America's Top Player

Chapter 170 Entering the Streaming Entertainment Industry

The combination of country music and trap music is an unprecedented creation, and no one in history has ever thought of doing this.

"Man, we're either going to go down in history, or we're going to be a bunch of bullshxt from the critics," David said worriedly.

"I don't care about their evaluation, as long as I can make money." Unlike David, Li Ang is full of confidence in this song.

Times have changed. In the streaming era, music is a pure fast-moving consumer product.

The only fate of any musician who is obsessed with so-called artistic pursuits is to go to the grave holding their self-congratulatory works that are "full of literary and artistic flavor."

The chorus of "Old town road" is catchy enough and the melody is simple.

The audience reached through online and streaming platforms is very large, and even if it is questioned by music critics, it can still make a lot of money.

This is determined by popularity. The Internet's communication efficiency far exceeds that of traditional channels.

It is an indisputable fact that the entire record industry is declining, and the SoundTian platform is recently planning to promote a free model.

This means that profiting from selling copies will no longer be the mainstream method, and anyone can enjoy free music services on the Spotify platform.

The only difference is that users can block ads by becoming a member.

This is a compromise with the overall market environment and a challenge to traditional profit-making methods, led by the Apple Music Store.

“I’m curious if this song gets on the Billboard charts, will it be listed on the country chart or the R&B/hip-hop chart,” David said with a laugh.

"Maybe at the same time." Leon patted David on the shoulder. "Let's get to work. I believe we can still lead the trend of pop music this time."

The recording lasted only an hour and went very smoothly.

For Li Ang, who was a rock singer, it was no difficulty to perform this slow-paced country music.

There is no need to deliberately imitate the feeling of smoky voice, you can easily achieve the effect after plugging in the power.

After electronic music became popular, most new generation singers no longer needed to perform as hard as their predecessors during concerts.

In the 1980s and 1990s, every concert for superstars like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston required a huge amount of physical exertion.

Today's singers only need to plug in the phone, lead the audience to sway to the accompaniment, and can easily make a lot of money without even singing.

"The sound of the banjo should be clearer and not be completely covered by the 808 drum beats, otherwise it will lose its country flavor," Li Ang suggested.

David wrote down the problems he found during the sound check and made adjustments to the accompaniment.

He also promised to bring the final version of the accompaniment in a week and start the formal recording work.

Not long after Li Ang walked out of the recording studio, he heard noise coming from the office next door.

It sounded like a group of guys playing around.

One very strange thing about America is that although it is a multi-ethnic country, people from different cultural backgrounds around the world have been integrating with each other for hundreds of years.

However, it is still possible to judge someone's skin color based solely on the speed and tone of their speech.

Hanging out in Brownsville, Leon was all too familiar with the voice of Black Gold Skin.

As soon as I pushed the door and entered the office, I saw two young black men playing with each other.

They have dreadlocks, wear trendy brand T-shirts bought from five-yuan stores, and their skin is covered with colorful and cheap tattoos.

The moment the two young black men saw Leon, they stood still as if they were under a spell.

"Get off my sofa right now," Li Ang said in a deep voice.

The little black boys immediately jumped off the sofa like two nimble monkeys.

"Damn, we finally see you!"

"This is Street Coconut himself! Oh my god! My dad would be so proud of me!"

The two Nicos danced excitedly.

Phil introduced them: "These two guys are Li Erduk and King Feng~"

"I know." Li Ang lit a cigarette and sat down on the swivel chair.

Li Erduk's behavior was still relatively reserved, but King Feng had already forgotten everything.

He started hip-hop dancing in the office, constantly spouting stupid things like "I'm going to be big~" and "Dad, I did it."

This is inseparable from his upbringing.

Li Ang had already conducted a detailed background check on these two people.

King Von's real name is Dai Von Baleno.

His father was imprisoned for committing a serious crime in his early years, so Bennett was raised by his mother since childhood.

This was a standard opening for a black man growing up on Chicago's South Side.

In 2005, when Bennett was 11 years old, his father was executed.

