Business Closed Loop: Starting with Ringback Tones to Take Down Giants

"Oh no, boss!"

Jiang Yilei's expression was complex, somewhere between having caused trouble and discovering something new.

"It seems we've really gone too far."

Speak like a human.

"Look at this,"

With Christmas just a week away, online discussions about "Wait a Minute" and "Decent" have spiraled out of control.

Shocking! These two songs are actually the posthumous works of a Hong Kong star from ten years ago?!

Insider reveals: Songwriter has signed with Rock Records and will soon be going to the US for further studies.

It became indescribable

Wang Song leaned over to take a look; the problem wasn't the out-of-control discussion.

Someone used a sensational headline to blatantly impersonate him and claim credit for the crude sample he released to brook bait.

The pirated audio in the post, with a little technology and mixing added, dares to claim it as the original master tape.

Three days ago, when the discussion was just starting to go astray.

Jiang Yilei had already followed Wang Song's instructions and used the studio's account to reply to various popular posts in a unified manner.

"Thank you for your attention. The information circulating online is all a rumor."

"Wait a Minute" and "Decent" are original works by Xianming Studio, with clear copyright and excellent production quality.

At the same time, she uploaded the full 30-second special ringback tone version that Li Ran and Zhou Tao rushed to produce.

It also included a simple music video shot with a DV camera.

Logically, this should be a decisive blow to set things right.

But the reality is that the truth is buried in a sea of ​​posts and is waiting to be unearthed.

For a moment, Wang Song found himself in a rather tricky situation.

Meanwhile, in a conference room of an office building in Yanjing, someone shared his worries.

SkyNet Ringback Tone Division.

Old Chen extinguished the fire and slammed the report on the table.

"It's December, everyone. Christmas, New Year's Day, Chinese New Year—what do we have on hand?"

He looked around at the people below.

"The butterflies are almost gone, and the rice is almost spoiled!"

"We don't have a single blockbuster product! The KPIs set by the operators are about to be jeopardized."

"Next month will be 06, and we still haven't had a hit product. We might as well just wait to disband."

"You think we're like penguins? They can live off their virtual pets, but we can only make a living from ringback tones and mobile carriers!!"

The people below kept their heads down, not daring to meet their gaze.

"Have the record companies loosened their grip?" Old Chen asked.

The female executive on the other side shook her head.

"What? A 55/50 split, and they're still not satisfied? What other conditions have they proposed?"

The female executive said weakly:

"The latest price is 64, with a prepayment of 300,000, and the singer is not allowed to participate in the promotion."

"We haven't... replied yet."

Old Chen was so angry he laughed.

"Never mind them, they're all talk and no action."

Old Chen was not giving up, and turned his attention to the excavation team.

Have you checked the online song charts?

A young man wearing glasses raised his hand: "I saw it, Mr. Chen."

"They are all clumsy imitations of 'Two Butterflies' and 'Mice Love Rice'."

"And we don't know how those two hit songs became so popular; other songs just can't achieve the same level of success."

The meeting room became even quieter.

Old Chen turned his gaze to the last department.

"Tell me, what about all those small studios you support down there?"

Old Chen's gaze finally passed over everyone and landed on the long-haired young man at the end of the long table.

"Yu Qing, it's your turn."

"Having spent so much money and supported so many people, it's time to give back a little."

He emphasized the word "feedback," which made the atmosphere in the conference room even more tense.

Swish.

All eyes were on Yu Qing.

There was sympathy and scrutiny in that gaze, but more than anything, it meant that it was finally your turn.

External channels were blocked, and negotiations with record companies failed.

All the pressure naturally fell on the company's internal structure.

The responsibility falls on the department heads who should be producing content.

Yu Qing opened her mouth, but could only weakly reply.

"have"

"It's just... it didn't go viral. I uploaded five songs last month, and the total downloads were less than 20,000."

Old Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Since everyone's out of ideas, let's use the old method."

He opened a folder.

It contains songs that middlemen collect from students or unknown creators.

"Tom, Penguin, and the leftovers from Old Wave are all here. Let's pick a few decent ones to promote."

It seems that SkyNet and Wang Song are facing different troubles.

