Huayu 2009: Who should we call the Heavenly King?

After the ten demos were played, the large conference room fell into silence.

There was no applause.

There was no discussion.

The air was so still you could hear someone breathing.

A few seconds later, Zheng Donghan took the lead in raising his hand to clap, and instantly, a tidal wave of applause erupted.

Enduring and uninterrupted.

Zheng Donghan, a veteran who has dominated the Chinese music scene for over forty years and launched the careers of countless superstars, has long lost his usual composure.

Instead, a flushed red appeared.

Like being drunk.

This album has a complete and closed concept, a clear and unified theme, catchy melodies, and a series of interconnected emotions.

Any one of the ten songs is of good quality.

What's even more remarkable is that they can be strung together to form a complete story!

A declaration of a lifestyle!

It has a concept, a holistic approach, and is also popular.

Baton!

it is good!

Besides these words, Zheng Donghan could not find any other words to describe it.

"Good, very good!"

After the applause subsided, Zheng Donghan said "good" twice.

"Shen Yan, you've gone further and soared higher than I expected. This album is Gold Typhoon's most important album this year, no, for the next two years!"

That statement is actually a bit of a digression.

After all, Gold Typhoon still has one major shareholder who hasn't spoken up yet.

but.

Qi Yalai didn't mind Zheng Donghan making the decision directly.

She understands music.

Her undergraduate thesis focused on Cui Jian, and the title of the thesis was "The Relationship Between Mainland Chinese Rock Music and Youth Culture".

Although the core of Shen Yan's album is different from that of early rock singers like Cui Jian and Tang Dynasty, he is not as angry or rebellious.

There was no cynicism involved.

but.

As times progress, China's economy has achieved leapfrog development over the past two decades compared to the early 90s.

Many conflicts have been quietly dissolved by the dividends of the times.

This principle applies globally: during periods of economic growth, all contradictions are masked.

and so.

The rock music and rock musicians of that era are mostly outdated.

Young people today don't have that much anger.

Shen Yan's choice of topic is excellent; it focuses more on the individual and is more likely to resonate with readers.

At this moment, an extremely intense light burst forth from Qi Yalai's brown eyes.

He was the person she and her family needed, the best springboard to leverage the Chinese and even Asian markets.

Thinking of this, Qi Yalai glanced at Zheng Donghan and cursed inwardly.

Old fox!

This time, it looks like we'll have to pay tens of millions more.

but.

do not care!

Whether the other party wants tens of millions or a hundred million more, she needs to finalize the deal as soon as possible and can't afford to drag it out any longer.

Following that, others began to express their opinions.

The scene instantly transformed into a "top-tier praise group," with everyone showering each other with compliments.

of course.

After the praise, when it came to the planning stage, no one slacked off; everyone offered suggestions and ideas.

"I think the promotion of the whole album can revolve around the theme of 'The world is so big, I want to go see it,' and be linked to themes such as 'escaping the city,' 'finding oneself,' and 'freedom healing.'"

"I agree. In addition, I personally suggest that not only should the musical style and theme be consistent, but the visual effects should also be consistent. We can broaden our horizons and consider global coastlines, city nightscapes, and coastal highways as options."

"But wouldn't that put too much strain on the budget?"

"Budget upgrade!"

Qi Yalai made the decision on the spot.

"Production costs have increased to 1000 million, and the company will cover the entire cost!"

She was trying to curry favor with Shen Yan. Initially, Gold Typhoon only signed a three-album contract with Shen Yan, and after the release of the second album, the contract only had one album left.

Contract renewal is imminent.

Armani's endorsement is the first time it has shown goodwill.

That endorsement deal was secured by her father personally approaching the Armani family.

If the contract renewal is successful and the timing is right, the watch endorsement can be replaced with a full-line endorsement for the Greater China region at any time.

Furthermore, their family's acquisition of Elite World is progressing smoothly.

In front of Shen Yan, these top fashion resources are their family's bargaining chips. If Shen Yan becomes famous enough, he will become their family's bargaining chips in the eyes of those brands.

"If it's 1000 million."

Huang Weijing spoke rapidly.

"All ten songs can be made into music videos, strung together into a music short film, and then, in conjunction with the four major portal websites, we can create a special feature called 'Shen Yan Music Travel Season'."

"And magazines!"

Zia Lai added.

"Magazines are also important."

Her words sound a bit like those of a "foreigner," as most people in China don't have the habit of subscribing to magazines.

However, in order to appease this rich little princess, Huang Weijing later added magazine channels.

The meeting didn't end until after 6 p.m.

When the event ended, everyone was beaming with health.

People in the record industry are inherently idealistic, having witnessed the birth of a top-tier album.

It felt like a drunkard stumbling upon a bottle of unparalleled fine wine.

There was only one outcome from the meeting.

upgrade!

upgrade!

Full upgrade!

The production cost was ten million!

Publicity and promotion?

One to one, ten million!

With a total cost of 20 million, given the current state of the record industry, it's almost certain that this investment will result in a 100% loss.

but.

