Huayu: Female celebrities are looking for treasures in me

"Do you want to sign me?"

Upon hearing Zhang Li mention the contract, Zhang Liangying's expression turned serious.

She is indeed planning to terminate her contract with EE-Media and switch to another company. The contract negotiations are almost complete, and she is scheduled to sign it next month.

Zhang Li's mention of this at this time must have had a deeper meaning.

"No, that's not true." Zhang Li shook his head in denial.

Jane Zhang is a well-established, top-tier female singer, and any company would definitely want to sign her.

However, this time, he did not want to sign a contract, because the company Zhang Liangying wanted to sign with was Universal Music, and it was a global record deal.

The top international entertainment company primarily serves singers, and Zhang Li doesn't think she can compete with it now.

Moreover, Zhang Liangying's later international career took off, and many of her resources and awards came from Universal Music Group.

He's now trying to sign a contract, but while the songs can be "original," the platform isn't strong enough.

Therefore, cooperation and mutual benefit are the best choices.

“I know you’re planning to sign with that company.” Zhang Li said frankly, grilling skewers in his hands, “Signing with that company will be very beneficial to your career development. I don’t think we can compete with them right now.”

"But formal cooperation is still possible."

"A formal collaboration?" Zhang Liangying's eyes changed, and she became interested.

Zhang Li is confident in collaborating with Universal Music, which is not something that can be achieved simply by producing one or two songs.

"Correct."

Zhang Li picked up the seasoning and sprinkled it on the skewers, nodding slightly: "After you sign with that company, I can take full responsibility for your new album, so I can handle the lyrics, composition, arrangement, and production of the songs all by myself."

Jane Zhang's next album is the studio album "I Believe" (standard edition).

This version of the album is amazing, it achieved outstanding results, and it far surpasses many other singers.

Four months after its release, it was certified by its distributor, Starway Records, as "the best-selling album in mainland China in the first half of 2010".

Zhang Liangying also received the "2010 First Half-Year Sales Champion of Female Singers in Mainland China" award from Universal Music.

Universal Music later released an international version of the album in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asian countries. This version included an additional single and reached the top three on the Hong Kong HMV sales chart and the Taiwan G-Music sales chart in its first week of release.

The album's second single, "If This Is Love," garnered 9552 million searches and became the number one most popular mainland Chinese song of the year on Baidu Entertainment Hotspot.

凭借这张专辑，张靓影获得《2010新城国语力颁奖礼》《第10届全球华语歌曲排行榜》《2010年度帝都流行音乐典礼》《第18届东方风云榜》等音乐典礼颁发的“年度最佳女歌手奖”，还有《2010亚洲音乐节》《2011Mnet亚洲音乐大奖》颁发的“亚洲最佳艺人奖。”

It can be said that after next year, Jane Zhang will be a genuine, undisputed, and universally recognized queen of the Chinese music scene, no longer just a rising star with Best Female Singer and some Golden Melody Awards.

Whether it's fame, influence, awards, or achievements, their abilities have reached that level.

He naturally had to get involved in the crowning ceremony of the diva.

If he could be fully responsible for this album, he could immediately become a well-known top producer in the industry.

It truly rivals Vincent Fang, Milk Tea Lun, and others in every aspect; its quality is just as good, only its quantity is lacking.

"You are fully responsible for creating all the songs for my entire album."

"Take on all the lyrics, composition, arrangement, and production!?"

Zhang Liangying's eyes widened, and her heart began to pound.

This is Zhang Li, the author of "Peerless in the World," "Painted Heart," "Preference," "Never Forget Peace of Mind," and "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky," no nobody.

His talent in music composition and performance is evident to all.

Many people in the industry are now asking him to write songs, and he's willing to do whatever it takes.

This situation will likely increase once Liu Yifei releases her renditions of "Love Through Lifetimes" and "The Last Page".

Zhang Liangying was also thinking that she had a lot of activities lately, so she invited Zhang Li to write a new song and try it out on the charts.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Li pulled a big surprise for her, offering to be her producer.

"Are you serious?" Liu Yifei poured Zhang Li a drink, her eyes brightening slightly.

Not only Liu Yifei, but also Zhao Liying, Song Yi, and Yang Mi's eyes shone with light.

Zhang Li wrote "The Last Page" for Jing Tian and Liu Yifei, and they had already heard it.

My simple assessment is: I like it, and I want to sing it.

Currently, the mainstream among celebrities is to become all-around entertainers who excel in film, television, and music.

Once you become famous, you'll always want to release one or two songs.

If you achieve some success, you can also perform songs at commercial events and galas.

She can also refer to herself as a singer in public.

Everyone knows that Zhang Li is excellent at composing and singing songs, but he has never actually produced an album.

If a custom-made dress could be made for Jane Zhang, her status and influence would be on another level.

