Lin Chudong said, "Since the leadership is giving me this opportunity, I'll definitely seize it."
Qiao Liwei continued, "Regarding the price, I want to discuss it with you. We can offer you a non-exclusive contract. While your *Bright Sword* is very popular, this is an animated series, not a sequel to *Bright Sword*, so the price won't be too high."
"Normally, we pay 500 yuan per minute for animated series. You could ask other regional stations—they'd offer even less, maybe 200 or 300 yuan."
"I can apply for a subsidy from our end, adding an extra 1,000 yuan per minute. Combined with advertising subsidies, the price is reasonable—much higher than what we paid for *Big Dog and Second Dog*."
Lin Chudong was already familiar with these rates.
Shows on television were primarily for exposure; one couldn't expect to make money from the stations.
"This offer is acceptable as long as it's non-exclusive. I can still broadcast it on other stations, right?"
"Exactly. Since it's already on SouTu Video, we weren't going to be exclusive anyway."
Since *SouTu Video* was premiering the show, they couldn't secure an exclusive deal. While "online exclusive" is a common term on video platforms, it doesn't apply to television. If you broadcast it elsewhere, it's no longer exclusive.
Signing an exclusive deal would have required a higher price, so Qiao Liwei didn't bring it up.
Soon, Qiao Liwei sent over an electronic contract, which they both signed online.
Afterward, Lin Chudong went to the art department to draw storyboards and scripts for the remaining episodes.
"Everyone, let's work overtime. One episode per week isn't enough. Let's aim for three. For the next few days, art department salaries will be tripled, and if we meet the target, end-of-month bonuses will double."
The team's eyes lit up, and they immediately became more motivated.
Lin Chudong reviewed their original artwork and was satisfied with their skill level.
The art department now had twenty people, but it was still understaffed.
Lin Chudong asked Wang Danian to help recruit more, expanding the team to thirty. Once they found a suitable office building in Beijing, everyone would have their own space. For now, they'd have to squeeze in.
*A Bite of China* was nearing completion of its editing and would likely generate another wave of buzz when it aired.
Now that Big Fei was a brand ambassador himself, each of his new works brought traffic to his other projects—a clear benefit of being a versatile artist.
Just as he returned from the art department, an unfamiliar phone call came in.
"Hello?"
"Is this Big Fei? Teacher Yuan Tianpeng gave me your number. I'm He Yang, Vice President of Changhai Entertainment Company."
Lin Chudong paused in surprise. Yuan Tianpeng was a composer he'd met at the finale of *King of Crossover*. Back then, Yuan Tianpeng had added Lin Chudong on WeChat, mentioning that a concert promoter wanted to discuss a potential concert.
But there had been no news since. *Could this call be about that concert?*
"Hello, President He. I'm Big Fei."
"Do you have any availability recently? Would you be interested in collaborating on a concert?"
Lin Chudong replied, "A concert is definitely worth considering. Shall we meet to discuss the details?"
"Sounds good. I'll arrange a place shortly. See you tonight."
***
That evening, Lin Chudong and Liang Yin drove to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet.
On the way, Liang Yin asked, "Big Fei, if our first concert is a success, will we be swamped with work afterward?"
Singers naturally love performing concerts. Sharing their music with fans is inherently rewarding.
Moreover, concerts are now known to be highly profitable. Many top-tier stars can earn millions or tens of millions from a single show, and some top-tier celebrities even rake in over a hundred million per concert.
Of course, these profits are split among several companies. Even so, concerts remain an incredibly lucrative industry.
From preparation to performance, a single concert doesn't take long to complete. For Lin Chudong and Liang Yin, it would likely only require a day or two of preparation.
Even if they only received hundreds of thousands per concert, it would still be a worthwhile venture.
Lin Chudong replied, "The fact that someone's approached us for a concert means our popularity has indeed reached a certain level."
"However..."
Singers who can hold concerts are no ordinary artists. Popularity alone isn't enough. Just look at singers who frequently appear on variety shows; even with high popularity, their concerts often fail.
So, while fame is a necessary condition for holding a concert, filling every seat requires a solid body of work.
Fortunately, Big Fei now has both a large catalog of songs and high popularity, which is why the promoters are interested in him—they see a chance to make a profit.
Liang Yin asked, "What are you worried about?"
Lin Chudong replied, "I'm worried about the ticket companies."
"You know the current concert market. Scalpers are driving prices sky-high."
"You've heard of Zhao Kun, the Heavenly King? His concert tickets were once resold for as much as 20,000 yuan."
"A 2,000 yuan ticket was resold for 20,000. That extra 18,000 yuan didn't all go to the scalpers."
"The profit of 18,000 yuan is split four ways: the promoters, the ticketing companies, the artist management company, and the scalpers."
"In plain terms, they're all working with scalpers to rip off the fans."
Liang Yin frowned slightly. "Can't we just avoid working with the scalpers?"
She knew Big Fei's personality well; he wasn't the type to exploit his fans. He was willing to sell tickets at face value, but he strongly resisted when scalpers inflated prices.
Lin Chudong shook his head. "It's difficult, but we can try to negotiate."
