Chapter 214
Ji Shao's debut album sales figures will be a key factor for fans of all NINE STAR groups. Yu Bao, a Chu Cheng fan, was surfing late at night when she saw a marketing account announcing the imminent release of Ji Shao's new song and quickly checked Blueberry Music for the results.
At midnight, there was a slight delay before the purchase interface for Ji Shao's new album refreshed. Not long after, she saw an account quickly rise to the top. Ji Shao's fan club? This wasn't really a surprise. If the fan club didn't rush to buy the album at this time, it would be a problem.
Over 30 seconds had passed, and the floating number of copies purchased in the lower left corner of the page was mostly one, with a few showing a few. Yu Bao felt a little chuffed at this sight. The number of copies Ji Shaojia had purchased at this point was clearly far different from what his biggest fan had said when he'd urged them to raise funds.
Her phone's screen recorder was already active. Just as the previous minute's sales figures were about to stabilize, she refreshed the screen again, and a familiar name firmly held the top spot. When she refreshed the screen again, the number of purchases had doubled again.
Blueberry Music has a purchase limit, which explains why Yubao saw a doubling of purchases. And the surge in Ji Shao's album sales wasn't just her's to see; many netizens who stayed up late to watch the excitement were also noticing it.
——【Forum】——[Morning morning of March 20]
【Topic】Wow! Ji Shao's new special has so many purchases!
[Main Building] It just came online, and the number of purchases has exceeded 10,000. It's a bit too popular, my goodness
1L
I saw the guy I'm attracted to on the list! I'm going to wait and see when he'll give away his album, so I can get one and listen to it! Freebies are the best, no objections accepted!
36L
Tens, hundreds, and millions...OMG, my heart is pounding. How much did they buy? I'm really impressed orz. This is so inhumane.
88L
My teammates and fans also bought a ticket. The guitar singing under the aurora really touched me [covering face]. I feel a little sorry for you, but when will you be romantic?
123L
I remember finding out at 10 o'clock that Ji Shao was going to release a new album at midnight the next day. Everyone thought the company was courting disaster... but I never expected it to be Ji Shao's own idea. He doesn't treat his fans like leeks. I think he really deserves to be famous!
169L
Ahhh, is there a sister link for me? I want to buy a copy and listen to it after seeing it!
…
Zhou Xiao didn't think much of it when he bought the blue coins, but it took him a lot of effort to buy the number of albums he wanted.
Because it was a solo album awarded by Huayao, the entire album only had one song. Although some people later complained about Huayao's stinginess, at that moment, everyone's mobile phones were playing Ji Shao's new song "Spring Equinox".
Ji Shao's new song lives up to its title. Bidding farewell to the cold of winter and welcoming the warmth and vitality of spring after the vernal equinox, Ji Shao's guitar playing imbues the song with a new, romantic quality. Furthermore, the fans of Tiao Si (Tiao Si) understand that this romantic performance is uniquely theirs.
The moment the melody started, Zhou Xiao felt Ji Shao's sincere heart. For Huayao, this was a "reward album," but for Ji Shao, it was also a song he wanted to sing for his fans. On the lyrics screen, the name "Ji Shao" was written above the lyricist line.
After purchasing the album, Zhou Xiao clicked into Ji Shao's super chat. The chat was refreshing at breakneck speed. Besides posting purchase records, there were even fan covers. Curious, she clicked on it, listened for a second, and quickly closed it. How could this fellow fan be so confident?
After thinking about it, Zhou Xiao switched her trumpet to "Pounding Heart", thinking it was time to give away the album, to let passersby and friends be more tolerant of their ignorance. Album sales were important, but she knew Ji Shao's intentions, so she followed her own heart and prepared to give the album away.
As soon as she switched, she saw a new blog post by Ji Shao on the front page. Zhou Xiao saw the red envelope and instinctively opened it, a 6 yuan one. Clicking on the details, she saw Ji Shao had given out a total of 66,666 yuan, while his albums were priced at 4 yuan each.
@NINE STAR-纪韶V: Take a good rest after listening to the song! [Red Envelope]
[Brother! You're paying for it!!!]
[The new song is great, I look forward to your next album! Please take care of yourself when you are out and about!]
[I looked up to see what day it was. Thank you, Xiao Shao! I wish you a Happy New Year in advance~]
[Ahhhh help me! I got my son’s red envelope. I’m going to buy him another album right now with tears in my eyes.]
[Baby, you should keep your money! Did you get your salary? I took the first payment, but I won't allow it next time! Also, your songs are amazing!]
【……】
Zhou Xiao felt his heart warm at the moment. When Ji Shao was interrupted by Chen Shenju in front of him, he could imagine that Huayao must want to make some money from this album that he had not been able to get before.
However, the fact that the album was released without any pre-heating and that he gave out red envelopes to his fans to invite them to listen to the songs all indicate that Ji Shao was fighting against his agency for the sake of his fans.
