People are in animation, but they can connect to reality

Huh? Find a way? Asagi himself voted against it; he supported MMK's decision. Asking him to find a way to persuade MMK to accept the firm's offer? Isn't that putting him in a difficult position?

But why would MMK object? Hadn't she always wanted to rebuild her band and return to the professional arena? Admittedly, as a senior artist, MMK needed to be more steady, but that wasn't her reason for objection.

With the atmosphere at the concert, is MMK facing another setback? Is she giving up on music again? Nothing's been bothering MMK lately, and the band is doing well.

"Since MMK-san objects, I'll give up."

An Heang deliberately made a cute face to try to ease the atmosphere.

"Our band is just starting out, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Furthermore, with the momentum we're seeing, we'll have more and more fans, and we'll probably get offers from bigger agencies in the future. Don't you agree?"

An and Ang chattered incessantly.

"I think so too," Lupa echoed An and Ang.

"When Zhi-chan and I were still online singers, an agency approached us. However, we had different ideas, so we declined. So, I also think that we should be more reserved. When we become stronger, we will have more bargaining chips when facing the agency, right?"

“I think everyone will have no doubts about the band’s future.”

Rupa smiled at Ebizuka Satoshi who was standing beside him.

"Since Rupa said so, I have no objection," replied Ebizuka Satoshi.

"But, Asagi, won't you express your opinion? If you support it, I will reconsider it."

Ebizka Satoshi looked at Asagi. An, Heang, and Lupa also nodded in agreement with Ebizka Satoshi.

"After all, Asagi is a very important member. His words carry a lot of weight."

Asagi did not respond to Ebizaka Satoshi's words, but instead looked at MMK and asked:

"What does MMK think? Why is he against it?"

Shouldn't I agree with everyone at this point? That way, everything would be over. However, Asagi couldn't let go of MMK, her knot in her heart, her hesitation.

Chapter 53 Office

MMK shook the empty beer can in his hand, his eyes half closed.

"What about you, Asagi? Can I ask what your attitude is? Are you for it or against it?"

"Me? I guess I'm against it."

"What's the reason?" MMK asked back.

"I was the one who asked the question first."

"Seems to be."

MMK took a deep breath and began to say,

"You don't know the firm well enough."

"Generally speaking, after joining an agency, you will sign a contract with the agency. The content of the contract is basically that the agency will promote the singers, develop them, provide venues for practice, pay them a monthly salary, provide business channels, and other benefits."

"sounds good."

An Heang nodded and listened attentively. As a student at the performing arts school, she would eventually come into contact with the agency, so getting some advance knowledge would be very beneficial.

Moreover, An and Ang were also interested in these topics. She held her cheeks with her hands and tilted her head from side to side.

"Yeah, most people think so."

MMK took over what An and Ang were saying. Rupa and Ebizuka Satoshi remained silent, as they had no experience in this area.

MMK suddenly asked back:

"But what kind of value can you provide to the firm? Otherwise, why would those agencies choose you?"

"Let's put aside all the details. Take me as an example. When I was at Diamond Star, my base salary was around 25 yuan a month. But is this 25 yuan the cost the firm paid for me?"

Everyone was silent. They had never given this kind of thing much thought and had no idea of the firm's hiring costs.

"The truth is, it's not that simple. The agency has to provide a lot of things to the singer, and there's also a dedicated agent to look after the band, as well as editors, photographers and other staff. Although I get a base salary of 25, the agency's monthly costs on me start at at least 100 million."

"Since we've spent so much money, we have to recoup the costs. The agency will sell various CDs and concert tickets. The singers get a very small share of the profits."

"For example, 54.6% of CD sales go to the record company, 30% to the record store, 9% to the producer, 1.7% to the composer, 1.7% to the lyricist, 1.7% to the publisher, 0.4% to the Japan Music Copyright Association, and 0.9% to the performer."

"And the agency also takes a cut of the singer's income. Generally, the agency-singer ratio is 6:4, but I've also heard of 9:1."

Well, Asagi understood a little bit. This was why when he saw Hoshino Ai in the anime before, she was already a popular little star, but her monthly income was only about 30.

Although I knew artists here earn very little, I never expected it to be this low. In other words, bands here are truly struggling, no wonder so many singers can barely make ends meet.

"Of course none of this matters."

"If I hadn't met Asagi, I would have considered joining the agency. But now it's different. This band belongs to everyone, and I can't make the decision alone."

"It's cruel, but I have to admit that my songs aren't very popular. On the band's homepage, Asagi's songs have tens of thousands of plays, while mine only have a little over 1000. In other words, our band is basically supported by Asagi."

Everyone nodded.

"This means that after joining the agency, Asagi's music will be taken away by the agency. A large part of the value created by Asagi will be taken away by others."

"I can't make this decision for Asagi. Because the band MY ALL didn't become popular because of me. I also don't want Asagi's songs to be taken away from her because of the band."

Asagi seemed to understand. If he and the band joined the agency, not only would his songs be subject to various commissions, but the agency would also take a large portion of the revenue after the commissions. However, there was no way around it; this was the so-called platform relationship. Even if they took a larger cut, with the platform's bonus, their income would be much higher than before.

However, if Asagi becomes independent as a solo composer, it means that Asagi will leave the MY ALL band.

"Those are my reasons. What about you, Asagi? What are your reasons for objecting?"

