Chinese entertainment for engineering students

"Hello, Uncle Zhou." Wang Xu smiled and greeted Zhou Feng's father, who was already sitting in the box.

"Hello, second brother Xiao Wang." Uncle Zhou also smiled. We have known each other for several years, but Uncle Zhou's complexion is getting better and better.

Smiling all over the face, proud of the spring breeze, full of ambition, and full of comfort, this is probably how I describe it.

This title is now used by elders who are not very familiar with it. Even Uncle Li next door once changed it. Later, after the strong opposition of Wang Xu and his mother, he changed it back to the title of Erzi.

It's just that we got to know each other later. It would be really awkward to call him that after seeing him grow up.

Uncle Zhou has been very frequent with Wang Xu and the others in the past few years, and they meet a few times almost every year.

Not to mention business matters, this is only true in culture. He has now registered as a director of the "Lotus Pond Club", a music lovers association in Shuimu.

As a result, they met by chance. Professor Yan was also there, and Professor Luo, who was discussing work, was also brought in. They are both elders of the "Lotus Pond Society".

In addition, Wang Fei and Wang Xu were originally honorary directors of the association, so this small gathering turned into an internal gathering of music lovers.

They all like music, so the topic of chat was naturally quickly led to the association and music, and the content of the chat couldn't help but become a bit more serious.

The "Lotus Pond Association" is now more than just an organization for folk music lovers at Shuimu University. Under the instigation of senior brother Yuzhuo and the operation of Professor Yan. This association, apart from retaining the name "Lotus Pond Association" which is full of water and wood, has nothing to do with water and wood.

The current "Lotus Pond Association" is already a national-level music lovers association, a officially registered one. It attracts members from all over the country through a recommendation system. The main members are music lovers with certain appreciation abilities.

Now he has even opened his own music website and forum to share various music experience and other articles. To this end, the requirements for membership have been further reduced, as long as you can answer some basic music questions, you can join.

However, as a niche enthusiasts association, this association still retains a certain threshold. Wang Xu once discussed this topic with Professor Yan and others. Brother Yu Zhuo suggested that anyone can join as long as they like listening to music.

But Professor Yan and other directors disagreed. After all, they believed that if there was no threshold, then anyone could join, then it would not be an association, and the association would have no meaning in existence.

Wang Xu also agreed with this point of view. The association is somewhat professional. Everyone is no different from no one. This is the concept of the complete collection and the subset. If it is the complete collection, why would you set up an association?

Moreover, no association can be separated from operating funds. Whether it is sponsorship or membership fees, it will inevitably result in being unable to serve too many people. It is better to set a threshold from the beginning.

Anyway, the association is now officially in operation, and the members are divided into levels. The invitation and recommendation method is still continued, which is also the method adopted by most fan associations.

Many people say that associations come from the West, because there are more of them abroad than in China. But Wang Xu feels that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, this thing existed a long time ago, not to mention professional guilds and the like, they are commercial organizations, and there are also many organizations for enthusiasts.

In fact, most of the poetry and song gatherings in various places have fixed organizations, and not everyone can participate. Various activities are held regularly, and people are found to sponsor them. The modes of participation are not much different for everyone.

There are more people in the West now simply because they developed earlier and have more people with spare money to do interesting things.

As the director of the famous domestic brand "Yuanzhou" Audio, Uncle Zhou can now be regarded as a hardcore audiophile. Among other things, in terms of equipment, his collection may be the most complete in China.

He even established an audio equipment museum in Suzhou to display the development history of audio equipment.

Although he only got in touch with Wang Xu to make money, it was Professor Yan who led him into the circle of music lovers.

During the relationship with Professor Yan a few years ago, and following him to appreciate various types of music, he truly transformed from a simple and pure audio equipment businessman to a music lover.

Although he generously shared his listening room very early so that the association could have a venue for activities, the association did not admit him to join at that time because he was just a speaker seller and knew nothing. music.

It was not until he discovered that he was truly obsessed with music and not just doing business that Professor Yan sent an invitation to him on behalf of the association and formally invited him to join the association.

For this reason, Uncle Zhou treated the guests well and returned happily without getting drunk.

Things like associations are often very pure at the beginning. A group of people with common hobbies and common ideals gather together and discuss it and it is established.

But after a long time, people's hearts will always change. In fact, everyone understands this kind of thing, at least now they are having fun, right?

This may be the first person to play audio in China. As music lovers, most of them don’t have any specific music skills. It’s not a big deal if they can sing karaoke, but many people’s appreciation level is quite good.

The basic entry threshold is probably to be able to hear the position of the instrument from the stereo. Don't be surprised, many people can't do it. This is purely technical.

Then there are the feelings reflected in music, the emotions conveyed by music, and finally there are things in the real music field such as music techniques.

