.
For some collectors, this is not just about one album. If you want to collect a series of posters, you need to own at least 99 limited edition albums to collect a set of posters.
This is still the most theoretical possibility, because it is a blind box setting, and there is no difference on the surface. So whether you can gather a set of posters is completely based on luck.
This is a tricky one, but it's incredibly popular. Don't be fooled by the price; even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy the limited edition album. The 9,999 copies are sold worldwide and are randomly allocated. Some large music stores might sell a few copies a day, while smaller stores might not be able to get any.
Because the number is so small, 9999 may seem like a lot, but when they are distributed around the world, it becomes less. In addition to Kang Yoon-taek, the other members also have limited editions, and they are the same as Kang Yoon-taek's limited editions, and the prices are the same.
However, in the eyes of professional speculators, the most hype-worthy items are the limited edition albums of Jiang Yunze and Qin Ziran, because they are the most famous members of Dream Era.
But you never know. If other members become famous in the future, their limited edition albums may appreciate in value.
It's cruel, too cruel. Turning an album into an investment product is really cruel.
Su Yang and Tang Qing were incredibly ruthless this time around. The sales from the limited edition albums alone were a terrifying amount. Each person's limited edition album alone brought in over 50 million RMB. If all seven of their limited edition albums were sold out, they could rake in around 350 million RMB. This was incredibly lucrative.
Customizing limited editions, playing with limited quantities, playing with blind boxes, playing with collections, playing with speculation, playing with hunger marketing, this is completely a pure capital game. Su Yang believes that among those who are queuing, there must be people who were deliberately arranged by the partners.
After an anxious wait, eight o'clock in the evening finally arrived. When eight o'clock arrived, the electronic album officially went on sale on major websites and major music stores also officially started selling the album.
On Korean music platforms, this electronic album is priced at 10,000 won, which converts to 55 yuan per copy. This price is significantly higher than in China. However, in the Korean market, this price is not considered high. After all, South Korea is a developed country with relatively high wages and a relatively small market, so album prices are generally higher than in China.
In addition, since Dream Era is so popular, major platforms naturally gave it a good price.
As for ordinary CD albums, the price is 20,000 Korean won, which is equivalent to 110 yuan in RMB.
The price was high, but Tang Qing and her team only received a modest share of the profits. Online, they only received a 50/50 split. Offline, Tang Qing only received a 40% commission. The remaining 60% went to the distribution company, with 10% going to audiovisual stores and the remaining 50%. This price was only achieved due to Dream Era's popularity; if it weren't for that popularity, they would likely have received even less.
To put it bluntly, album sales are like movie tickets. You work so hard to produce an album, but in the end, the distributors are the ones who make the most money because they control the sales and distribution channels.
Most of these channels are controlled by capital. Even Korea’s top entertainment companies do not have the strength to compete with them and can only prosper together.
But even if it's 40%, it's still a lot. You have to know that the price of CD albums is very high. The price is 110 yuan, and 40% of the album can still get 44 yuan.
Although Tang Qing and Su Yang felt the pain, they knew that this was a game of capital. They could only cooperate with these capitals to reap more leeks. After all, it was all foreign fans' money, so they would make a lot of money if they didn't make some.
At 8pm, the album officially went on sale, and people lined up at the music store and started paying for it. Some even bought multiple copies at once.
"Boss, do you have a limited edition custom version of Jiang Yunze?"
"Yes, I got twelve today."
"Give it all to me."
"No, no, there's a rule that says one person can only buy one."
"No way, can't you just sell them all to me? It's not like I won't pay."
"No, no, I can only buy one..."
"Oh well……"
At a large music store in Seoul, they only had twelve copies of Jiang Yunze's limited edition album. And these twelve copies weren't just for the money; they were also limited to one per person. And the more this was, the more excited some people became.
"Boss, I want one too..."
"Boss, give me one too..."
The twelve albums, though expensive, were sold out in just a few minutes. Limited editions of the remaining members are still available, but their popularity can't compare to Kang Yoon-taek's limited edition.
It’s a hot seller, especially in offline stores, and the sales of the electronic album are even more explosive.
Seeing this crazy rise in sales, many Korean artists couldn't help but swallow their saliva. Especially the current Korean girl groups, seeing the skyrocketing sales of the Dream Era album, they were envious.
The sales volume is too high. Not only in Korea, but also in Japan, and on European and American platforms, the sales volume is very good. If this album is sold in China, the sales volume is estimated to be even more terrifying.
