diymy Chapter 29 I Am a Singer
Chapter 29 I Am a Singer
Zeng Hao pulled a document out of the folder and pushed it over. "This is our existing cooperation memorandum with Hunan TV and Zhejiang TV. We are already negotiating the schedules for Happy Camp and Running Man. We can confirm the two variety shows within the year. This is not just empty promises."
Xue Zhijian picked up the document, flipped through a couple of pages, and put it down. "Contract term?"
"Three years," Zeng Hao said. "Variety show appearances will be split 50/50, song copyright revenue will be 70/30, and you'll get 70%. There will be no advance payment. The first month's basic guarantee deposit of 15,000 will be settled on the day of signing the contract, and subsequent payments will be settled according to the appearances."
How are song copyrights calculated?
"The lyrics and music copyrights belong to you, and the recording copyrights belong to the company," Zeng Hao said. "But there's one condition: after you sign the contract, you have to let me hear all seven of your complete arrangements. I'll then decide which ones will be included in the album and which ones will be rescheduled."
Xue Zhijian looked up. "Other arrangements?"
"It can be used as a theme song for variety shows or for promoting film and television projects," Zeng Hao said. "It can be used at the right time, and the song's reach will expand faster than if you release a single yourself. But I decide when to use it."
Xue Zhijian picked up his water glass and took a sip. "What if I have a problem with how a certain song is used?"
"You can bring it up," Zeng Hao said. "I'll decide whether to listen or not. The decision rests with the company, and it will be clearly stated in the contract. But in practice, I will take your opinions into consideration." He paused for a moment. "However, I will use the song 'The Actor' when the time is right, and it's no use for you to object to it."
Xue Zhijian paused for a moment, "You've heard this song before?"
Zeng Hao chuckled but didn't answer directly. "You're right about one thing: it's a waste to release it before the right time. I know better than you when to release it."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.
Xue Zhijian mentally reviewed the contract terms. "Okay, I'll take the contract back and review it. I'll give you an answer within three days."
"Let's discuss the details with Sister Liu," Zeng Hao said, standing up.
The two shook hands again. Xue Zhijian picked up his bag, walked to the door, turned around, and said, "President Zeng, I just want to confirm one thing. You just said that you would use 'The Actor' when the time is right. Is that a real plan, or just something you said casually? This is very important to me."
Zeng Hao looked at him and said, "If I say I have a plan, then I have a plan. You'll see when the time comes."
Xue Zhijian didn't ask any more questions, pushed open the door and went out.
Xu Jiaying arrived on time at 2 PM the day after tomorrow.
She was much more formal than Xue Zhijian, wearing a dark coat and with her hair neatly styled. She thanked Sister Liu as she entered, sat down in the conference room, placed her folder on the table, and waited for Zeng Hao to speak first.
Zeng Hao went through her letter in his mind. "I've already looked into your situation. Your contract in Taiwan expires at the end of the year. What exactly do you want from coming to the mainland?"
"In the long term," Hsu Chia-ying said, "I think I've reached the ceiling in the Taiwan market. The mainland market is different, and I want to give it a serious try."
"Let's try," Zeng Hao said, "how much recognition do you think you have in mainland China right now?"
Xu Jiaying didn't mince words, "It's very low-key. Some people in the music industry know me, but the average audience basically doesn't recognize me."
"Yes," Zeng Hao said, "so we should do variety shows first to prove ourselves, and then focus on music. Can you accept this order?"
"Yes," she said, "but I have a request regarding the direction of the variety shows."
Zeng Hao looked at her and said, "Speak."
"Don't try to portray me as a variety show personality," Xu Jiaying said. "I can appear on variety shows, but my core identity must be that of a musician, not a regular guest on variety shows. These two things are very different for me."
This requirement is clearly stated, which shows that the person knows what they want and is not just looking for any contract to sign.
"Have you heard of 'I Am a Singer'?" Zeng Hao asked.
Xu Jiaying thought for a moment, "I've heard of it, but it hasn't officially aired yet."
"It will air next year," Zeng Hao said. "Our company has channels to recommend participating singers. Once you're on this show, your musician label will be established faster than with any other variety show. But the timing is up to me; it's not like you can get on the show the very first day you join."
Xu Jiaying took a few seconds to process this information. "Contract duration?"
"For three years, the song copyright revenue is 70/30, you get 70%, and variety show appearances get 50/50," Zeng Hao said. "In terms of songs, the company provides production resources, you provide the composition, the recording copyright belongs to the company, and the lyrics and music copyright belongs to you."
"What exactly are the production resources?"
"Arrangement, recording studio, post-production team," Zeng Hao said. "You can bring your own work, or I can provide you with songs. You can choose one or a mix, depending on the album's direction."
Xu Jiaying opened her notebook and wrote down a few key terms. "Regarding the 'I Am a Singer' program, you said you could set the timeline. What's the approximate scope of that?"
"Six months to a year," Zeng Hao said. "You need to have some basic exposure before you come in. If you're thrown in without any recognition, the audience won't know you, and the show won't be entertaining. That won't do you any good."
Xu Jiaying capped the pen. "Take the contract back and review it. I also have a lawyer here, so I can have him take a look. If there are no problems, I'll give you an answer as soon as possible."
"Sure," Zeng Hao said. "If you have any questions, ask Sister Liu."
Xu Jiaying stood up, put away the folder, paused at the door, turned around, and asked, "President Zeng, when I was in Taiwan, some people said that Sunshine Entertainment's contract terms were quite tough. Is that true?"
"It's true," Zeng Hao said. "But I will abide by every clause written in the terms, including my obligations to the company, not just restrictions on the artists. You can see that when your lawyer reads it."
Xu Jiaying nodded and went out.
The door closed, and Zeng Hao turned to the page about "Diamond Lover" in the memo.
Fang Qing's complete revised outline was due today. He glanced at the time; it was 4:10 PM, and she still hadn't arrived.
He picked up his phone and sent Fang Qing a message: When will the outline arrive today?
Fang Qing replied quickly: "President Zeng, I'm revising the last paragraph before I leave work. It should take less than two hours."
Zeng Hao put down his phone without replying.
Two hours later, Fang Qing sent the revised outline to his email right on time, with a note: All three revisions have been implemented, and the project approval form required for the State Administration for Market Regulation is also attached, which can be filled out directly.
Zeng Hao went through the outline from beginning to end, changed the opening scene to a bidding scene, moved the emotional pace forward by two episodes, and extended the love triangle subplot to the twenty-second episode. It corresponded to the three comments he had made, with no omissions.
He also looked through the project application form. The project name, production period, main creative team, and budget were all filled in neatly. The budget was 8.5 million, which was slightly higher than the 8 million stated in the contract appendix, leaving room for maneuver.
Zeng Hao picked up a pen on the table and wrote in parentheses next to the budget column: Reasonable, Maintain.
Then I signed the outline cover and sent a message to Sister Liu: "The 'Diamond Lover' project initiation form must be sent to the General Administration this week. Make sure Fang Qing coordinates everything. No materials are missing. If there are any problems, I'll contact you."