Just last year, Bennett was arrested and jailed on suspicion of shooting murder while attending a community school.

He was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the shooting that left one person dead and two injured.

However, his incredible luck and the tide of the times saved him, and he met a judge with a kind heart.

Awakened people, equal rights fighters, and Donkey Party leftists.
This judge has all the elements.

“He’s just a poor kid.”

"How could a child commit such a heinous crime?"

This was the judge's evaluation of the case in court.

In the end, the impartial judge acquitted King Feng due to insufficient evidence.

This gave King Von the opportunity to flee to New York and shoot Dee Dee, and the gears of fate began to turn.

The background filled with gang violence is exactly why Li Ang chose him!

The popularity of Drill music has led to the revival of gangsta rap, and young people are full of fantasies about this kind of restrained and violent life.

In white middle-class communities, kids with glasses and mushroom hair all listen to this kind of music to make themselves look more masculine.

"Listen, I'm on a tight schedule." Leon glanced at his watch. "To make a long story short, I'm going to officially sign you guys."

"God!" King Feng jumped up excitedly, "Hurry up and slap me to let me know I'm not dreaming!"

"I'm signing with Apocalypse Music~ This time it's really going to take off!"

"Tonight I'm going to show the New York chicks what Chicago's South Side sausage tastes like!"

Phil sneered and dampened their enthusiasm with one sentence: "It's not that easy to sign with Apocalypse Music."

"WTF? What does this old man mean?" King Feng muttered with his thick lips, looking confused.

Leon spread his hands and said nothing, which meant that he agreed with Phil's words.

Apocalypse Music is already a top label, and it is impossible for it to sign two penniless Nicos and pollute the purity of the label.

"I plan to set up a new label, and you have a good chance of becoming the first batch of artists signed by this label," said Li Ang.

Upon hearing this, Li Erduk's expression instantly turned from cloudy to sunny.

But King Von wasn't happy about it, "Fxxk I wanna be on the same label as Cardi B, I just love that chick."

"Okay, you don't have much time." Li Ang frowned, "Show me what you can do."

He had only briefly listened to a few of these two people's works on the Internet.

In terms of the quality of his works, he is considered talented among the countless underground rappers, but there is no hope for him to become a big star.

It can be summed up as "a little bit of something, but not much".

Apocalyptic music does not support idle people.

Li Ang is now giving these two people a chance to take an on-site test, and they must perform at their best.

Lil Duke took a deep breath and began the most important Freestyle performance of his life.

For a rapper, Freestyle is their weapon on the streets.

It’s a way to show their attitude and aggression.

No drums, no accompaniment.

Li Erduk's hands kept making various gangster gestures, and his thick lips moved up and down.

He constantly uses all kinds of swear words and slang, and the lyrics are full of violence and sexual elements.

"Very good." An excellent a cappella performance won unanimous praise from Leon and Phil.

"So are you going to sign me, boss?"

Li Ang didn't answer directly. He pointed at King Feng and said, "It's your turn, kid."

King Von showed a hint of nervousness, and kept yelling at the top of his voice: "Von! Von! Von!"

"Why is this guy suddenly barking like a dog?" Leon and Phil looked at each other, thinking that the other person's brain was damaged by drugs.

As the two looked at each other in shock, King Von began his rap performance of "Took Her To The O":

"I was having a blast at the club, and I brought home a chick from Kankakee. I just bought a Glock with an extended magazine, and nobody messes with me."

"She was hot, I met her at the store and she wanted to smoke something, so I gave her some hardcore shit and brought her to my block."

"She suddenly had to go home to get something, and I took her back, but something went wrong. Her boyfriend was beating her."

"I shot that bastard twice. He's dead as hell."

"I thought the girl would be scared, but she smiled and said she was hungry and did a job for me~"

The whole song is straightforward and simple, like an elementary school student's composition.

But with King Feng's unique accent and precise beats, it sounds surprisingly good.

"You sang well, but there's one thing I'm curious about." Li Ang asked, crossing his feet.

"Boss, just ask!" "Are the lyrics you wrote true?"