Of course, there are no absolutes. Some people like to play with equipment, some people like to simply appreciate music, some people like to listen to songs, and some people like to listen to dramas. These are all categories of music, as long as you can tell me something about what you like. Four or five, that basically means you have passed the threshold and you can join the association.

This is the difference between ordinary people and association members. Many people in later generations said that various associations are just small circles of people who entertain themselves, far away from the public, and unable to reflect public aesthetics.

This is actually a very fair evaluation, because this thing was not originally built for the public. It's a small circle thing, so don't pretend to be the public.

Wang Xu also kept reminding Uncle Li and others of this. People in the association are destined not to have the same hobbies as ordinary people. Don't always look like you are pointing the way. It's okay now, but no one will take care of you in the future. You need to promote your own ideas. The purpose is to have fun with the people, not to educate them and say they don’t understand anything.

Especially in the field of music, this aspect is inherently a very personal feeling. There are a large group of people who like Wang Fei, and there must be a large group of people who don't like Wang Fei. Everyone plays their own way, and everything is fine. But you have to force others to like Wang Fei. , that is looking for trouble.

Regardless of all music, music equipment, and other associations, do not fall into religious either-or fanaticism. This will actually deviate from the original intention of the association.

Maybe Wang Xu's reminder had an effect, but more likely, this was Professor Yan's original intention. The "Lotus Pond Association" is obviously an association founded by a group of elites with overseas study experience, but it is actually quite friendly to the people.

On their exclusive website, they not only introduce and share elite music such as symphony, but also introduce and promote various folk music, pop music, rock music, and even folk wedding and funeral music.

The "Lotus Pond Club" is now very famous in university circles. Listening to music is a relatively cheap hobby for people after they get rich. Moreover, there are many directions and contents that can be pursued, so it is quite popular among the high-achieving crowd.

At first, many people felt that the things they liked were too niche, and they seemed a little shy about hiding them. Later, Wang Xu suggested that they divide more sections, mix and modify many niche music types, cheap speakers, and hand-make them. Start your own audio and other sectors.

As a result, everyone discovered that in fact, many times, the so-called niche is not a niche, and sometimes it is unexpectedly the public.

Just like the enthusiasm for discussions about entry-level audio sets is far higher than that of top-level audio, there are definitely not just one or two people who are passionate about suona.

In fact, there are far more people who like the flute than the flute, and there are just as many people who like the bass drum than those who like rock music.

This is interesting. The entry threshold for membership of this association is quite high. Currently, the main members are teachers from various universities. It is said that it should be quite strongly influenced by the West, but the fact is that there are far more people who like folk music than symphony. +

"It's not surprising. There are definitely more poor people than rich people. Uncle Zhou, you sell stereos. What is the best one you sell? It's not entry-level.

Similarly, how many people can afford to listen to a symphony? That thing is not pirated. A genuine CD costs 120. With a week's income, you can buy a CD with two pieces of music. How many people can afford it?

But suona can be heard at every wedding and funeral. If you want to learn how to learn it, it only costs a few dozen yuan. How much does it cost to buy a piano and how much does a violin cost? The most popular musical instrument in the past few years was not even the guitar, but the guitar. Harmonica, 4 yuan a piece.

The economic base determines the superstructure. "Wang Xu complained casually, this is how small gatherings are, they often have the best conversation.

"Indeed, we are a little bit distracted. Our families are all very well off. We can't just follow our ideas. Should we reconsider the threshold of the association?" How could Professor Yan and the others really not figure this out? The truth behind it is just a leaf blocking the eyes. As soon as Wang Xu said it, he understood it immediately.

"Yes, we both grew up in big cities, and later we both studied abroad. In fact, even among university teachers, we are in the minority." Professor Luo Congwen also expressed emotion. He also returned from studying abroad. Lao Zhou is a big boss and has a lot of money. Among other things, his audio equipment museum is worth more than many factories.

"There is no need to blindly make changes. There will always be problems no matter how we make changes. We are not trying to dominate the world. We just need to relax our mentality a little and let everyone discuss it by themselves. We can find that these problems are not the result of everyone's own discussion." Lao Zhou still has higher emotional intelligence and more experience in management. No matter what threshold you use, some people will be dissatisfied, so why have to adapt to everyone.

To please everyone is actually the same as to please no one. It is better to concentrate on your own part.

"Yeah, that's right. Just like the issue we discussed before about the whole set or the subset, just make a subset. We have our own preferences, just like what we like." Professor Yan nodded in agreement. He is from the association. As a founder, I also have some extreme ideas of wanting to do something big and complete.

This is a misunderstanding that is particularly easy for all leaders, especially leaders of public institutions. On the contrary, people in companies are more pragmatic, and their understanding of the boundaries of capabilities far exceeds that of ordinary people.