It seems so.

It seems like it's just missing a spark.

In the studio of Senmei.

"Boss! Boss! We don't need to do anything anymore, this time we're really hot."

Jiang Yilei has truly discovered a new world this time.

A post titled "Trending Topics: How Did a Mysterious Studio at the Central Academy of Drama Create the Strongest Emotional Hit This Winter in Two Months?"

It has been featured on the forum.

The post reads like a small investigative report, with clear logic:

"Two months ago, a job posting for an arts content studio appeared on a utility pole at the Central Academy of Drama..."

"Then they revealed that they were conducting some kind of sound and arrangement matching audition in the recording studio..."

"A rough demo of the finished product was also included."

"About two weeks ago, after it was apparently reposted by netizens, even more netizens started asking for the ringtone code..."

"My QQ space and blog are also emotional diaries accompanied by song lyrics..."

The post ended with a link to the studio's clarification and a sample of the original audio.

The conclusion is...

"This is not official propaganda, but rather something that netizens spread spontaneously."

"But after being seen by someone with ulterior motives, they used a leaked draft from a certain superstar's producer to confuse the public."

"Trying to claim the fruits of someone else's hard work."

The evidence is that their self-verifying posts were buried.

One bug is a bug, but a bunch of bugs can work.

"That's not surprising, that's not surprising at all." Wang Song rubbed his chin.

This is the internet; excessive chaos naturally breeds fact-checkers and truth-seekers.

Wang Song originally planned to continue playing the role of a complete bystander.

For example, I filmed someone singing at the Central Academy of Drama's Christmas party, and I cried while listening to it.

What kind of amazing song is playing in a bar? Turns out it's from a student studio!

No need to go through any more trouble.

Inside the bungalow, Ma Xiaojun slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

"Trying to claim the fruits of someone else's hard work... that sentence is more compelling than any novel I've ever written."

Jiang Yilei was still basking in the joy of turning trouble into a windfall.

"Now the whole forum knows that we are the real culprits, and the victims who were scammed."

Although the process was wrong, the result was completely correct.

Chang Sisi and Zhang Zhen, who were in the corner, exchanged a glance.

"Are we... considered famous now?"

Li Ran and Zhou Tao did not join the discussion; they looked at the post on the screen that had been highlighted as a positive review.

My feelings are complicated.

They all thought of themselves not long ago.

When Wang Song first proposed making ringtones, they were indeed reluctant.

Their academic background and pride made them think this thing was a bit vulgar.

Because of Wang Song's order, "If it hasn't been sold, you can question it all you want."

They gritted their teeth and finished the arrangement.

Since it wasn't sold, and they wanted to leave, they promised to settle the payment at the market price.

But now...

They remembered that talented senior from the Central Conservatory of Music.

He packaged up his work, which he had been working on for six months, and sold it for several thousand yuan.

The name was lost in a vague list of production teams.

Perhaps Wang Song's ambitious Super Girl dream isn't so far-fetched after all.

Perhaps, one day in the future, it will appear in the liner notes of an officially released record.

After the lyricist and composer, a column will be clearly printed.

Arrangement: Zhou Tao/Li Ran.

"……alright,"

Wang Song clapped his hands, pulling everyone back from their thoughts.

"Vice President Jiang,"

Wang Song's smile faded. "Strike while the iron is hot. Use your main account to post a comment below."

The content should read: "Thank you for your support and for your research. The copyright of Xianming Studio's works is clear, and we are open to collaboration."

"For business negotiations, send emails using the corporate email address I had you register. For phone calls, use the landline number in this studio."

He paused deliberately: "Only leave an email address and landline number; do not mention any personal phone numbers."

"good!"

Jiang Yilei understood immediately and quickly typed out the official statement.

Less than ten minutes.

The telephone on the table, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly rang shrilly.

Ring ring—!

Then, a second ring, a third ring… the phone began to ring frantically and incessantly.

Jiang Yilei looked at Wang Song, asking with his eyes: Should I answer or not?

Wang Song smiled and nodded at her.

Jiang Yilei took a deep breath and picked up the receiver: "Hello, this is Xianming Studio..."