"Of course!" King Feng raised his voice. "I killed that guy, and the cops haven't found me yet!"

Li Ang's eyes lit up and he realized that he had found a treasure.

This is a true confession-style rap, and the plain and realistic description is more lethal than any pile of dirty words and slang.

It can transport the audience to the streets in an instant, allowing them to experience firsthand what it feels like to be enveloped by violence.

"Very good, you have proved your ability." Li Ang said.

"You are planning to sign us this time, right?" King Feng rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Yes, I'm willing to give you this opportunity," Leon said. "Phil will keep you informed of the signing time, but it will have to wait until the new label is ready."

"We did it Bro~" King Feng and Li Erduk hugged each other, while constantly looking at Li Ang.

Li Ang understood immediately that this was a hint of signing fee.

But he didn't make any expression and just watched the two Nicos leave quietly.

"Look what I said, you are the most stingy devil I have ever seen." Phil sneered as soon as King Feng and his man left.

"Honestly speaking, I don't see much commercial value in these two guys." Li Ang shrugged.

"You just said their music was valuable."

“I have to consider the publicity costs invested in them.”

The work determines the upper limit.

King Von previously had almost no fan base, and the audience for his works was quite limited.

It's hard to become a global sensation with just one song like Robbie and Ariana.

Li Ang, who is already worth a lot of money, currently does not see much commercial value in the other party. Even if he is inspired to come up with suitable music, he will definitely not use it on them.

As it was getting close to the end of the shift, Bonnie came in and reported, "Mr. Scooper replied to the email. He expressed interest in your proposal for the new film."

"Very good, it seems I need to make an appointment to meet with him." Li Ang said.

"New movie? WTF, why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Phil became interested.

He had been sarcastic the last time Leon wanted to make a movie.

When I saw the box office results for "Straight Outta Compton", I almost regretted it so much.

If he could turn back time, he would sell all his investments in the stock market without hesitation and go all in on that movie.

The new movie Bonnie mentioned is naturally "Ready Player One".

In fact, since the inspiration came, Leon only mentioned the information about this movie to Bonnie and Scooper.

Cooperating with Netflix was a last resort.

Ready Player One is a big-budget film, likely with a budget exceeding $100 million.

If he makes money, everything will be fine. But if he loses money, Li Ang cannot afford the consequences.

Netflix, with its deep pockets, becomes the best choice for risk sharing.

There is also the most important IP issue. This movie involves a large number of classic IPs and needs to deal with major IP holders.

Li Ang always feels overwhelmed when thinking about such a workload.

Netflix has a dedicated department that handles copyright issues, and it is a group of professionals.

Traditional giants such as Warner, Disney, and Universal have to sit down at the negotiating table when facing Netflix.

In Hollywood, money is truth.

This energy is something that the newly established Apocalypse Film and Television cannot compare to in any way.

Seeing that Leon refused to give a direct answer, Phil complained indignantly:
"Looks like you won't have to worry about raising money for your movies anymore, thanks to the internet. These internet bastards are incredibly rich, and they just throw money around wherever they go."

"Haven't you ever thought about making a ridiculous hip-hop talent show? I think Netflix would be interested in that, even if it meant losing their underwear."

A casual remark woke Li Ang up.

He leaned back in his swivel chair, stroking his chin, and kept muttering, "Hip-hop reality show?"

After acquiring VIBE magazine, he did think of this idea because he coveted the economic benefits created by American Idol.

Talent shows are the biggest trend in the television industry right now, not only in the United States but also around the world.

Just in April this year, NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation) launched a blockbuster talent show "The Voice of America", which directly competes with "American Idol" on Fox TV next door.

NBC spent a lot of money to buy the rights to the original Dutch program. Initially, the industry was not optimistic that this project could compete with "American Idol".

It wasn't until the first episode was aired that the top-ranking ratings slapped the faces of those so-called professionals.

"It's rare that you said something useful. This is a good idea," Leon muttered to himself.

"What? I was just saying it casually. The talent show track is already saturated," said Phil.

"Those shows are too traditional. There hasn't been a reality show focusing on hip-hop music on the market yet."

