Damn Idol - Chapter 155



Only Noblemtl

Fucking Idol Episode 155

Producer Kang Seok-woo’s explanation was simple.

The entertainment program will be divided into Season 1 and Season 2, with Season 1 being the domestic version and Season 2 being the international version.

What the production team wanted to show in Season 1 was the characters and music of Sedalbaekil.

“Despite its fame and achievements, not much is known about Sedalbaekil. In particular, how it works, how it practices, etc.”

Although it has been made public to some extent through Jakon, it is absurd to expect the entire nation to see Jakon.

In Coming Up Next, there was restraint in the length of the scene so that it didn’t look too good compared to the take scene.

Then Lee Ion raised his hand and asked a question.

People call me a Confucian boy, but I’m an American macho and the real Confucian boy is Lee Ion.

Asking a question while raising your hand.

“Will people be interested in our music work?”

“Normally, not at all. The singers’ music production is mostly limited to about 30 seconds on the screen.”

But now it is there.

Sedalbaekil created issues with the previous generation’s masters and achieved great feats such as appearing on Color Show and entering Billboard.

“You’ll be able to talk about music in much more detail than you would on a typical variety show. If you’re preparing a single or mini-album, you can also promote it.”

But since there weren’t many points to be gained by just doing music, the goal was to make money.

“How long does it take?”

“We are thinking of filming the domestic version for three months, but there is room for adjustment by a few weeks depending on the situation.”

“What exactly does it mean to hide your identity?”

“Literally.”

If you want to make money through external activities, you have to wear special makeup to hide your face, and you can’t use the name “Sedalbaekil” when you’re active online.

“That money will cover the cost of a three-month, one-hundred-day trip. Excluding travel and accommodation expenses.”

After that, PD Kang Seok-woo added that we really don’t film with the money we earn.

The broadcasting station will execute production costs equivalent to the amount earned in three months and one day.

He also gave advice, saying that it would be nice to donate the money earned over three months.

“Okay, this is the production team’s position. What do the cast members think?”

“If you make money from music, isn’t the settlement not done immediately? If you make music for three months, but the release is delayed, the settlement date could be three months later.”

“I will consult with experts. I will give you an estimate of how much a song of this popularity will be settled for in three months.”

“If I were to appear at a local festival or something, how would I film it? It would be weird if the camera followed me around with my face hidden, right?”

“We’ll disguise it as a documentary filming of an unknown indie singer.”

After that, the members of Sedalbaekil and PD Kang Seok-woo exchanged questions and answers.

I don’t think this is a very good format for entertainment.

It’s not easy for an unknown singer to make money with music.

I don’t know how much you would make if you busked all day in Korea, but I think it would be hard to make more than 100,000 won.

If you subtract out things like travel expenses and food, there won’t be much left.

Of course, if I really put my composing skills to use, I could sell songs to entertainment companies… … .

That lacks entertainment value.

But PD Kang Seok-woo shook his head at my words.

“I want it to be as real as possible.”

“Reality?”

“Yes. It’s not a plan that we made because we didn’t know. Leave the entertainment to us, and spend the next three months just making money with music.”

According to CEO Seo Seung-hyun, the emergence of Sedalbaekil brought about a great change in the music industry.

Trainees are frequently running away from their programs, and the indie scene is becoming more active.

There has also been a huge increase in demand for composition skills.

This is because the perception has become widespread that if you are good at composing music, you can succeed as a solo singer or an idol without a management company.

PD Kang Seok-woo, who added similar words to Team Leader Seo Seung-hyun, said that he would like to see 300 Days of Three Months be either a version of Independent despair or a version of hope.

As long as it’s realistic.

okay?

then…….

“PD Kang Seok-woo.”

“yes?”

“What if we make a ton of money in three months?”

“Is that good? Is there any problem?”

“They said the broadcasting station would execute the budget in proportion to the amount of money we earned.”

“yes.”

“Then what happens if you earn a hundred billion won?”

“A hundred billion?”

As Kang Seok-woo opened his eyes wide, the writers around him who were diligently taking notes of our conversation snickered.

I thought it was nonsense.

Of course, a hundred billion is ridiculous.

If you’re an unknown singer, you won’t have any event fees.

But the amount was intentionally made large.

To induce further conversation.

“It doesn’t matter how much it is. The broadcasting station will execute it to that extent.”

It seems like the nature of the program has been decided.

A story of hope for independent singers and despair for broadcasting stations.

“Oh, we’re discussing a few titles for the program, but it’ll probably be Self Made.”

It’s like putting our name on Self Made.

Se(dal) lf Made like this.

So the entertainment meeting ended.

* * *

Now I’m back in my accommodations that feel like home and I’m having a meeting with the members.

“Are you meeting for a variety show? They haven’t even started filming yet?”

Onsemiro shook his head at her words.

What I’m going to talk about today isn’t entertainment, it’s money.

Because money was the topic of discussion on entertainment shows.

“It’s a settlement story.”

“Settlement? Isn’t it too far away for us to settle?”

