China Entertainment 1997

Baihua Recording Studio, one of the top recording studios in Beijing

Located next to Huguo Temple, very close to Shichahai, it has a strategic location and is relatively quiet.

Before entering the recording studio, Cao Xuan also walked around the Baihua Hutong where he was located. It was indeed a good place. No wonder Boss Xu had set his sights on it early.

Cao Xuan also silently listed this land as one of the options for buying a courtyard house in the future.

Cao Xuan was not the only one who came to the studio to record songs for "Water Margin". In order to save money, Zhang Jizhong gathered several singers from the crew to record together.

If Zhao Jiping hadn't already found a place to finish the pure music pieces on his own, he might have worked with Cao Xuan and the others today.

However, thanks to Zhang's stingy beard, Cao Xuan met the music industry boss with his own eyes——

Liu Huan is now the representative male singer in Mainland China.

Speaking of which, since he got the golden finger, Cao Xuan has unconsciously gained a bit of pride.

When we were on the set of "Water Margin", even though we knew that Zhang Dabeard would become the leading producer in the mainland, Kang Honglei would be a well-known director in the future, and Cao Xuan were equals, neither humble nor overbearing, and had no intention of fawning over each other.

Seeing this big boss today, Cao Xuan had the idea of ​​hugging his thigh for the first time since he got the golden finger.

I just shamelessly recognized a big boss and gloriously became the big boss's little brother, which was considered a connection.

………

Although he was thinking about hugging his thigh, Cao Xuan did not forget about business.

The song "Countless Brothers" was not sung by Cao Xuan alone. There was a group singing harmony in the middle. Cao Xuan suggested that some of the Liangshan heroes be selected to sing.

However, Liangshan Heroes are still filming now, and they have to go back and finish the scenes before they can record the songs.

Now Cao Xuan only needs to record his own songs, and then use technical means to combine what he sang with what the heroes sang.

Of course, before recording songs at home, as the "original author" of "Countless Brothers", Cao Xuan had to make the accompaniment first.

This was a bit difficult for Cao Xuan, who was making a song alone for the first time. Fortunately, there were many experts in Baihua Recording Studio. After working for a few days, he finally made the accompaniment.

During this period, Liu Huan learned of the situation and came to help.

He is not only one of the leading singers in China, but also a well-known music producer. Many of the music and songs he has participated in have won awards domestically and even internationally.

Liu Huan was surprised to hear that the song "Countless Brothers" was "written" by Cao Xuan himself.

There are not many original singers who can sing and write these days. The mainstream people in the music world are still "music dads" from all walks of life.

After learning that Cao Xuan was a singer-songwriter, Liu Huan, who was obsessed with music, immediately became interested in talents.

Cao Xuan also generously selected a few "original" songs that suited his own situation and asked Liu Huan to appreciate and give advice.

These songs are basically above the standard, but they are not particularly classic works.

Although Cao Xuan believed in Liu Huan's character, he still had to be wary of others, so he had to keep a guard up when he should.

But even so, Liu Huan believed that Cao Xuan had amazing talent in creation and was a rare leftover in the music industry with an unlimited future.

Liu Huan, who loves talent, also took the initiative to introduce Cao Xuan to sign a contract with a record company, but Cao Xuan declined.

A few months after getting the golden finger, Cao Xuan had already made preliminary plans for his future.

He does not intend to make the career of a singer his main career.

Cao Xuan knows his family's affairs well. Cao Xuan knows better than anyone else where his "original" songs come from, and he also understands that one day this "music library" will eventually be exhausted.

So from the beginning, Cao Xuan only regarded singing as a transitional means to become famous or make money.

Since it is a transition, there is no need to box yourself in.

Cao Xuan believes that once he signs with a record company, he may become popular very quickly, but he will also lose his freedom.

Record companies are not philanthropic. If you don’t show your true ability, they won’t spend a lot of money to sign you. And if they spend a lot of money to sign you, they will definitely make back their money with interest. Are you suffering from the blood-sucking contract? Not out.

Maybe Cao Xuan is lucky and can meet a boss who is easy to talk to and willing to make concessions, but the chance is too small and he dare not take a gamble.

