ryethenovel Chapter 84 The Cover Song Contest is in Full Swing
Chapter 84 The Cover Song Contest is in Full Swing
After a brief greeting, Yang Chengang began his performance immediately.
The first song is a newly written folk song with a soothing melody and lyrics that evoke a gentle nostalgia for school days.
The audience was very respectful and listened quietly.
Yang Chengang felt a little more at ease.
"Thank you." After finishing the song, he adjusted the microphone. "Some of you may have already heard the next song. I hope those of you who know it can sing along with me."
The simple intro to "Mice Love Rice" begins.
"I heard your voice, and it gave me a special feeling..."
As soon as Yang Chengang opened his mouth, the chorus began. At first, it was just sporadic singing along, but as the melody entered the chorus...
"I love you, I love you like a mouse loves rice!" was almost a sing-along from the entire audience.
The lyrics and melody, so simple yet so profound, unleashed an astonishing energy at that moment. Students waved glow sticks, clapped along to the rhythm, and beamed with smiles.
Many people raised their glow sticks and swayed them to the rhythm, creating a spontaneous sea of light.
Yang Chengang was clearly shocked by the scene, and the smile on his face widened.
No matter how much wind and rain there is, I will still be by your side.
"I miss you, I think about you, no matter how painful it is."
"I'm willing to do anything to make you happy."
Again and again, the atmosphere at the scene was pushed to a frenzied climax by the repetition of the simple melody.
Even Lin Feng and the others standing on the side felt a slight tremor from the floor beneath their feet.
In front of the stage, long queues had already formed at the China Mobile "M-Zone" service points and "ringback tone experience stations," with uniformed staff working tirelessly.
The MP3 booth of Fengchi Digital was also surrounded by students who inquired about MP3s and downloading genuine music.
"The effect... is amazing." Xu Qiang exclaimed in astonishment.
"The data is definitely going to explode again," Wang Peng said excitedly.
The performance ended amidst thunderous cheers. Yang Chengang wiped his sweat backstage, his face beaming with excitement.
"Brother Lin, how did I do today?"
"Great, much better than last time." Lin Feng handed him a bottle of water. "The new song is doing well too. Get ready, there will be short interviews with the local city newspaper and music radio station later. I think you've already seen the questions."
"Hmm!" Yang Chengang took a sip of water and nodded vigorously.
On the way back, Lin Feng's phone rang. It was Manager Zhang from Xunji Audio calling to deliver good news.
Lin Feng said some polite words, but he couldn't hide the joy on his face.
That night, the data for ringback tones completely exploded!
In just over two hours during the event at the University of Finance and Economics, the number of downloads of the "Mice Love Rice" ringtone surged by 300% compared to the peak during the same period on weekdays!
Total downloads...just surpassed 100,000!
And this was less than twenty days after the song was released on mobile platforms.
Manager Zhang also revealed that "Mice Love Rice" has topped the Chengdu Music Radio request chart.
The headquarters of XunJie attaches great importance to this and has listed it as a key recommended track. They are vigorously promoting it to channels in other provinces across the country, and it is expected to be available on platforms in at least fifteen provinces next week.
From a university auditorium to the top of the local radio charts, and then to nationwide promotion, the song's spread exceeded everyone's expectations. Of course, all of this was part of Lin Feng's plan.
In addition, Manager Zhang also suggested that their marketing department believed that relying solely on online promotion and offline activities might not be enough to sustain the momentum.
They wanted to plan a low-barrier, high-participation online event to further generate buzz and build momentum for future promotions.
After discussing it with Manager Zhang, Lin Feng decided to hold a grand "Cover Song Contest" to encourage students and citizens to cover "Mice Love Rice" and make the song a hit with the public.
The theme is "Mice Love Rice," and it is aimed at all university students and citizens in Chengdu.
Xunji Sound and Fengchi Digital Studio jointly planned this cover song competition.
Initially, there are no restrictions on the form of participation. Solo, duet, group, or even funny adaptations are all acceptable. Participants can record audio or video and upload it to the designated event page.
The event includes online voting and judges' scores. Prizes include MP3 players, opportunities to perform or record songs with Yang Chengang, and promotional resources on the XunJie platform, among others.
Shen Jingyi's eyes lit up: "This is great! It's simple and fun, students will definitely want to participate. It can both keep the song and Yang Chengang popular and also help us find potential candidates for our own 'Campus Original Musician Support Program'!"
"Yes. The competition format should be simple and clear, and the publicity should be overwhelming. Posters, flyers, BBS, campus radio, club connections—use all channels. Have XunJie and China Mobile promote it simultaneously on online platforms and at offline outlets."
After Lin Feng proposed an initial idea, he assigned Shen Jingyi and Su Wanlai to take the lead and quickly produce a detailed plan and activity budget. Wang Peng, Xu Qiang, and others fully cooperated, focusing on contacting student unions and active clubs in various universities to ensure the event could be implemented.
"Understood." Shen Jingyi, Xu Qiang, Wang Peng, and the others responded simultaneously.
After discussing with Xunji Music, the cover song competition is scheduled to start in full swing starting next weekend.
