The God of Conducting Starting from Absolute Pitch

Chapter 388 Forty million!
Chen Qiu stood there in a daze.

He heard from the person in front of him a unit that he had never heard of in his life.

No, one hundred million?

Can the Harmony Symphony Orchestra receive 100 million yuan in funds a year?
Why the hell should I start a band? I might as well sell it and become a rich man.

To be honest, when Chen Qiu heard about the 100 million per year, he really thought so in his heart.

This is too tempting.

It is not yet known whether the current total revenue of the Harmony Symphony Orchestra has exceeded 100 million yuan.

We will give him 100 million yuan in funding per year.

this……

But the next second, Long Yuxuan's words interrupted his fantasy.

Long Yuxuan simply shook his head and refused.

"One hundred million is too much. To be honest, although I want to invest some of my funds in the arts and culture industry to make my company more comprehensive, a hundred million a year is too much for me to afford, and then we have to hold a meeting to discuss it. You may not know that there are many company meetings, and it may take a long time to finish the discussion and go through the process, so..."

Long Yuxuan spoke very sincerely.

He didn't have any particular reservations about Chen Qiu.

After all, it’s still the same sentence.

There is no problem in letting him take out 5000 million to play. It's just 5000 million. His annual pocket money is more than this amount.

But if he wants to take out 100 million, he will need to hold a meeting and go through approval to get the company to pay.

If the company pays and goes through the approval process, some of the honors that should have belonged to him may not belong to him, but to an entire group.

It may not be a big deal for others, but for him, it is not so comfortable.

But the only thing he didn't expect was.

What Chen Qiu wants may not be 100 million, but 10 million.

This kind of problem will easily arise when the worth of both parties is not at the same level.

Long Yuxuan was thinking that running the orchestra was very expensive.

Some routine instrument replacements can cost millions each time.

Then the orchestra may need more money to operate.

At the same time, he heard that the band basically rented a car and booked the cheapest tickets every time they went out for a performance.

No.

This is too shabby.

I can't even afford my own bus.

We couldn't even charter a plane to go out, and a group of people were crowded in the economy class.

This is completely different from the symphony orchestra he imagined.

He had heard that the Berlin Philharmonic had even bought its own plane and flew around the world on tour.

Although other orchestras may not need to buy a plane, chartering a plane is still necessary, right?

Only in this way will everyone have more free time and be able to handle things in a timely manner when going out to do something.

There won't be a situation where they have to stay somewhere temporarily due to an emergency, but their booked flights are about to depart, and they have no choice but to spend money to reschedule their flights again and again.

Aren't these all necessary?
If it operates normally, the annual operating expenses will easily be tens of millions.

No matter how much I think about it, it’s not enough.

This is the main reason why his first reaction was 100 million when he saw Chen Qiu raising a finger.

After all, in his opinion, ten million can't accomplish anything.

However, although Long Yuxuan is a rich man, his ability to read people's expressions is not to be underestimated.

He found that when he said one hundred million, Chen Qiu's face had changed, which meant that Chen Qiu was definitely not thinking of one hundred million.

It is unlikely to go higher. Whether it is an orchestra making 10 billion yuan a year or a direct investment of 10 billion yuan, it is a bit too outrageous.

Then there is only one possibility, that Chen Qiu is thinking of ten million.

And since Chen Qiu had such a small appetite, some other thoughts flashed through Long Yuxuan's mind.

He poured Chen Qiu a cup of tea with a smile, and then said to Chen Qiu.

"Commander Chen Qiu, since I invited you here, I definitely want to cooperate with you. Since we are cooperating, I will not hold back, right? So, you looked quite surprised just now, right? Obviously, you are not thinking of 10 million. If it is not million, then it must be million. It can't be billion, right?"

He laughed at Chen Qiu, then spoke seriously.

"The amount of money you asked me for was less than I expected. Can you tell me how you plan to use the 1000 million?"

Chen Qiu looked at the boss in front of him, then looked at his fingers, and then put them down helplessly.

It’s over, I haven’t said enough.

