Feiyang Music Movement

On the phone, Yan Yu worried that Song Dao was young and hotheaded, unaware of the hidden complexities, so she patiently explained many things to him.

If Song Dao were an arrogant young man with clear, foolish eyes, he might impulsively declare, "Who's afraid of who?"

But he was, after all, an old soul with rich experience.

He understood clearly that everything Yan Yu said was true.

Plus, before she called, he had already been pondering this himself.

From Ma Shen and Cui Luo initially looking down on him for no reason, to now more people deliberately attacking him with purpose.

For a newcomer like him in the music scene, staying unknown was fine, but once he started rising, he was easily suppressed or even schemed against.

The entertainment industry was deep and murky, and the music scene, as a major part of it, was no exception.

So finding a company to rely on was indeed the best choice.

With good management, the income couldn't be matched by going solo.

But as Yan Yu said, even if he found a partner company, it had to be one that offered him loose terms and had backing.

That was too difficult.

Two words—"Why you?"

Capital chases profit.

Not to mention newcomers; even established B-list or C-list stars often faced harsh contracts.

Things were better now, but thirty years back, being forced to act at gunpoint or threatened with bullets to write songs wasn't unheard of.

People had even been killed for blocking someone's path or offending others.

So he asked Yan Yu if she had any suitable recommendations.

"In the industry, for newcomer contracts, top entertainment companies usually split it eighty-twenty—yes, you heard right, company eighty, artist twenty. Often, the costs for lyricists and composers come out of that twenty percent."

"You should understand the logic—setting aside exploitation, a company spends a fortune to build an artist; the costs are staggering."

"But under their operations, your income can easily double, or even multiply dozens of times!"

"As a newcomer, you have strong creative ability. If you let them know Water Strike Three Thousand is you and use 'A Lifetime of Loneliness' to prove your strength, you might negotiate a seventy-thirty split on net profit."

"Anything more is tough!"

"That's how the entertainment industry works. No matter how talented you are, before you truly blow up, you have little bargaining power."

Song Dao felt that since Yan Yu brought it up, she wouldn't do so without reason—she likely had a suitable target in mind.

So he asked, "Sister Yu, any recommendations?"

She hesitated on the other end, then said, "I'll tell you about one company. Think it over. Either way, I'll support you wherever you go!"

Yan Yu spoke seriously.

"See Through" and "Heartbroken" weren't enough for her to value this junior brother this much—it was "A Lifetime of Loneliness" that truly made her recognize Song Dao's talent.

"Alright, go ahead."

After all that buildup, let's see which company you recommend.

"Ever heard of Feiyang Music Movement?" Yan Yu stopped beating around the bush.

"No." Song Dao answered honestly.

Yan Yu was a bit speechless. "Feiyang Music Movement is the company Kong Xi signed with. The boss is the Heavenly Queen Lin Fei, who spoke up for you!"

"Ah?" Song Dao felt a little awkward.

Regardless of the reason, Lin Fei was the only heavyweight who had supported him online so far.

And yet he knew nothing about her.

"What 'ah'? Sister Fei even wanted to send Water Strike Three Thousand a red envelope as thanks. Because of your instructions, Kong Xi and I didn't reveal it was your pen name, just said Teacher Sanqian was busy."

"There's a red envelope? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Wait, are you even listening to me? Are you that obsessed with money?" Yan Yu couldn't help but tease.

"Go on, please continue."

This sister spent so much money on a recording studio—clearly not short on cash. How could she understand a poor person's struggles?

"Feiyang Music Movement isn't a big company, but it's very professional. Yesterday, I asked Sister Fei if Teacher Sanqian would be willing to work with you long-term, could he come to your place? She immediately welcomed it."

"Sister Yu, you're a good person!" Song Dao praised.

"You know it!" Yan Yu snorted. "Sister Fei is a great person, not too focused on profit. Plus, you and Kong Xi already have a collaboration, so it's a good start."

"Mm, I wonder what terms Sister Fei can offer?" Song Dao asked.

Yan Yu was a bit speechless.

She could tell—her junior brother had probably been too traumatized by his ex-girlfriend.

Though it had sparked a flood of creative inspiration, the aftermath of spending a million in four years was also severe.

Now, no matter who it was, when it came to money, he was bound to haggle over every cent and refuse to yield an inch.

"I didn't go into that much detail with her. If you think it's fine, you can talk to her yourself later."

Yan Yu said, "Anyway, don't let the online attacks against Sister Fei fool you. The truth is, she got tired and burned out back then and chose to retire. A lot of people don't realize how much influence she really has."

"She graduated from Jing University. Her teachers and classmates are all heavyweights. Her network goes way beyond the entertainment circle."

"Let me put it this way: if Sister Fei wanted to make a comeback, she could do it anytime."

