I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 003: Gaining Both Fame and Fortune?

The meeting room was eerily quiet.

No one expected things to turn out this way.

Fang Lei glanced at Yang Du, then at Wang Shihui beside him, his expression a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

His current mood is probably like ordering a plate of cabbage at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, only to be served boiled cabbage in clear broth.

Overwhelmed with shock, I didn't know how to start eating for a moment.

How will this end?

To directly say that Yang Du's arrangement was chosen would be tantamount to slapping Wang Shihui in the face in front of all the senior executives.

This is a long-time employee of the company.

But if I were to go against my conscience and choose Wang Shihui's version...

Let alone whether Tao Cheng, the female singer recently promoted by the company, would agree, Fang Lei himself couldn't even cross his own bottom line as a musician.

His ability to reach the position of artist and production director at Kingstone Music is not only due to his seniority, but also to his outstanding professional skills.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Teacher Wang.

Just as the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, Wang Shihui suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Sigh..." He blushed, using the gesture of lowering his head to drink water as a tactic to cover up his embarrassment and panic, and said self-deprecatingly, "Getting old."

He looked at Yang Du, his eyes no longer showing the feigned concern of a senior for a junior, but instead a complex, even slightly jealous, shock.

Having been in the industry for so many years, Wang Shihui naturally sees things very clearly. Faced with such an overwhelming advantage, any attempt to act tough based on seniority will only make one appear more ridiculous and clownish.

There's really no need to put on a brave face when faced with absolute technological superiority.

It would be better to admit defeat openly and generously, and at the same time, use the excuse of mentoring younger generations to save face for yourself.

However, Wang Shihui never imagined that one day he would lose to a 21-year-old junior in the field of music arrangement, which he was so proud of.

Who would have thought that my earlier comment, "throwing out a brick to attract jade," would become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

He really did become that brick!

"This arrangement is very bold, even unconventional." He paused, his tone tinged with helplessness, but still gave an objective evaluation: "From the synthesizer in the intro to the multi-frequency instrumental bombardment in the chorus, it perfectly expresses the suppressed explosion."

"I must admit, his version is more in line with the soul of 'Flammable and Explosive' than mine. I just said you lacked experience in the studio, but now it seems I was overconfident."

Having said that, Wang Shihui also came to terms with it and felt more at ease: "My arrangement is too conservative. I always try to cater to popular tastes, but I end up losing that edge."

"Director Fang, the producer of this song is none other than Xiao Yang."

Wang Shihui voluntarily admitted defeat.

His departure slightly warmed the atmosphere in the conference room. Several company executives who had just thought Yang Du was young, arrogant, and ungrateful were now all smiles and began to praise him wholeheartedly, their change of attitude as smooth as flowing water.

"As expected of a top student from the Beijing Conservatory of Music, truly a promising young talent."

"The arrangement is absolutely amazing; this dark gothic style is very rare in China. The single will definitely be a hit when it's released."

"Yeah yeah."

Yang Du listened politely to these meaningless commercial accolades with a smile, but his heart remained unmoved.

That's just how realistic the music industry is.

If you have value and demonstrate your abilities, they will treat you as an honored guest.

If his work today is inferior to Wang Shihui's, then it's naturally Teacher Wang who will be praised, while he probably won't even get a consolation prize for his participation.

"Junior, congratulations!" Tao Cheng said softly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Amidst a chorus of praise, the matter was successfully finalized.

Jinshi Music was extremely efficient; in less than half an hour, the legal department delivered the drafted contract to the conference room.

Yang Du carefully examined the contract in front of him, his gaze quickly sweeping over the relevant clauses, and finally, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

As the copyright holder of the lyrics and music, he not only receives 10% of the song's subsequent commercial revenue.

To show their sincerity, Jinshi Music also paid an additional producer fee of up to 20,000 yuan.

When the single is released in the future, his name will be listed in the lyricist, composer, arranger, and producer sections.

Fame and fortune.

For a 21-year-old junior in college, this is a dream start.

Don't underestimate the 10% cut and the 20,000 yuan production cost.

After a single is released, the platform takes a 30% cut as a distribution fee, and the majority of the remaining money goes to the production company, i.e., the music company.

After deducting the singer's share, the songwriter usually only gets about 10% of the final amount.

If the lyrics and music are written by multiple people, then they share the 10% share.

Even more cruelly, music companies have always adopted a buyout system for newcomers who have no reputation.

You wrote a good song?

Okay, I'll give you a buyout price ranging from three to five thousand to tens of thousands.

Once the contract is signed, it doesn't matter whether the song earns a million or ten million in the future, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, the original author.

Don't even think about taking a cut.

In other words, Yang Du single-handedly handled the lyrics and composition, and through his arrangement skills, he managed to snatch the producer position from Wang Shihui. With the help of Tao Cheng, a rising singer in the company, Jinshi Music made an exception and gave him this 10% share.

In this era where capital reigns supreme, managing to carve out a piece of flesh from the mouth of capital is no easy feat.

Just as Yang Du signed the papers and everyone began discussing the recording schedule for the single, Sister Hong gently nudged Tao Cheng with her elbow and whispered, "Chengzi, your junior definitely has feelings for you."

Tao Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and whispered, "Sister Hong, don't overthink it. My junior is just a pure musician. He helped me with the arrangement because he's responsible for the work."

"I don't think so." Sister Hong took out her phone, skillfully opened an interface, and pushed it in front of Tao Cheng.

On the screen was the blog post published last night at midnight by the account 【羊都督】, a story about him loving her, her loving him, and him not loving her.

As an agent, it is perfectly reasonable to use a secondary account to follow the songwriter's Weibo account.

"What?! My junior is just under too much pressure, that's why he wrote this kind of thing. You know, you can't look at art students with the eyes of ordinary people."

"Sister Hong, do you have no idea how much pressure he's been under lately? How many producers as young as Jinshi Music can there be? No, I have to treat my junior to a good meal after the meeting."

"Okay, okay, I'll book a private room right away."

Yang Du signed his name smoothly on the last page of the contract.

The moment he capped the pen, he felt an overwhelming sense of joy.

After years of studying music theory, my career has finally taken a very solid first step.

By connecting with his senior and Jinshi Music, he can be considered a member of the industry.

However, life is full of ups and downs...

Just as he closed the contract, the system notification sounded in his mind again.

"—Newbie Mission Two Begins!"

"—Please publish another emotional article (micro-fiction) on your private social media account. The article must have a complete storyline and emotions, and must not be plagiarized."

"—Special reminder: Rewards will be distributed based on task completion!"

Yang Du's hand holding the pen stiffened slightly.

Alright, alright, here we go again.