Huayu93: From Selling Magnetic Cards to Entertainment Tycoon

Chapter 43 Zhou Weidong's Concerns, Li Si'an's Determination

Zhou Weidong leaned back on the sofa, staring at him quietly without saying a word.

Li Si'an simply started counting on her fingers, one by one.

"First of all, I can write and sing myself, and even Wang Xiaojing himself said I have the potential to become famous. Since I have this ability, why bother working for someone else and giving away money? We can start our own company, and keep whatever we earn. Isn't that more worthwhile than working for outsiders?"

"Secondly, you've been in this industry for so many years, you already have connections and resources. Resources that other people would beg and plead to get if they wanted to start a company, we already have here."

He held up his third finger and said with a smile, "San Yitiao, you're my uncle, I trust you. Besides, in our own company, you can't expect me to be drinking and socializing or working day and night to meet deadlines, can you?"

Then, he raised his fourth finger, his tone becoming a little more serious.

"And the most important fourth point is copyright. I have to keep the copyright of the songs I write myself. If I sign with another company, the copyright belongs directly to that company, and if the song becomes popular one day, it has nothing to do with me."

He stared intently at Zhou Weidong.

"Just imagine, if I wrote a song like 'Forget Love Potion,' and someone took the copyright, wouldn't I regret it for the rest of my life?"

Li Si'an's tone became more serious, and she became even more earnest.

"Uncle, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. I have good looks and good songs, so the chances of me becoming famous by singing are not small."

Instead of letting outsiders profit, let's go it together, father and son. You provide the connections, I'll provide the songs, the talent, and the skills. I'll figure out the start-up capital myself. We'll split the profits, and if we lose money, it's all on me; you won't have to bear any risk.

Zhou Weidong sat silently for a while, then reached under the coffee table, pulled out a cigarette case, lit one, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"Si'an, you're oversimplifying starting a company."

Li Si'an sat quietly, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"Having songs, connections, and singing skills is far from enough," Zhou Weidong said gravely, a cigarette between his fingers.

"I acknowledge that you write good songs, sing well, and are good-looking. But these qualities might make you a good singer, but not a record company boss."

Li Si'an was about to speak in defense when Zhou Weidong raised his hand and stopped her.

"Let me finish speaking first."

"Once the album is made, what about the distribution channels? You need someone to stock it up, right? You need someone to deliver the tapes to record stores across the country, right? Xinhua Bookstore, foreign language bookstores, wholesalers in various provinces—do you have those connections? Which way do they have to sell it to you?"

"And then there's promotion. You release an album, you have to chart, right? You have to go on the radio, right? You have to be on TV, right? Where do you get all that stuff? How many radio DJs do you know? How many TV producers do you know?"

"And then there's money. Recording, mastering, pressing, printing covers, distribution, charting—which of these doesn't cost money? From the start of an album production to its release, hundreds of thousands of dollars are poured in, and sometimes you don't even see a ripple. The little savings you have are enough to open a music store, but to open a record company? You're way short."

"Even if you manage to raise the money and set up the distribution channels, if anything goes wrong at any stage—the goods are stuck in your hands, you can't get payment, or you get scammed—will the little money in your pocket be enough to cover the losses?"

After saying that, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and crushed the cigarette butt.

"This matter is not as simple as you think. Let me think about it carefully."

The living room fell silent instantly, while the sound of Ma Xiaoqin washing dishes in the kitchen rang out clearly.

Li Si'an leaned back on the sofa, remained silent for a few seconds, and slowly nodded.

"Okay, then take your time to think it over."

He got up, put the envelope back in his pocket, and as he walked to the door to change his shoes, Zhou Weidong suddenly spoke.

"I'll leave these two songs with you for now. I'll show them to Jiang Shan and Wang Xiaojing in the next couple of days. If they both approve, I'll call you over to discuss the follow-up."

Li Si'an glanced back at her uncle and handed him the envelope: "Alright, then I'll trouble you to take care of it, Uncle."

"Bring the packaged pig's trotters from the table."

"Alright."

Li Si'an carried the pig's trotters out the door and downstairs. When she reached the entrance of the building, the May evening breeze swept over her, warmly enveloping the night.

He straddled the old-fashioned bicycle, pushed off with his foot, and the wheels slowly began to turn.

The streetlights receded one by one, and my uncle's words kept repeating in my mind: distribution, advertising, nationwide distribution, hundreds of thousands of dollars going down the drain...

It must be admitted that Zhou Weidong's words make perfect sense; starting a record company is far more difficult than just talking about it.

Actually, his idea to debut as a singer was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

From the day he returned from his time travel, he was determined to change his way of life, and he had always planned to try his luck in the entertainment industry.

I hadn't thought about it in depth before. Firstly, I was still young, and thinking too much would be pointless; secondly, I was living a stable and comfortable life with my shop, so I wasn't in a hurry to take this step.

It wasn't until the dinner with Wang Xiaojing a few days ago that his innermost thoughts were completely ignited.

A veteran record company executive praised his exceptional talent to his face, saying it was a pity he was relegated to working behind the scenes; even a popular actress like Jiang Shan genuinely acknowledged his songwriting skills.

Lying next to Tang Yun that night, he made up his mind to debut.

But if one really wants to enter the entertainment industry, what path should one take?

Signing directly with a record company is the easiest shortcut, but there's a major pitfall you can't avoid—copyright.

He had witnessed far too many copyright disputes in the entertainment industry in his past life:

G.E.M. had a falling out with her former company and couldn't even use her stage name anymore; the copyrights to all of her most popular songs were no longer in her own hands.

Taylor Swift was even more frustrated, as the master tapes of her first six albums were resold, and if she wanted to get her hard work back, she had to re-record them one by one.

It's incredibly frustrating to write and sing a song yourself, yet ultimately not even have control over its ownership.

His mind was filled with countless hit songs from future generations; this was his greatest confidence and asset in his rebirth. It would be truly foolish to hand over this asset to others.

The real reason he took the initiative to seek a partnership with his uncle today.

Zhou Weidong has cultivated his connections in the industry for many years, so he doesn't need to start from scratch. In this partnership, he provides the channels and connections, while Zhou provides the works, his appearance, and his talent.

The father and son split the profits, and the copyright remained in their own hands. This deal was better than signing it to an outsider no matter how you looked at it.

But my uncle didn't agree tonight. He said he needed to think about it.

Okay, let him think about it. Li Si'an thought, next time I go to see my uncle, I can't just go with empty words.

I had to lay out the materials—the sheet music for "Fairy Tale," "Running," and "The First Time"—neatly arranged in front of him. I wanted to show him that I wasn't just all talk.

With his thoughts settled, Li Si'an increased the pressure on his feet and rode his old bicycle steadily home, facing the evening breeze.