"Traditional music programs already include the genre of hip-hop."

Phil analyzed everything thoroughly, and the cost of producing a pure hip-hop talent show is about the same as that of a traditional talent show.

Big-name mentors, top-notch stage effects, and high publicity costs.
Everything you need is included.

However, the market audience is much smaller than that of its competitors. Some people are naturally not interested in hip-hop music and even sneer at it.

"The focus of this show should not be just on the music, but on the reality show effect," said Li Ang.

"Reality show effect? I don't quite understand what you mean." Phil became more and more confused as he listened.

Traditional talent shows still rely on the quality of singing to attract audiences.

Despite her grassroots background and ordinary appearance, she can sing with a heavenly voice, which is loved by audiences all over the world.

"Dramatic, rebellious, sexual, and violent elements are all essential to hip-hop music," Li Ang explained. "These elements are absent from traditional talent shows."

"You're planning on putting this stuff on TV?" Phil's eyes widened.

I can already imagine an amateur female rapper, singing and shaking her butt to seduce the judges;

Or there are magical scenes like two groups of geezers passionately arguing with each other on TV, and then having a group fight in the studio.

"Yes, the audience loves to watch this." Leon knocked on the table, like the sound of a hammer falling at an auction.

From the very beginning, he acquired Vibe not just for the magazine business.

As a witness to the peak of gangsta rap in the 90s, "Vibe" records an era.

At that time, both Tupac and Diddy were racking their brains to get more space in this magazine.

Even today when the magazine industry is declining, "Vibe" is still a symbol of hip-hop music.

Now with the titles of "Father of Drill Music" and "White Godfather of Harlem", Li Ang's reputation in the rap world and the black community has reached its peak.

If he produces a hip-hop music program, rap fans across the United States will respond.

Combined with the profits from filming the movie, he has plenty of money.

If we want to do this show, now is the best time!
Thinking of this, Leon almost had no hesitation in his mind, "Maybe I should talk to Scooper about this."

"Have you really decided that?"

"Of course, if someone's paying for it, why not give it a try?"

Netflix's investment in original content is comprehensive, covering various fields such as movies, TV series, and animation.

Variety shows are also within their investment scope.

If a hip-hop reality show is produced under the name of Lion's Nest Media, it will be Li Ang who pays for it on the surface, but once the contract is signed, Netflix will ultimately pay for it.

This cooperation model is usually divided into two types: exclusive licensing and outright buyout.

In the former, the producer retains the copyright and only sells the broadcasting rights to Netflix, which pays the licensing fee.
Usually covers the broadcast rights of several seasons at a time;
Producers can continue to make profits through other channels.

A full buyout means Netflix buys out all copyrights at once;
Including global broadcasting rights, brand development, and merchandise revenue;

The producer only earns the buyout fee and cannot enjoy subsequent profits.

"I have a lot of friends in the rap world, or Cardi could be a mentor," Li Ang said. "Those two guys, Lil Duke and King Von, why not just let them debut on the show?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Phil's eyes flashed, "How did you come up with such an idea?"

By this point, his views had completely changed.

From initially thinking that this was a stupid decision that would burn money, now I can’t wait to applaud it.

A large part of the revenue from talent shows comes from the contestants' later debuts.

The winner of "The Voice of America" will receive a $10 prize and the opportunity to sign a contract with Universal Music.

Because he has demonstrated his personal charm in front of tens of millions of viewers in front of TV.

The audience will spontaneously develop a strange mentality, having the illusion that these singers were "raised by me."

Therefore, these singers have a huge fan base from the moment they debut, which is an effect that cannot be achieved no matter how much money is spent on publicity.

As an investor of this program, Li Ang can give the championship to anyone he wants.

It is even possible to directly award the champion to a singer under your own company to maximize profits.

Only fools would discuss the authenticity of variety shows. Everything on and off the stage is just a show effect.

If we break down the word "reality show" into its parts, only the first "real" can be considered real.

"Let me think about what to call this unprecedented new show?"

“How about ‘The Rap of America’?”

(End of this chapter)