Become famous another day.

"By the way, I suddenly remembered, do the three of us have plays to perform this summer?" Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered and asked.

"It should be." Li Zhibai nodded, "Yan Liang, your "Liu Guang Yin" will also be broadcast this summer, right?"

"Yes." Yan Liang nodded, his face full of worry and sadness. "I really can't imagine what I will look like in this drama. I really can't imagine myself playing a role in an ancient idol drama."

"I'm curious too." Lu Yanhe smiled. "I don't usually watch ancient puppet shows, but I watched the one performed by Li Zhibai and a few other friends. To be honest, the script of Liu Guang Yin is relatively less formulaic than any other ancient puppet show scripts I've read. I'm quite looking forward to it."

Yan Liang: "Now Zhou Ping'an is a little regretful for letting me take on the drama "Liu Guang Yin"."

"Why?" Li Zhibai asked doubtfully.

"Because Zhou Ping'an thinks that my several popular dramas all have modern themes and I can act in serious dramas, which is an advantage for me at this age. He is afraid that my reputation will be ruined by the drama 'Liu Guang Yin'." Yan Liang was watching the two of them eating cold dishes. He was really tempted and angrily picked up a peach and started to eat it.

Li Zhibai: "Then I think you played this ancient idol drama quite well. Your previous dramas were not fan-oriented, which limited your popularity. Only dramas like "Liu Guang Yin" can really help you accumulate fans."

Lu Yanhe nodded to show his agreement.

"You see, I've acted in so many dramas. In fact, a large part of my fans - excluding those who only watch my dramas - are brought by the movie "Late Spring." Lu Yanhe smiled and shook his head, "Fans still prefer to see an idol who is handsome, good-looking, and charming in appearance."

If you really want to form a "fan effect", you have to go the idol route. This is not the same as being a popular actor, and no actor's fans will run their idol's career like they run their own career, investing their own efforts in every aspect.

Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai were talking about this aspect.

The prerequisite for being a big-name actor is that there must be a market to endorse him.

The foundation of the market is the purchasing power of your fans.

Why is the status of idol traffic not as high as when they first emerged in China? In essence, it is because when they first emerged, people thought they represented a crazy purchasing power, and all data pointed to a value far higher than the traditional impression in the past. But market testing finally found that their equivalent purchasing power is not that strong.

If their albums can sell millions or tens of millions, if the movies they star in can gross billions, then all the best actor and actress titles will go by the wayside, as will the national comedian and box office star.

Why did the Korean Wave, especially K-POP, which is also an idol-oriented trend, gradually go from a marginal position to a global, mainstream entertainment force in the past few years? It even made it to Hollywood and won many awards and resources that were previously unthinkable?
Because they have a large number of fans all over the world, real fans, who can provide them with real money purchasing power that other stars can't even dream of.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe has never denied the power and significance of fans. He just doesn't accept being swayed by fans and becoming an artist led by fans' opinions. Even though he has reached his current position, he still doesn't think that he can really be separated from the support of fans.

Yan Liang needs fans.
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Zhou Ping'an knocked on the door, walked into Vice President Ma's office, and said, "Mr. Ma, Yan Liang's new drama will be aired soon."

Ma Zhongquan asked: "Is it the drama "Liu Guang Yin"? The heroine is played by Zhang Lan, right?"

"Yes." Zhou Ping'an nodded. "This is Yan Liang's first time starring in a puppet show. His character in this show is also very good. There is hope that he will become a top star."

"He is already a first-tier star now. Isn't that considered a top star?"

"Compared to Li Zhibai, he doesn't count." Zhou Pingan said, "Yan Liang's several hit dramas and roles are not fan-oriented. His fans are mostly fans of the dramas, rather than those who like him wholeheartedly. If Li Zhibai had the same luck as Yan Liang in acting, Li Zhibai might have become the second Lu Yanhe."

Ma Zhongquan frowned when he heard Lu Yanhe's name.

"You told me before that you think Yan Liang has no hope of reaching the top," Ma Zhongquan said. "His basic conditions are too weak. He doesn't have the appearance that girls would go crazy for."

"I still hold this view, and I have never thought of turning him into a top idol that girls would chase after crazily," Zhou Pingan said. "It's just that his current fan stickiness is too low, and all kinds of data need to be maintained by our internal data group, otherwise it will expose the fact that he doesn't have many loyal fans. If the drama "The Flowing Light" can successfully make him a top star, his resume in the past few years will be more conducive to his future advancement."

Ma Zhongquan nodded and asked, "Then what do you want to do?"

Zhou Pingan: "I want to apply for some marketing funds to cooperate with him in the relevant marketing during the promotion of his drama."

Zhou Ping'an didn't think Ma Zhongquan would refuse.

After all, Yan Liang can now be said to be one of Star Entertainment’s most popular artists, and he has just renewed his contract with the company.

However, Ma Zhongquan refused.

"The company is about to transform, and our focus will shift to idol artist management." Ma Zhongquan said, "I will no longer be in charge of the actor's work. You should also let Yan Liang return to being an idol artist as soon as possible. With his current fame and popularity, if he continues to be an actor, it will be a waste for others in the future."

