noveldepot Chapter 23 This isn't capital!
Chapter 23 This isn't capital!
Little Swan Restaurant, despite its name suggesting Western elegance, is actually an authentic Hunan cuisine restaurant.
As soon as he stepped inside, a rich and intensely spicy aroma wafted towards him, filling his nostrils. Xie Anran raised an eyebrow slightly; he hadn't eaten spicy food in a long time, and this familiar fragrance instantly whetted his appetite.
After Liu Xiaoli briefly explained the reservation information to the waiter, the group was led to the door of the private room. Xie Anran looked around and could tell that this Hunan restaurant was of a high standard, with exquisite and sophisticated decoration and layout, which could be considered luxurious and top-notch in this era. However, from the perspective of the aesthetics of the future, everything exuded a sense of antiquity. The bright yellow decorations of the porch, which looked grand and eye-catching now, would only be considered old-fashioned and tacky in the future.
As the door to the private room opened, Teacher Lin Zhe saw Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun's group and immediately stood up to warmly greet them, introducing them to each other: "Manager Zhang, this is Ms. Liu Xiaoli, this is Ms. Zhang Yun, and this is Xie Anran, and also Miss Anfeng." Turning to Xie Anran and her group, he introduced, "This is Manager Zhang, the head of Crystal Records' East China region."
Xie Anran's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she felt inexplicably strange. If Crystal Records was indeed the top global company rumored to be, then the East China Regional Manager would undoubtedly be a high-level core member, a heavyweight figure at the level of the group's second-in-command. For someone in such a high position to personally come and discuss cooperation with a newcomer seemed like making a mountain out of a molehill.
"Hello." Zhang Yun and Liu Yun exchanged a glance, then calmly stepped forward and greeted each other with smiles. Both of them had backgrounds within the system and had seen many situations, so they showed no fear in front of the senior executives of large companies, and their demeanor was composed and calm.
"Hello, hello." Manager Zhang was tall and thin, with a neat buzz cut. He looked capable and efficient, and had a familiar smile on his face. He warmly raised his hand to respond to the greeting.
After everyone took their seats and exchanged brief pleasantries, Lin Zhe got down to business, explaining his purpose with a smile: "After I sent An Ran's musical score to the company, Manager Zhang, upon hearing that there was such a talented musical prodigy, immediately decided to come over in person to discuss cooperation matters."
"That's right, this must be Xie Anran, a young man of great talent and appearance!" Manager Zhang praised with a smile, then glanced at Qianqian beside him and added, "This must be Anfeng, he looks very bright and exceptionally outstanding."
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle." Xie Anran and Qianqian replied in unison, behaving politely and appropriately.
Seeing this, Lin Zhe nodded to himself. The first meeting went very smoothly, and the atmosphere was harmonious at the beginning. Next, it was time to finalize the core cooperation matters.
"Manager Zhang, I wonder what your company's specific plans are for Anran's future career development in the entertainment industry?" Zhang Yun cut to the chase and got straight to the point.
Manager Zhang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied frankly, "To be honest, our company currently has a special project to cultivate child singers, and An Ran and An Feng perfectly meet all our requirements in every aspect."
Xie Anran was taken aback. He knew that the 1990s were a golden age for child stars, with many debuting at a young age in the music and film industries, such as Shi Xiaolong, Hao Shaowen, and Machi DiDi, all of whom rose to fame in recent years. It was reasonable for record companies to enter the child star market, as it was a way to tap into untapped markets, and it was also standard practice for large companies to test the waters and cultivate the market, which wasn't outrageous.
"May I ask what the specific terms of your company's contract are?" Liu Xiaoli was meticulous and focused on the most crucial contract issue first, her tone carrying a hint of caution.
The contracts she had negotiated before were practically unfair terms, so she had to be careful when dealing with these big companies.
Manager Zhang smiled faintly, his tone exceptionally sincere: "The contract terms are very lenient. We fully consider the child's academic growth and do not impose too many restrictions. The child only needs to record and release one album per year and cooperate with the company to complete basic promotional work. It will not interfere with the child's normal life and studies."
