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

"Jiang Jiang, didn't you guys make ringtones? Why can't I find them?"

Jing Tian sat in front of the computer, having already refreshed the page several times and entered songs such as "Wait a Minute" and "Decent".

Including the Super Girl songs that went from 50 to 20, that day she had just overheard Wang Song talking to the other side about revenue sharing, release time, promotional resources, and so on.

She thought she would order one for each of her family members as a way of showing her support.

No, there's nothing at all.

"What? Is that even possible? Let me see."

Jiang Yilei grabbed the mouse and returned to the homepage.

Today's list is completely different.

Zheng Yuan's "Ten Thousand Reasons" remains at the top of the charts, firmly holding its position.

But from the second to the tenth, a bunch of unfamiliar song titles and singers suddenly appeared.

Jiang Yilei glanced at them briefly and found at least seven or eight songs he had never seen before, all of which were marked as authorized by a certain record company.

She scratched her head and continued scrolling down.

No, there's nothing at all.

Undeterred, Jiang Yilei pulled over the keyboard and began searching through the list of released songs one by one.

His face grew paler and paler.

"Jiang Jiang!! Jiang Jiang, what's wrong??" Jing Tian asked anxiously, seeing what was wrong.

Jiang Yilei suddenly stood up, knocking over the water glass on the table. She rushed out without even having time to clean it up.

"Boss, boss! Songs! All the songs on the ringtone charts are gone!!"

"Only one song is left, 'Seeking Buddha.' Yesterday it was in number 8, but today it's been hidden in number 80."

Hearing the noise, Ma Xiaojun quickly stubbed out his cigarette: "Could it be?! Could the rankings have been updated incorrectly?"

"Impossible!" Liu Jianjun slammed his fist on the table.

"It's impossible to only keep one mistake and miss all the others."

Ten minutes later, everyone in the studio arrived.

Li Ran leaned against the wall, silent, while Zhou Tao stood beside him, his hands clenched into fists.

Just then, the door to the bungalow was pushed open.

The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud, startling everyone in the room.

Wang Song didn't move, sitting in his chair, watching the three people walk in as if they were three stray dogs that had wandered into his yard.

"Mr. Wang, excuse me." The leading man extended his hand. "SkyNet Copyright Operation Center, my surname is Zhou."

Wang Song did not take that hand.

Zhou Zhengqing wasn't embarrassed. He withdrew his hand and glanced around the room: "Wow, everyone's here. Perfect, saves me the trouble of notifying them one by one."

He gestured to the people behind him to close the door.

"What notification?" Wang Song's voice was calm.

Zhou Zhengqing took a document out of his bag and placed it on the table in front of Wang Song.

"The industry notification letter from the China Audio-Video Copyright Association was just issued yesterday."

"For all works not included in the collective management, it is recommended to suspend cooperation and freeze settlements. During the rectification period of ringback tones, operators are keeping a close eye on things, and no one dares to cross the line."

Wang Song glanced down at the document.

Audiovisual Copyright Collective Management Association

Wang Song snorted coldly, "An organization that's still in the planning stages is already this bold, starting preparations already..."

"You SPs aren't having an easy time either, are you? Offering your allegiance so quickly?"

"Sharp-tongued and sarcastic," Director Zhou sneered.

"Starting today, our collaboration with you will be suspended, and all your songs will be removed from the platform. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Unregistered works will have their settlements frozen. Once the crackdown has subsided, we can discuss this further."

He took two steps forward and stopped less than a meter away from Wang Song.

"I'll leave you a song out of consideration for our past collaboration."

"But there are rules to follow when it comes to keeping it. You know the current operating costs, and the pressure from the record company is also great."

"We split it 20/80, we get 80%, you get 20%, and the settlement cycle is... every three months."

Ma Xiaojun finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Two or eighteen? Three months? You fucking..."

"Ma Xiaojun," Wang Song called out to him.

Ma Xiaojun's words caught in his throat, and his face turned bright red.

Zhou Zhengqing glanced at Ma Xiaojun, then looked at Wang Song, his smile deepening.

"We've already spoken to the Music Copyright Society of China."

"For individual creators who want to join, the process is lengthy, and they also need a record company recommendation. Right now, the record companies are treating you like this... well, you know."

He paused, then his tone became more candid: "But it's not like there's no way out."

"If Mr. Wang is willing to accept our investment, then things will be much easier."

"We'll handle all the compliance procedures for you in the company's name. Once you join, your settlements won't be frozen."

Wang Song stood up, threw the notice directly into the trash can, and said calmly, "Please."

Director Zhou stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "No need to worry about me."

He handed over a business card:

"If you've thought it through, feel free to contact me anytime. We can discuss investing anytime."