"If you sign with her, your resources will be way better than now. And while I can't promise your path in the industry will be completely smooth or free from obstacles, at least the methods used will be a lot more aboveboard. You get what I mean?"

Song Dao grunted in acknowledgment.

What Yan Yu meant by "a lot more aboveboard" was that everyone would be back on a relatively fair playing field.

Instead of the current situation, where some people were using every trick in the book to suppress him.

The online attacks and smear campaigns were just one part of it.

There were also offline moves targeting him.

For example, awards.

Given how popular Song Dao had been this year, whether at the Penguin Platform or other official award ceremonies, he should have had a shot at things like Song of the Year or Best New Artist.

But without a powerful backer behind him, he couldn't even dream of it!

Who did he think he was?

It was already generous not to curse him out—and he still wanted awards?

Awards for original songwriting, lyrics and composition, popularity, fan favorite—none of them had anything to do with him!

Take the Penguin Platform, for instance.

As an independent musician, Song Dao's current contract was good, and his cooperation with Penguin had been smooth.

But the moment those top-tier entertainment companies got involved, everything would change instantly.

They might just need to have a drink with the higher-ups, and all the perks he enjoyed would vanish into thin air.

He could bring revenue to the platform, but compared to the money those big companies poured in every year, he was nothing.

In that kind of environment, could he still spread Earth's music as an independent musician through the system?

One bucket of dirty water splashed on him, and the entire industry and all platforms would blacklist him outright.

He wouldn't even be able to be an influencer!

How was he supposed to spread anything then?

This kind of thing might sound absurd and ridiculous, but it happened all the time in reality.

Whenever interests were involved, nothing was surprising.

It was the same logic as using a pen name—the deeper reason was to avoid scrutiny!

And thus avoid trouble.

This kind of thing might seem trivial, but in reality, before you've grown strong enough, any storm could be fatal.

A glaring, obvious target versus a mysterious, suspected big-shot producer behind a pseudonym.

Which was better?

"Since you're fine with it, I'll reply to Sister Fei and set up a time for you two to meet and chat?"

"Then I'll trouble you, Sister Yu." Song Dao said.

"No trouble at all. As long as you come record more songs at my place, I won't have wasted my effort." Yan Yu laughed and hung up.

In truth, what she wanted wasn't money at all.

She was just craving Song Dao's songs!

Her family wasn't short on cash.

The annual rent for her studio alone was over three hundred thousand.

That was only because it wasn't in a bustling downtown area, and the landlord was a friend of her father's, so the price was very low.

The real expense was the renovation and equipment!

The acoustic treatment alone cost over two million.

Regular renovation cost over a million.

Add in all the odds and ends, and she had sunk nearly four million into it!

Then there was the recording equipment: microphones at over twenty thousand each, and she bought ten at once.

A sound card for over a hundred thousand, a mixing console for over four hundred thousand, a recorder for over a hundred thousand, monitor speakers for over a hundred thousand, monitor headphones for seventy or eighty thousand...

All sorts of things. Getting this recording studio set up had cost a total of seven or eight million!

It had nearly emptied the little treasury she had saved up since childhood.

Her parents had lodged a formal protest, saying they wouldn't provide any more financial support, and if she had the ability, she could earn it herself.

Of course, if she could bring a boyfriend home, then everything was still negotiable.

How could Yan Yu ever compromise?

Relying on her strong professional skills, she wore multiple hats as a musician, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and producer.

She stubbornly propped up the recording studio all on her own, only calling in a couple of friends when she truly couldn't handle the workload.

Thanks to her solid network, Life is Messy Studio had been doing steady business since it opened.

Without factoring in investment costs, she made more than enough to support herself.

So she'd never had much interest in making money.

The reason she suggested Song Dao sign with Lin Fei's company was twofold.

On one hand, this Junior Brother really did have talent.

Lin Fei had also expressed through Kong Xi a desire to collaborate with Water Strike Three Thousand.

As a close friend, she had to help out.

On the other hand, it came from her own love of music.

She desperately wanted to see more talented people like Song Dao join the current lifeless music scene.

There had to be benefits and protection for more people to be willing to do this.

Finally, there was one more important reason.

She was a fan of Lin Fei!

Even though the two were close, good sisters who often worked out, did beauty treatments, and had afternoon tea together.

Lin Fei still had no idea about this.

Yan Yu never brought it up because she didn't want to reopen Lin Fei's old wounds.

She desperately hoped Sister Fei would make a comeback and sing.

Song Dao's creative ability gave her a glimmer of hope.

She knew Lin Fei had asked Kong Xi to contact her about Water Strike Three Thousand because she was worried about running into those old perverts from back in the day and didn't want direct contact.

But Song Dao wasn't an old pervert.

Not only was he not old, he was a young, handsome hunk!