Asagi didn't expect that MMK was on his side. She basically told him the reasons he hadn't thought of and the parts that were difficult to say, which made Asagi feel a little relieved.

Ann, Ang, Lupa, and Ebizuka Chi all stared at Asagi. They had heard MMK's reasoning word for word. On the road to professionalism, MMK was the senior, and they were all newcomers.

Of course they are willing to believe what MMK says.

After a moment's reflection, they decided that MMK wasn't seriously wrong. MY ALL's success wasn't solely due to them, but largely to the composer, meaning Asagi's contribution was significant.

Besides, they weren't idiots. How could they not see the future trends of [My All] and [Bluebird]? They were truly sorry to Asagi for giving away such a large sum of money so easily because of their recklessness.

Several people stared at Asagi intently.

"Well, my reasons are pretty much the same as MMK's."

Now that MMK has convinced everyone, does Asagi feel he needs to speak out? Perhaps it would be better to take this opportunity to speak out?

MMK made sacrifices for him and turned down the agency's invitation, which basically meant she gave up a chance to become famous. With the addition of a hit new song, MMK should be able to become a small star this time.

Moreover, the life of an independent band is very hard. They have to work part-time every day, play on the streets, and do all kinds of things by themselves, which not only wastes time but also energy.

More importantly, it is the business channels. Even good wine needs a bush. In many cases, the platform and channels are very important.

“I want everyone to start their own firm together.”

“????.......”

“????.......”

“????.......”

Several question marks in succession.

Even MMK blinked, his face full of question marks, and he even doubted whether he heard it clearly.

“This is a bit far.”

“We’re just getting started now.”

"It's a bit exaggerated."

Several of them lacked confidence, but their faces were filled with anticipation. Several pairs of eyes simultaneously stared at Asagi, anticipating his plan.

Chapter 54: Poaching

Friday, 9 a.m.

MMK rolled off the bed and landed heavily on the ground, uttering a whimpering sound. Even so, MMK could not open her tightly closed eyes. She groped around, relying on her familiar sense of smell, and walked to the sink in a daze.

He skillfully picked up the toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste on it, and started brushing randomly.

"Then I'll leave the poaching to MMK-san."

The decision everyone made last night couldn't help but come to mind. MMK opened her eyes with a pained look on her face. The person in the mirror seemed to be still asleep, with droopy eyelids.

MMK patted her cheeks to make herself more awake. Then, she brushed her teeth and washed her face skillfully, made some simple dressing, and sat on a chair in the room.

"Poaching?"

"Poaching!"

MMK frowned, realizing the seriousness of the problem.

"Really? Why did the conversation take this direction?"

MMK couldn't understand why Asagi's ideas were so far-fetched, or even unrealistic. An agency wasn't something you could just casually set up.

They have no idea about interpersonal relationships, business channels, planning, operations, and other things.

MMK was worried, and her body followed her brain and leaned against the wall. MMK stared at the ceiling with a blank look in her eyes. She didn't know how to poach people.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. MMK grabbed the guitar next to him, hugged it to his chest, and began to strum the strings rapidly. The guitar blared wildly, releasing the pressure in MMK's heart.

She took out her cell phone and swiped it back and forth. Several familiar avatars on the phone were reflected in MMK's pupils.

Her finger stopped in front of her Diamond Star companions, looking at the once familiar faces, MMK moved closer, looked at their profile pictures carefully, then clicked on the homepage and zoomed in to see.

Nothing had changed about her friends. If that was the case, she would feel very reassured. Then, she flipped through the news from the previous few days, which reported that Diamond Star had found a new home.

She didn't recognize the faces at the home stadium, but the new home stadium of Diamond Star looked very cute.

MMK sighed, "Oh..."

I accidentally watched for a while longer, and my mind wandered. This is not the point. MMK quickly pulled himself together.

"486, do you have time?"

MMK found An and Ang's profile pictures and sent them a message. She decided to go to 486 to discuss countermeasures.

Soon An and Ang sent a reply,

"Ms. MMK? What's wrong? Why are you contacting me so early?"

"I want to find time to discuss this with you,"

"Is it about poaching?"

"correct."

"Miss Miura, isn't she a fan of yours, MMK? You can use this relationship to get closer to me. You have plenty of time anyway, so there's no need to rush."

How long? It's a long time indeed. The band is just starting out, and as an independent band, we haven't reached the stage where we need an agency yet.

Asagi's current goal is to set up their own agency once the band reaches 10 fans, a plan that is entirely feasible.

10 fans can basically support a band through live performances and shows, so it is imperative to establish an agency to seek higher development.

It’s just that 10 followers feels like a long time.

Diamond Star currently only has around 6 followers.

"When MMK and Ms. Miura have a close relationship, we will poach Ms. Miura from her agency. By then, Ms. Miura will not only be an experienced agent, but also have her own connections and networks."

"But, that's a bit mean."

"Hmm? Ms. MMK is right. It's a bit despicable indeed. But, in other words, can business activities be considered despicable or noble? We are all in a competitive relationship. Even if the relationship appears to be good on the surface, it is still a life-and-death competition in essence."

"Or does MMK not even have this kind of awareness? Even if it means getting smeared on himself, he still has the spirit of sacrificing for the band. For the happiness of the band, what is this kind of sacrifice? For example, this kind of belief..."

"oh........"

MMK stretched out her tone and looked at the message sent by An Heang. She thought for a while and felt that there was nothing wrong with what An Heang said.

"If it were a 486, what would the 486 do?"