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

June 20, 2006, is an auspicious day for all activities.

The soundproofing material was being laid out in the recording studio with a clanging sound. The equipment list was finalized by mentor Yao Beina, with a budget of 80,000 yuan.

The six newly recruited editors and ten arrangers have reported for duty one after another.

When assigned to different groups, Liu Jianjun, Ma Xiaojun, Li Ran, and others were all busy and flustered, as it was their first time being mentors.

Mentoring newcomers is much harder than writing lyrics and composing music. They might ask the same question three times, and you have to be patient and not lose your temper.

Wang Song wasn't in a hurry; his fingers were rapidly tapping on the keyboard.

The screen displays pages for several domain registration websites.

Click, enter, and search.

MI, WeiXin, Wangying (online banking), ZhiBo, Bili, Douyin...

A series of pinyin and English combinations of future unicorns or popular words.

This is both casting a net and reserving a position.

We may not profit from this in the future, but having this in hand gives us peace of mind.

We offer a one-stop service for agent registration, table creation, and record keeping.

"Done. These aren't just domain names; they're the indentures of future giants."

Just as he switched pages, preparing to search for several movie-related domains, the news pushed to his browser homepage caught his eye.

"Shareholding reform..."

Wang Song slapped his forehead, realizing he had almost forgotten about this.

"Vice President Jiang, prepare the materials. Come with me somewhere this afternoon."

……

By pledging his ringtone copyright and presenting a certificate of honor, Wang Song obtained a loan of 50,000 yuan from the bank.

This sum, together with the 300,000 in the studio's account, totals 350,000.

This gave him the confidence to accept the newbie gift package of the era.

The securities brokerage was bustling with activity, and the huge color display screen was filled with red numbers.

Elderly people lined up in long queues, clutching their bankbooks.

People were talking about how "ICBC's stock price has gone up again" and "It's all in the green; it looks like there will be a general rise today."

Amidst this clamor.

Wang Song and Jiang Yilei, two young men who looked like students, seemed out of place carrying a huge sum of 350,000 yuan.

Jiang Yilei instinctively clutched the bag containing the bankbook tighter and lowered his voice:

"Hey boss, are you sure everything's alright? This place looks like a market, it's making me nervous."

Wang Song handed her an account opening application form: "Sign here and open a securities account."

Jiang Yilei was stunned: "Securities account? Stock trading?"

"Um."

"Use my name?"

"Yes." Wang Song looked at her.

"We've opened a public account for the studio, and I've opened one for myself. Let's open another one, spreading it out a bit, so you also have a chance to participate in this era."

Jiang Yilei thought about it for a moment.

"Fine, I'm already tied to your lousy boat with everything I own, so one more household won't make a difference."

She took the pen, quickly signed her name, and then asked, "How much are you submitting?"

How much spare cash do you have in your account?

"The New Year's bonus plus what I've saved up before... is about 20,000 yuan."

"Transfer everything in," Wang Song said. "If we lose money, it's on me; if we make money..."

"You made half the profit?" Jiang Yilei raised an eyebrow.

"I'll give you 70% and you 30%, and I'm already being kind as a people's entrepreneur by showing you the opportunities in the market."

"Damn capitalists!" Jiang Yilei laughed and cursed, but his hands didn't stop, and he filled out the form efficiently.

While the teller was processing his transaction, Jiang Yilei whispered, "Boss, do you really know anything about stocks?"

Wang Song pointed to the screen where all the stocks were showing a red line, "Buying them with your eyes closed is better than putting your money in the bank."

Jiang Yilei seemed to understand, but chose to keep quiet and carry it out.

She was used to Wang Song's style of knowing things but not saying everything.

Maotai Technology, stock price 13 yuan, purchase amount 10 yuan.

Bank of China Securities, stock price 6 yuan, purchase amount 15 yuan.

Zhaoshang Bank, stock price 8 yuan, purchase amount 5 yuan.

A total of 30 yuan was invested, and the position was established within minutes.

He carefully put away the transaction receipts and said to Jiang Yilei, "Alright, this matter is now settled."

"Next, forget about them; our core battleground isn't here."

"That's it? 30 gone?"

"So what else do you want? How about we give you an award?"

Wang Song and Jiang Yilei returned to that familiar bungalow.

It seems to have rolled up.

Liu Jianjun is no longer the writer who only buried himself in updating "Joy of Life".

Please address him as Liu.

His personality, which allowed him to dominate the internet, finally came to fruition.

He was giving special training to two newcomers: "...So IP discovery isn't about how fancy the writing is, but about whether the core has the potential for adaptation, like this 'Special Forces Pioneer'."

