Forming a Band

Liang Yin was also a bit excited as she said, "We've got a guitarist, we've got a lead singer, I know a little drum kit, and if we recruit a keyboardist, we can debut!"

Wang Zhi said, "Exactly!" The thought of being Da Fei's guitarist made his blood boil—after over a decade of hard practice, his talent finally had a place to shine!

"Da Fei, what do you think, really?"

Lin Chudong sat down on the sofa and said.

"Don't get worked up. I came here to apply as a guitar teacher. Forming a band isn't urgent."

Liang Yin sat directly beside him, like two towering mountains closing in, making it hard for Lin Chudong to breathe.

"How can it not be urgent! This is your most critical moment. As your fans, of course we have to go all out to help!"

Lin Chudong said, "Go all out? Really?"

"Really!"

"Alright, then let me lay out the plan."

Lin Chudong crossed his legs, his expression turning serious.

"First, we need to register a company. That won't cost much."

"The main expense for forming a band is definitely the instruments. For a performance-level setup, you need at least three Electric Guitars, one Acoustic Guitar, one keyboard, one Electric Piano, one Drum kit, one bass, plus Effects Pedals and so on."

"Your shop has most of these things, which saves a lot, but it's still your cost. Rough estimate, the bare minimum is around Three Hundred Thousand. Since you run a Piano Shop, your cost would be about two hundred fifty thousand—that's the lowest configuration."

"The second expense is the musicians' salaries. I'm the lead singer, so I can skip a base salary and just take a Fifteen Percent cut of the Performance Fee. That saves a bit."

"But a guitarist who can play on stage needs a salary of at least ten to twenty thousand. Of course, a musician's skill level ties to their pay—you get what you pay for."

"Let's start looking with a salary of around ten thousand plus. Drummer, Lead Guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist, keyboardist—those are the basics. We'd also need a trumpeter, violinist, harmonica player, and other musicians. Monthly salary expenses would be at least over a hundred thousand."

"Initial investment of two hundred fifty thousand, monthly overhead of a hundred thousand. If we get gigs, a new band's Appearance Fee would be at most two thousand, and we'd have to cover our own travel and lodging..."

Lin Chudong's words made the grand ambition in Liang Yin's chest shrink bit by bit.

"With your fame, how could the Appearance Fee be only two thousand?"

Lin Chudong said, "I signed a contract. During promotions, I can't use the name Da Fei, so even with me, the fee won't be high."

"Then can't you write 'former lead singer of Da Fei Band'?"

"That's possible, but if the company isn't strong, the organizer will still lowball your fee. Given our current strength, we have no gigs at all, so don't say two thousand—even if they offer one thousand, you'd have to take it."

Liang Yin's fervor was instantly doused. A monthly outlay of a hundred thousand—she had some savings, but it probably wouldn't last more than a few months.

Could she turn things around in a few months?

Relying entirely on Lin Chudong alone seemed unlikely!

Seeing the two of them calm down, Lin Chudong smiled.

"That's why this isn't urgent. I'll teach first, earn some living expenses, and we'll talk later."

Wang Zhi was unconvinced. "Brother Fei, you've seen my skill. I really can't be a guitarist?"

Lin Chudong shook his head. "If you want to join a band, you could switch to bass."

Wang Zhi froze for a moment. "No way. Guitarists are cool. Bass is boring!"

Lin Chudong patted his shoulder earnestly and said.

"If you keep grinding at guitar, the world just gains one more guitarist."

"But if you switch to bass, the world gains a whole band. Think about it."

After Lin Chudong spoke, Wang Zhi was silent for a long time. He quietly walked to a corner and picked up a bass.

He had some basic bass skills and had even taught bass before, though he was definitely still lacking compared to a professional musician.

Lin Chudong quickly wrote up a teaching plan and had Liang Yin post it at their door.

"Guitar Crash Course: Learn to sing and play in three thousand yuan, one-month intensive."