This was their first concert. If it succeeded, there would be more performances to follow, and the musicians at Changhai Entertainment Company wouldn't be idle so often.
Once Flying Bird Legend was signed, and with Yang Han already on board, the company would have three acts—all of whom would need to hold concerts regularly.
Every journey begins with a single step. It was worth testing the waters first.
Unfortunately, Lin Chudong's capital was still too limited. If he grew the company to a certain level and could establish his own ticketing company, he wouldn't have to rely on others anymore.
The two arrived at the private room and pushed open the door to find several executives already seated at the dining table.
They greeted them warmly. To them, Big Fei was a cash cow. Moreover, he wasn't just an ordinary artist anymore; he was now a wealthy entrepreneur worth over a hundred million.
"Big Fei, have a seat. Let me introduce you," He Yang said, introducing Lin Chudong to everyone one by one.
"This is Duan Rubing, the head of the ticketing company. And this is our sponsor, Mo Wendong, the general manager of North Battery."
Both stood up, shook hands with Lin Chudong, and expressed their admiration.
After some polite exchanges, they ordered dishes and wine. Once the pleasantries were exchanged, the drinking and toasting began in earnest.
Three rounds of drinks later, He Yang said, "Big Fei, this is your first concert, right? I'm thinking of starting the tour in Magic City."
"After all, it's your hometown. With your current status, holding a concert in a major city like this is no problem at all."
Lin Chudong nodded. "A concert in Magic City sounds good. How should we set the ticket prices?"
He Yang smiled. "We'll naturally set them at first-tier city prices. The top tier will be 1800, the second tier 1200, the third tier 900, the fourth tier 720, the fifth tier 500, and the cheapest seats will be 300."
"Zhang Yiran's concerts are priced like this. Since you defeated her on the *King of Crossover* stage, setting similar prices is perfectly reasonable, wouldn't you say?"
"President Duan, what do you think?"
Duan Rubing smiled faintly. "The public-facing price doesn't matter. Setting it slightly higher is just to enhance Big Fei's prestige."
"We want the audience to know that Big Fei is now a top-tier artist, with ticket prices on par with those of divas."
"But the actual selling price will still depend on the market."
Liang Yin asked curiously, "President Duan, what do you mean 'depend on the market'?"
The group burst into laughter. "Since we're all insiders, I'll be blunt."
"After the concert is scheduled, our ticketing company will release only about 10% of the tickets at face value. That means only 10% of fans will be able to buy at the official price."
"We'll reserve another 10% for internal sales by everyone here. The remaining 80% will be handed over to scalpers to drive up the price."
"We'll split the profits from the scalping in a 3-2-2-1 ratio."
"President He and the concert production company will get 30%, Big Fei's company 20%, our ticketing company 20%, and the scalpers will get the remaining 10%."
After her explanation, everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on Liang Yin and Big Fei, awaiting their decision.
These were all seasoned veterans with extensive experience in organizing concerts, intimately familiar with the entire process. Their willingness to discuss such matters openly in front of sponsors demonstrated their close relationship.
Liang Yin's expression was complex. She had only ever attended concerts before, never organized one herself, and was surprised by the depth of complexity involved.
Though Big Fei enjoyed making money, he had no desire to exploit his fans.
From the moment Duan Rubing of the ticketing company began speaking, Big Fei remained silent. Liang Yin, not daring to speak first, waited for him to take the lead.
He Yang and the others exchanged glances before asking,
"Big Fei, what's your opinion? If you're not satisfied with the profit split, we can negotiate further."
Normally, profits would be divided between the artist and the management company. However, since Big Fei owned his own company, he had consolidated both shares.
If Big Fei was dissatisfied, giving them thirty percent was also an option.
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Chudong spoke.
"Everyone, it's not that I, Lin Chudong, am some kind of saint. This concert is for my fans."
"I can take their money, but if we're in business, we should offer good value for money. Letting scalpers drive ticket prices to exorbitant levels only hurts my own fans."
"It doesn't matter to you all. If I can't make money, you can just move on to the next star."
"But for me, these fans are the ones who've sung along to every single song. I cherish them. That's why I want to adjust the ticket release rate."
The group exchanged glances. Duan Rubing frowned and asked, "What ticket release rate do you want?"
"At least fifty percent."
"That's impossible!"
The biggest cost for a concert is the venue rental. Combined with labor, these are the basic expenses.
Bringing in a generous sponsor might cover the initial costs, but all their profits come from ticket sales.
For a 5,000-seat venue with an average ticket price of only 1,000 yuan, the gross profit per concert would be a mere 5 million yuan.
Dividing this among the three partners, each would get just over 1 million yuan.
After all this effort, hiring such a big star, and all the trouble, to earn just over 1 million yuan?
And that's assuming a full house. If it doesn't sell out, the profit could drop to mere hundreds of thousands.
They'd spent nearly a week preparing, invested tens of millions, and this is the return? How could they possibly accept that?
Only by having scalpers inflate the prices could their profits reach tens of millions, even hundreds of millions.
