Chapter 24: 024
Chapter 24
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Jiang Juyou felt that her system must have a quiet, reserved personality. The only reason she didn't consider it a mere tool for issuing tasks was that she could sometimes detect a hint of frustration in its brief responses, much like herself at work.
After a long silence, the system suddenly spoke up, bringing good news. Jiang Juyou immediately felt the world become more wonderful.
"What's going on today? It's all good news. Should I go buy a lottery ticket later? What if I win!" Jiang Juyou had always loved dreaming about winning the lottery since childhood. Sometimes before bed, she would imagine how much money she'd won and plan how to spend it.
But in reality, she had never bought a lottery ticket in her life and didn't even know how to do so.
In a good mood, Jiang Juyou hummed a little tune as she walked back to her seat and took out her phone to check the app.
Previously, four tasks had been issued at once, and Jiang Juyou thought it would take a year or two to complete them. Now, all four were finished.
"Let me see..." Jiang Juyou swiped through her phone, muttering to herself, "Unlock new building... check! Sign contracted artist, check! One hundred thousand users, check! One hundred tickets sold, check!"
"Hahahahaha!" The excited boss Jiang even kicked her legs several times.
With the completion of the four tasks, Jiang Juyou finally reached Level 9 and gained a considerable amount of funds. But after laughing for a while, she couldn't smile anymore, knowing that she would have to repay all this money in the future.
The first repayment was due next July, so she now had to adjust her plans and start making money.
She was about to announce a meeting in the company's executive group chat when she suddenly remembered it was Saturday.
Jiang Juyou paused, "...Have I been assimilated by capitalism so quickly?" She had just been thinking about how there were only two days until she could hold a meeting.
Jiang Juyou looked back at her phone.
She had mainly controlled the previous tasks, so she knew their progress. The last task regarding ticket sales was managed by the performance department and didn't even need to go through her. They could directly open ticket sales on the internal software.
Thinking of this, Jiang Juyou searched on Weibo and indeed saw the concert ticket sales announcement.
"@Galexy World: [Li Nayou 2nd Tour 'Happiness' Beijing Stop Ticket Information]..."
"@Galexy World: [Cheng Zexin 27th Birthday Fan Meeting Ticket Information]..."
Jiang Juyou glanced at the time. These two events had been announced right after signing the contracts, and they had been promoting them on Weibo for over a month before finally starting ticket sales today.
This Weibo account even had its own fan group, mainly to answer questions for fans who didn't know how to buy tickets. Jiang Juyou wanted to take a look, making sure she was logged into her alternate account before entering.
Since ticket sales for both events were starting at 11 AM, the group was bustling with activity.
"I got it! Damn! First time in my life I've managed to snag a concert ticket!"
"Where do I fill in the address? Urgent!"
"No need for an address, it's an e-ticket. Use your phone to enter, collect paper tickets at the venue."
"...Surprisingly easy to get."
"That's because you got one! I'm still waiting for the second batch... keep refreshing, so nervous!"
"Ahhhhh I got one!"
"@Galexy World: Dear audience, concerts organized by Galaxy can only be ticketed via mobile phone and cannot be logged in on multiple devices. As entry requires phone verification, please make sure to use the phone you used for purchasing to scan the code at entry."
"@Galexy World: Dear audience, concerts organized by Galaxy will not have tickets distributed externally. Tickets can only be purchased through the Galexy World App. Please be vigilant and avoid scams."
"@Galexy World: Dear audience, at concerts organized by Galaxy, light stick cheering is prohibited after lights out. Video recording is forbidden. Fighting and disturbances are not allowed. Please follow the venue rules. Violators will be escorted out of the venue."
The official account timely posted a few notices, which were quickly pushed up by some fans' comments. It was clear these fans were already familiar with the rules, but there were also newcomers who directly questioned them.
"I can understand the rest, but why can't we take photos?"
"...Guess what I'm going to the concert for?"
"If we can't take photos, how am I supposed to record memories?"
"Why are light boards prohibited? Are hand banners not allowed either?"
"But there's a scalper in my WeChat Moments selling tickets for Nayou's Beijing show."
"Damn, I was wondering why I couldn't log in. So only one phone can log in."