Chen Qiu originally thought that investing one million a month and more than ten million a year would be a lot, but he didn't expect that the boss's first reaction would be one hundred million.

However, since my thoughts have already been revealed to the boss, there is no need for me to continue pretending.

Therefore, Chen Qiu nodded slightly and said to Long Yuxuan with a smile.

"According to my plan, the vast majority of the 1000 million yuan will be used to pay the band members' salaries. At the same time, we will try to attract more musicians, so that the number of musicians in the band will increase from the original 30 to the temporary 50 to 110."

Chen Qiu thought about it, and gave Long Yuxuan the gap in the band's promotion that he had calculated before, and said to him.

"At present, our orchestra's income has basically reached a bottleneck. Our concert hall is only this big. It would be a little difficult to expand it further. And the tickets for each concert are basically sold out. According to calculations, our income from a concert is about 10 yuan."

"One concert costs 10. I have done some research before. You can have about 10 to 12 concerts a month, and up to 120 concerts a year. This is even if you have some rest time. This means that your orchestra's revenue should be able to reach tens of millions?"

After a quick calculation, Long Yuxuan figured out the current situation of the orchestra.

The look he showed towards Chen Qiu also became somewhat curious.

"With a revenue of tens of millions, your band's expenses shouldn't be that much, right?"

"Well, how should I put it..."

Chen Qiu's expression turned a little embarrassed.

In front of such a big boss, it was not easy to hide his band’s previous contract.

He spoke carefully.

"Because the orchestra had relatively few members before, my contract with the orchestra was based on performances. Half of the money earned from each performance went to the orchestra, and everyone shared one half. The remaining money was used for the operation of the orchestra."

"Um……"

Long Yuxuan was silent.

He had never thought that the current operating model of the Harmony Symphony Orchestra would be like this.

This operating model is actually more like a platform.

The Harmony Symphony Orchestra is this platform.

The members of the orchestra were stationed there.

If the platform becomes popular, the band members will also become popular.

The platform is bad and the band members can’t make any money.

Compared with the basic company plus performance type, this type of distribution method makes it easier for band members to move forward.

After all, they will treat the band as their home.

The more money the band makes, the more money they make.

But here's the thing.

If their momentum is interrupted.

For example, they found that the orchestra was starting to make less money.

Then it is easy for them to start having some bad thoughts.

For example, job hopping.

These are unavoidable, unless the orchestra makes a loss and replenishes everyone's wages to the previous level.

Otherwise, it is easy to become disunited.

Of course, Long Yuxuan is not saying that this method is wrong. It was obviously the right choice for the previous Harmony Symphony Orchestra to use this method.

However, with the orchestra’s current development, if it continues to use the same old methods, then some problems will arise.

After all, there is a saying that historical documents have no practical significance.

Everything must be adjusted based on the current situation.

This is true not only for small groups, but even more so for large groups.

A company that remains unchanged can easily be run over by the wheels of the times and eventually disappear completely.

Long Yuxuan's expression did not change at all. He was waiting for Chen Qiu to speak.

He was very curious about what Chen Qiu was thinking.

If Chen Qiu continued with his previous approach, then his investment in the Harmony Symphony Orchestra might be questioned.

Of course there will be investment, but it is hard to say how much it will be.

Under Long Yuxuan's gaze, Chen Qiu thought for a moment and said to Long Yuxuan, "I have just told you about the current salary of the orchestra. This does not mean that I intend to keep the orchestra developing in this way. Therefore, I want to use the current salary as the basic salary, and then add performance, and modify the current orchestra's contract to prevent the orchestra's income from decreasing."

"Well, yes, but if it were me, I would not use the current salary as the base salary. Instead, I would lower the minimum wage and then increase the performance bonus to match the current salary."

Long Yuxuan nodded slightly and said to Chen Qiu.

"The minimum wage has to increase gradually. If it is this high at the beginning, it may be a lot of trouble to continue to increase it later. In the end, even if I invest more money, it may just be enough to pay the employees' salaries."

“This is indeed a problem, but I still hope that when the orchestra becomes prosperous, everyone in the orchestra can also become prosperous together.”

Chen Qiu responded with a smile.

