Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

Upon seeing the song title, Zhou Yimo and Qiu Luo were both taken aback, and the anticipation created by "Those Without Ideals Don't Get Hurt" immediately dropped by half.

It's not that songs with assigned lyrics and music are bad, but they are very difficult to write well. Only those songwriters at the top of the pyramid, with years of experience and solid songwriting skills, can write good assigned works.

But for Bian Lang, it was simple. While others were writing assigned essays, he was simply choosing the best among the best.

When the lyrics were all written, Zhou Yimo, who had been watching the whole thing, was completely dumbfounded.

The lyrics contain absolutely no elements related to rock, but he felt that the song was like a deeper interpretation of the film, or a melodious, literary, and thought-provoking film review.

"Who will still fight for their ideals? Who will still sacrifice for love? This line is so well written!"

"The once handsome young man, his youth has faded—isn't that a perfect description of the current state of rock music in our country?"

"Moscow no longer believes anyone's tears, and she won't believe anyone anymore... That's a true reflection of Big Brother back then! Wait a minute, Bian Lang, what year were you born? You probably weren't even born then, right? To understand Big Brother's breakup like this, you need to have at least done some research, if not lived through that era. At your age, you probably don't have any special feelings about that period, right?"

Upon hearing this, Bian Lang didn't even bother with the excuse of being influenced by his parents' generation, and directly said, "It's all made up..."

"I don't believe you!" the other three said in unison!

Bian Lang smiled, raised a glass of wine, and after finishing it, continued, "I'll re-record the OST for Director Zhou as soon as possible, but for 'Hand-held Tractor Ski,' I suggest finding a female singer with a baby voice to sing it. I'll finish the arrangement in the next couple of days."

The song "Original Earth" was written by Peng Kuzi for Zhang Qiang. With that strong original singer filter, Bian Lang thinks it needs a similar female singer to bring out the right feel. Nie Dazhuti once covered it on a variety show, and it turned into a nonsensical comedy.

"Brother Lang, why don't you just handle everything yourself? Why let the good stuff go to waste?" Qiu Luo hadn't seen the score or known the style of the music, but instinctively spoke up for Bian Lang.

Zhou Yimo was curious to hear what Bian Lang, the songwriter, had to say: "This song isn't rock?"

"Electronic dance music, leaning towards disco!"

Upon hearing Bian Lang's answer, Qiu Luo looked at the catchy lyrics filled with names, imagined a melody, and instantly had a vivid picture in her mind!

"Brother Lang, this is interesting! You record a demo first, and then we'll find a singer according to the requirements!" As a musician by training, Qiu Luo was perfectly capable of being both assistant director and music director.

Zhou Yimo also valued his opinion: "Okay, let's do it the way Camel suggested. I see you haven't been asking for a price, Teacher Bian, so I'll make one suggestion. Our entire film's music procurement budget is 100 million. I'll give you a quarter of these two songs, and all the revenue from the OST album is yours. What do you think?"

This price is similar to the original Earth's "Sewing Machine Band" OST price, and it is basically in line with Bian Lang's expectations. The key point is that this price is 50,000 higher than the price asked by Magic Disc, which makes Bian Lang feel quite comfortable!

Therefore, he could accept the price, and besides, the value of these two works could not be fully explored in just one movie.

As for the other music in the movie, it really doesn't fit the plot. Otherwise, Bian Lang could have used songs like "Choose C," "No More Hesitation," and "Goodbye Ideal" to cover all the songs in the movie.

"No problem, Director Zhou, you can prepare the contract on your end." Now that he had made a decision, Bian Lang no longer hesitated.

Seeing that Bian Lang didn't haggle, Zhou Yimo happily raised his glass and clinked glasses with him, then said goodbye and left the private room, probably to make a call to arrange the contract.

At this moment, Zhu Yan, who hadn't said much, spoke up: "Bian Lang, there are two things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Brother Yan, tell me!" Bian Lang was also a little curious about why Zhu Yan was in such a hurry to block him.

"I'm starting work at the radio station next Monday, and my first project is based on your song. If it's convenient, I'd like to ask you to come and help me with a program, as a way to give this newcomer a good start." Zhu Yan's words were very cautious, completely unlike his usual casual manner.

"Brother Yan, you're being too kind! How is it me helping you? You're helping me! I'd be more than happy to be on Music Radio to promote the song. Get ready, I'll schedule a time with you after I record the song!" Hong Ke had mentioned playing the song before the performance, but he preferred to do Zhu Yan the favor, since regardless of their relationship, the inspiration for the song was largely due to Zhu Yan.