We played eight college festivals in September, and there are even more events in October.

Especially after our album sold out like hotcakes, the events we were booked for were quite expensive.

October will probably be the month when I start making real money.

but…….

“The investment cost was a bit high.”

It’s impossible to break even with the money we earn this year.

This is especially true when you consider the employees’ salaries and incentives.

I feel responsible here.

Our album is definitely on pace to sell over 1 million copies, and if we consider that it will sell slowly, we could even aim for 1.5 million copies.

Our first full-length album will probably be the best-selling album of 2017.

But the album didn’t make much money.

This is because of the limited edition, the profit margin is very low because of the CD player.

At first, I planned to provide the CD player with my own money.

Because these are goods that clearly reflect my personal desires.

However, due to the members’ strong opposition, it was decided to use the advance investment funds, and as a result, the profitability of the album dropped significantly.

It’s not that we’re selling at a loss, but should we say that we barely make any money with albums?

You can think of it as only the music revenue being credited to our bank account.

It’s not just albums that are hurting our bottom line, it’s also music videos.

It’s good that the music video was chosen well.

However, a huge amount of money was spent on production (more than the public speculates), and this was also set aside as an upfront investment.

This is also why we did not produce a music video.

I’m not concerned about money, but the members aren’t.

Even though they don’t say anything, the members are worried that the advance payment will continue to pile up.

But ultimately, all of this is because I have to sell 200 million copies.

If Sedalbaekil had been a normal group, after the success of their album, they would have gone around doing events and variety shows and made money with concerts.

So I wanted to tell this story candidly.

Especially considering Onsemiro’s wallet situation, the settlement needs to proceed quickly.

You may use your corporate card to eat and sleep, but wouldn’t you want to have personal property?

“First of all, I think it would be a good idea to receive half of the profits as settlement and use half as the down payment.”

“Then wouldn’t it take too long to pay off the deposit?”

I pondered Ion Hyung’s question for a moment.

Because I had a lot of concerns about what to say when I brought up money to the members.

Actually, I had some concerns right up until the moment I decided to give up.

Should we try to coax them into action with plausible sweet talk or should we be honest with them?

If it were my usual self, I would have chosen sweet talk, but this life is a little different.

Since I was determined to go all the way, I decided to be honest.

“We can make a lot more money if we put our minds to it.”

When a singer becomes successful, the agency makes a huge amount of money.

But we don’t have an agency, and we can keep everything except for the activity fees.

“What would happen if we raised the price of the album and included random photocards when releasing our second album? What if we also pursued profit maximization for the goods?”

I’m going to get some hate.

He said that he changed after becoming successful.

That’s also true.

When we released our first album, there were a lot of factors that put pressure on us, so we had to do ‘good marketing’.

Because we had to win the public’s perception and the hearts of the fandom over to our side.

However, from the second album onwards, when the foundation has been laid, we can pursue maximizing profits.

Then, you will have enough money in your account to make you think, “What if I get cursed at?”

Is that all?

You can often release only singles and mini-albums, while also repeatedly holding events and concerts.

Regular albums are released once every two to three years.

“This is what ordinary singers do.”

This is not at all a bad thing.

Singers also want to make money and have a break.

But I don’t like that.

Even if you sell 10 million copies a year, it would take 20 years to sell 200 million copies.

I want to release an album every year.

However, I want to release my single album and also produce an album.

therefore…….

“I hope the down payment never gets repaid.”

I wish the members could live a luxurious life with half the settlement money, but I wish the company would stay in debt forever.

But I hope you don’t go on variety shows or events to repay it.

I wish the main focus of Sedalbaekil was music and the side focus was money.

I know it’s a selfish thought.

I also know that it is only my thoughts for my own goals.

But I wanted to be honest with the members.

As soon as I finished telling my story, the members just blinked and then opened their mouths.

“So… … you’re saying that you made a romantic story about working together until you die for money?”

“… … ?”

This time, I blinked at Ion’s words.

What are you talking about?

This time, Onsemiro intervenes.

“I think there’s something wrong with it. I still think it’s luxurious enough.”

“Now?”

“You can sleep in bed, sing, and eat whatever you want.”

“Well, that’s true, but… … .”

“If you settle half of that, wouldn’t you be rich?”

Choi Jae-seong also joins in.

“I don’t really care about money. I just want to be popular.”

“Me too. The mushroom farm is going well.”

Negative emotions as a regressor are slowly rising.

I say this now, but I think that in 3 or 4 years, I will be no different from the people I have met so far.

He’d be angry and ask why we have to grit our teeth and do this when this level of success is enough.

but…….

I’ve been seeing the members.

I gave up everything for a week to record and followed my direction.

I feel like I’m flying when I get a score of 70 on the report card.

So, I won’t judge hastily either.

I won’t be disappointed until they disappoint me.

“Okay, then let’s do that. But when you get paid, save some more.”

“why?”

Why, why?

I need to buy bitcoin.

Not now, but in about a year.

So we decided on our stance.