Chapter 167 - The Silent Majority

The number of comments on Cui Zhengzhi’s “Provocation” on Feixun Music was over 40,000. Attentive people who click on the comment area of the album could find that the comments there were obviously divided into two opposing sides.

More than half were positive comments. There were a lot of “excellent” comments, such as “It’s so good to listen to!”, “A wonderful album!”, “Supporting Zhengzhi Oppa”, and so on. There were so many of such excellent comments like this, and there were a lot of repetition of the same content.

The comments were arranged in a very neat line in perfect order.

It smells like faking success.

Of course, there were some detailed good comments, but compared with the negative comments, there was no doubt that there was a lot less.

The negative comments with low score were more realistic than the positive ones with high scores. Many members who have bought the album didn’t have a high evaluation of “Provocation”. The general view was that this album was too South Korean in style and gave them the stereotyped feeling, without too many surprises and highlights. (TN: Stereotyped feeling – it sounds like any other kind of South Korean song.)

Some people commented that they regret buying the album. Although it was only 8 yuan, buying the single “Provocation” was enough. (TN: Since the songs sounded the same.)

Some people also ridiculed that the songs on the album were like Korean plastic surgery – they were all poured out in the same mold, and several songs were so similar that they looked like twins.

There were even people clamoring for a refund!

By contrast, Lu Chen’s “You Who Sat Next To Me” has about 40,000 comments, which was less than “Provocation”.

However, more than 90% of the comment for the album were positive, and most of the comments were meaningful, not the kind of stereotyped simple responses.

Some people like “You Who Sat Next To Me”, some people like “Those Flowers”, some people appreciate “Love In The Wind”, and some people have listened to “The Brightest Star In The Night Sky” dozens of times, but won’t get tired listening to it.

A QQ Music member with an ID “Morning Star” commented, “I like Lu Chen’s album because it brings me back to the good old days when I was on campus, reminds me of my first love, of my brother who slept in my upper bunk, of the people who liked me and I liked, and the youthful times that I can’t recall.”

“Although I have heard of most of the live versions of the songs, but the complete album is still very different. The arrangement and accompaniment are done very carefully. 8 yuan is really good value for money. I hope I can buy the CD records.”

Another ID called “World Traveler” wrote: “I have long seen Lu Chen in “Singing China”. At that time, I was really moved by several of his songs, so I bought and downloaded it as soon as I knew the he had released the album. I was not disappointed. I feel really good.”

“Regarding this album, I want to say, Lu Chen, you are an extraordinary singer!”

There were a lot of similar comments, and some people even talk about their youth.

This kind of atmosphere in the comment area was in sharp contrast to that of “Provocation”!

At the same time, it also stimulated someone deeply.

Bang!

An expensive brand-name mouse was slammed heavily on the desk, and the plastic at the bottom was suddenly torn apart, exposing the circuit board inside. He was perplexed when he saw it.

Cui Xiuyin, who heard the noise in the room, hurried over, holding her cell phone tightly in her hand.

She looked at her brother sitting in front of the computer with great concern and opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say.

Originally, she and Cui Zhengzhi should have left Huhai for Shacheng today. But this was delayed because of the album sales, and the subsequent itinerary and notice arrangements have to be changed. The consequences were very troublesome.

It’s just that Cui Zhengzhi was in such a bad mood that Cui Xiuyin didn’t even dare to persuade him.

She knew her brother’s character too well. He was used to having things going his way. Once he encounters setbacks, he gets upset and irritable, and all kinds of bad tempers follows. Breaking the mouse just now was still consider good.

On September 11, Lu Chen’s album “You Who Sat Next To Me” total sales volume broke through 150,000, and a big sales have become a foregone conclusion.

There was even hope for [Platinum Record]!

Cui Zhengzhi’s “Provocation” sales directly dropped, barely exceeding 90,000. The gap was too big that it made people feel hopeless.

In a short period of three days, he seemed to have fallen from heaven to hell.

Even if his sales results were very good.

After a while, Cui Zhengzhi asked, “Sister, has the company called you again?”

Cui Xiuyin sighed and said, “Yes, the company is very angry. It has stopped promoting the new album and no longer buying list. So, you have to get to Shacheng tomorrow, otherwise…”

“And our parents also called to ask about your situation.”

Cui Zhengzhi shut himself up in the hotel for two days. He didn’t give any notice or answer the phone. The company was furious.

Although he used the excuse of falling ill to evade, he could not hide it from others.

Cui Zhengzhi reached out and closed the computer, rubbed his face hard and said in a hoarse voice, “I see. We’ll go to Shacheng tomorrow, and you can reschedule the rest of the itinerary for me.”

“Good!”