For him, it's still the same.

It doesn’t really matter whether you can make money or not.

The growth of the band and becoming stronger musicians is what he wants.

Simply put, spiritual enjoyment outweighs material enjoyment.

If Chen Qiu was really addicted to material enjoyment, he would have used the orchestra's money to slightly renovate his own small house, instead of eating and living in the orchestra every day, just like a grounded ghost.

It was obvious that Long Yuxuan had never thought that Chen Qiu was that kind of person.

He looked at Chen Qiu and gradually fell into thought.

The sandalwood between the two people floated towards the sky.

Chen Qiu just took the soy milk that he had just taken from the table and sipped it bit by bit.

After an unknown amount of time, Long Yuxuan finally spoke.

"What is the current situation of the band? Tell me the basic information, and then tell me what you are looking forward to about the band."

"The orchestra currently has 33 permanent musicians and 23 temporary musicians, for a total of 56 people. It is a standard two-pipe symphony orchestra, and there is no public property except for the concert hall. Except for percussion instruments, all other instruments of the orchestra belong to the individual musicians."

Chen Qiu quickly reported the current situation of the orchestra.

There is not much difference from the information found by Long Yuxuan.

After checking the information, Chen Qiu said to Long Yuxuan.

"After the orchestra's musicians return from vacation, the orchestra will continue with our regular music season performances, and may conduct a music season together with other symphony orchestras. At the same time, the orchestra will recruit new members and establish the Harmony Symphony Orchestra II, which is a rotation mechanism to ensure that the quality of performances will not decline while the quantity is increased."

Long Yuxuan nodded: "Well, this is your performance plan for the second half of the year. What about the long-term plan of the orchestra?"

"Long-term plan?" Chen Qiu was stunned, then asked in confusion, "Besides striving to be the world's number one, do you have any other long-term plans?"

After hearing this, Long Yuxuan couldn't help but be stunned.

He looked at Chen Qiu, and his first reaction was that Chen Qiu was dreaming and hadn't woken up.

The best in the world.

How dare Chen Qiu scream?
He wouldn't really think of himself as a sucker and would pay money just because someone shouted out a slogan, right?

Long Yuxuan couldn't help but frown, and just as he was about to say something, Chen Qiu spoke on his own.

"The main problem for the orchestra at present lies in the wind instruments. We have a principal of the wind instruments who is currently abroad. When she returns, she will be able to drive the improvement of the orchestra's wind instruments. However, it may take her another year or two, so I need to adjust the string and percussion sections of the orchestra."

"After the adjustment, it should be almost the end of this year. If nothing unexpected happens, we may be able to get the top two positions in Haicheng this year. And this position is different from the previous Haicheng Philharmonic. We should be able to enter the top 20 in the country."

"Before the principal wind band member returns, our orchestra will maintain the top 20 or even top 11 for a period of time, rotate the orchestra members and improve the repertoire to prepare for subsequent performances."

"At the same time, our orchestra has been invited to many music festivals abroad. In the middle of each music season, we can improve the orchestra's performance and get higher scores by performing abroad. During the performances abroad, we can also have a group of musicians performing regularly in China to ensure the normal operation of the orchestra."

"After the chief wind instrument player returns, the wind and string instruments of our orchestra will have completed their final evolution. We will also be qualified to compete with the Haicheng Symphony Orchestra and strive for the first place in Haicheng and China."

"Once we can stabilize our number one position in the country, we will increase the share of our overseas performances and aim for the top 20 position in the world."

"This is my plan."

Chen Qiu looked at Long Yuxuan in front of him and spoke with a smile.

"How is it? Are my thoughts clear?"

"It's clear, but how can you be sure that you can achieve your goal?" Long Yuxuan frowned, "In my opinion, you look like you are just talking nonsense."

"Of course this is not empty talk. Guess why when I came back from a performance abroad, Conductor Zhao Yi started to take me around Haicheng to see if I could get some resources?"

The corners of Chen Qiu's mouth gradually lifted, revealing a youthful spirit that was difficult to conceal.

This was in stark contrast to his previous calm attitude.

He grinned.

