Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 109

32. Jamie

Black Tiger’s successful comeback at Coachella swept across America.

– ‘Stars in the Night Sky’ Tops Billboard Hot 100!

– They didn’t get it wrong this time either. Black Tiger’s sprint continues!

– Ominous signs of a long-term reign!

– ‘Stars in the Night Sky’ Captures both popularity and artistry! Will it surpass Painkiller’s throne!

– Black Tiger dominates the Billboard Hot 100!

– Will the album achieve its first diamond (10 million copies) by exceeding 6 million copies in the first week of album sales?

In less than ten days, articles about Black Tiger were pouring out from various media outlets.

In particular, the most talked about achievement was the album exceeding 6 million copies in its first week.

It was rapidly shifting from digital to physical albums, and considering the overall decline in album sales, this was very meaningful.

It was not surprising that there was talk of a diamond record within ten days of the album’s release.

It was already approaching 7 million copies, and there was speculation that it would reach 8 million copies next week.

New Daze benefited greatly from Black Tiger’s success.

– New Daze’s ‘NEW DAZE’ Lands on Billboard!

– ‘NEW DAZE’ Achieves Top 15!

– Will New Daze be the first K-pop idol to enter the Top 10?

– Album sales soar again with Billboard news!

New Daze, with its highly addictive songs, flashy dance performances, and visuals that are different from existing girl groups, caught the eye on Billboard through Coachella.

Boosted by Black Tiger’s success, they rose to 15th place on the Billboard Hot 100 at a frightening speed.

It had only been three weeks, and the general consensus was that it would easily enter the top 10 with the current upward trend.

In fact, in the fourth week, they rose to 11th place, proving that the predictions were accurate.

With New Daze also landing on the Billboard Hot 100, YC Entertainment succeeded in making all of its artists Billboard stars.

This meant that YC Entertainment had entered the global music entertainment industry beyond Asia.

“We are receiving inquiries about listing from more than one or two places,” Taylor, the head of the US branch, said, not hiding his exhaustion. This was because the pressure was considerable in the American market, where they would do anything for money.

However, Youngchan found it difficult to simply agree.

Listing at this point would be a loss for YC Entertainment.

In addition to Black Tiger, centered around YC, which had set a huge record, the other artists proved that they each had tremendous potential.

‘In particular, the potential of the K-pop idol market is amazing!’

In fact, the biggest moneymaker in the idol market was not concerts or album sales, but merchandise.

It was possible to create a brand shop for complex products such as clothes, posters, dolls, and diaries.

More than anything, there were many people who would readily open their wallets if the price was reasonable.

Without thinking too hard, it was obvious how much this market would grow in the future, just by looking at the fact that *Star Wars* earns incomparably more money in the form of merchandise than the movie itself.

In fact, when looking at sales alone at YC Entertainment, there was not a big difference between Black Tiger and Blue Rose.

Of course, it was a different story when looking at Youngchan personally.

Painkiller’s 18 weeks at number 1 was a truly incredible record.

You can see that just by the fact that it is still lingering on the Billboard Hot 100 like a ghost.

In any case, another idol group like Blue Rose was created, and as a result, this year’s sales were expected to exceed 2 trillion won [approximately $1.5 billion USD].

Even this was a conservative estimate, and it was not impossible to reach 3 trillion won [approximately $2.3 billion USD] in sales.

Just looking at the sales earned in Japan alone amounted to hundreds of billions of won [tens of millions of USD].

Considering the market share they were gaining in the American market, which accounts for one-third of the world, following China and Southeast Asia, it was not an unfounded story.

‘Moreover, there is quite a reaction coming from Europe now.’

Although it is not as strong as before due to the economic recession, Europe still boasts a significant market size, accounting for about one-third of the world market.

If they can secure a certain share of this market, it would not be impossible to earn as much profit as the American market.

In any case, listing in the current situation where the future held such bright possibilities was a foolish thing to do.

If they were short on money right now, they might have considered it, but YC Entertainment, which had a net profit of over 200 billion won [approximately $150 million USD] last year alone, would not do that.

More than anything, it was even more unthinkable for Youngchan, whose personal wealth had exceeded 5 trillion won [approximately $3.8 billion USD] through investments in the US and domestic markets.

“But it’s not something we can just ignore.”

In any case, YC Entertainment’s roots were in Korea, and this was a bigger obstacle in the United States than expected. Furthermore, this was even more so considering that their grip on the Billboard market was still weak.

After thinking about it, Youngchan soon came to a conclusion.

“Let’s list the US branch.”

“……That should be enough.”

YC Entertainment’s US branch had limited tasks compared to the Japanese branch.

Unlike the Japanese branch, which can independently carry out complex entertainment businesses, the US branch can only do distribution and agency work.

This was due to US law, which prevents one company from dominating the market.

However, even this alone made the US branch extremely valuable.

YC Entertainment’s US activities are carried out through the US branch.

“It’s a good thing since I was thinking about a US tour anyway.”