"Okay, it's settled then! There's one more thing. After listening to your songs, I really think it's a shame Paradise Records closed down. I'm thinking of extending the rent for another quarter and seeing how it goes. I don't think you'll be driving for ride-hailing services anymore, so if you're free during the day, could you watch the shop for me? Just tell me if you want a salary, commission, or a share of the profits..."

Bian Lang hadn't expected this, but honestly, he did feel it was a real pity.

However, the record store business has already been proven successful on Earth, and this relatively simple business model will inevitably be squeezed into a sunset industry by digital music.

Especially for ground-floor shops like those on Jianshe Road, where rent starts at 200 yuan per square meter per month, it's really not an easy task to maintain a shop of more than 100 square meters by selling CDs.

"It's really hard to get a good price for idle business at this time. If you really can't bear to part with it, find a cheaper location on the second floor and continue doing it as a side business."

Jianshe Road is right next to the old campus of Yunnan University, the highest institution of learning in Yunnan Province. Three other universities, including Yunnan Arts University, are also nearby. In addition, there are their affiliated middle schools. Commercial activities in this area are basically centered around students.

With graduation season approaching and summer vacation just around the corner, foot traffic is about to plummet, and potential buyers will typically drive prices down significantly.

"I've been in this area for almost 10 years, and we all have this kind of atmosphere. What do you think?"

As Zhu Yan said, Bian Lang doesn't plan to drive for ride-hailing services anymore. Besides recording songs, his current tasks are transporting songs and forming a band. Spending his free time in the record store working on songs is a pretty good option. When he gets tired, he can listen to some music from Aquamarine to refresh his mind and learn about the tastes of music fans here.

"Okay, but if something comes up, I'll have to close the shop for you! If you can handle it, give me some shares..." Bian Lang joked!

"No problem, we'll eat and drink halfway up the mountain, and I'll pay for it!" Zhu Yan said with a smile.

"Unlimited coffee and all-you-can-eat whiskey!" Bian Lang added.

……

Meanwhile, in a hotel business suite, Li Yiliang was slumped over, a cracked tablet on the floor playing a replay of Little Witch's live stream.

Wei Lan crossed her arms over her chest and remained silent.

The situation developed in a completely different way from what was expected before the performance. The live broadcast of this performance made Bian Lang a sensation in the industry, while Li Yiliang, the original lead actor, didn't even get a single question.

Li Yiliang intended to turn around gracefully, but instead crashed into the wall in a spectacular fashion!

Especially after Bai Dao returned the release fee and recorded that video, Modie basically became the subject of ridicule within the industry.

Phrases like "buying the box and returning the pearl," or "being deaf and blind" are already considered polite.

Wei Lan just received a call from Pan Xiulong, who assigned her several tasks.

Besides keeping Li Yiliang in check to prevent him from talking nonsense, we need to reach a settlement with Bian Lang at the company level as soon as possible, buy back the video copyrights, and if possible, also acquire the cover song copyrights and the artists.

Actually, Magic Disc was also a victim, but since Bian Lang himself came forward to say that the copyrights had nothing to do with him, they couldn't find fault with Li Yiliang on this matter. Besides, the copyrights were now under the company's ownership, so they had to cover for Li Yiliang in some ways.

"Sister Wei, after this incident, will the company still value me?"

"Magic Disc's label consists of musicians, and we won't plan your development according to idol standards. The success or failure of a performance won't have a significant impact on you personally. This isn't all bad news for the company either; even negative publicity is still publicity. The company will release a press release tomorrow. What you need to do now is clear your mind and not be influenced by Bian Lang."

"His song is destined for stardom; it's only a matter of time before it becomes a hit. Just stick to the original plan and get the band up and running..."

Just then, Wei Lan's phone rang. Seeing that it was Zhou Yimo's number, she gestured for Li Yiliang to be quiet, composed herself, and then answered the phone.

"Director Zhou, we really haven't been able to entertain you well today. Please rest assured, we will definitely handle the OST recording..."

"If there's a disagreement about the price, we can meet and discuss it further..."

Less than a minute later, Wei Lan hung up the phone with a livid face.

Seeing Wei Lan's pale face, Li Yiliang tentatively asked, "Sister Lan, what did Director Zhou say?"

Wei Lan paused for a moment before speaking, "We've already confirmed the collaboration with Bian Lang. It'll be one insert song and one promotional song, totaling 25."