Feiyang Music Movement

On the phone, Yan Yu worried that Song Dao was young and hot-headed, unaware of all the twists and turns involved, so she patiently explained many things to him.

If Song Dao had been some reckless young man with clear, foolish eyes, he might have impulsively said, "Who's afraid of who?"

But he was, after all, an old soul with a wealth of experience.

He knew very well that everything Yan Yu said was true.

Besides, before she called, he had already been thinking about this matter himself.

At first, Ma Shen and Cui Luo had simply looked down on him. Now, more people were launching targeted attacks against him.

For a music industry newbie like him, being unknown was one thing. Once he rose to prominence, he really would be vulnerable to suppression and even schemes.

The entertainment industry's waters ran deep and muddy, and the music scene, one of its major territories, was no better.

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

If handled well, the income would not compare to going it alone.

But just as Yan Yu had said, even if he sought a partner company, it had to be one that could offer him flexible terms while also having connections.

That was far too difficult.

Two words—why would they?

Capital pursued profit.

Not to mention newcomers; even established second- and third-tier celebrities often had extremely harsh contracts.

Things were already considered relatively good nowadays. Go back thirty years, and there had been cases of people being forced at gunpoint to film movies or threatened with bullets to write songs.

Some had even been killed for blocking someone's path or offending the wrong person.

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

"For newcomer contracts in the industry, top entertainment companies usually take an eighty-twenty split. Yes, you heard right—the company gets eighty, the artist gets twenty. A lot of the time, even the songwriter and composer's fees have to come out of that twenty percent."

"You should understand the reasoning. Setting aside exploitation, a company has to spend enormous sums to cultivate and promote an artist. The costs are staggering."

"But under their operation, your income can easily double, or even increase by dozens of times!"

"You may be a newcomer, but because you have such strong creative ability, as long as they know that Water Strike Three Thousand is you, and you bring out A Lifetime of Loneliness to prove your strength, you should have a chance to negotiate a seventy-thirty split of net profits."

"Anything more than that will be difficult!"

"That's how the entertainment industry works. No matter how talented you are, before you truly become hugely popular, it's hard to have any bargaining power."

Song Dao felt that since Yan Yu had brought it up on her own, she probably was not speaking without reason. She most likely already had a suitable company in mind.

So he asked, "Sister Yu, do you have any recommendations?"

There was a moment of hesitation on the other end before she said, "Let me tell you about one company. Think it over. No matter where you go, I'll support you!"

Yan Yu spoke seriously from the other end.

See Through and "Heartbreak" had not been enough to make her value this junior so highly. It was A Lifetime of Loneliness that had truly made her realize Song Dao's talent.

"Alright, go ahead."

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

"Have you heard of Feiyang Music Movement?" Yan Yu stopped keeping him in suspense.

"No," Song Dao answered honestly.

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

"Ah?" Song Dao felt a little embarrassed.

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

Yet he knew absolutely nothing about her.

"What do you mean, 'ah'? Sister Fei even wanted to give Water Strike Three Thousand a red envelope as thanks. Kong Xi and I, following your instructions, didn't tell her it was your pen name. We just kept saying Teacher Sanqian was very busy."

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

"Wait, were you even listening to what I was saying? Have you fallen into a money hole or something?" Yan Yu could not help complaining.

"Please continue, Sister Yu."

This sister could spend so much money opening a recording studio. She was obviously someone who did not lack money. How could she understand the suffering of the poor?

"Feiyang Music Movement isn't a large company, but it's very professional. I asked Sister Fei yesterday whether Teacher Sanqian would be welcome there if he was willing to work with you long-term, and she immediately said yes."

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

"You know it!" Yan Yu snorted. "Sister Fei is a very good person and doesn't place that much importance on profit. Plus, you already have a collaboration with Kong Xi, so that counts as a good start."

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

Yan Yu was a little speechless.

She had finally figured it out. This junior of hers had probably been traumatized too badly by his ex-girlfriend.

Though it had given rise to a great deal of creative inspiration, the aftereffects of spending a million over four years were also rather severe.

Now, no matter who he was dealing with, as soon as money came up, he would scrutinize every last cent and refuse to give an inch.

"I didn't discuss the details with her. If you think it's fine, you can talk to her yourself later."

Yan Yu said, "Anyway, don't be fooled by how badly Sister Fei is being attacked online. Back then, she chose to leave the industry because she was tired of it. Many people have no idea how much influence she has."

"She graduated from Jing University. Her teachers and classmates are all impressive, and her network goes far beyond the entertainment industry's little circle."