Youngchan decided to list the US branch in time for the US tour.

Given the current atmosphere and Black Tiger’s first US tour, there would probably be considerable hype.

Considering that the entertainment industry is inherently overvalued compared to its performance, it might plummet soon after listing.

In any case, it was clear that they would be able to make a lot of money from this.

It would not be comparable to the listing of YC Entertainment itself, but it would be worthwhile to see a listing at the level of a major company.

“Then the scale must be adjusted accordingly.”

Youngchan thought of distribution as the first thing to do with the money earned from listing the US branch.

He was planning to properly target not only the vast United States but also Europe through this opportunity.

It won’t be easy, but Youngchan was confident.

“Thanks to him, I’ll have fewer trials and errors.”

In his memories, he had gone through many failures and persevered, but Youngchan, who had experienced his failures, did not need to repeat them.

He knew where in Europe it would be good to have a branch and where it would be good to open a business.

Since it was like taking a test with the answer sheet, if the funds were prepared, all he had to do was push forward.

‘This is also possible because I didn’t list it.’

Originally, he would have had to go through several cumbersome processes, so Youngchan thought that the advantage of a non-listed company was something like this.

As soon as he thought of it, Youngchan rummaged through his imprinted memories and created data, which he sent to Taylor the next day.

Of course, Taylor, who received and checked the data, immediately brought it up as soon as he met him the next day.

“When did you start compiling this data?”

Taylor immediately recognized the value of the data Youngchan had given him, so he couldn’t help but ask.

It was a result that would take at least one or two years of hard work even if he poured money into it.

Even that was only possible if he was lucky, and if he was unlucky, it could take twice as long.

So, he had to assume that Youngchan had been personally investigating since before entering the US.

Of course, the truth was different, but Youngchan could not tell the truth, which would risk being treated like a mental patient, so he remained silent and brushed it off.

“Please double-check it and prepare to proceed immediately.”

“Hmm. I understand.”

Taylor did not get a proper answer from the CEO, but he nodded with an expression that he had already understood.

After trying to leave, he stopped and smiled broadly, saying.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t congratulated you yet. Congratulations, CEO.”

“Hahaha. Yes. Thank you.”

Taylor’s congratulations were not about anything else.

It was about ‘Stars in the Night Sky’ reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 7th week.

From Youngchan’s point of view, who had reached number 1 for 18 weeks through a collaboration with Marvin, it might be just another achievement, but for Black Tiger, it was like setting a new record.

Even though it had been number 1 for 7 weeks, the buzz around ‘Stars in the Night Sky’ did not cool down.

No, rather, as if to show how huge the country of America is, the song became more and more prominent in new regions.

Of course, Black Tiger was traveling all over the United States.

They moved while being invited to TV, radio, and various events and festivals, and in the process, Black Tiger got to see America properly.

But the highlight was still Las Vegas.

In this luxurious city, which is hard to believe was built in the middle of the desert, there were many places that invited Black Tiger.

Of course, the stage was also great.

The splendid stage equipment, as if money had been poured into it, was enough to captivate the singers performing there.

– Wow!

That was the same for Black Tiger and the fans who came to see them.

Black Tiger’s uncles were excited, and so was Youngchan, who was restraining himself.

Thanks to this, the stage performance, which poured more energy than the limit, was so great that it could be said to be the best ever.

“There was a reason why they say Las Vegas! Las Vegas!”

“Euhahaha! Let’s drink as much as we want today!”

“Ehehehehe!”

Gwak Dohun and others were already drunk, and Youngchan also giggled and drank with them.

These days, he had a headache because of the listing of the US branch, so the rising intoxication helped relieve his hardened tension.

“Keueung!”

The problem was that Youngchan was also quite old now.

At the age of 33 this year, he was now properly paying the price for the pleasures he had enjoyed last night.

“Uhm. I want to eat hangover soup.”

What they call hangover cures in America were terrible.

Mostly greasy pizza or hamburgers, which were far from spicy Korean hangover soup.

Fortunately, there was chicken noodle soup, which was similar to it, so Youngchan finished his hangover with this and honey water.

“I think I feel a little better now.”

After taking a headache pill, his body was much better by the afternoon.

Just as he was about to take a breather, the local US manager brought something.

“CEO. I brought you idh Drunk. It’s a popular drink for hangovers these days.”

“idh?”

At the words that idh was a good drink for hangovers, Youngchan wondered what he was talking about, but he was even more confused after receiving it.

That’s because what he handed him was a pear drink made by a Korean company.

“This is a Korean pear drink? How did you get this?”

“Pardon? Was this a Korean product?”

“And this is not idh…… Ah!”

“??”

Youngchan realized that this was being called “idh” and couldn’t help but laugh in vain.

Come to think of it, from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know Korean, the word ‘pear’ [written as 배 in Korean] on the drink could be mistaken for idh.

Anyway, it was true that pears were good for relieving hangovers, so Youngchan thanked him and accepted it.