With such a massive investment, they needed to earn at least twenty million to break even. If they followed Da Fei's approach of low margins and high volume, the concert would be pointless—they might as well hold a music festival.
Lin Chudong said, "I'll only take 50% of the ticket sales. You can keep the rest."
"Whether you use scalpers to drive up the prices or keep them for internal use, as long as 50% of the tickets are sold, I won't interfere with your profits. I just want my share of the ticket revenue."
Duan Rubing shook her head. "That's impossible. With such meager profits, we'd make more money hiring a second-tier singer than you."
Lin Chudong smiled faintly. "Then go hire a second-tier singer. Goodbye."
With that, he stood up, threw on his coat, and walked out without looking back. Liang Yin hurried after him.
After they left, Duan Rubing's expression darkened.
"What nerve! Still clinging to his little fanbase? Does he really think he's a superstar? If he doesn't seize this opportunity to cash in now, who will want to book him for a concert once his hype dies down?"
He Yang sighed. "Artists like him see themselves as independent musicians. They're too proud."
"I'll talk to him again later."
***
Back in the car, Lin Chudong said, "Boss Lady, you won't hold it against me, will you? The money I was about to make just slipped through my fingers."
Liang Yin replied, "Of course I won't hold it against you. I support you."
"That's not how you treat fans. Our fans are hard-won; we have to cherish them."
Lin Chudong nodded. "It's one thing for artists to make money from their fans, but we can't treat our fans like fools with these exorbitant ticket prices."
If they keep pushing these sky-high prices, fans will naturally get upset. Besides, their actions are essentially defying the price control bureau and exploiting legal loopholes.
Lin Chudong still didn't want to get involved in such practices.
Noticing a hint of regret on Liang Yin's face, Lin Chudong continued, "Actually, we could skip the ticketing companies and organize the concert ourselves."
Liang Yin was taken aback. "Skip the ticketing companies? But how would we handle the tickets?"
"We have many options now. For example, we could sell tickets through the *Audition Online* platform and use QR codes from the *Audition Online* store for entry."
"In that case, we'd only need to find a production company and a security firm. We could handle the rest ourselves."
Hearing Lin Chudong's idea, Liang Yin suddenly found it intriguing.
"But if we do this, will any production companies be willing to collaborate with us?"
"Yes, not all production companies have the capital for such a large-scale concert. If we're willing to cover some of the costs and help share the risk, we'll still find partners."
"The revenue might not be huge, but this approach could boost *Audition Online*'s popularity."
Cool Music Media's advantage lay in its diverse projects, which allowed for cross-promotion.
Holding a concert had always been Lin Chudong's dream, but the right opportunity hadn't come along. While he was confident in his fame and work, he knew he couldn't perfectly predict market trends.
Now that someone had approached him for collaboration, it proved his fan base was sufficient for a concert. The time was right.
If the ticketing company wouldn't agree to his terms, he'd do it himself!
Liang Yin nodded. "Da Fei, I support you!"
"But who will be our concert promoter?"
Lin Chudong thought for a moment. "Remember the first music festival we held in Magic City?"
***
That evening, at Meng Wenxiang's home.
Xin Xin was watching *Peppa Pig*. A new episode had been released that day, but at only five minutes, it was far too short. So, she had to rewatch the earlier episodes.
"Daddy, I haven't seen this episode before, and I want to watch the next one!"
Meng Wenxiang said helplessly, "This cartoon is serialized. You have to wait for them to draw the next one before you can continue watching."
Xin Xin pouted and said resignedly, "Okay."
After the cartoon ended, the little dog on the floor started barking wildly again, baring its teeth at Xin Xin.
Suddenly, Xin Xin put her hands on her hips and pointed at the dog. "Big Yellow, you're being naughty again, aren't you? Let's see how I'll teach you a lesson!"
With that, she picked up a tablet, turned on the screen, and showed the wallpaper—a photo of Da Fei—to Big Yellow.
The dog immediately became quiet and obedient.
It seemed the fear of Da Fei's earlier scolding still dominated it.
Xin Xin said triumphantly, "Now you know to be afraid, huh?"
Watching this scene, Meng Wenxiang smiled helplessly.
That kid Da Fei is truly talented. After his comeback at the music festival, everything has gone smoothly for him, and his fame now rivals that of A-list stars. It's a bit bittersweet to think about.
To get Da Fei to perform at a festival now, it would probably cost at least two million, right?
Just then, his phone rang.
"Hello, this is Meng Wenxiang."
"Mr. Meng, it's Da Fei."
Meng Wenxiang was startled. *Speak of the devil!* Da Fei actually called him?
"Big star, what can I do for you?"
"Mr. Meng, you flatter me. I'm hardly a big star. I want to hold a concert and was wondering if you'd be interested in collaborating."
Meng Wenxiang sat up abruptly. "Oh? With your current fame, you must have many performance companies chasing you. Why come to me?"
Lin Chudong chuckled. "To be honest, I have an idea that other companies might not agree to."
Meng Wenxiang frowned slightly. "What idea? Let's hear it."
"No ticket agencies, no scalpers. The concert tickets will be sold at face value."
-----------------------
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