Zhou Ping'an looked shocked.

What shocked Zhou Ping'an more than Ma Zhongquan's refusal to approve the money was what Ma Zhongquan told him today.

We have heard the news that Star Entertainment is going to transform a lot.

However, Zhou Ping'an always felt that no matter how the situation changed, as long as he had Meng Li and Yan Liang in his hands, he should have autonomy and have certain decision-making power over his own business.

Should he give up Yan Liang and Meng Li and lead idol artists?
Zhou Ping'an was unusually silent at this moment and did not respond to Ma Zhongquan immediately.

Ma Zhongquan looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why, do you have any other ideas?"

Zhou Pingan said: "Yan Liang and Meng Li are both actors, and they have done very well in this field. I can become an idol artist later, but can't I continue to lead them? Let Yan Liang return to the idol artist track now, let alone whether he can return or not, first of all, he won't agree to it."

Yan Liang is not stupid. He is doing well as an actor now. He occasionally performs on one or two stages in programs like "Idol Era", but his main job is definitely still slowly shifting towards being an actor. He must be crazy to focus on being an idol artist at this time.

Ma Zhongquan said: "You are the one who brought Yan Liang up, so won't he listen to you?"

"I was the one who brought Li Zhibai up. He said he wanted to change his agent, and you were the first one to agree." Zhou Ping'an said to Ma Zhongquan with resentment, "Boss Ma, if Yan Liang and I have a disagreement and also ask to change his agent, will the company stand on his side, or on my side as the agent?"

Ma Zhongquan was silent for a moment.

He didn't say anything. Of course, there was no need to answer this question. Everyone knew who the company would protect at this moment.

"It is inevitable for the company to split up." Ma Zhongquan said, "All work related to non-idol artists will be moved to the newly established branch. If you are reluctant to give up the business of Yan Liang and Meng Li, then you will have no choice but to go together. The choice is yours, but I will definitely stay in Star Entertainment. It's up to you whether you want to continue to follow me."
-
"There is a lot of movement inside Star Entertainment right now," said Li Zhibai. "Lin Suyang is leading both MX and me, but I can probably count the number of times I work as an idol artist on stage and in performances on the palm of my hand in a year. I am still mainly an actor. He said that he is trying to negotiate with the company. Even if the artists are to be managed by different companies according to their types, at least big-name agents like them who have mature artists on both sides can work across two companies and lead artists at the same time."

Yan Liang: "Ah? Is there still such a rule? I haven't heard of it. What about Zhou Pingan? The artists he manages now, the better ones like me and Meng Li are both actors, Cheng Hai has also started to transform into an actor, but he must follow Vice President Ma, right? Vice President Ma should still stay in Star Entertainment and be in charge of idol management? He has been advocating for more efforts to be made into idol artists for several years."

Li Zhibai: "Didn't Zhou Ping'an talk to you about this?"

"No." Yan Liang shook his head. "He never talked to me about the company's internal management."

Li Zhibai: "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. This person has always been so petty. He seems to be particularly afraid that his artists will know more, which will make it difficult for him to control them."

"He has always been like this." Lu Yanhe smiled. "However, if Star Entertainment really does what Li Zhibai said, it will be very difficult for the company to calm down. Think about it. Let's not talk about others. Lin Suyang has to choose between Li Zhibai and MX, and Zhou Ping'an has to choose between Vice President Ma and you and Meng Li. These are not choices that can be made at will. How can they choose?"

Yan Liang: "I'm thinking about one thing. Do they not consider the feelings of us artists by doing this? They want to change the agent we work with? If the agent wants to leave for personal reasons, then there is nothing we can do. Now the company is forcing our agent to choose between us and others. Do they think this is interesting?"

Yan Liang pointed out the biggest problem with this approach.

Li Zhibai said: "Why do I feel like we've been cheated? We just renewed our contract with the company and this happened."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"That may not be their purpose," Lu Yanhe said bluntly. "After all, from the perspective of the company, if a big-name agent is tied to a few popular artists for too long and too deeply, it means it is difficult for the company to control them. There have been several cases in the past where agents took artists away from the company and started their own business. This kind of separation method actually has the greatest impact on big-name agents like Zhou Pingan and Lin Suyang who have several key artists in their hands. Only they need to make a choice."

Yan Liang: "Could it be that the company is dissatisfied with them?"

"It's not necessarily dissatisfaction. The company wanted to focus on developing idol artists. In fact, it was said a few years ago, but because there was no soil for idol artists in China, it never took off. Sister Yuqian and Zhang Lan, the three top sisters, accidentally opened up the name of Xingyu in the entertainment industry. Teacher Zhang Zhiwen suddenly became popular, and the subsequent achievements of several of us in the entertainment industry made Xingyu a success."

Lu Yanhe pondered for a while and said seriously, "From the beginning, the company wanted to create idol artists. The current division is, in a sense, a way for them to 'set things right'. Of course, the fact that the actors did so well unexpectedly also surprised them, and they were reluctant to give up."