"The military details are solid, the characters have a growth arc, and most importantly, it fills the gap in similar themes after 'Bright Sword'."

A newcomer raised his hand: "Brother Jianjun, what if we wrote a story with potential ourselves?"

Liu Jianjun paused for a moment.

"Good question. The rules state that if your work is noticed by an outside film and television company and they want to acquire it for 50, then the studio will reward you with 5."

Ma Xiaojun, sitting in the corner, was in a completely different state.

He was no longer laughing out loud in front of the screen alone; instead, he was caught in the middle by the two newcomers he was mentoring.

"Brother Ma, several people in the reader group have asked if we could reveal any clues about the underwater tomb in advance?"

"Waiting for more updates! Brother Ma, someone on the forum compared you to that author Tianxia Bachang, saying his 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is better!"

"What? Is that even possible? Someone is comparing me to others?!" His eyes widened instantly.

"Send me the link to the post! Let's see who's got the guts!"

Liu Jianjun said weakly, "Brother Ma, I saw this too, and even wrote it down, but I forgot to tell you."

"you……"

One hour later.

"Boss, I think his work has great potential."

"It could even be placed in the same universe as our 'Tomb Raiders' series, allowing for crossover!"

Wang Song waved his hand dismissively, "Reward!!!"

"Boss, there's one more thing. Could you please replace two people with me? They're seriously affecting my creative process."

"roll.."

Ma Xiaojun slunk away.

He chose the two most lively ones, saying that they had the talent for online writing and a desire to express themselves.

Completely different from the two inflexible candidates Liu Jianjun chose, only they themselves know the true feelings behind it.

Chen Shu had three items laid out in front of her.

The completed script for "The Vanished Lover" and the revised script for "Zhenhua".

And those two sets of settings outlines for "My Love from the Star" and "Secret Garden" that left her completely baffled.

One of the girls she was with asked in a low voice.

"Sister Chen Shu, this looks too much like plagiarism from Chinese culture. It's not written like this in China. How am I supposed to change it?"

Chen Shu put down her pen and rubbed her temples: "Perhaps it's precisely because no one has written it this way that it's unique."

"No matter how you revise it, just start writing. Only by writing can you develop a line of thought."

Wang Song created a new document and jotted down a few keywords.

On the way, he had already noticed the "Youth Notes Studio" posts that had sprung up near the campus, following the trend.

The title is bigger than the ability.

The complaints from users on the forum about having their ringback tones activated.

SPs and local operators are abusing the loophole of free trials to aggressively promote their services, and they're making money off of it.

However, the window of opportunity is at most three months.

Awareness of copyright is emerging.

There were also sporadic discussions about the copyright of "Mantou".

The Central Academy of Drama's Pizza Hut Legal Team...

As they continued knocking, they heard a strange laugh coming from next door.

"Hehehe, 'Kung Fu' has reached 10,000 views... Hahaha, and 800 fans..."

He turned his head and saw Jiang Yilei staring at the screen, his expression sometimes ecstatic, sometimes ferocious.

She suddenly turned her head, indignant, "You heartless boss, why won't you let me do a critique of 'The Promise'? You've let others steal all the hype."

A vein throbbed on Wang Song's forehead, and he lost all sense of reason.

He stood up and walked over angrily: "What are you yelling about? You're affecting the IP team's creative work."

"Then tell me, why can't we freeload?" Jiang Yilei retorted.

"Hu Ge, an ordinary person, can become famous. I am a professionally trained actor and have so many fans."

"Precisely because you have formal training," Wang Song interrupted her.

"It's okay for a student from the Central Academy of Drama to complain a few times in private."

"But if you put it online and try to ride the coattails of Hu Ge's 'A Steamed Bun,' do you think it will be met with a lot of criticism?"

As things stand, it seems unlikely that it can withstand the attacks from the older generation's tendency to label and attack.

Jiang Yilei was clearly processing what Wang Song said, but he had to admit that Wang Song was right.

"So what do we do? The hype is almost over."

"These videos of mine gained popularity by riding the wave of the steamed bun craze."

Wang Song thought for a moment: "I won't piggyback on 'The Promise,' I'll piggyback on the phenomenon itself."

"Take a look at why 'Mantou' became a hit. It's because ordinary people have gained a voice."

"Your next video should be titled 'How a Steamed Bun Ushered in the Era of Secondary Creation of Film and Television Content'."

Jiang Yilei seemed to understand, but not quite. "Will this work?"

But seeing the murderous look in Wang Song's eyes, he shrank back and said, "Okay, I'll try first, and I'll ask you if I don't understand."