diymy Chapter 034 Prisoner Bull Studio
Chapter 034 Prisoner Bull Studio
"Loving you is like a heartbeat, elusive and hard to grasp..."
"I try to draw you, but I can't capture your essence..."
A melancholic yet ethereal voice flowed slowly through the recording studio.
After nearly being replaced, Jiang Yan, a newcomer who had been relegated to the sidelines, displayed amazing resilience and energy.
During the two days of voice recording, she worked like a workaholic, and every word and voice change was perfectly accurate.
Especially the dolphin-like high notes in the chorus, which fully showcased his innate talent for high notes.
However, Yang Du, sitting in front of the control panel, frowned slightly.
As the producer, he keenly noticed that Jiang Yan's voice sounded a bit off today.
This odd feeling doesn't mean she sang off-key or didn't handle the emotions in the song well.
The problem lies with the vocal cords.
The intense vocal recording over several consecutive days is already an extremely physically demanding task, not to mention that the song "Painting Heart" contains the extremely difficult dolphin voice, which puts immense pressure on the singer's vocal cords.
Even with Jiang Yan's exceptional talent, her voice inevitably became fatigued due to this relentless work.
This is like a rubber band that has been stretched for a long time. If it is not allowed to spring back in time, it will be irreversibly damaged once it reaches its limit.
Thinking of this, Yang Du stopped the recording and gave Jiang Yan a day off.
Having finished today's recording work early, Yang Du left the recording studio with a shoulder bag on his back.
Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the cultural and creative park near the Beijing Conservatory of Music.
Yuan Xiuqing has excellent execution skills. In just a few days, she not only completed the tedious registration process, but also quickly rented a 60-square-meter loft in the cultural and creative park.
Qiuniu Studio.
This is Yang Du's current private base in the city, and also where his ambitions lie.
Qiuniu, the eldest of the nine sons of the dragon, is gentle in nature and loves music. Using this mythical beast to name one's personal studio carries excellent meaning.
Pushing open the door, you're greeted by a faint smell of new furniture.
"Why are you back so early today? Is the voice recording for 'Painting Heart' finished?"
"Not yet. Jiang Yan's voice isn't quite right today, so I gave her a day off to rest. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work."
Yang Du tossed his slingback bag onto the table and sank comfortably into the soft sofa.
"The venue is a bit small, I'm sorry to have to make do with our big producer." Yuan Xiuqing poured Yang Du a glass of water. "I have some bad news for you. As soon as the 20 yuan advance payment for 'Painting Heart' arrived, I almost spent it all."
"According to the tripartite agreement you previously signed with Jinshi Music and the production company of 'Life After Life', the package fee for 'Painting Heart' was 50. Jinshi Music, as the platform provider, took 20%, so you actually received 40."
"However, under the industry standard 5+5 payment model, only half of the deposit has been received at this stage. As for the remaining 20 yuan balance, it will be settled after the master tape passes inspection."
"We paid six months' rent, and the rest of the money was all spent on your music production equipment on the second floor. As for the recording studio..." Yuan Xiuqing shrugged, somewhat helplessly, "We really can't afford to build one right now."
Recording studio? Yang Du shook his head: "Let's not worry about the recording studio for now, it's too far away from us. Right now, I'm just going to do some arrangement work here."
To the average person, a recording studio might just be a computer and a microphone, but in the industry, a recording studio is a money-devouring behemoth.
The acoustic decoration of the walls is filled with real money; 5 yuan can only make a sound, not to mention the core equipment, from the top-of-the-line Mac Studio to sound cards, monitor speakers, microphones, and microphone preamps, all of which add up to about 15 yuan.
20 is just the starting point. As for recording studios like the three major recording studios of Jinshi, don't even think about it without a base of tens of millions of yuan.
Yuan Xiuqing nodded and continued, "The studio has just been established and hasn't made a name for itself yet, but some brands have already approached us, needing background music from GG or arrangements for those catchy pop songs for short video platforms."
"The requirements are not high, the payment is prompt, half is settled upon submission of the manuscript, and the final payment is made upon online release. Although these kinds of jobs lack soul, they can quickly replenish cash flow."
For many independent producers, taking on commercial soundtracks that bring in quick money is the norm for making a living.
However, Yang Du shook his head and refused without hesitation.
"Forget it, this kind of fast-food music will only ruin the studio's brand image. Let's make do for the next two months, and once the revenue sharing from 'Flammable and Explosive' arrives at the end of July, we'll have more money."
The revenue sharing for single tracks is different from that of movie theme songs like "Painting Heart". According to industry practice, a T+60 settlement model is adopted.
"Flammable and Explosive" was launched in May, and the revenue can only be packaged and calculated on the last day of May, which is May 31st at 24:5. This is the so-called T-node.
Around June 30th (T+30), music platforms like Tencent Music and NetEase Cloud Music will generate their May financial statements and send them to Jinshi Music for reconciliation.
It won't be until T+60, around July 30th, that this commission will go through all the complicated procedures and be transferred.
This is still the ideal situation. If you are unlucky and it happens to be a weekend or a public holiday, the payment will be delayed until the beginning of August.
Yang Du sighed.
Despite having already received a share of 166 million, making him a millionaire by all accounts, it turns out that 166 million is just a number, and he actually doesn't have much money in his pocket.
"This evil capital."
The monthly share of profits held by these major players is an astronomical figure. The interest generated from this massive cash flow alone is enough to support several medium-sized enterprises.
No wonder independent filmmakers are often so poor they can't even afford instant noodles. The long payback period can literally kill a person's cash flow.
"Come on, Qiuniu Studio will also be transforming into a capital-oriented company in the future. You said that yourself on the day it was founded."
"Aren't I already like that?"
Yuan Xiuqing smiled and didn't continue on that topic, instead asking with concern, "Making music requires accumulating inspiration. After finishing 'Flammable and Explosive' and 'Painted Heart,' do you need to take a break and go on vacation to recharge?"
"I do have that idea, but I still have a few songs in the pipeline, and the demos are already done. After 'Painting Heart' is finished, I plan to pick a song to work on slowly and keep myself active in the industry."
Yuan Xiuqing was slightly taken aback. She knew Yang Du was a genius, but this was just too prolific.
Just a few days after "Flammable and Explosive" made a stunning debut on the internet, "Painting Heart" began recording in the studio.
The vocal recording for "Painting Heart" isn't finished yet, but the next song is already ready?
What kind of efficiency is this!
However, after the initial surprise came overwhelming joy.
As an agent, the more productive Yang Du is, the brighter the future of his studio will be.
"Okay, you're the boss, so you call the shots on creative matters. By the way—"
She suddenly remembered something, pulled a stack of documents from her desk, and handed them to Yang Du.
"Since we can't increase revenue for the time being, we'll cut costs wherever possible. This is a tax exemption and funding support policy introduced by the city to encourage college students to start businesses."
"You are a third-year student at Beijing Conservatory of Music, and our Qiuniu Studio is registered in the cultural and creative park, which fully meets the application criteria. Once approved, you can enjoy tax-free support and rent subsidies for college student entrepreneurs."
"However, I can't do this for you." Yuan Xiuqing pointed to one of the pages. "This kind of policy for college students requires a certificate from the school with an official seal. You need to come in person with your ID card and student ID."
"Alright." Yang Du stuffed the documents into his bag. "I don't have any plans today, so I'll go back to school and get the department head and the academic affairs office to stamp them."