Shen Jingyi and Su Wan worked through the night to produce a detailed plan, while Wang Peng and Xu Qiang began contacting active student clubs at various universities.
A week later, the "Mice Love Rice Cover Song Contest" was officially launched on the XunJie Audio platform.
Fengchi Digital Studio became a temporary command center. The sounds of telephones ringing, keyboards clattering, and discussions were almost constant.
"The Sichuan Normal University Rock Music Club has confirmed its collaboration. They will organize small-scale auditions on campus, and outstanding works will be directly recommended for the competition!"
"The bulletin boards and dormitory posters at the University of Finance and Economics are all covered, and their student union has agreed to help by setting up a promotional booth at the cafeteria entrance for three days!"
"We've secured the GG time slot on Rongcheng Music Radio! They'll be broadcasting competition information daily on a loop, and the fee has been reduced by 30%!"
Good news keeps coming in.
Online, Swift's promotional resources began to take effect, and the number of visits to the special page increased sharply.
Offline, student unions and clubs in various universities were fully mobilized, with posters, flyers, and banners covering almost every corner.
Every day, the melody of "Mice Love Rice" and enticing invitations to participate in competitions could be heard on the campus radio.
Entries began to appear. Initially, most were simple a cappella performances or recordings on mobile phones, but soon, more thoughtful works emerged.
In an internet cafe near the entrance of Xichuan Conservatory of Music, several boys were gathered around a computer, the screen displaying a newly loaded competition page.
"Hey, this is interesting! You can enter the competition by uploading your own rendition of 'Mice Love Rice'? The prizes include an MP3 player and the chance to perform on stage with Yang Chengang?"
"Look at this, an a cappella version? What's a cappella?"
"It's just pure vocals with instrumental accompaniment, no instruments, the really high-class kind... Holy crap, someone's already uploading this? It just came out, right?"
"Shall we make something like that hilarious version of the one in the dorm? It'll definitely go viral!"
……
In the Fengchi Digital Music Club,
"Brother Feng, come look at this!" Xu Qiang pointed at the computer screen. "The rock cover uploaded by that 'Broken Guitar' band from Xichuan Conservatory of Music is getting clicks and votes like crazy!"
In the video, several long-haired boys wearing leather jackets are playing music in what appears to be a basement. The electric guitar has a violent tone, the drums are powerful, and the lead singer is screaming "I love you, I love you like a mouse loves rice," which surprisingly has the flavor of angry young people.
The comments below were also surprisingly popular:
"Holy crap! 'Mice Love Rice' can be sung like this? This is awesome!"
"The lead singer has a great voice, and this arrangement is pretty good!"
"I've already voted! What if it's even better than the original?"
"The original was heartfelt, this is explosive, a different kind of exhilarating experience!"
"And this one," Xu Qiang switched pages, "an a cappella version uploaded by the Music Department of Rongcheng Art Academy, six people, pure vocals, the harmonies are amazing, the comments all say they're sick of listening to it."
In the video, six neatly dressed male and female students stand in a row, creating rich layers and melodies with just their mouths and hands, making a simple song sound ethereal and rhythmic, demonstrating their professional level.
"There are even more funny ones," Xu Qiang said with a smile, clicking on another video. "Look at this one, a few guys in a dorm wearing tank tops and shorts, lip-syncing and making exaggerated gestures. The comments are going crazy with laughter, and the number of votes is actually quite high."
The video is full of youthful pranks and joy; although it's rough around the edges, it's incredibly infectious.
The competition's special page was like a Pandora's box that had been suddenly opened, unleashing the boundless creativity and desire for expression of young people.
The simple melody of "Mice Love Rice" was like a lump of clay, which the participants molded into all sorts of strange and vibrant shapes.
Solo singing, duet singing, dormitory singing, band performances, fingerstyle guitar, traditional Chinese style versions, opera singing... some people even used whistles, tapped bowls and chopsticks, and computer sound effects software to re-arrange the music.
"How's the data?" Lin Feng asked.
Wang Peng reported the figures: "In the five days since its launch, the special page has accumulated 187,000 unique visitors, received 423 valid entries, and the total number of votes has exceeded 250,000. On average, each entry received nearly 600 votes, and the level of interaction is extremely high."
According to Manager Zhang from XunJie, their platform has seen a significant increase in new users and activity over the past week, leading to another small surge in downloads of the "Mice Love Rice" ringtone.
In addition to sparking a craze among college students, the influence of the "Cover Song Contest" has begun to spread beyond the campus.
A reporter from the entertainment section of the local West China City Daily somehow got wind of the news and called Room 207 to request an interview, describing the competition as "a campus creative carnival sparked by online songs."
Chengdu Music Radio not only increased the frequency of showcasing outstanding works, but its well-known DJs also joked on the show:
"Now, walking on the streets of Chengdu, you can easily hear different versions of 'Mice Love Rice.' This song has completely ignited the singing enthusiasm of young people in this city."
Even two local television news programs featured brief reports titled "College Students' Creative Cover Songs: New Songs, New Ways to Play."