I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

"He's a sophomore at Beijing Film Academy," Chen Meiwei said. "He wrote the very popular song 'The Power of Love,' and recently released another song, 'Anhe Bridge,' which is number three on QQ Music's new song chart."

Cui Zhendong glanced at the documents.

"actor?"

"Yes, he acts too. But I think this person has something musical talent."

"You want to sign him?"

Chen Meiwei carefully considered her words: "I met with him yesterday and we discussed our intentions. This young man is quite ambitious, but he made a condition: he wants to keep the copyright for himself. What do you think...?"

"impossible."

It was decisive and straightforward, leaving no room for negotiation.

"When Sony signs artists, the copyright always belongs to the company. This young upstart, after writing a song called 'The Power of Love,' thinks he doesn't know who he is? Does he really think the music industry is so easy to navigate?"

Cui Zhendong's tone was calm, but his words carried an undeniable forcefulness.

"Putting everything else aside, arrangement, recording, mixing, mastering, promotion, and distribution—which of these can he handle on his own? He owns the copyright, fine, find a studio, record it himself, and release it himself. Let's see how many people can buy it."

He picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"Never mind him. Your priority right now is the release of Jay Chou's 'Exclamation Mark.' It's due at the end of the month, so don't get distracted."

Chen Meiwei sighed inwardly and nodded: "Understood."

The record industry is currently in a slump, and major music companies are finding it difficult to survive.

Aside from artists like Jay Chou, if they want to nurture a new artist to release a physical album, they'll almost always lose money...

He actually values ​​Jiang Chen quite a bit; he can write and sing.

Moreover, his status as a crossover artist means that his company doesn't need to cultivate popularity from scratch, and his publicity costs are far lower than those of a completely new singer.

With just a little push, album sales are far more guaranteed than for ordinary singers, making it a low-risk, high-quality collaboration for the company.

However, as a long-established international record company, Sony's signing rules in the mainland market have always been strict to the point of being almost domineering.

Pity……

……

The next day, outside Jianguomen in Chaoyang District, Universal Music...

"It's a pleasure working with you."

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Jiang Chen put down his pen. Sitting opposite him was Zhang Songhui.

The Managing Director of Universal Music Greater China, responsible for artist management and label operations in the Chinese-speaking region, is in his early forties and speaks with a strong Cantonese accent.

"From now on, Mr. Liang will be in charge of you. He is the label operations director of Cinepoly Records. You will contact him directly for your daily communication, song release schedule, and production resource allocation. He will keep an eye on all the details for you."

"good!"

This time, it's a three-year exclusive music contract.

It's not Universal's main label, but its subsidiary, Cinepoly.

The label will only represent Jiang Chen's music business for three years, including the music portion of song releases, performances, and commercial endorsements, as well as song licensing.

The profits will be split 70/30, with Jiang Chen taking 70% and the company taking 30%.

The company covers all production and promotion costs; he doesn't need to invest a single penny.

For new songs released within the last three years, Cinepoly has exclusive priority distribution rights, but whether or not to release them, and when to release them, is a matter for negotiation between the two parties.

The most crucial point is copyright. The copyright of the lyrics and music, as well as the master tape recording rights, belong to Jiang Chen permanently.

Cinepoly was willing to break this precedent because they valued Jiang Chen's two already popular songs and his crossover identity.

He wasn't a newcomer starting from scratch; he was able to generate revenue right away.

Give him the copyright, and the company will profit from his commercial value over the next three years.

Zhang Songhui continued, "That's all for the contract. Now, let me make it clear what's next."

"Your next songs will undergo internal evaluation first. Once the evaluation is passed, the company will help promote them. We'll handle the distribution channels, including digital platform charts, radio performances, and TV show appearances. If the market response is good, we can release an album later."

"The same goes for concerts. Once you have enough material, the company will start planning a tour. But there's no rush. First, gather your songs and solidify your foundation in the music industry."

"We at Cinepoly Entertainment don't do one-off deals with our artists. We sign you with the intention of building long-term value. In the first six months, we'll focus on releasing singles steadily, making each one a high-quality track. Albums and concerts will follow naturally."

Jiang Chen: "When will the first song be brought into the studio?"

"Next week, but before you go to the studio, come to the company on Monday. Eason Chan is in the studio these days finishing up his new album. Go over and say hello, get to know your fellow labelmate."

He stood up and reached out his hand again.

"Welcome to Cinepoly."

Jiang Chen grasped it: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

Stepping out of the Universal Music Building, Jiang Chen stood on the street outside Jianguomen, watching the passing vehicles, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Another step forward in your career!

As for why a contract was signed?

He really does have songs planned for the next decade or so in his head!

Jay Chou, Eason Chan, Xue Zhiqian, Mao Mao—any one of their songs would be a hit.

But he can't manage it all by himself...

The song "The Power of Love" became popular because it was a theme song for the TV series "Palace," and Yinshang Times was just a distribution platform.

In the future, he will be able to copy more and more songs. He will need to produce them, promote them, and even go overseas to Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and the Chinese-speaking markets in Europe and America. Without a label, it will be difficult to make any progress.

Universal Music is the world's largest record company, with distribution channels covering more than 100 countries.

Cinepoly Records is its Chinese music label, and artists such as Eason Chan, Miriam Yeung, and Tse On-kei all came from there.

They hold various resources in their hands; only by giving up some profits can they expand their operations and earn more money.

Let professionals do professional things!

He took out his phone and sent a message to Li Yitong.

"Come with me to Universal Studios on Monday, so you can see some pop stars and get familiar with your future work environment."

Li Yitong replied quickly: "??? I haven't even started work yet!"

"Internship in advance."

"……capitalist."

Jiang Chen smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.

……

December 31, Hefei, Olympic Sports Center.

Anhui TV's 2011 National Drama Awards, themed "Gathering Dramas from Asia," featured over two hundred stars from popular Chinese, Korean, and Thai dramas in the audience, with flashbulbs going off non-stop from beginning to end.

Jiang Chen was waiting backstage, dressed in a black suit. The makeup artist had just finished touching up his makeup, making him look even more handsome.

"Nervous?" Yang Mi walked over from the side, wearing a gold sequined dress, and habitually dribbled the ball into people.

"A little," Jiang Chen honestly admitted, "It's my first time singing in this kind of setting."

"What are you afraid of?" Yang Mi looked up at him to encourage him. "You wrote the song, you wrote the lyrics, you are the one who should be most confident in the whole place."

"Besides, I'll be there to guide you."

Jiang Chen looked down at her; they were very close, and he could smell her faint perfume.

"Honey, this dress suits you perfectly."

Yang Mi paused for a moment, then laughed and reached out to straighten his tie: "Sweet talker. When you go on stage, remember to look at the camera, don't stare at me like I'm crazy."

"If you really look dumbfounded, it's just for the sake of the show."

"screw you."

The two continued their public displays of affection, completely oblivious to the plight of others...