The official account explained again one by one.
"@Galexy World: The video rights for the concert and birthday meeting belong to Galaxy, hence photography is prohibited. Official DVDs of the concert and birthday meeting will be released on the app one week after the events. The DVD price is included in the ticket price. Ticket holders can watch directly, while those who didn't purchase tickets will need to pay to buy the concert or birthday meeting DVD."
"@Galexy World: Using light-up support items other than official light sticks may affect other audience members' viewing experience, so they are prohibited. Other non-light-up support items can be used normally. We appreciate your understanding."
"@Galexy World: Galaxy has not cooperated with any sales agencies or individuals. Non-official purchase channels carry high risks."
"You better not have given tickets to scalpers."
"The scalper in your Moments isn't honest. The one in my Moments refunded all the deposits they took before, saying they couldn't bypass the real-name system."
"I asked around, and it checks out. That scalper said they only have e-tickets. Because of the real-name and phone restrictions, they don't have many spots. If you want one, they'll go to the venue and give you the phone that got the ticket."
"They're really going all out for money, I'm dying."
"Hilarious, such a roundabout way."
"Can't you ban the scalpers' accounts? @Galexy World"
"@Galexy World: We sincerely apologize, but currently we have no way to identify them. We will work on improving this as soon as possible."
"Ahhhh I got it!!! I can finally see Cheng Zexin!"
"Your company has been trending lately, I see it on Douyin every day."
"Any fellow fans traveling from Chengdu to Beijing? Looking for a companion, I'm a girl too."
Jiang Juyou, lurking in the group: "..."
She thought her ticket purchasing system would eliminate scalpers, but she never expected those scalpers would be willing to jump through so many hoops to make money.
Jiang Juyou exited the group chat interface and refreshed, seeing another message pop up.
"@Galexy World: [Cheng Zexin X Galexy World] Dear fans, the important annual day has arrived [cute]! How can such an important day be without souvenirs [throwing flowers]? Galexy World has collaborated with Cheng Zexin to launch birthday commemorative merchandise. Purchase location: Galexy World venue, first floor, turn left after entering and walk to the end. Sale time: November 7th (concert day) 11:00 AM. Online sale address: Galexy World App. Online sale time: November 14th 00:00 ~ November 21st 23:00"
The accompanying image showed the merchandise display.
The most eye-catching item was the doll placed in the center position. Cheng Zexin was known as the only artist in the entertainment industry with a little lamb appearance, which had made him famous. This time, they designed a 19cm cotton doll based on his image. The doll was double-sided - from the front, it looked like a little boy wearing a lamb hat and overalls, sitting down. When turned to the back, it became a sitting little lamb.
The display image included photos of the cotton doll from various angles, with a small comic at the end. The comic showed the little boy finding a lost little lamb and wanting to take it home, but because the boy was also directionally challenged, they both got lost in the mountains. The final scene depicted them sitting on the mountain, waiting for someone to find them.
Other merchandise included birthday meeting exclusive light sticks and some practical items like power banks, fans, and thermoses, all decorated with images of the little boy and the lamb.
They must have coordinated with the fan club, because within a minute of posting, the retweets exceeded a thousand. It was clear that the data team fans had come to boost the numbers.
"Good news: There are merchandise items this time! Bad news: I couldn't get tickets [smile]"
"So cute, so cute, so cute! You two wait, Mama's coming to save you!"
"Now Cheng Zexin's poor sense of direction can no longer be hidden."
"Hahahaha I got tickets, I managed to snag them!"
"Hold on, 87 yuan for a cotton doll? Selling it so cheap, do you have a death wish?"
"17 yuan for a light stick, 47 for a power bank, 37 for a thermos, 7 for a keychain... Galaxy, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
"Damn, I only just saw the prices now. Have you gone mad, Galaxy? Selling so cheap, are you even making a profit?"
"I've clearly been terribly manipulated by the entertainment industry. I actually thought this was really cheap. Who sells merchandise this cheaply?"
"87 yuan for a cotton doll isn't cheap, but in the context of the entertainment industry, this price is almost too considerate."
"Xin-ge said Galaxy was fully responsible for this, including setting the prices. I knew it, Galaxy wouldn't sell things this cheaply."