Digital albums are essentially a scam, and popular artists' digital albums rarely gain traction on short video platforms due to the fees. Unless a music platform partners with a short video platform, a song with some potential success can be pulled from its platform in a matter of minutes. The fees are a barrier to entry, even Blueberry Music VIP members can't access them.
Just as Zhou Xiao was sighing, the situation took a turn that even Hua Yao hadn't anticipated. Ji Shao's decision to allow fans to purchase music on demand, and then to pay for fans to listen to his music out of his own pocket, was initially praised by netizens on various platforms.
Many people even went to the music platform to buy his album after specifically coming to listen to Ji Shao's guitar singing. This incident was later praised by official media.
Although it was limited to a short video platform, Ji Shao's actions were truly an unintended outcome. The agencies, seeing this as a marketing ploy and eager to replicate this lucrative move, now looked at each other in bewilderment. Money wasn't a problem, but who could manage the official media?
…
Deep in the bamboo forest, Zhou Xiao, holding his camera, watched the two leading actors stare at each other affectionately. The bamboo forest was still the same bamboo forest, and the photographer was still the same photographer, but the subject had changed.
After over half a month of filming, the actors' acting skills, though still fresh, remained... fresh. But after spending so many days together, it was indeed as the director had said, with a hint of emotion in their eyes.
Zhou Xiao held up her camera, trying to capture the unique characteristics of the characters played by the main actors in the play. The female lead's cuteness and cleverness, the male lead's handsomeness and good looks...
After a day of filming, she sat in front of her computer, reviewing her finished footage. Zhou Xiao rested her chin on her right hand as she scrolled through the photos, unknowingly mastering the characteristics of many of the characters in the short play.
Although she didn't learn much technically from being on the set, she gained a lot of understanding of how to deal with people and the character's setting. The setting of a white-and-black drama can't be black and white, but should leave ample room for the audience to guess.
Zhou Xiao paused her fingers on the keyboard, remembering what the two directors had said to her during a break in filming. People are often contradictory. When they first met, they had implicitly asked her to help promote the show, but after they got to know each other better, they stopped mentioning it.
Looking back at some of the scenes that the director allowed to be filmed on the set, Zhou Xiao calculated the time and it seemed that he could send them to the other party together with the film?
But there was no rush. Zhou Xiao stood up, stretched, and looked at her phone next to her computer. Not long ago, Qin Wan had arranged a meeting with Director Fang for her.
The next afternoon, Zhou Xiao arrived at a filming location, umbrella in hand. Thanks to the temporary photographer pass Chen Si's assistant had given him, Zhou Xiao was lucky enough to receive a cup of hot tea from the security guard in the booth before anyone came to pick him up.
The tea was cheap green tea, and the tea set for Zhou Xiao was a newly opened disposable plastic cup. Zhou Xiao sat on a small stool, thanked the other party with some surprise, and then sipped the steaming tea in his hand.
Gently blowing away the tea leaves on the water, Zhou Xiao looked up and glanced around. Because it was a film and television studio, the pavilion where the old man stayed could really be used for filming at any time.
Perhaps it was because people in Zhejiang Province loved drinking tea, or perhaps it was because the weather was not particularly good today. The employer was generous enough to allow the security guard standing guard in this drafty booth to brew a pot of hot tea.
After greeting each other, the two remained silent. Instead, they watched the raindrops drip down the tiles like threads, cascading down the slope to join the nearby river. Zhou Xiao occasionally sipped his tea, not anxiously wondering why no one had come to take him in. Instead, he began to admire the set surrounding the production.
The bricks and tiles, though old, looked brand new. Before Zhou Xiao could get a closer look at the animals carved into the raised eaves, she heard the sound of a door being pushed open. She turned to see a man with a work badge walking quickly toward her.
"You're Zhou Xiao, right?" the man said directly. "Director Fang is still filming. Let me take you in first!"
Zhou Xiao saw the work badge on this person clearly——
[Name: Wang Hao, Crew: Blooming Flowers, Category: Assistant Director]
After sipping the tea in his cup, Zhou Xiao said goodbye to the security guard and followed Wang Hao into the luxurious ancient building. Pavilions, towers, rockery gardens, and everything in between were complete. Although the area was smaller, the level of detail of the props was far superior to that of the previous crew.
As she followed Wang Hao, she noticed that many crew members were greeting him along the way. He seemed quite popular. The walk wasn't long, and soon Wang Hao stopped in front of an ancient room.
Seeing that he did not go in, Zhou Xiao pointed inside the house instead. Just as he was about to nod and step onto the stairs to go in, he heard a calm but somewhat cold female voice from inside, "Cut! How many times have I said it?" Then there was the sound of clothes being dragged on the floor inside.
Through the open door, you can see that the room is brightly lit by camera lights. A dozen staff members are holding cameras or microphones and pointing directly at the actor who is about to resume filming.
Even Zhou Xiao, who hadn't even entered the room yet, could hear the actors' clear dialogue. Listening more closely, it was not much different from some dubbed TV dramas. However, it seemed the director's requirements were even more stringent.
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