Perfect Life

Beijing, the headquarters of Changsheng Records.

Liao Liao pushed open the door and came in, leaning on the sofa with a frown.

Afterwards, her assistant Huang Wenjuan also pushed in the door and glanced at her, but didn't dare to say anything. She ran to the water dispenser to pick up a cup of warm water, and then brought it over and carefully placed it on the coffee table.

"What did President Zheng say?" she asked.

"No drama!" Liao Liao said.

Huang Wenjuan said "oh", but did not dare to ask any further questions, so she walked carefully to the side and sat with her.

After Liao Liao released her first single, she began to be an assistant to Liao Liao. After getting along for a year, they were all girls in their early twenties, and their personalities were compatible. The relationship between the two was quite good. And she also knew that Liao Liao's mood was really not good recently.

Her first single sold well, especially her unique voice and broad vocal range, which was highly praised by music critics. Therefore, the company actively asked her to release an album, and even the boss personally decided to give it to her. The production budget of 800,000 yuan is only one line weaker than the four big names in the company. It is completely cultivated by her as a future star. For this reason, many people in the company are talking behind their backs, saying everything. . But now, the album has been in preparation for more than eight months, and only fifty or sixty songs have been collected. It is still a long way from the album's actual formation - there are only five songs that are really settled!

Looking at this posture, it would be highly efficient to complete the album production by the end of the year!

All kinds of gossip in the company has already been flying all over the sky. To be honest, there are far more people waiting to see her jokes than waiting for her success, and much more!

In this situation, who doesn't worry about it?

Actually, to be honest, even Liao Liao admits that Mr. Zheng treats him well. And she also knew very well in her heart that the attention of the company's top management, the support of the album producer, Sister Zhao, and the production budget of 800,000 yuan approved by Mr. Zheng, were for her an unavoidable opportunity to rise.

There are two reasons for this.

First, Changsheng Records is only a medium-sized record company in the industry. Although each of the so-called four top brands has at least one album sold at the platinum level, all four of them are male singers, and they signed in at Liao Liao. Before, none of the female singers in the company could make a name for themselves, so the development of the company was actually seriously deformed;

Second, the company's current structure, in addition to the boss of Zheng, is headed by art director Du Xiaoming, deputy directors Zhao Meifeng, and Sima Jie. It is known as the company's troika, and it is in charge of the singers of all sizes below. twenty people. But in the troika, Director Du Xiaoming alone brought three of the four top brands, which is too strong. Except for the newcomers who have just signed a contract, Sima Jie has almost no power. Almost, naturally, there is no competition, but Zhao Meifeng also has a platinum-level singer after all, so she still wants to compete.

So, after Liao Liao signed the contract, he only released a single to test the water, and Zhao Meifeng was chosen. He not only helped her get 800,000 production funds from Mr. Zheng, but also personally acted as the director of Liao Liao's new album. The producer made it clear that he would do his best to hold Liao Liao up.

But the problem is, Liao Liao is obviously not a very obedient person.

Moreover, she has her own unique set of standards for song selection, and it is useless to persuade her!

So, her album got stuck.

If she couldn't satisfy herself, no matter what the producer said, she would rather die!

……

The two of them didn't speak, and the quiet needles could be heard in the lounge.

After a while, Huang Wenjuan couldn't take it anymore, so she had to take the initiative and said, "How about, Sister Liao Liao, would you lower the standard a little bit?"

Liao Liao turned to look at her, looking absent-minded.

But the little assistant couldn't help but continue to say: "Look, the company has already helped to collect so many songs, and there are really only five songs that can be used? I know, I know, your vision is high, and the ones you choose are high-quality products. But you see, it's not a problem for us to stop so often. I heard recently that not only other people in the company, but also Director Zheng and Director Du, have a lot of opinions on you. If you continue like this, , I'm afraid that time..."

Liao Liao took a deep breath, got up from the sofa, and walked back and forth in the lounge.

As soon as she stood up, Huang Wenjuan also quickly stood up and said, "Anyway, we already have five top-quality songs, and they are all selected by you. Any one can guarantee excellent quality, so... Otherwise, the rest is left. For those five songs, let's choose generals from the lame, pick a few songs that are similar, and get enough of the number first, and then we will release the album?"

Liao Liao looked back at her, obviously a little moved.

Huang Wenjuan knows what is going on in the company, she knows even more.

And she also knew that it was obviously impossible to keep dragging on like this. Maybe one day, Mr. Zheng was unhappy and canceled the album project, and then it would really become a joke.

So, she motioned to Huang Wenjuan to continue.

Huang Wenjuan received the encouraging signal, and her confidence suddenly increased, and she quickly continued: "When our album is released, and we have the five excellent songs that have already been produced, the sales will not be much worse? At that time, wait. When you release the next album, you will have the sales of the previous one, and even if it has been in production for three years, no one dares to gossip, right?"

This idea... is obviously very reasonable.

Liao Liao nodded at first, but soon, she couldn't help shaking her head.

At the same time, that anxious feeling reappeared on his face.

Walking a few steps back and forth in the lounge, her eyes met the expectant gaze of the little assistant, and she suddenly said, "I'm just wondering, why is it so difficult to find a good song?"