The most important thing is that this is just the beginning, and the popularity of the songs in it has not yet fermented. If the quality of the songs in it is good, the sales will increase dramatically, and this is all money.
Hua Xia, Wang Yunze and the others were also too excited to sleep tonight. They gathered in their secret base, constantly checking the sales data on various platforms.
Looking at these sales data, they were so excited.
Small change! These are small changes. After all this hard work, they finally see small changes. Although the amount they get may not be much, it is finally a return.
They couldn't sleep, and Tang Qing was also a little sleepless. She was also very excited. Although she had made a lot of money as Qin Shuyao's agent before, the feeling was different because this time she made money with Su Yang, and Tang Qing felt more accomplished.
As for Su Yang, this heartless man doesn't care about this matter at all.
At this moment, he was on a small island in the Maldives, hugging Qin Shuyao and enjoying life happily. In the Maldives, the two of them directly rented a small island. The island was not big, with only a small villa and a small beach.
The moonlight is very beautiful today. The two of them are lying on the lounge chairs on the beach, snuggling together and admiring the moon.
We have been in Maldives for a few days now. We have been spending more peaceful time here than in Pattaya. Apart from playing some fun activities, we have been staying at home freely on this small island.
There were only the two of them on the island, and no one else came to disturb them.
Away from the city, away from the hustle and bustle, away from work, the two of them live a life that belongs to them alone.
During the day, they would walk on the beach, swim or snorkel in the crystal clear sea. At night, they would stay in the villa, living in their own world without anyone disturbing them. This life made them very happy.
“I really want to live like this forever.”
Qin Shuyao lay in Su Yang's arms and couldn't help saying that she liked this kind of life and the tranquility she had now.
"If you like it, stay here a few more days. Although life like this is nice, it will get boring after a while. Life still needs to be colorful, especially now that we are young. We are not short of money now, so we should work less in the future. Do something you enjoy, whether it is traveling or working. The most important thing is to be happy. Life is only a few short decades long, and living happily and healthily is better than anything else."
Su Yang couldn't help but say.
"Hubby, you have such a Buddhist mentality."
Qin Shuyao couldn't help but say.
"It's not that I'm too Buddhist, but I've already let go of many things. People can't be too greedy, nor can they be too ambitious. Look at some wealthy people, they have so much money that they can't spend it all, but so what? Many people are old and can hardly walk, but they still have to work. What's the point? There are also many such examples in your entertainment industry. Some people pass away at a young age, leaving their hard-earned money to others. The person who takes over not only spends his money, but also sleeps with his wife and beats his children. How tragic it is. What's the point of having money for such people? I think the old man in our village lives a very happy life. He is almost a hundred years old, his eyes and ears are not blurry, he can still stroll around the village every day, and he can chat with the old ladies when he has nothing to do. This is happiness."
Su Yang said softly. In fact, he was more open-minded about life than many people.
Having experienced the death of both his parents when he was young, coupled with what he had seen and heard over the years, Su Yang had long since let go of many things.
What is happiness? When you think about it, you will find that happiness is actually living a good and healthy life.
When we are young, we pursue wine, sex, money and power, but after we retire, are these things really that important?
At that time, whoever has good health, lives long, has many children and grandchildren, and has filial children will be truly happy.
Su Yang had a dream before. When he was young, he would work hard and pay for social security. When he was older and retired, he would return to his hometown and live in the countryside. A pension of several thousand yuan every month would be enough for him.
Walking the dog, fishing, chatting with some old ladies, and playing mahjong with some old men every day is the greatest happiness. Anyone who says that ordinary people are not happy has not found the true meaning of happiness. Su Yang believes that the premise of happiness is to have an open-minded attitude, which is the most important thing.
Su Yang's words made Qin Shuyao smile slightly.
“If only everyone was as open-minded as you.”
Qin Shuyao said with a smile, changed into a comfortable posture, and continued to lie in Su Yang's arms and look at the sky.
She really enjoyed this quietness. These few days were the happiest, most comfortable and most relaxing days she had had in all these years. It felt really good, and these few days of life also brought about a big change in Qin Shuyao's mentality.
Before this, Qin Shuyao felt that life required a career and that she needed to make a lot of money to prove herself.
After two weeks of traveling, and influenced by Su Yang's mentality, Qin Shuyao's mentality has become much more cheerful and open-minded. Now she understands that life is not just about career, and it cannot be just about career. There are many beautiful things in this world.
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse. The scent of happiness is everywhere this night, and happy things continue to happen on this small island.
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