"Put it this way: if Sister Fei wants to make a comeback, she can do so anytime."

"If you sign with her, your resources will definitely be far better than they are now. I can't say your path to stardom will be completely smooth or free from obstruction, but at the very least, the tactics used against you will be much more normal. You understand what I mean, right?"

Song Dao gave a soft grunt.

What Yan Yu meant by "much more normal" was that everyone would return to a relatively fair track.

Instead of the current situation, where certain people had begun using every possible method to forcibly suppress him.

The online attacks and smears were only one part of it.

There were also all kinds of offline targeting.

For example, awards.

Given Song Dao's explosive popularity this year, he had a chance to win awards like Song of the Year or Best New Artist at award events organized by Tencent Music or other official bodies.

But without powerful backing, he could forget about any of that!

Who did he think he was?

It would already be good enough if they did not insult him. He wanted awards too?

Original Song Award, Songwriter Award, Popularity Award, Most Popular Award—none of them would have anything to do with him!

Then there was Tencent Music.

As an independent musician, Song Dao currently had a very good contract and enjoyed a pleasant partnership with Tencent Music.

But once those top entertainment companies got involved, things would immediately change.

They might only need to have dinner and drinks with an executive for all the benefits that belonged to him to vanish on the spot.

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

Under those circumstances, did he still want to spread Earth's music through the system as an independent musician?

If someone threw a bucket of dirty water at him, he could end up blacklisted by the entire industry and every platform.

He would not even be able to become an internet celebrity!

Spread music, my ass.

It sounded absurd and ridiculous, but such things happened in reality from time to time.

As long as interests were involved, nothing was surprising.

It was the same principle as using a pen name. The deeper reason was to avoid suspicion!

And thereby avoid trouble.

It might not seem like a big deal, but before he had grown strong enough, any storm could be fatal.

Which was better: an obvious living target, or a mysterious producer account that might belong to some big shot?

"Since you don't have any objections, I'll reply to Sister Fei and arrange a time for you to meet and talk?"

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

"It's nothing. As long as you record more songs at my place, this sister won't be working for nothing." Yan Yu laughed and hung up.

When had she ever wanted to make money?

She was simply craving Song Dao's songs!

Her family did not lack money.

The studio's annual rent alone was more than three hundred thousand.

That was only because it was not located in a bustling downtown area, and because the landlord was a friend of her father who had given her a very low price.

The renovation and equipment were what truly cost a fortune!

The acoustic renovations alone had cost more than two million.

The ordinary renovations had cost over one million.

Adding in all the miscellaneous expenses, she had poured nearly four million into it!

Then there was the recording equipment. Each microphone cost over twenty thousand, and she had bought ten at once.

The audio interface had cost over a hundred thousand, the mixing console over four hundred thousand, the recorder over a hundred thousand, the studio monitors over a hundred thousand, and the monitoring headphones seventy or eighty thousand...

All in all, setting up the recording studio had cost seven or eight million from beginning to end!

It had nearly emptied the little nest egg she had built up since childhood.

Her parents had lodged a solemn protest, declaring that they would not provide any more support from then on. If she had the ability, she could earn money herself.

Of course, if she brought a boyfriend home, then everything could still be negotiated.

How could Yan Yu possibly compromise?

Relying on her strong professional skills, she took on the roles of musician, recording engineer, mixing engineer, producer, and more.

She had stubbornly kept the recording studio running by herself, only calling in two friends for help when she was truly too busy.

Thanks to her respectable connections, Life is Messy Studio had enjoyed consistently good business since opening.

Without factoring in the initial investment, it was more than enough to support herself.

So she had never been particularly interested in making money.

The reason she suggested that Song Dao sign with Lin Fei's company—

On one hand, this junior really was incredibly talented.

And Lin Fei had also expressed through Kong Xi that she wanted to work with Water Strike Three Thousand.

As her best friend, Yan Yu had to help with that.

On the other hand, it was because of her own love for music.

She really wanted the current lifeless music scene to have more talented people like Song Dao participating in it.

There had to be profit, and there also had to be someone to protect them, before more people would be willing to do this.

There was one final, very important reason.

She was Lin Fei's fan!

The two women were very close, best friends who often worked out together, got beauty treatments, and had afternoon tea.

But Lin Fei had never known about it.

Yan Yu had never mentioned it because she did not want to reopen the wound in Lin Fei's heart.

She desperately hoped that Sister Fei could return to singing.