In fact, not only record companies, but also film and television entertainment companies that have started artist management business. If Cao Xuan applies for a job with his resume of starring in "Water Margin", he will have a good chance of being signed.

But Cao Xuan was unwilling.

It's rare for God to reward him and give him a golden finger. If he doesn't start his own business and works for others, wouldn't he be living up to God's will?

Of course, if you don’t join a company and choose to work alone, the early stage is destined to be difficult and bumpy, but as long as you break out, you will see a bright future.

………

Cao Xuan's most urgent idea at the moment is to save a start-up capital. Without this money, no matter how many ideas he has, they will be nothing but castles in the air.

After careful consideration, Cao Xuan decided to release a few singles.

In 1997, film and television production had not yet developed, there were few opportunities, the pay was not high, and the production cycle was long, making money slow.

In contrast, this was the golden age of the mainland music scene and the last glory of the record era.

The hit "Heart Is Too Soft" at the beginning of this year made Ren Xianqi famous on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and even surpassed the Four Kings, with record sales reportedly exceeding 20 million.

Of course, no one knows how much piracy is involved in this, but Ren Xianqi made millions at least from this album.

This is only the record share, and copyrights also constitute the bulk of the income.

Nowadays, "Heart Is Too Soft" is everywhere across the country, and the related peripherals are being sold in a hurry. Even if most of them are pirated copies, the remaining genuine copies that are paid for are enough to make Ren Xianqi and his company salivate.

Not to mention, singers can also perform commercial performances and hold concerts.

Let’s not talk about concerts for the moment. The income depends on the share and the specific scale of the performers, and whether the fans will buy it. However, commercial performances have clearly marked prices.

Let's take Ren Xianqi as an example. With his current popularity and the influence of "Heart Is Too Soft", coupled with the aura of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, there is no need to ask for anything below six figures, and the guaranteed entry price is more than 200,000.

If there is any major ceremony or a wealthy owner, the price may be even higher.

Of course, "Heart Is Too Soft" is a phenomenal work, and Cao Xuan didn't expect it to be a hit to that extent.

As long as he can become a second-tier singer, earn an appearance fee of 10,000 to 30,000 yuan, and travel more frequently, he will almost have saved his first pot of gold.

Therefore, Cao Xuan showed Liu Huan songs not just to show off his skills, but also to see if he could sell a few songs through Liu Huan's channels and earn some money to produce a single.

If you want to release a song these days, there are no channels for distribution and promotion. No matter how good the quality of your singles and albums are, you will lose money.

Cao Xuan wanted to find a record company that was willing to cooperate with him and help him distribute and promote it.

However, the big companies thought it was too small, the medium companies thought it was troublesome, and the small companies might not be strong enough. Cao Xuan would not be able to find a qualified partner for a while.

Even if he found it, Cao Xuan didn't have enough money at the moment.

He could persuade his partner companies to pay for his production, but again, record companies are not philanthropic.

They provide money and channels for production, promotion and distribution, and take over most of the work. They will definitely take up a large share of the profit share, and may even ask for the ownership of the song copyright.

By then, it is very likely that Cao Xuan has been busy for a long time and has only lost some fame. Apart from going to commercial performances, he can only drink soup from the other bonuses from the single.

If the record company is shameless enough to take over the copyright and release a new singer, and the company spends money on promotion, directly replacing Li with peach, it will be difficult for Cao Xuan to even perform in commercials.

Therefore, unless he really can't raise money, Cao Xuan prefers to make money by himself to produce singles and then cooperate with record companies.

However, Cao Xuan, a newcomer, can't sell his songs at a high price, so it's best to get Liu Huan, a big boss, to endorse him, and the price will at least double.

Of course, Cao Xuan did not place all his expectations on selling songs. If this plan failed, he had other plans.

If other money-making plans don't work, the worst he can do is go to Xiangjiang to gamble.

There are too many to mention. The 1997 Champions League champion was Dortmund, the 1998 Champions League champion was Real Madrid, and the World Cup final was between France and Brazil. "Cao Xuan" still remembers it...

This is an update from yesterday