"Because of our performance in Europe, even though the principal wind and string players did not blend perfectly together, we were able to achieve a high score of 9.7 points. This score has exceeded the average score of the Haicheng Symphony Orchestra and is even close to their highest score. Currently, the highest score for Chinese classical music was created by Conductor Yu Tu, which is 9.8 points!"

Chen Qiu stretched out a finger and pinched the air.

"Just give me a little more time to let the wind and string instruments of the orchestra blend better. Do you think a difference of 0.1 points is high?"

Long Yuxuan was silent.

To be honest, he wasn't quite sure.

If his idea is followed, the closer the score is to the top, it may be extremely difficult to improve it by 0.1 point.

Otherwise, why didn’t conductor Yu Tu lead the orchestra to make a breakthrough?
Don't like it?
He was already tired of this kind of obvious empty promises, and even found it a little funny.

but……

This is Chen Qiu.

This is Chen Qiu from the Harmony Symphony Orchestra.

This is Chen Qiu, who is just in his twenties.

He is only in his 20s and has already reached this level.

To be honest, Long Yuxuan really believed that he could successfully bring the orchestra to a higher position.

Isn’t it just 0.1 points?

Show them the breakthrough!

Long Yuxuan felt a youthful spirit from Chen Qiu.

This spirit made his heart feel much younger.

He sat in his seat and fell into deep thought, and finally suddenly said to Chen Qiu.

"If I give you 10 million, no, maybe more than that, billion, do you have the confidence to bring the orchestra to the world's number one position ahead of schedule?"

"Huh? This..."

Chen Qiu was stunned, then scratched his head a little embarrassedly, with a conflicted expression.

“This may not be something that can be solved with money. After all, many things take time, and musicians also need time to grow.”

"No, no, no, I'm not talking about spending money to speed up. I'm saying...if we build a new, top-notch concert hall for you on the outskirts of the city, do you have the confidence to speed up the orchestra?"

"Well... if it's just a concert hall, I think it might be a bit difficult. After all, if the transportation is too inconvenient, it might..."

"It's okay. I can get the land next to the subway station. As long as you tell me that you can use this concert hall to build a top music empire."

"I……"

Chen Qiu was silent.

He didn't expect that Long Yuxuan was so rich.

We were just discussing the investment in the orchestra.

I didn't expect that they would directly discuss buying land to build a concert hall.

It would be nice if the orchestra had a better concert hall.

The Hangzhou Philharmonic’s ranking in the country is slightly lower because of its poor concert hall.

Their current concert hall is too small. It is just right for chamber music, but they are planning to have a large symphony orchestra of nearly a hundred people.

Continuing to play here in the future will indeed hinder their development.

So sell that concert hall?
This thought flashed through Chen Qiu's mind for just a moment before it was completely extinguished by Chen Qiu.

He would never sell that concert hall because it was filled with his memories.

Seeing Chen Qiu so conflicted, Long Yuxuan also understood something.

He nodded calmly, pulled out the contract he had prepared long ago, filled in 4000 million/year on the amount, handed it to Chen Qiu, and spoke slowly.

"Let's put the matter of changing to a new concert hall aside for now. As before, I need concert tickets. You need to perform for us at the annual meeting, and to promote our company. In addition to these, I also hope that you can change the name of the concert hall to Harmonious Lianhe Concert Hall. What do you think? As for this contract, if you are not sure, you can take it back and have someone check it."

Long Yuxuan stood up, stretched out his hand to Chen Qiu, and spoke gently.

"This contract is enough to show our sincerity towards the Harmony Symphony Orchestra. I won't put any traps in this contract. I can promise you that. So, if there are no accidents, I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance?"

Chen Qiu stood up, looked at Long Yuxuan's face, and suppressed his inner emotions.

He felt a little dizzy for a moment.

He never thought that he could get 4000 million yuan in annual financial subsidies from a big company.

If I could have 4000 million, I could start implementing many of my plans.

Chen Qiu stretched out his hand and shook Long Yuxuan's rough big hand, then nodded slowly.

"Well, it's a pleasure to work with you."

(End of this chapter)