Song Dao's creative ability had let her see a glimmer of hope.

She knew why Lin Fei had asked Kong Xi to contact Water Strike Three Thousand through her. Lin Fei was worried about running into those old perverts from back then, so she did not want direct contact.

But Song Dao was not some old pervert.

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

Talented and easy on the eyes—who would not want someone like that?

If such a person became a partner, then after getting familiar with each other and finding inspiration, it would be perfectly normal and reasonable for him to tailor a song for Sister Fei... right?

She refused to believe Sister Fei could hold back when she encountered a truly great song.

So when she called Lin Fei, Yan Yu had deliberately not mentioned that Water Strike Three Thousand was Song Dao. She was planning to give her a surprise.

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

Lin Fei was delighted, but she also had one concern. "Yan Yan, tell me honestly. He isn't one of those people I know, is he?"

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

"Then that's good." Lin Fei sighed in relief.

She was afraid that those sanctimonious people might use such a roundabout method to get close to her.

But she also trusted that Yan Yu was someone with boundaries and would not joke about something like this.

"But there's one thing. Teacher Sanqian is rather money-minded!" Thinking of Song Dao's blackhearted eighty-twenty contract, Yan Yu still gave her a warning.

"Money-minded?" Lin Fei asked in confusion. "I heard he and Xi Xi split things fifty-fifty. Isn't that alright?"

Though for a songwriter and composer with little fame, taking half from a singer who was already popular was slightly much.

But for Lin Fei, it was still acceptable.

After all, she was generous herself.

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

He just recorded a song at my place, the kind that will definitely become a hit.

He doesn't want to sing it himself, so he only recorded a demo and plans to have someone else sing it later.

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

Yan Yu chattered on, explaining the profit-sharing ratio in that contract without revealing any information about the song.

"He dared to ask for eighty percent? He certainly is confident. But you said the song he recorded is guaranteed to be a hit?" Lin Fei asked.

"Mm, definitely a hit!" Yan Yu said with certainty.

It was difficult to say just how popular it would become, but it would certainly be popular. As a professional musician, she possessed that much judgment.

Lin Fei trusted her judgment as well.

She laughed on the other end and said generously, "You know I didn't start a company solely to make money. If he really is that capable, what's wrong with giving him a larger share?"

"You can consider a tiered contract," Yan Yu reminded her.

Contracts with profit-sharing based on performance were very common for entertainment companies.

If you had the ability, take more—even an inverted split would be fine. If not, just accept a rookie contract honestly.

"That's 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'm fine with a fifty-fifty split!"

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

Besides, her Feiyang Music Movement was already something of an oddity in the industry.

Other companies signed newcomers to eighty-twenty splits. The harsher ones even offered ninety-ten contracts with extended terms, practically contracts of indenture.

Countless people flocked to them just to become famous.

The entertainment industry was a massive arena of fame and fortune, and it never lacked people.

But when Lin Fei signed newcomers, she started them at seventy-thirty.

For a promising talent like Kong Xi, she gave sixty-forty without hesitation.

Now that she had heard Water Strike Three Thousand, the creator of [Always Been Quiet], was interested in joining them, she directly offered a fifty-fifty split—terms that even top songwriters and composers might not necessarily receive under normal circumstances.

Honestly, even Yan Yu, who likewise did not care about money, was impressed.

After all, she knew Song Dao's creative talent well.

Lin Fei only knew [Always Been Quiet].

"Sister Fei, you're so generous!" she could not help saying.

"It's not that I'm generous, Yan Yan.

"I've been criticized for so many years. No one understands better than I do how painful that feels.

"As long as he truly has the ability, and his songs can make the people in my company famous, then he deserves to take more.

"If he can really make an A-list superstar out of someone for me, then forget revenue shares—even company stock would be fine!"

After chatting with Lin Fei, Yan Yu sent Song Dao a message, but she did not mention what Lin Fei had said.

It was better for the two of them to discuss such matters in person.

She set the time for four tomorrow afternoon. She had a recording session in the morning, and after they finished talking in the afternoon, they could have dinner together.

She had not gotten together with Sister Fei for a while, either.

She believed Lin Fei would definitely be shocked when she saw Song Dao!

That scene was bound to be pretty fun.

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

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

"Nothing's certain yet. We'll talk first and see."

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

Just then, he received another message from someone named Kang Peng.

He was Song Dao's roommate.

He had gotten along quite well with the original owner.

"Bro, you've been cooped up at home for so many days, and you've already released two songs. Isn't it about time you came out and got some fresh air?"