Talented and easy on the eyes—who wouldn't appreciate that?

Having someone like that as a partner, getting familiar, and then finding inspiration to tailor a song for Sister Fei... that was normal and reasonable, right?

She refused to believe Sister Fei could hold back when faced with a truly great song.

So when she called Lin Fei, Yan Yu deliberately didn't mention that Water Strike Three Thousand was Song Dao, planning to give her a surprise.

"Teacher Sanqian really agreed to come to my place?"

Lin Fei was very happy, but she also had some concerns: "Yan Yan, be honest with me—he's not one of those people I know, is he?"

"You definitely haven't met him in person!" Yan Yu said.

"That's good." Lin Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

She was really afraid those sanctimonious types would use this roundabout way to get close to her.

But she also trusted that Yan Yu had good judgment and wouldn't joke about something like this.

"But one thing—Teacher Sanqian is pretty money-grubbing!" Remembering Song Dao's ruthless 80-20 contract, Yan Yu still gave a warning.

"Money-grubbing?" Lin Fei asked doubtfully: "I heard he's splitting fifty-fifty with Xixi. That's still okay, right?"

Even though for a relatively unknown songwriter, a fifty-fifty split with an already famous singer was a bit much.

For Lin Fei, it was still acceptable.

After all, she was equally generous.

"That was before. Let me put it this way—he's a very talented creator who's very confident in himself.

He just recorded a song at my place. It's bound to blow up.

He doesn't want to sing it himself, just recorded a demo and plans to give it to someone else to sing later.

Then he asked me to help draft a contract. Do you know what the terms were?"

Yan Yu chattered on, without revealing any song details, describing the split ratio in that contract.

"Daring to ask for eighty percent? That's pretty confident. But you said the song he recorded is bound to blow up?" Lin Fei said.

"Yeah, bound to blow up!" Yan Yu said with certainty.

It was hard to say exactly how big it would get, but it would definitely be a hit. As a professional musician, she had that judgment.

Lin Fei trusted her judgment too.

She laughed on the other end and said magnanimously: "You know I didn't start this company just to make money. If he's really that talented, what's the harm in giving him a bigger cut?"

"You could consider a tiered contract." Yan Yu suggested.

This kind of performance-based split contract was very common in entertainment companies.

"If you've got the skill, take as much as you want—even upside down. If not, just accept the newcomer terms obediently."

"Too much trouble, and unnecessary. Help me set it up—I'll meet him at your place tomorrow. If he's really as good as you say, I'll split fifty-fifty with him!"

As expected of someone who'd seen the world, Lin Fei was incredibly generous.

Besides, her Feiyang Music Movement was already an oddball in the industry.

Other companies signed newcomers at eighty-twenty splits, and the more ruthless ones even had ninety-ten contracts with extended terms—practically indentured servitude.

To get famous, too many people flocked to them.

The entertainment industry, that massive arena of fame and fortune, never lacked people.

But Lin Fei signed newcomers starting at seventy-thirty.

For a promising talent like Kong Xi, she didn't hesitate to offer sixty-forty.

Now, hearing that Water Strike Three Thousand, the creator of "Always Been Quiet," was interested in coming over, she directly offered a fifty-fifty split—treatment that even top-tier lyricists and composers might not necessarily secure under normal circumstances.

To be honest, Yan Yu, who also didn't care much about money, admired her for it.

At least she knew Song Dao's creative talent.

Lin Fei only knew one song: "Always Been Quiet."

"Sister Fei, you're amazing!" she couldn't help saying.

"It's not about being amazing, Yan Yan.

I've been criticized for years—no one knows better than me how that feels.

As long as he's truly skilled and his songs can make my people famous, he deserves to take more.

If he can really groom a top-tier star for me, forget the split—I'd give him company shares!"

After chatting with Lin Fei, Yan Yu sent Song Dao a message, not mentioning what Lin Fei had said.

That kind of thing was best discussed face-to-face.

She set the time for tomorrow at four in the afternoon. She had a recording session in the morning, and after the meeting, they could grab a meal together.

It had also been a while since she'd caught up with Sister Fei.

She was sure Lin Fei would be absolutely stunned when she saw Song Dao!

That scene would definitely be fun.

Not long after Song Dao finished talking with Yan Yu, he received a message from Kong Xi.

"Wow, Senior Brother, are you coming to our company? Sister Fei just said she's meeting with Teacher Sanqian tomorrow?"

"Not sure yet, just talking it over first."

"It'd be great if you could come, Senior Brother! I'm so looking forward to it!"

Then he got a message from someone named Kang Peng.

It was his dorm roommate.

He'd gotten along well with the original owner.

"Bro, you've been cooped up at home for days, and you've already put out two songs. Time to come out and get some fresh air, right?"