"But, Wang Xu, you haven't released a new disc for a long time. The guitar music last time was still very exciting. Can you please release some folk music? I heard a lot of folk music in your "Great Dunhuang"." Zhou Uncle actually still prefers folk music, and is very dissatisfied with Wang Xu's constant pursuit of foreign things.

"You can indeed make one. I really like folk music myself. Although I don't like folk orchestras very much, folk music solos are still very powerful. I haven't done it yet. The main reason is that it requires rehearsals, which is very troublesome. The soundtrack and so on are also very difficult. It's very troublesome, I'll think about it later." Wang Xu has actually always had thoughts in this regard, but he never got around to doing it.

"I also think it's time to make a few. Your suona is really nice to play. Last time at your writers' forum, the part of "Happiness" you played was really nice." Wang Fei couldn't help but sigh, this man often It will give people a surprise. They have known each other for six years, but they still feel surprises.

Although Wang Fei doesn't know how to play, she has been producing her own records. Although her progress has slowed down recently, she has been producing something. Her progress is all-round, and her understanding of music has gradually broken out of the stereotypes of her previous life. The music she has recently made is obviously much more diverse.

After listening to Wang Xu's singing in Dunhuang, she suddenly acquired the skill of loving folk music. Well, although it was a bit abrupt, she just suddenly understood that there is no dividing line between the so-called earth and the ocean, there are only good and bad sounds. .

When you completely open your mind and embrace the music itself, the music returns to its essence. At this time, Wang Fei no longer dwells on whether this is Western or which is Chinese. Her musical spirituality is completely inspired.

Recently, she even became obsessed with Lingxi folk songs. She tried to sing Liu Sanjie in a very unique psychedelic singing method, and it had a unique flavor that made Wang Xu hooked.

Recently, she has been really playing music. From time to time, she makes some niche music, not for distribution at all, but just for fun. Wang Xu also collects all the music she made into small records, and then They are not put on the market, but some are carved and given away everywhere.

Many music friends at home and abroad are particularly interested in these niche songs. The various attempts are very novel and interesting. Then more and more people begin to share their various music, then there are online applications, and then there is music. Community.

Well, including the music website of "Lotus Pond Club", they are all part of Wang Xu's cultural platform.

The copyright of music is a very complicated thing. Many interesting melodies are actually copyrighted. This is why many people's songs have been plagiarized in various ways in later generations.

Wang Xu naturally cannot challenge the bottom line of all musicians. They are the ones who feed them. Wang Xu does not intend to cut off everyone's financial path, but he can indeed sell the copyright of the melody quickly.

This is a rather complex and huge plan. The premise is of course that there must be a music library that includes as much music as possible, and then various melodies, chords, rhythms, etc. are extracted and formed into four measures. music units, forming a variety of music libraries.

Then bind it to the open source version of the music processing program, so that you can freely select and use the music clips in the music library. Of course, this is just for use. The use itself is free, but if it is released commercially, it will be based on sales volume. Commission, up to a maximum of 10% of the sales price.

In fact, music sales in later generations are very confusing. This is also caused by the limitations of copyright protection itself. If you are protecting the entire song, then no matter how much you change it, it will not be considered plagiarism.

This thing is just like what China calls the international advanced level. There is no unified standard at all. In judicial practice, plagiarism is determined if there are similarities in two sections, and plagiarism is not determined when there are a lot of similarities.

In fact, this is also difficult for the judge. He doesn’t understand music, so he can only rely on musicians to judge. But the problem is that musicians don’t understand the law, and there is no strict legal definition of this thing.

The result is naturally a confusing account, not just in China, but in the whole world. It’s just that this thing has a very small impact on the national economy and people’s livelihood, so it is rarely reported.

Wang Xu also knew that it was impossible for him to figure this out clearly. This was not a technical or scientific issue. The similarity of music was actually a feeling, and sometimes there was no logic at all.

But no matter what, if you don't have a relatively complete music library, you won't even be able to compare. Therefore, Wang Xu wanted to build this library by himself. This thing is difficult to say, but also simple to say. It is nothing more than issuing mercenary missions.

The first target is those musical works whose copyright has expired, or works that have voluntarily given up their copyright. Don't be surprised, some people do this.

After all, there are many people who think that since they can’t make any money anyway, they might as well throw it out for fun.

Therefore, Wang Xu has always had a long-term task, which is to collect records published all over the world. For this purpose, he also built a website to check whether a certain record has been included.

——

(In a random update, the work of living in two places is really troublesome. Many things have not been sorted out. The work place is far from my home in Suzhou. It takes more than four hours by subway, three and a half hours by high-speed rail and subway, and two hours by car. , everything still needs to be explored)