"How are copyright and revenue sharing calculated?" Liu Xiaoli pressed on, asking about the most crucial issue of interests.
"The copyright of Anran's original songs belongs to Anran, and the company and the child split the profits 20/80; if the songs are commissioned by the company, the profits are split 50/50." Manager Zhang's attitude was frank, and his words were full of sincerity.
Xie Anran was inwardly shocked by what he heard, becoming even more convinced that something was wrong with the company. In his previous life, he had heard of artist contracts. Even for top newcomers and singers with talent comparable to Jay Chou, the profit split for original songs was at most 30/70 or 40/60. A 20/80 split was practically a legendary preferential contract in the industry.
Even more unusual is that the original copyright belongs directly to the creator, which is extremely contrary to common sense in any entertainment company. Even though Jay Chou had an excellent relationship with his management company back then, copyright disputes were inevitable later on. How could someone whose qualifications and fame were far inferior to the other party possibly receive such top-level preferential treatment?
Capital never makes a losing deal, and anything unusual is bound to be suspicious. Not only Xie Anran had doubts, but even Lin Zhe felt something was wrong. He glanced suspiciously at Manager Zhang, and if he hadn't personally gone to the company to verify its qualifications, he would have suspected that he had encountered a swindler.
Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun were equally apprehensive. They had already met with several other companies before coming, so they were prepared for a heated debate and negotiation. However, they did not expect the other party to offer top-tier benefits so readily, which was too strange.
A brief silence fell over the private room. Zhang Yun and Liu Xiaoli exchanged glances, both unsure of the other's background. Lin Zhe wondered to himself, could it be that Liu Xiaoli and her husband had a powerful background unknown to him?
After a moment of silence, Liu Xiaoli spoke first, tentatively: "Manager Zhang, I can feel your company's sincerity; the terms are indeed exceptionally generous, but..."
"But what? Just say it, we're all open to discussion," Manager Zhang immediately replied, his expression full of sincerity.
"An Ran's health is a bit weak, so the promotional work for the album can't be too strenuous or involve too much physical exertion." Liu Xiaoli deliberately put forward restrictive conditions to test the other party's bottom line.
"No problem, absolutely no problem! The child's health comes first. We'll adjust the intensity of the promotion as needed, whatever's easiest for us." Manager Zhang agreed without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Xie Anran almost spat out her tea. Her mind was completely blank, and she felt the situation was becoming increasingly absurd.
Liu Xiaoli was momentarily speechless, then coughed twice to ease the tension: "Alright, do you have the original contract with you? We'd like to take a look at it for reference."
"I've already prepared the contract." Manager Zhang immediately took out a printed contract from his briefcase, his expression even showing a hint of impatience.
Liu Xiaoli took the contract and immediately whispered with Zhang Yun, who was proficient in accounting and understood contract terms, to check and discuss it. The two carefully reviewed each clause and found that there were no hidden traps in the contract. The terms were ridiculously lenient. The company would provide a full set of training resources and publicity support for free, and the album would also receive top-level resources. There would be no forced binding at all, and all rights were biased towards Xie Anran.
"Does this crystal record really value An Ran's talent so much?" Zhang Yun became increasingly unsure of the situation.
"It's hard to say. Most likely, the head office set a hard target. Otherwise, Manager Zhang would never have been so accommodating and yielding," Liu Xiaoli replied in a low voice, still full of doubts.
"So now we..."
"Delay it for now. Go back and have a professional lawyer carefully review the contract. To be on the safe side, don't rush to sign it."
The two quickly reached an agreement, put away the contract, and stopped mentioning signing it. Instead, they started chatting about everyday things. Manager Zhang was initially very anxious, but seeing that the other party still needed to consider it, he could only suppress his emotions and join in the small talk.
Sisi quietly tugged at Xie Anran's sleeve and whispered, "Anran, will we be able to release an album soon?"
"It should be soon." Xie Anran's mind was in a mess. Manager Zhang's actions defied industry logic and were abnormal and strange. He couldn't explain what was going on right now.