Li Chenchan received a call from Shi Chuanfeng, naturally to share some good news.
Upon hearing that "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty" was selling like hotcakes, Li Chenchan felt a surge of joy.
This was the first thing he could earn money from in this world, and it was closely tied to his reputation. Now, it was going quite well!
"Those Things in the Ming Dynasty" was finally following the same trajectory as it did in his original world, starting to become a hit.
This also suggested that the other things Li Chenchan would bring over would likely follow a similar path, becoming popular in this world just as they did in the other.
At this point, Li Chenchan was already writing the final volume of "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty." He only needed to transfer the content from his mind to paper each day, and the process would be quick.
Along with the booming sales of "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty," another piece of good news arrived: Li Chenchan's songs "Deskmate of Mine," "Brother Above My Bed," and "Friend" were about to start their promotional campaigns.
Good news kept coming one after another!
Xiao Zhi, on his part, had promised to ensure that these songs would at least meet the promotional standards of a third-rate singer's new release, and he needed to fulfill this contract.
However, in the process of fulfilling the contract, he faced some pressure.
This pressure mainly came from his superiors.
Lin Xueqing, who was above Xiao Zhi, although he trusted Xiao Zhi's judgment, thought it was a bit excessive for a new artist to demand the promotional treatment of a third-rate singer. The most critical issue was that this new artist wasn't even from their company.
But since the promise had already been made, Lin Xueqing had no choice but to agree.
Soon, the promotional campaigns for "Deskmate of Mine" and "Brother Above My Bed" began. With the high click rates of the video versions of these songs, many people expressed their intention to download the official versions once they were released.
Although they had heard these songs in the videos, the sound quality was poor and the audio was unclear. If official versions were released, everyone would naturally prefer to listen to the official versions.
Official music not only had better sound quality but also satisfied the psychological need to support the official release.
The citizens of the empire generally had a strong awareness of buying official releases. Since the price of a song was very cheap, spending a little more on the official version was something everyone was willing to do.
Many people who had already heard "Deskmate of Mine" and "Brother Above My Bed" in the videos now planned to buy the official versions to make up for the earlier listens.
With these preparations in place, Xiao Zhi invited Li Chenchan to come to the company as soon as possible to record the songs. When "Deskmate of Mine" and "Brother Above My Bed" were officially released, it would be impossible to use a guitar for accompaniment; a series of complex arrangements would be needed.
Li Chenchan provided the melodies and other requirements to Xingchuang Music Production Company and then went to the recording studio to record the two songs.
The sound quality in the recording studio was on a different level compared to singing alone or with a guitar. Li Chenchan was no stranger to recording studios, as he had recorded some songs in his previous life.
If one were to delve into all the things Li Chenchan had done in his original world, he was a director and a singer, and his lifelong passion was film, for which he had strived for over a decade.
However, after struggling for more than a decade to become the director of a small to medium-sized film that was more like a commissioned essay, he found himself in this new world. In this world, his greatest desire was still to make films, but he needed to build up his credentials. Being young, he could gradually approach his goal by writing and singing.
"Deskmate of Mine" and "Brother Above My Bed" were excellent starting points.
After finishing the recording in the studio, Xiao Zhi invited Li Chenchan to have coffee. Xiao Zhi said, "Chenchan, you need to understand the various aspects of a song in our country."
"Sure, go ahead," Li Chenchan replied, eager to listen.
"In our country, a new artist's song typically costs around five to ten cents per download," Xiao Zhi organized his thoughts and explained everything to Li Chenchan. "Generally, if a new artist's song can sell 10,000 downloads in the first month, they have a good chance and will receive some focused cultivation. If a new artist can sell 100,000 downloads in the first month, they are considered quite outstanding. If they can sell a million downloads in a month, they can compete for the title of New Artist of the Year!"
"Your two songs are tentatively priced at eight cents per download," Xiao Zhi told Li Chenchan. "I don't need to do the math for you; you can figure it out yourself! After a new song is released, it needs to be promoted on the charts. The first two weeks are the most crucial. Our country has three influential charts: Qianxun Music Chart, Yinsai Music Awards, and Xingchen Song Rankings. Each chart has its own taste. The Qianxun Music Chart leans towards popular, catchy music, not too concerned with lyrics. The Yinsai Music Awards favor established artists, and new artists and songs have little chance of appearing there. The Xingchen Song Rankings is a literary chart, favoring clear voices and literary lyrics. This chart has a smaller audience but can easily cultivate loyal fans."
Li Chenchan nodded, understanding the characteristics of the three charts that Xiao Zhi had explained clearly.
"Deskmate of Mine" and "Brother Above My Bed" were both catchy and appealing to both the masses and the literary crowd, so he was quite confident.
However, Xiao Zhi had a surprising turn of events— "Of course, you are a brand new artist, so our goal is for these two songs to reach the top 300 on the Qianxun Music Chart's New Artist New Song Chart. The top 300 on the Qianxun Music Chart has limited influence, so our main target is the second-tier chart, Amy Music Rankings. Although it's a second-tier chart, if we can reach the top 30, the influence is significant. If a new artist's song can enter this chart, selling 10,000 downloads in a month should be no problem."
Li Chenchan's brows furrowed. Xiao Zhi's explanation left him speechless. He had thought his songs could aim for the Qianxun Music Chart!
Seemingly reading Li Chenchan's thoughts, Xiao Zhi smiled and said, "Chenchan, let's take it step by step. If your first song can sell 50,000 downloads, I'll throw you a celebration!"