The door slammed shut again.

The room was silent for three seconds.

Then Ma Xiaojun kicked over the chair next to him, yelling, "Fuck you!!"

Liu Jianjun rested his hands on the table, his head drooping, and his shoulders trembling.

Jiang Yilei stood there, and after a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out, "Boss...we..."

Wang Song looked around at everyone in the studio. "Whether it's finished or not, it's not up to them to decide."

"Li Ran, Zhou Tao"

"exist."

"We need to confirm one thing with Yao Beina and Chang Sisi today: can they still sing the songs from the Super Girl 20 to 10 competition?"

"able."

"Jiang Yilei".

Jiang Yilei looked up.

"The contract with Tudou.com must be signed this week, and we can offer to reduce the revenue share by another ten percent."

"But one clause must be written into the contract: at no time shall the platform unilaterally remove any of Xianming's works."

Jiang Yilei was taken aback: "Will they agree?"

"Even the content posted by creators' representatives has been taken down. Who will still use it in the future?"

"But don't think too highly of them; their fence-sitting is the biggest help they can give us."

"Ma Xiaojun".

Ma Xiaojun was still standing there panting when he heard his name called, so he looked up.

"Haven't you been asking me repeatedly when the surrounding area will be released?"

Ma Xiaojun was stunned: "Now?"

"Now." Wang Song turned around.

"The merchandise for 'The Lost Tomb' is available for pre-order in the fan group, and Chen Shu is helping with the registration."

"Liu Jianjun went to talk to a certain point about publishing physical books. The two of you were brought together for the talks, along with 'Zhenhua'."

Ma Xiaojun's blood boiled with excitement. "Did you hear that, IP team? We can't let the music team beat us!"

Everyone was holding their breath.

Wang Song scanned everyone in the room. "We still have things they can't get off the shelves."

SkyNet headquarters.

Zhang Yuan slammed his fist on the table. "Why did you leave one song behind? Did it sell so well that you couldn't bear to part with it?"

Old Chen stood up. "This is going too far! The contract was signed by SkyNet in front of the Central Academy of Drama."

"If you can't give the students face, can't you at least give the school some face? Does Taihe dare to tear down the facade of three universities?"

"At most, we'll hide their songs a little lower in the rankings. Making things too ugly won't do anyone any good."

Zhang Yuan remained silent for a moment, then nodded in acquiescence.

The meeting ended.

"Mr. Chen, it's your turn to appease them tomorrow."

The one who spoke was none other than Director Zhou, who had been swaggering around in Xianming that morning.

"How did they react?" Old Chen lit a cigarette.

"I almost got beaten up by those students, but my mission is complete." Director Zhou spat.

"I've been instructed by my superiors that I can't lose my name; leaving me with some room to negotiate with the record company is crucial."

"The record company can take back all the concessions they give us today, even if it means giving them away tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, go and offer them a reward. If you can secure a stake in the deal, they might be able to climb the ladder."

Old Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "I...I'll give it a try."

Jing Tian watched the entire process intently, feeling out of place amidst the studio's focused work.

She wanted to say something, but didn't open her mouth for a long time.

All I could do was instruct my assistant to order some fruit platters, snacks, and drinks to treat everyone.

I finally found some free time.

"Wang...Wang Song, may I ask you a question?" she said timidly.

Wang Song nodded, his gaze still fixed on the computer screen.

"Okay, so... so they can unilaterally remove your work, you can just stop making ringtones."

Wang Song sneered, "They're using the banner of operators rectifying ringback tones as a pretext, and they're using the Audio-Video Copyright Association, which is currently being established."

"They have figured out the operators' mentality of 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free'."

"If we unilaterally break the treaty, then even if we are in the right, we cannot explain ourselves."

"Never mind, it's none of your business."

Wang Song continued talking to himself.

Jing Tian opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak. She didn't understand at all. Only Sister Lin, who was standing to the side, seemed to be thinking.

"Alright, miss, let's go back and not disturb their work."

Jing Tian left the studio, turning back to look at him every few steps.

The next day, at the entrance of the Central Academy of Drama.

"Who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?" The security guard at the entrance stopped a car that was about to drive in.

"We've already made an appointment with the immortal name," said Mr. Chen from SkyNet.

The security guard made a phone call. "Name, which company?"

"Chen Jitao, SkyNet."

"They haven't received any reservations for the Xianming Academy. Go back. The Central Academy of Drama doesn't allow outside units to enter right now."

"Wait a moment, I'll make a phone call."

"Beep beep beep..."

Old Chen looked at the school gate and suddenly remembered a sentence.

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed. Some doors, once closed, cannot be opened.