Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 10 The World Gifts Me the Sound of Insects

It's no wonder Xia Shen wasn't surprised, because Zhou Yumeng's words were just as outrageous as asking a recent water conservancy intern to be the chief designer of the Yarlung Tsangpo River water conservancy project.

Who is Xia Shen?
A music conservatory student.

Aside from getting better grades, I haven't achieved anything substantial. Of course, I don't know if writing a song that became popular through fan-made content counts as an achievement.

Then, Zhou Yumeng signed with July Records, a top-tier and well-known record company in the industry.

There are countless master-level creators there, and countless top composers and lyricists with whom they have long-term collaborations.

It's fair to say that July Records' music library is more than enough to launch the careers of more than one superstar.

From zero to the top!

July Records' claim that they have no songs to release is as absurd as saying you're thirsty in the middle of a lake—it's a kind of aesthetically pleasing way of rubbing someone's intelligence into the ground.

And not to mention that Zhou Yumeng mentioned a revenue-sharing model.

Because when large record companies buy songs for their artists, they usually use a buyout model, where the copyright buyout accounts for 90%, is paid in full upfront, the copyright belongs to the company, the creator takes the money and leaves, and afterwards the song has no further connection with the creator except for the right to be credited.

Of course, there are even more outrageous cases, such as buying out the authorship rights as well.

This approach is essentially a one-off deal; the advantage is that it can potentially bring in a large sum of money at once.

The downside is that after the song became popular, it had nothing to do with you, the creator.

In many cases, it has nothing to do with the singer, because the song belongs to the company.

As for the other type, the revenue-sharing model, it involves directly sharing the profits, participating in the subsequent profit sharing of the work, and having the right to receive dividends.

In other words, the more popular a work becomes, the more money the creator can earn.

Therefore, this method is generally rare and only exists among some big producers, composers, or lyricists.

Now Zhou Yumeng is saying she'll split the profits with him, which is outrageous. It's like hiring an intern as the chief designer and then giving him a special allowance on the side.

In response to Xia Shen's question, Zhou Yumeng gave her own answer: "The music library really doesn't have anything that's very suitable for me. You know that my voice is special."

"Mm." Xia Shen nodded.

This is true.

"Then, actually the company doesn't control me that strictly. Right now, I'm the company's number one seed, so they give me a lot of freedom."

I can request this song from you in my own name, not through the company's name. This song belongs to me.

Zhou Yumeng said, "I can give you this amount!"

She held up five fingers: "Fifty-fifty!"

"."

Xia Shen remained silent for a moment.

"So? What do you think?" Zhou Yumeng asked.

"Okay." Xia Shen thought for a moment and finally nodded.

In fact, given his relationship with Zhou Yumeng, helping her with this favor would be a simple matter.

Moreover, this is actually an opportunity for him as well.

After all, it's not often that a song can stand out in the finals of a music variety show like "The Voice of China," and with July Records' strength, currently promoting Zhou Yumeng, there's absolutely no need to worry about the song's performance.

At the same time, Xia Shen once again felt the harshness of reality.

A contestant like him, if he writes a slightly more serious song, will run into walls everywhere, and after taking the path of an independent musician, he will quickly fail and die on the wall.

Zhou Yumeng, on the other hand, can sing original songs on national-level music variety shows, and the quality must be high.

Because of quality issues and the fast pace of the times, this approach is not applicable to a top-tier record company like July Records.

They have the financial resources to aggressively promote various high-quality works and open up the market.

They're pursuing an upward market strategy and a focus on high-quality products.

Therefore, the works provided to Zhou Yumeng must be precise and of high quality.

"That's settled then. We'll get together again when you get back. I'll send you the sheet music in the next few days."

After chatting for a while longer, Xia Shen said one last thing and then hung up the video call.

The production crew, in the lounge.

Zhou Yumeng stared at the text message chat box where the call had ended, then at the star next to the nickname. After a long while, she finally snorted, "Idiot!"

Xia Shen's series of actions had a kind of beauty that made it impossible for her to choose.

She should have already expressed herself every time, right?

Isn't it obvious enough?
Could he really just see her as one of the guys?

but
Regardless, the outcome this time was good.