Qi Yalai doesn't care about the gains or losses of an album.

What she wants is influence!

of course.

The prerequisite is contract renewal.

"Take a look at this new contract."

After the dinner, Huang Weijing made a special trip back to Tangren and handed a brand new contract to Shen Yan.

"That little Italian princess is determined to have you."

"Yeah?"

Shen Yan took the contract, but he didn't look at it right away.

"certainly."

Huang Weijing smiled and took a sip of red wine. Then, she began to "reveal" the inside story.

"Her initial target was actually Wang Fei. In order to pursue Wang Fei, she prepared HK$100 million, but Wang Fei was not very interested."

"Just then, you appeared."

"To be honest, I was originally prepared to resign and leave once the boss completed the equity transfer of Gold Typhoon, but now I want to stay."

"Because of him?"

At this moment, Cai Yinong parted her red lips slightly, and her face was flushed with a hint of intoxication.

"Um."

Huang Weijing readily admitted it.

"I rediscovered my passion in Shen Yan, as if I had returned to when I first entered the record industry."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Shen Yan.

"From a friend's perspective, I genuinely think this new contract is pretty good."

"Let me briefly explain the content. The copyright situation is the same as before: you retain the lyrics and music, and you can repurchase the recording copyright when it expires."

"The revenue from digital music and ringback tones will be split 40/60, with the company receiving 40% and you receiving 60%."

"Copyright agency still splits profits 50/50; that's industry practice."

"The royalty rate is 25%, which is top-tier in the industry."

"Of course, none of that matters. The era of records is over."

"The important thing is the production cost."

"The production cost for each subsequent album starts at 500 million, and the promotion and distribution costs are one to one."

"Then there's the signing bonus. The company is currently offering 600 million, but Qi Yalai's bottom line is 1000 million. You can just quote that number."

Normally speaking, Huang Weijing revealing her secrets before negotiations would be considered traitorous behavior.

but.

She and Qi Yalai didn't have much of a relationship.

If she had to choose sides, she would definitely side with Shen Yan. However, if the company still belonged to the Zheng family, she wouldn't do that.

"What about the time limit?"

"An eight-year, five-album contract, centered on album production. Once five albums are completed, the contract will automatically expire, regardless of whether the eight-year period has been completed."

"Does that include both Chinese and English records?"

Shen Yan flipped through the contract and couldn't help but laugh when he saw that clause. Last time, he only signed a contract in Chinese.

"Yes, she insisted on signing an English-language record deal."

Huang Weijing remained candid.

"However, this point can be discussed. The Qi Yalai family has extensive connections in the fashion industry, but they are not so good in the record industry."

"But Gold Typhoon doesn't have overseas promotion channels," Shen Yan pressed. "Are you going to use EMI?"

EMI, once a record giant, is having a tough time these days.

Even Pink Floyd and Queen, who had collaborated for 40 years, are rumored to be leaving, and many analysts have pointed out that EMI is on the verge of bankruptcy.

"No, we can go through other companies too," Huang Weijing said truthfully. "Universal, Warner, Sony, all of them are fine."

Distribution through agents is also a common practice in the international record industry.

Many independent musicians and record labels rely on the distribution networks of record companies such as Universal, Warner, and Sony.

"Although agents are very common, the treatment of biological sons and godsons is quite different."

Shen Yan shook his head slightly, then offered a suggestion.

"I think we can change the way we cooperate. We can jointly establish an independent label, and I will sign my English record contract with this label."

"If I were to release an English album, I could go through an agent for the first one, and for the second one, I could do what independent labels do and seek a major record company to be affiliated with."

This is also a very mature model; establishing a label offers more freedom than signing a contract directly.

The relationship between the two sides is more of a collaboration.

Justin Bieber initially followed this path; he was first discovered by an agent, and then his agent and Usher co-founded a company.

After that, Usher used his influence and connections to help Justin Bieber secure a record deal.

That is, Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music.

This pattern is very common.

The business models of record giants such as Universal, Sony, and Warner are quite different from those in China; they do not pursue full-contract binding.

Record companies' core profits come from music copyrights, distribution, and tours.

Actually, it's not that European and American record companies don't want to, but rather that laws and regulations restrict them, as signing full contracts can easily cross the line.

If they can sign a full contract, those giants can easily use their industry position to establish a monopoly.

"It should be possible."

After a moment's thought, Huang Weijing gave her answer: with her as the "mole," Qi Yalai's true colors had been exposed.

How can we even talk about this?

Shen Yan guessed that the Qi Yalai family's future sale of Gold Medal Typhoon was probably due to this reason.

I got ripped off.

In comparison, Shen Yan felt that he was more principled.

He wouldn't mind renewing the contract.

Although the Qi Yalai family doesn't have much influence in the record industry, they're still better than him, right?

He's at least part of the European and American fashion scene, and his network is much wider than that of an outsider like him.

Everything is negotiable as long as the conditions are right.