"Taking proxy purchases, DM me."
"The online sales are actually a week later, ahhhh!"
"As expected, worthy of my trusted performance department." After saying this, Jiang Juyou opened her computer again. She remembered that the performance department had sent some files on the internal software, estimating how much money they'd make. Jiang Juyou had been busy with the first public performance at the time and hadn't had a chance to look at it, and later she completely forgot.
Reopening her computer, Jiang Juyou squeezed her head close to the screen, seriously searching for the previously sent files.
"Found it!"
Galaxy was both the organizer and the contractor for this event.
For each city's concert, the organizer is different, and even within one city there can be many companies qualified to organize. Their responsibilities mainly involve managing everything outside the venue. The food, accommodation, transportation, and personal safety of the artists and their teams are all the organizer's responsibility. In addition, applying for the event, selecting the venue, setting ticket prices, and choosing ticket sales methods are all the organizer's duties. For music festivals, the organizer might even be involved in selecting and inviting artists.
Every time there's an uproar about high-priced scalped tickets, it's basically because the organizer has given out tickets. This involves both official and unofficial ticket purchasing methods. Some organizers will give a third of the tickets to other agencies, using this portion of tickets to recoup costs first. As for how these agencies sell the tickets and at what price, that's no longer the organizer's concern.
The contractor, on the other hand, is responsible for everything inside the venue. They coordinate with various studios, from stage equipment to stage construction, and even how the lighting is designed is the contractor's responsibility. Some contractors will outsource, while others have their own teams.
In Galaxy's case, currently, the lighting design is outsourced to a studio, while everything else is handled in-house.
Other parties involved in concerts or other performance events include the producer, the marketing team, and sponsors.
The producer is basically the artist's company. The marketing team is determined by the artist's company and usually remains the same for the entire tour. Sponsors vary depending on the situation. For top-tier stars, sponsors usually remain the same for the entire tour. For others, it depends on the city and the artist - some shows have sponsors, some don't.
The revenue from a concert is related to ticket prices.
In the past, an artist's earnings for a concert were predetermined and fixed. After the organizer paid this amount, the remaining money from ticket sales became the organizer's profit from the concert. Therefore, the artist's fee could be reflected in the ticket price.
This is still the most common model, but now some artists also establish their own companies with organizing qualifications, then appear as the organizer for their own tours. This way, all profits go into the artist's pocket.
As Jiang Juyou was searching, she saw the name "Li Nayou" and exclaimed, "Finally found it!"
She opened the file and scrolled down a bit before seeing a table showing the prices for different areas.
Jiang Juyou had previously set concert ticket prices, but because they were extremely unreasonable, she ended up paying to change them. This area price chart was given by the performance department. Looking at the numbers, she realized her previous self had been far too considerate.
Because the artist's performance fee is fixed and the same for each city, the ticket prices can't vary much. Their company had even calculated the organizer's profits. No wonder the ticket prices were so high.
The inner field was divided into three areas: A, B, and C. In all three areas, except for the last two rows which were 1099 yuan, the front rows were all 1399 yuan. The stands were similar, with the last two rows at 599 yuan and the rest at 899 yuan.
There were over 2,700 seats in total, with an average price of 950 yuan per seat. One concert could earn over 2.5 million yuan. After deducting the artist's fee, Galaxy could probably earn over 1.6 million from this concert.
As for Cheng Zexin, because it was a birthday event, the ticket prices weren't as high. Galaxy could earn about 1 million from it, but besides ticket sales, there was also merchandise revenue.
After reading the estimated earnings at the bottom, Jiang Juyou took a sharp breath. "...Why am I even bothering with trainees? I should just organize concerts. Every day, making money every day."
She was so elated that she couldn't control her smile, her lips constantly trying to curve upwards.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Juyou immediately stopped herself. "No, I can't think like that!" Once the trainees make it big, she'd have a fixed income every month. That's much more stable!
Wait a minute...
Wasn't she supposed to go downstairs for a meeting with the trainees?
Jiang Juyou looked at the time and saw it was almost noon. "Oh no, no, no, I'm late!"
Jiang Juyou: Who understands, folks? I wish I could hold concerts every day!