Although he is only a small assistant, he is familiar with him after all. Once he speaks, he will be a little more daring. At this time, Huang Wenjuan couldn't help but curled her lips, "I said sister, we have already received seventy-three songs, you don't know how many people in the company are greedy, I heard someone blow Director Du last time, It is said that we have so many songs, but if we don’t need them, why don’t we give them to other singers! If it weren’t for Sister Zhao blocking the front, I guess except for those five songs, those songs would have been robbed long ago... Everyone will rob them. Yes, it's not a boutique yet?"

Liao Liao shook his head and said, "You don't understand!"

After walking two more steps, she said, "There are still some good songs in those songs, but the problem is... I always feel that something is missing. So, when it comes to good songs, a few are counted, but when it comes to good songs... not good!"

"Mr. Mianmian's "Cloudy Day" is not a good one? They are big names in the lyrics and music industry. It is said that in order to win this song, even President Zheng personally came forward. In the company, there are only a few people who are staring at this song. The most people!"

Liao Liao shook his head, "That song is too small for me. You don't understand this. I told Sis Zhao that I don't want that song. Sis Zhao kept it for others, and it has nothing to do with me!"

Huang Wenjuan has no choice now. She knew that this would involve personnel and resource struggles within the company, and it was really not something her little assistant could talk about. So she had to avoid talking about it and just said, "But now, we really don't have any other songs to choose from! You went to Mr. Zheng just now, didn't you say there's no drama?"

Liao Liao walked back and sat down, and said helplessly: "President Zheng said, these are the songs that I can find. If I'm not satisfied, let me go out and invite songs by myself!"

Huang Wenjuan was speechless.

Let yourself invite you to sing... That doesn't mean you just leave it alone!

Although it has only been a year since she joined the record company as an assistant to Liao Liao, she has heard and seen that Huang Wenjuan still has some understanding of some situations in the music circle.

Actually, strictly speaking, this circle is not big.

The top producers and songwriters in the circle have fixed partners. Those producers often only produce albums for a few or even one person. Once those top songwriters and songwriters have works, they will also They tend to give priority to their old acquaintances. Only when the old acquaintances are sure that the style is not in harmony will they be circulated among major music companies and record companies. Cloudy Day, is such a case.

And it is said that once the top producers, lyricists and songwriters who are regular partners, once they reach a certain level, they will not only receive guaranteed manuscript fees and production fees, but they can even participate in the sales dividends of the album.

Therefore, the convention in the music industry is that behind a popular singer, there is often a strong producer and a nearly fixed circle of songwriters.

Besides, there are so many good things, and there are too few that can be circulated.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the lyricists and songwriters who don't reach that level don't have good works, there are. Among the best batch of works that appear in this circle every year, the top songwriters account for at most half, and the remaining half will be the occasional inspiration of some ordinary writers, and even new writers. .

But the problem is, firstly, those good works are not necessarily your turn to choose. By the time you know and hear them, they have often been ordered and bought, and some of them have even been released into records. Second, what? , even if the song is the first to be delivered to your company as soon as it is released, can the person who chooses the song really be able to pick it out immediately? In this circle, there are not many good works that were first discovered by Mingzhu and then discovered by others!

Moreover, once the work becomes popular, obviously, the status of the songwriter will rise immediately, and it will not be easy to find someone to invite to sing.

To put it most bluntly, even if people have good works, they will first provide them to big-name singers. First, they hope to sell them for a higher price. Redder isn't it?

So, how many chances can a young singer like Liao Liao have to get a work that will satisfy or even surprise her? Especially...she's still so demanding!

Too popular... don't.

Words and songs that don't reach a certain level...don't.

Those that don't conform to your own aesthetic style and taste...don't.

So, in eight months, out of seventy-three songs, she only selected four. In addition, she selected one from the dozens of her own creations, and together, only five songs were collected.

I want to... no more.

Producer Zhao sister Zhao Meifeng couldn't find it for her, and even the big boss, Mr. Zheng, simply let it go.

……

After walking a few steps in the room, Liao Liao suddenly stood down. Then she looked back at Huang Wenjuan and asked, "Do you have any paper and pen?"

Huang Wenjuan was stunned for a moment, and immediately took out her work journal and a gel pen from her pocket and handed it over. Then I saw Liao Liao took it, turned to a blank page, and started to write after a little hesitation.

Huang Wenjuan was a little excited at first, which meant that she was suddenly inspired, but when she leaned over and looked at it, it was full of... names of people.

After brushing, she wrote a dozen or so in one go, and then the speed slowed down. After thinking about it, she wrote another name or two. After all, Huang Wenjuan, an assistant, has been working for a year. Quan didn't know anything, and she practiced a little in a year, so she quickly figured out what these names were for.

Both are songwriters.

And they are all well-known songwriters in the circle.

So, she was a little dumbfounded.

Ten minutes later, twenty or thirty people's names had already been written on the small notebook. As far as Huang Wenjuan knew, the top songwriters in the circle had almost been exhausted.

Then, holding a notebook in his left hand, Liao Liao began to bite the pen.

After biting for a while, she crossed out a person's name on the book, biting for a while, and then crossed out another.

After a while, there were only seven or eight names left in the twenty or thirty names.

Huang Wenjuan watched secretly from the side, and soon understood: those who were destined to not receive songs, those who were semi-retired, or those who had already obtained other people's works but were not ready to use them—such as Mianmian—these Everyone was crossed out by Liao Liao.

After thinking for a while, Liao Liao spread out the book on the coffee table and said, "It's them!"

Huang Wenjuan felt like she was about to die and asked, "Sister, what are you trying to do?"