Writing songs for them would be a piece of cake.

From now on, I can't keep using lack of inspiration as an excuse to fob them off, can I?
“This is definitely not something you can joke about!” Zhang Li nodded seriously.

He distributed the skewers to the women, smiling as he made eye contact with Zhang Liangying.

“Sister Jane, the company you’re signing with has a very strong platform; I can’t compete with it.”

"But to say how many top music composers and producers he can provide to write songs for you, that's definitely uncertain. It's probably just a necessary resource written into your contract." "But think about it, if you join that company, your first album will be entirely handled by them."

"That means that company doesn't need to allocate these resources to you."

"You can use this to secure resources in other areas."

"For example, increasing revenue sharing, increasing public relations spending on awards, and spending on promotion and distribution."

"It's not as simple as one plus one equals two, don't you think?"

Zhang Liangying certainly understood what Zhang Li meant.

Her current influence, achievements, singing skills, and so on are enough to get her a contract with Universal Music.

But since it's a large international company, it's hard to say how much attention they'll pay to her.

The contract will generally specify what kind of producer will be hired for her, the production style of the album, the level of promotion, and the album revenue share.

If she doesn't need to use Universal Music to produce the album, and only lets them cover the physical album production costs and post-production promotion, then the impact will naturally be offset by the other party's efforts.

She achieved the same level of success with the same album, but her earnings were completely different.

No, if the album Zhang Li produces for her is good enough, it could even make her a fortune.

“But you’ve overlooked one issue.” Zhang Liangying remained rational; after all, they were discussing serious matters, and she didn’t lose her composure just because Zhang Li’s promises were grand.

"You're not going to produce an album for me for free, are you?"

“Of course it’s not free.” Zhang Li took a sip of the drink Liu Yifei poured. “Not only is it not free, but I’m asking for a very high price. I think it would be fine to pay me according to the top industry standards.”

"But I don't have many achievements to show for it. Although I think I'm capable, I don't think the market will give me this price."

"If all the songs on your album are at the level of 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,' you certainly qualify, but as you said, the market won't offer you that kind of price." Zhang Liangying nodded.

A very simple example.

Now, Jay Chou has written a song called "Nocturne," just like the song he wrote when he debuted.

The song's quality level remains the same, but because of the different influence of Milk Tea and Jay Chou, their market awareness and industry recognition are different, so the price the song can sell for is completely different.

"So, I also want to give you, Sister Liangying, the opportunity to take full charge of producing an album, so that I can really make my name known and gain market recognition." Zhang Li said frankly, "But I'm not willing to be too cheap."

"Actually, I can slowly release songs and build up my popularity and market recognition."

"But I clearly have the ability, so of course I choose to become famous as early as possible."

"Therefore, collaborating with you, Sister Jane, is a viable option."

"To make both of us feel better, the method I've chosen is a gamble."

"A bet!?" Zhang Liangying frowned slightly.

She hadn't expected Zhang Li to say so much, and that this was the final solution he proposed.

However, for people who are very confident in their abilities but cannot receive corresponding compensation for the time being, this is indeed a good method.

At the same time, it can also reduce the risks associated with her "cooperation method".

“That’s right, it’s a bet. Of course, given the relationship between you and me, Sister Liangying, it can also be called a tiered contract.” Zhang Li’s eyes showed a serious look.

"I'm fully responsible for your album, and naturally, so is its quality."

"If you don't meet these standards, then consider it me working for you for free. You won't have to contribute anything, but you can still get a more favorable contract from the signing company."

"If you meet that standard, then I'll give you the bottom price. You pay less than the market price, but you achieve top-tier results, that's acceptable."

"If we achieve that, then I can naturally earn more, but that's what I deserve, and you not only deserve it, you also earn more."

"If you become a superstar."

"Then, you and I are the biggest winners, and the company you signed with is the same."

"."

"From a profit perspective, you'll profit no matter which situation you're in, and the more I profit, the more you profit too."

After speaking, Zhang Li stopped talking and instead asked Zhang Liangying to think it over carefully.

The women present were all whispering among themselves, quietly eating their late-night snacks or exchanging pleasantries.

Their eyes sparkled with surprise, as if they had never expected to witness such a negotiation.

Qin Nanshan looked like she had learned something, while Liu Yifei hesitated to speak, but finally realized that nothing she said would be right, so she simply took on the responsibility of grilling the skewers.

After eating for a while, Zhang Li picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth, his smile widening.

"You only need to worry about one thing."

Everyone looked at him.

Even to outsiders like them, the aroma of this pancake made it sound delicious.

If it were Zhang Liangying, she probably would have agreed.

After all, you're making money no matter what; the only difference is how much you make.

As long as I can make money, that's good enough. How much I make depends on luck.

What else is there to worry about?
Zhang Liangying shared the same thought.

"What concerns?" (End of Chapter)