Huayu96: My Thirty Years of a Prodigal Son

In the following days, all three of them settled into a stable state.

Qin Sheng went to Baihua Hutong to record songs every day.

Zeng Li went to Sony every day to learn vocal music.

Yuan Quan sings at bars every day.

Qin Sheng's side had the smoothest journey.

With Liu Huan personally overseeing the process, and Qin Sheng having his own mature singing version and arrangement plan in mind, the production progress of the two songs was incredibly fast.

In just four days, the master tapes for "Too Softhearted" and "Liberation" were all completed.

In the monitoring room, the final playback of the audio source ended.

Liu Huan pressed the stop button and pulled out the master tape.

He handed the master tape to Qin Sheng, but his movements were still somewhat hesitant.

"Sheng, the tape is ready."

Your singing skills, emotions, and rhythm are all impeccable.

The production quality of these two songs would be considered top-tier even in today's Chinese music scene.

Qin Sheng took the box and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble these past few days, Brother Huan."

Liu Huan waved his hand and sighed.

"No need for thanks, but I still want to reiterate my point of view."

The song "Too Softhearted" is too popular and straightforward; I don't think it will have a good market response.

Ah Sheng, your talent goes far beyond this.

I hope that even if these two songs don't achieve good results, you won't be discouraged.

Qin Sheng smiled and nodded.

"Brother Huan, I understand the reasoning, and I'm at peace with myself, so don't worry."

After staring into Qin Sheng's eyes for a moment and seeing that Qin Sheng was indeed calm and composed, Liu Huan felt much more at ease.

"It's up to you, Sister Amin, to handle the next release."

She's already contacted a distribution company, and she's just waiting for you to take the master tapes to her.

Qin Sheng then put the mother's belt into his bag and waved goodbye to Liu Huan.

In Mao Amin's company office, when she saw Qin Sheng arrive, she warmly stepped forward and gave him a hug.

"You little rascal, you're really quick!"

Two songs, recorded in just four days! I've never done anything so fast in my life!

Qin Sheng smiled and was about to explain when Mao Amin waved her hand.

"No need to explain, Lao Liu has already told me that there is no problem with the quality, and I definitely trust his quality control."

So, we went downstairs, got in the car, and went to the distribution company.

On the way, Mao Amin briefly explained to Qin Sheng:

"I contacted a local audio-visual distribution company in Beijing called Star Disc Records."

Although it's not a large company, its distribution channels are quite extensive, and it can stock audio-visual stores all over the country.

The profit-sharing requirements aren't high either; I think it's the best offer I could find.

Qin Sheng nodded in thanks.

Soon, the two arrived at the office of the owner of Star Disc Records.

The boss, surnamed Li, was a middle-aged, overweight man in his forties, smoking and reading a newspaper.

Upon seeing Mao Amin enter, Boss Li immediately greeted her with a warm smile.

"Oh my, Sister Amin! What a rare guest!"

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, Mao Amin pulled Qin Sheng in front of her.

"Old Li, this is Qin Sheng, a close junior of mine."

I've brought the tapes of those two songs I mentioned to you before.

Boss Li sized up Qin Sheng.

He is indeed handsome.

However, he didn't think much of it and laughed, "The person introduced by Sister Amin can't be bad."

Smiling, Boss Li took the master tape from Qin Sheng and looked at Qin Sheng, saying:

"Sister Amin has already told you about the situation, right? We happen to have a compilation album called 'The Golden Autumn of 1996' that will be released next week."

"We were already full with ten songs, but out of respect for Sister Amin, I squeezed out two and added your two songs instead."

Qin Sheng naturally expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Li."

Mr. Li waved his hand and took out a contract from the drawer.

"Let's be petty first, then gentlemanly."

When releasing a compilation album, the rules are clear, and Sister Amin understands them too.

With just a few products distributed and some simple promotion, the company takes a 40% cut of the wholesale price of the entire album.

Then you occupy two songs in it, one-fifth.

So, what you get is 12% of the wholesale price of the whole album, is that alright?

Mao Amin, fearing that Qin Sheng was unfamiliar with the field, specifically explained:

"The commission that we singers earn usually refers to the wholesale price portion."

As for the profit between the wholesale and retail prices, that's left to the various levels of distributors.

Qin Sheng nodded, indicating that he knew the rules of the game.

Seeing that Qin Sheng was sensible, Boss Li smiled and said, "Young man, don't think you earn too little from one album."

The majority of your singers' income comes from commercial deals.

This album revenue is nothing to you guys!

Mao Amin smiled and nodded in agreement.

Qin Sheng understood all of this and felt there was no problem, so he didn't hesitate any longer, picked up the pen, and signed the contract.

After signing, Mao Amin looked at Boss Li and smiled:

"Old Li, now that we've finished discussing business, how about we talk about our personal relationship?"

Ah-Sheng is a junior artist I really like. You should at least move his songs up a bit in the order of the tracks on this compilation album, right?

Even in a compilation album, the order of the songs is carefully considered.

If you can be ranked higher, you'll naturally have a much greater chance of being heard.

Boss Li chuckled and said, "Sister Amin, I definitely have to give you face. How about this, the first two spots are fixed, that person has some powerful connections. I'll reserve the third and fourth spots for my little brother, what do you think?"

Mao Amin smiled with satisfaction.

She was very satisfied with this position.

After the business was concluded, both host and guest enjoyed themselves.

After leaving the company, Mao Amin took Qin Sheng back.

On the way, Mao Amin glanced at Qin Sheng a few more times.

The young man maintained a confident and composed demeanor throughout.

Seeing this, Mao Amin couldn't help but ramble on like Liu Huan:

"Sheng, there are some things that Lao Liu has probably already told you."

But I still want to tell you again.

Don't have too high expectations for these two songs.

You are young and talented. Let's treat this as a trial run and test the waters. Don't have any psychological burden.

Trust me, you are absolutely a gem.

What you need is time.

With a few more years of honing your skills in the Chinese music scene, you will definitely shine with unparalleled brilliance.

Qin Sheng smiled.

"Sister Min, you really don't need to comfort me. I don't have any psychological burden at all."

I can accept whatever results these two songs achieve in the end.

Qin Sheng was not lying.

Although later songs like "Too Softhearted" and "Relief," especially "Too Softhearted," demonstrated an incredibly terrifying dominance in the Chinese music scene.

But that was the version sung by Richie Jen.

Although I am confident that my version is no worse than Ren Xianqi's, the timing and circumstances have changed a lot.

I'm not 100% sure I'll become popular again this time.

Of course, I have plenty of confidence too.

However, it's all just speculation.

The real results will have to wait until the album is released next week and the market's reaction will be crucial.

The market never lies.

The market is also the most powerful language.

Let's just wait and see.

I'm waiting to see if my reinterpretations of "Too Softhearted" and "Liberation" can radiate the same dazzling brilliance as in my previous life!