My agency went bankrupt before I even got on stage.

In the era of record labels, a top-tier album cost millions to produce. This wasn't just an exaggeration for publicity; it was a true "platinum" record, every word of which was built with money.

Many singers can't even release an album in a year. Besides the reasons that it's hard to find songs, compose music, write lyrics, find producers, book recording studios, and hire million-dollar audio engineers, there's another reason: they don't have the money! Unless they are exceptionally talented, proficient in songwriting, composing, writing lyrics, and playing instruments, the cost of an album can scare away many amateurs.

Many singers sell their houses and cars to finally produce an album, only to face high promotional costs. If the songs don't get out, no one listens or buys the records, so they can only go to bars to make a living, still holding onto their musical dreams and waiting for the day they can rise to fame.

Unfortunately, many people never get to see it.

Of course, times are different now. With SuperBlog, Kuaiyin, and various music platforms, as well as various electronic music production software, although buying records is no longer popular, you can still make your songs popular on various platforms in various ways. For example, Kuaiyin is known as the number one platform for creating hit songs. Countless old songs have been made popular by Kuaiyin, and countless grassroots people have become famous because of Kuaiyin. So now is the best of times.

However, without a good agency and agent, or strong capital to provide you with resources, even if you become popular because of Kuaishou, if you can't continue to release songs, you will only slowly fade into obscurity. Because new generation replaces old, Kuaishou is the most "scummy" platform. It can become popular again or fade into obscurity. It becomes popular for no reason and fades away without any vitality.

If Lin Fan were to think carefully, what were the hit songs on TikTok six months ago? What were the hit songs on TikTok a year ago? Two years ago? And before that? How many of the singers of those hit songs do he still remember?

Lin Fan could only say that his mind was completely blank!

This is the era of platforms. The power of platforms is like that of radio stations in the record era; they can create idols or destroy them. Without promotion, resources, and the ability to maintain popularity through appearances on shows, even the most popular singers will quickly fade into obscurity.

In 03 and 04, the battle of the music gods was fierce and bloody. What made them stand out? Good songs, and strong promotion. But now, the tables have turned. It's all about platform promotion. No one focuses on the music itself anymore. Whoever controls the platform controls the trend.

There was a viral hit called "Learn to Meow," and guess how many views it had across the internet? 76 billion! So, do you know who the original singer was? Can you even remember her name? What about a year later? Five years later? Did you know that she still hasn't broken out of the mainstream? Her fan base is pitifully small!

This is the current situation for musicians.

This is why people keep complaining that songs aren't good anymore, and that their playlists are from ten years ago!

Ultimately, singers need to let their work speak for itself, and resources come second. If a singer can consistently produce good songs, even the biggest platform can't suppress them.

vice versa.

Far away.

Lin Fan's mind was filled with thoughts of the musicians' experiences in his past life, but he didn't dare say much. After all, whether he could record his song, or even earn enough to cover the renovation costs of his small guesthouse, depended entirely on the beautiful young woman in front of him. So, Lin Fan asked very cautiously, "Do you have any suggestions?"

A hint of a smile flashed in Xia Yan's eyes.

She originally thought that Lin Fan, with his unconventional background, would become arrogant after writing such a good original song in all aspects, and would interfere with the recording process to show off his uniqueness.

If that's the case, Xia Yan will at most lend the recording studio to them out of consideration for Lian Xiaoyu, and won't express any opinion himself.

However, it is clear that Lin Fan is very modest.

He is clearly aware of his shortcomings and is very willing to accept other people's opinions.

If Lin Fan knew what Xia Yan was thinking, he would definitely tell her the truth. This wasn't modesty; he only knew one instrument—[Guitar Proficiency]. This song definitely wouldn't use a guitar, and his [Beginner Arrangement] skills were probably no match for this professional young lady. He had never actually recorded a song before, and it was best to listen to the professionals in professional fields.

Xia Yan was clearly in a good mood, so she said a few more words: "In recent years, the majority of popular music has focused on lyrics that make the music more accessible, straightforward, and popular. The melody serves the content of the lyrics entirely, limiting the music to a specific answer."

"People like to pile all sorts of lyrics into a song. Rap ​​and English seem to have become essential elements. It's as if you're not trendy or have no attitude if you don't add rap, and you're not international if you don't add English. In addition, when arranging music, people use trendy elements like electronic music and Chinese style indiscriminately. As a result, a song becomes very messy. It looks cool, but the end result is that it sounds good to you, but it doesn't go beyond your circle."

"I don't disapprove of mixing rap, English, and electronic music into songs, but making them sound good requires a lot of effort, rather than simply blending them together."

"But your piece is a typical exception. It abandons the lyrics that bind the music itself and uses pure instrumental music to interpret its meaning. That single word is completely integrated into the music, which is a sublimation of the music itself. I really like this song!"

"Therefore, I suggest you simplify your arrangement and try to eliminate other instruments. If I had to choose, I personally think that just using the piano would be enough. Too many other things will only affect the simple beauty of the melody itself."

"Such a wonderful song shouldn't be wasted because of its poor arrangement!"

"If a female singer sang this song, I think it would be even better! But since it's your song, you can record it first and see how it goes."

Look, look! This is what professionalism looks like! This is what professionalism looks like!

Not only did Xia Yan explain the important points and pitfalls of recording and arranging songs to Lin Fan in a step-by-step manner, but she also gave her professional advice. More importantly, the original song only had one instrument, the piano, and Xia Yan's thoughts coincided with the original author's ideas.

Having only looked at the sheet music and listened to Lin Fan sing it a cappella once, Lin Fan was able to grasp the essence of the song so accurately. What else could Lin Fan say?

Respect!

The professionals provided expert guidance; the laymen just need to applaud!

But there is a problem.

Where can I find a piano accompanist?

Lian Xiaoyu laughed: "Xiao Fanfan, let me reintroduce you. Ms. Xia Yan, an outstanding graduate of the world-class Curtis Institute of Music, and an internationally renowned pianist."

Lin Fan opened his mouth.

He really wanted to ask Boss Lian, "How did you, such an unreliable agent, a reckless investor, and an outsider to the entertainment industry, become best friends with such an artist lady?"

Besides, your sister is amazing, not you, so what are you so proud of?

Please don't get too involved, okay?