Seeing her brother cheer up again, Cui Xiuyin was also very happy: “It doesn’t matter if you lose this time. You have plenty of opportunities to beat that Lu Chen in the future!”

Cui Zhengzhi nodded hard.

But his mind was still full of those comments he saw on the Internet. The bad comments on himself and good comments on Lu Chen seemed like a sharp thorn that drove him crazy!

Lu Chen!

Cui Zhengzhi firmly remembered this name, and he vowed to wash away today’s humiliation one day!

On September 12, “You Who Sat Next To Me” sold over 180,000.

On September 13, it broke through 200,000.

On September 15, 250,000!

In seven days, this album has created the best weekly sales record in QQ Music in half a year, and even surpassed a number of domestic first-class singers’ albums, becoming the best newcomer album sales in recent years.

In contrast, Cui Zhengzhi’s “Provocation” was much inferior, with a total sale of 110,000 in seven days, less than half of Lu Chen’s!

At this point, there was a lot less voice about Lu Chen buying list on the internet.

The reason was very simple, because everyone knew that Lu Chen was an independent artist, and there was no powerful entertainment agency behind him. It must be said that although buying a sales volume of 20,000 to 30,000 was possible, but it was quite different when it reached this level.

Online sales of singers’ albums are different from physical album sales. The sales in first week usually account for about 50% of total sales, and 250,000 sales means that “You Who Sat Next To Me” will probably break the 500,000 mark.

500,000 copies meant [Platinum Record] certification, but also means 4 million sales! (TN: price of an album is 8 yuan)

According to the agreement, with his 50% share, and after deducting 10% of the tax, Lu Chen could get a full 1.6 million!

The cost of his investment on this album was estimated to be only a few hundred thousand.

All the songs were written by Lu Chen himself.

He has made a lot of money!

It was unknown how many people in the industry were jealous, and more people felt that it was inconceivable.

Why is this album, which already has a live version and has not been heavily publicized and hyped, selling so well?

On the evening of September 15, Chen Guodong, an Inspur Blog V and certified as a lecturer in “Music Department of Beijing Normal University”, posted a long blog entitled “The Silent Majority”.

As a university lecturer, Chen Guodong has little to do with the entertainment industry, but in the pop world, his name was widely known. He was a famous music critic, contributing to a number of amateur music websites and magazines.

In this long blog, he focused on Lu Chen’s album, which has received widespread attention from the industry.

At the beginning of the blog, Chen Guodong said that on the 10th, he attended the freshman welcome party of Normal University and heard four songs at the party. They were “You Who Sat Next To Me”, “The Brother Who Slept On My Upper Bunk”, “Those Flowers” and “The Brightest Star In The Night Sky”!

These four songs were all from Lu Chen’s album “You Who Sat Next To Me”, and all of them were welcomed by the students. The playing and singing of several boys even attracted warm applause and cheers from the whole audience.

In contrast, several popular dance numbers have received lukewarm responses.

This caused Chen Guodong to ponder deeply. Why is Lu Chen’s campus folk songs so popular among college students and sell so well on QQ Music?

He analyzed that the album should have touched the feelings of the “silent majority”.

The so-called “silent majority” is actually ordinary young people and ordinary pop music lovers, who live around you and me, some on campus and some working hard in society.

They like to listen to pop music, but they don’t go after stars that much. if they want to listen to songs, they will go to the Internet to search for free downloads of their favorite songs, and they don’t easily express their opinions.

This large group was often ignored by entertainment agencies when they do promotion, because they were not like the fan group of stars who can bring them huge profits.

So, the market trend of pop music was to cater to the fan group. The most popular trend in European, American, Japanese and South Korea was the best evidence. Entertainment companies and singer stars are changing their style to meet the needs of these people.

The decline of the original domestic music has a lot to do with this bias!

But is the “silent majority” willing to accept it passively?

The answer was obviously no.

They even include some star fans, who have long been tired of those songs that imitate and copy the entertainment atmosphere of Europe, America, Japan and South Korea. They don’t want to listen to the same fast beat and catchy songs, but there was nothing they can do about it.

Because that’s what the whole market was.

However, Lu Chen’s appearance was like a fresh wind blowing into the pop music world, and his original “campus folk” works undoubtedly made people see the new hope of local original works!

So, the energy that has been saved for a long time broke out, and the most direct response was to drive the sales volume of “You Who Sat Next To Me”. There have definitely been many people who usually listen to free songs that has willingly take out 8 yuan to support Lu Chen.

Therefore, Lu Chen was able to crush his opponent Cui Zhengzhi with a devastating force.

The latter was precisely the representative of Korean music.

This was the support, the silent struggle, and the power of the “silent majority”.

At the end of the blog, Chen Guodong believed that the domestic pop music world should really begin to reflect!

Don’t ignore the “silent majority”!