Chapter 114: One Fish, Two Meals After returning to BD Entertainment, Jin Shiming immediately began preparations for "THE FIRST TAKE". Considering that this is a program that focuses on live singing, emphasizes the human voice, and brings auditory enjoyment to the audience, the equipment required must not be too bad. Fortunately, Jin Shiming's album has been doing well in both audio and sales, and he recently received a big order from BoA, so he has enough money on hand. However, only those who manage the household know how expensive oil and salt are. Although we are rich now, we still need to save where we should. Jin Shiming asked company employees to contact several audio equipment brands in an attempt to get sponsorship. In other words, Jin Shiming is sincere enough about music and feels that this kind of program is not suitable for accepting other miscellaneous advertisements. If it were someone else, they would probably want to fill the program with business orders! As a result, the few local brands in Peninsula were generally not optimistic about this innovative program format after reading the simplified version of the plan prepared by Jin Shiming. I’ve never even heard of a personal channel on YouTube, so how many people can watch it? If you have the money to sponsor this kind of program, why not buy product placement on TV variety shows? Furthermore, according to the markings in the business plan, in order to focus as much as possible on the singers' performances, the program has almost abandoned all variety show routines, which naturally puts it at a disadvantage in terms of entertainment. The most important thing is that this program was only recorded once and no post-production audio editing was done!
There are too many accidents during the recording process. Even famous singers are likely to encounter accidents. Any artist who values his reputation will have some concerns and refuse to participate, right? To put it bluntly, this program seems to be out of tune with the peninsula where KPOP is popular. Everybody goes there to see the people. Do you really expect these idols to have singing skills that pass the test in one go? …… After a series of setbacks on the peninsula, Jin Shiming simply expanded his vision to the world. The good thing about YouTube channels is that you can watch them anywhere you can log in. "THE FIRST TAKE" is also different from traditional TV variety shows. There is almost no language barrier and the audience just needs to listen to the songs quietly. A few days later, the company's employees finally brought good news. "President, Sony Corporation in the island country is very interested in this program!" Even Jin Shiming was quite surprised to be able to catch the big fish Sony. It must be said that the island country is worthy of being the world's second largest music market, and its people are indeed brave enough to explore and innovate! However, Sony has a keen eye and a big appetite. The other party is more inclined to buy out the copyright of this program, but Jin Shiming naturally cannot agree to it. If that happens, wouldn't he be working for Sony? After some tug of war, Sony won the exclusive title sponsorship of "THE FIRST TAKE". The recording equipment, monitoring headphones, and even the musical instruments used for live accompaniment in the program were all provided free of charge by Sony. Jin Shiming made some concessions on the naming fee, but he did not completely tie Sony down and only sold the naming rights for the first ten issues. Sony also thinks it is a good idea to test the waters for a few periods first to avoid wasting money. If the program receives good feedback and the number of views is much higher than expected, Sony will have the priority to renew the contract, and it will not be a loss to pay a little more at that time. After the contract was signed, Jin Shiming made a small profit and also got some Sony equipment for free. It was a win-win situation! What does it mean to manage the household well? …… However, the surprises don't stop at Sony.
"Boss, Kiwifruit here in the mainland also has some ideas about THE FIRST TAKE." Kiwi? Jin Shiming suddenly realized that he seemed to be in a blind spot. As we all know, you need a ladder to access the oil pipeline in the mainland. Therefore, YouTube is not a direct competitor of domestic video websites. Nowadays, the Korean wave is sweeping across East Asia, and the number of people in China who follow Korean groups, watch Korean dramas, and watch Korean variety shows is also increasing day by day. All major video websites dream of monopolizing this huge amount of traffic. However, domestic copyright awareness is just beginning, and audiences have not yet developed the habit of paying to support genuine products. In this case, it is undoubtedly quite risky for video websites to spend a lot of money to purchase copyrights, and it is likely that the results will not outweigh the gains. On the other hand, "THE FIRST TAKE" is a small-scale program, and the price required to obtain the exclusive broadcasting rights in mainland China will definitely not be too outrageous. Considering Jin Shiming's current popularity and topicality in mainland China, Kiwi felt that it was entirely worth giving it a try. Domestic KPOP fans have really been hungry for a long time. The materials they brush on weekdays are purely carried around. How can they have tasted such a fresh meal? If all else fails, Kiwi will use its money-spending ability to allow Jin Shiming to invite popular mainland artists to appear on the show. Girls' Generation, Bigbang, Tara... are all included, I don't believe that no one will watch it! After Kiwi raised funds, it was not short of money, but of content and users. "Is this a way of killing two birds with one stone? Tsk tsk, when it comes to spending money, we have to look at Internet companies!" Jin Shiming increasingly felt that it was a wise decision to plan for the domestic market in advance. The potential of the peninsula market is limited, but the mainland is a vast blue ocean! …… After nearly half a month of hard work, the YouTube channel program "THE FIRST TAKE" has finally been put into practice from the plan. Now all that’s left is for the invited guests to arrive before we can officially record the first episode. In order to ensure that "THE FIRST TAKE" becomes a hit, the guests for this first episode must not only have strong singing skills, but also have popularity and traffic. Taking all factors into consideration, is there any suspense about the guest selection for the first episode? "Jie Eun, are you busy lately?" Jin Shiming took out his cell phone and dialed IU's number. "Oppa, I just finished my debut tour in the island country, and I've been preparing for my seventh mini album these past two days!" "My 20th birthday is coming up soon, so this new album is a special gift for my fans. It also includes a song I composed myself!" As expected of a small and medium-sized mobile company, the itinerary was so busy and crowded that it was simply too much work. "Aren't you going to have a concert tour in June? And you want to squeeze in another comeback in between?" Jin Shiming feels that LOEN is a bit inhuman. Everyone knows that IU can make money, but you can't just grab a cash cow and keep pulling it, right? "After all, it's my 20th birthday and I want to celebrate with my fans. As for this new album, I probably won't be promoting it or putting it on the charts." When it comes to pampering her fans, IU is truly impeccable. "Ji Eun, I'm preparing a show recently..." Jin Shiming went straight to the point and made the invitation.
"If it was an invitation from another TV station, I would definitely turn it down with an excuse, but since it's a program planned by you, Oppa, of course I have to support it!" IU replied quite righteously. "And I'm also very interested in the program you planned, Oppa. Recording it should be a very novel experience!" As a solo singer, IU has been questioned about her singing skills since her debut. There are also quite a few people in the Peninsula who recognize IU's popularity and national recognition, but most of them regard IU as an idol singer rather than a real singer. In IU's view, the challenging music program "THE FIRST TAKE" may be an opportunity for her to showcase her singing skills and wash away stereotypes! (End of this chapter)