She was not lying about the issue of not being able to find suitable songs in the music library; that's true.

With Xia Shen's help now, she honestly feels a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

Because while others may not know, she is very clear that Xia Shen's creative abilities are actually exceptional.

He is no worse than anyone else, nor is he worse than someone like her.

For someone like Xia Shen, all he lacks is an opportunity, a starting point.

And most importantly, she firmly believed that Xia Shen understood her very well!

This is a kind of trust without reason.

And
"You think you can just let me get away after you've got my pectoral muscles?" Zhou Yumeng narrowed her beautiful eyes. She'd already played with the mud and piss, and now this walking, talking gossip machine who knew all her dark secrets was going to end up in someone else's arms.

No, just thinking about that scene makes me feel uncomfortable all over, like ants are crawling all over me!

She can't accept it!
Time passed quickly.

On the day Xia Shen reported to the visual effects company to sign the contract, he brought two sheets of music with him.

Having something in your head makes things easier; you can get everything done in no time.

Not only did he get the song Zhou Yumeng asked him to release, he also got the 'bargaining chips' he brought to the company.

After all, when signing a contract, you need some leverage to increase your value and have more confidence when negotiating.

However, before that, he needed to fax the sheet music to Zhou Yumeng.

After arriving at the company, Xia Shen first met with Tian Min, borrowed Tian Min's office, and used the fax machine.

Then he opened his phone and found Zhou Yumeng's chat window: "I've sent you the sheet music. Is it convenient to call me now?"

Soon, a video call came back directly.

After Xia Shen answered the call, he went straight to the point: "What do you think?"

"The World Gave Me? Xia Shen, you're something else!"

Zhou Yumeng held the faxed sheet music in her hand and exclaimed in surprise.

Because at first glance, this song is perfect for her!
Sure enough, they made the right choice! Xia Shen really understands her! He knows what suits her best!
And how should I put this song?

It gives her a very lively feeling, quiet, yet full of anticipation.

This is a very heartwarming song.

However, many details need to be communicated.

Xia Shen said, "I have some things to do here, and I'm a bit pressed for time, so I'll keep it short. The basic key is B-flat major, 4/4 time, with a BPM of 62. The structure is very regular and not too complicated. The vocal range spans from B-flat 3 to C6. It's not a traditional verse-to-chorus structure, but an ABABA cyclical structure."

So when you sing this kind of song, you need to pay special attention to using breathy vocals and soft melodies to express the poetry and the core meaning, and be careful to control the resonance chambers.”

Actually, this kind of song is both difficult and easy to sing.

You might say it's very difficult, but it's actually hard to tell that it's a song that demands a lot from singing techniques and breath control, because its melody is actually quite simple.

But if you say it's not difficult, you'll know how hard it is to sing well once you try it yourself.

Anyone with an expertise can tell at a glance that this song is indeed simple, but not simplistic.

This feeling is what is commonly known as 'cleanliness'.

After telling Zhou Yumeng all the points to note, he hung up the phone hastily.

Zhou Yumeng was left alone, still sorting through the information.

After a long pause, she finally sighed.

elegant!
This song is so elegant!

And the quality is extremely high!

Since it was important business, she didn't delay and went straight to her manager, Sister Qing: "The song is ready, I think it's good."

"So fast???"

The surprise and disbelief on the other end of the phone seemed to burst through the screen.

"Can it really work?" Agent Qing asked hesitantly.

"Trust me, Sister Qing, I think it's a good idea. Just report the information directly, and then arrange the band as soon as possible so we can start rehearsing quickly."

As she spoke, she sent out the song information that needed to be reported.

Song Title: What the World Has Given Me

[Singer: Zhou Yumeng]

[Composer: Xia Shen]

[Arrangement: Xia Shen]

Lyrics by: Xia Shen

"This song is really good, the quality is exceptionally high." This was a sentence Zhou Yumeng posted later.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

It was basically the same as the last time he came—the same location, but at a different time.

It was Director Chen again, who had been extremely dissatisfied with him in the past, and Tian Min was also present.

Another one is the head of the artist department at Visual Effects Culture.

Facing the group, Xia Shen slammed a sheet of music onto the table with a 'bang'.