This teaching plan left Wang Zhi speechless. He strongly disapproved of crash courses, but since it was Da Fei, he didn't dare say anything.

Liang Yin was serious about forming the band. Even though Lin Chudong had poured cold water on her, she still thought there was a chance.

That night, she watched highlights of Da Fei Band's performances, as well as Da Fei's personal guitar solos, drum solos, piano, harmonica, horsehead fiddle...

Da Fei seemed to know everything. Any instrument in his hands could produce beautiful melodies.

With a lead singer like that, she refused to believe forming a band could lose money!

Lin Chudong lay in the dormitory, quietly waiting for the Treasure Chest to open.

The dormitory environment wasn't bad—clean and tidy—but that was its only virtue. There wasn't even a small window, making it very oppressive.

Fortunately, Lin Chudong wasn't picky. He'd lived in worse conditions. This was nothing.

Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Lin Chudong opened it and saw a woman who wouldn't drop a single cookie crumb on her feet.

A loose set of pajamas somewhat concealed her figure; otherwise, at this late hour, it would be all too easy to have unhealthy dreams.

"Shopkeeper's wife, what's the matter?"

"Da Fei, I've made up my mind—I want to support you in forming a band! I can put up one million in startup capital, I've got a house I can mortgage, plus all the instruments in my shop. Is that enough?"

Lin Chudong froze for a moment. The shopkeeper's wife was a rich woman.

These days, how many people running brick-and-mortar stores could pull out a million in cash?

Sure, every household these days seemed loaded on paper, but it was all tied up in property. Not many had even a few hundred thousand in actual bank savings.

"Pretty much."

With Lin Chudong's agreement, Liang Yin was overjoyed.

"Then where do we start?"

"Come in and sit down first."

The two sat on the bed. As soon as Liang Yin's loose pajamas settled, the curves became impossible to ignore.

Lin Chudong lifted his head, making a conscious effort not to look.

"Tomorrow, go register a company. Then get ready to release a song—release the one I sang today, 'Chengdu.'"

Registering a company was no big deal; who the legal representative was didn't matter. He just needed that startup capital.

Once the company had more funds later, he'd sign a copyright contract.

Right now, Lin Chudong only had about a hundred thousand. Liang Yin was investing a million plus a house. With that ratio, he couldn't very well demand controlling shares.

But he couldn't afford to lose control of the company either—not again. So for now, he'd make some money first, then sign the equity agreement.

As for the song copyrights down the line, that would have to be negotiated later. In any case, Lin Chudong wasn't about to fall for the same trap twice.

Equity and copyright—those two things had to be firmly in his own hands.

He still remembered that three years ago, after getting the system, he kept signing in nonstop until the very last day of the third year, when it gave him an Alternate Universe Gift Pack.

It had hollowed out eighty percent of this world's entertainment system.

That meant most of the famous songs Lin Chudong knew didn't exist here. Any song he pulled out could shake the Music Scene.

Of course, shaking the Music Scene still required a platform.

Singing on the street only shook up the city inspectors.

Liang Yin wasn't very knowledgeable about this. "How much does it cost to release a song?"

"For a normal release—lyrics, composition, professional arrangement, performance, backing vocals, a Recording Studio, music publishing codes—it'd be at least a few hundred thousand."

"But I can handle all of that myself. You just need to take care of the Recording Studio and the promotion after it's done."

"About seventy or eighty thousand."

Liang Yin finally relaxed. "That's fine, no problem with that amount. Your song 'Chengdu' is really good—it's bound to be a hit!"

Lin Chudong gave a faint smile. Before the world got hollowed out, "Chengdu" was a must-learn classic for every guitar enthusiast.

Countless Piano Shops had lured in students with the slogan "Learn 'Chengdu' in Thirty Days."

This "Chengdu" might not make their band famous, but it would definitely save every Piano Shop in the country.