"Since they have achieved this level in the acting field accidentally, why don't they completely transform themselves and become an actor's agency?" Yan Liang asked doubtfully.

"Because Star Entertainment is not involved in the production and distribution of film and television dramas, it is a company that only does brokerage." Li Zhibai pointed out, "In the film and television industry, it relies on us actors to have a certain reputation and can participate in some investments and operations, but they have no share in the real production and distribution, and they do not have the resources to enter this area. In this case, the agent work of actors is actually far less profitable than everyone thinks, as the profit share of well-known actor companies is low and the training cost of unknown actors is high."

"You can't use the top actors you have to participate in film and television projects, and the money you make is just a small amount." Yan Liang understood, "Then why is it okay for idol artists? Didn't you say before that Star Entertainment will transform itself in the future, not only to operate idol artists, but also to build the entire idol artist industry chain?"

"Yes, but the industrial chain of idol artists is actually ready-made and the easiest to do. Do you know what makes idol artists the most profitable?" Li Zhibai asked.

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and asked, "Business?"

"How is the business of actors worse than that of idol artists?" Li Zhibai shook his head. "The most profitable business for idol artists is peripheral products, ranging from fan meetings and handshakes, cards and dolls developed based on the artist's image, to their albums and concerts. Idol artists can be a mature IP and have a mature product shelf. As long as there are 100,000 loyal fans paying for them, the profit they bring in a year is tens of millions."

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were suddenly enlightened, yet also speechless and shocked.

"Think about it again. With Ma Zhiyuan's popularity at that time, how many fans would have paid for his work? You know, even if Lao Lu was in full swing at that time, the revenue he brought to Star Entertainment was not as good as Ma Zhiyuan's." Li Zhibai said bluntly, "So, why Ma Zhongquan has always wanted to be an idol artist agent? Agents are also economic, and they are industrial chain agents. In comparison, actors have to be careful about their reputation. Under normal circumstances, they only shoot two works a year, and sometimes only one. When it comes to business, we still sign the business to the company. For example, Zhang Lan and Jiang Yuqian have already signed their business contracts with other companies, not Star Entertainment."

"For Star Entertainment, the returns from supporting actors like us and supporting an idol like Ma Zhiyuan are multiple times different." Li Zhibai said frankly, "Strictly speaking, although Yan Liang and I are still performing on stage and releasing singles, we are no longer idols that meet Star Entertainment's positioning of idol artists, because we are not involved in their idol brand and industrial operations."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

"You know a lot." Lu Yanhe said.

Li Zhibai said: "Before, when I was considering whether to renew my contract with Star Entertainment, I had an in-depth chat with Lin Suyang. I also proposed that if he was willing, I would be willing to go out with him and set up my own studio. But Lin Suyang clearly analyzed the pros and cons with me and told me that at this stage, it would be better for me to stay in a large company first. If I go out alone, except for your project, Yan He, for any S-level big production, I will not face competition from other actors, but competition from the major companies behind those actors. They have invested tens of millions, why don't they let their own actors play? For example, Liu Zefan, I am popular and my performance is good, but what is my irreplaceable advantage over Liu Zefan? It's not that he doesn't have works, popularity, or heat."

Yan Liang: "I originally thought that the three of us had reached the stage where we could survive on our own. If not be able to take charge of our own affairs, at least we could survive on our own. Now it seems that this idea is actually an illusion."

"Not really. If you go out and work on your own, you will definitely be able to play the leading role. There will be many plays looking for you to act in, but unless a big director takes a fancy to you and insists on having you, otherwise, it won't be a very good project. The resources for top projects must be reserved by the actors in the funding camp." Li Zhibai said, "So, people like Yan He, who can make their own cakes and exchange resources with other investors, can really stand on their own."

Yan Liang nodded.

Lu Yanhe smiled and shook his head.

"I feel like you've matured a lot after being the producer of 'Nineteen Years' and going through this." Lu Yanhe said to Li Zhibai.

"Once you have gone through the rules of the game, you will understand everything," said Li Zhibai. "Before, I was only an artist and a second-party, so I could not be exposed to this kind of thinking mode."

"Will you still be a producer in the future?" Lu Yanhe asked, "The resources accumulated by being a producer are much more than if you were just an actor."

Li Zhibai said: "I may continue to do it in the future, but now... I understand some of the principles, but I am not reduced to the point where I need to grab meat to eat immediately. Let me take it easy. Being the producer of "Nineteen Years" really hurts me, and there are really too many troubles."

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang smiled at each other.

Outside the window, summer has arrived.

In the sunshine, cicadas chirp noisily.

The three of them were probably tired from what they had said before and fell into a brief silence.

Just sit there and let yourself go.

But no one would feel awkward or restless because of the sudden silence.

Before we know it, life has entered the next stage.
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Recommend the old book "I Became the Scandal Heroine Overnight" and the new book "The Demon-Catching Sword" (End of this chapter)