Chapter 26 Liao Liao (Part 1)

Beijing, the headquarters of Changsheng Records.

Liao Liao pushed the door open and came in, slumped on the sofa with a sad face.

Afterwards, her assistant Huang Wenjuan also opened the door and came in, took a look at her, but didn't dare to say anything, first ran to the water dispenser to get a cup of warm water, then brought it over, and carefully put it on the coffee table.

"What did Mr. Zheng say?" she asked.

"No play!" Liao Liao said.

Huang Wenjuan said "Oh", and didn't dare to ask further questions, so she walked cautiously to the side and sat with her.

She has been working as an assistant for Liao Liao since Liao Liao released his first single. After getting along for a year, they are both girls in their early twenties, and their personalities are also compatible. The relationship between the two is quite good. And she also knows that Liao Liao's mood is really not good recently.

Her first single sold well, especially her unique voice and wide range, which were praised by music critics, so the company actively asked her to release an album, and even the boss personally made the decision and gave it to her. The production budget of 800,000 yuan is only one-tier lower than the four big names in the company, and it is completely cultivating her as a future star. For this reason, many people in the company are talking behind their backs, saying everything. . But up to now, the album has been in preparation for more than eight months, and only 50 or 60 songs have been collected, and it is still far away from the actual formation of the album-there are only five songs that are really finalized!

Looking at this posture, it is considered efficient to complete the album production before the end of the year!

All kinds of gossip in the company have already been flying all over the sky. To be honest, there are far more people who are waiting to see her jokes than those who are looking forward to her success, and there are many more!

Who wouldn't worry about this situation?

In fact, even Liao Liao himself admitted that Mr. Zheng treated 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 800,000 production budget personally approved by Mr. Zheng, for herself, can be called a golden opportunity to rise up.

The reason is nothing more than two points.

First, Changsheng Records is only a medium-sized record company in the industry. Although each of the so-called four top labels has sold at least one record to the platinum level, all four of them are male singers, and they were signed by 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 current structure of the company, in addition to the boss Zheng, is headed by the art director Du Xiaoming and the deputy directors Zhao Meifeng and Sima Jie. twenty people. But among the troikas, Director Du Xiaoming brought three of the four top cards by himself, which is really too strong. Apart from bringing along a group of newcomers who have just signed a contract, Sima Jie has almost no power. Almost, naturally there is no contest, but after all, Zhao Meifeng also has a platinum-level singer under her command, so she still wants to compete.

Therefore, after Liao Liao signed the contract, he only released a single to test the waters, and was picked up by Zhao Meifeng. Not only did he help her get 800,000 production funds from Mr. The producer made it clear that he wanted to praise Liao Liao with all his strength.

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

Moreover, she has her own unique set of standards when it comes to song selection, and it's useless to persuade her!

As a result, her album stalled.

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

…………

Neither of them spoke, and the quiet needle drop could be heard in the lounge.

After a while, Huang Wenjuan couldn't stand it anymore, so she took the initiative to speak up and said, "Why don't you lower your standards a little bit, Sister Liao Liao?"

Liao Liao turned to look at her, absent-mindedly.

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

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 high-quality songs as the base, and you have selected them yourself. Any one of them can guarantee high quality, so...or else there will be nothing left. For the next five songs, let’s choose the general among the cripples, pick a few songs that are similar, and make up the number first, and let’s talk about the album after it’s released?”

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

Huang Wenjuan knew what the situation in the company was like, and she knew better.

And she also knew that it was obviously impossible to continue to procrastinate like this. Maybe one day Mr. Zheng would be unhappy and cancel the album project directly, and it would be a real joke at that time.

So, she signaled Huang Wenjuan to continue.

Huang Wenjuan received the encouragement signal, and her confidence immediately increased, and she hurriedly continued: "When our album is released, with the five high-quality songs that have already been produced as a base, the sales will not be much worse? At that time, wait When the next album is released, you will have the sales of the previous one as a backing, even if it has been in production for three years, no one dares to gossip, right?"

This line of thinking... is obviously very reasonable.

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

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

Walking back and forth in the lounge for a few steps, meeting the expectant gaze of the assistant, she suddenly said, "I wonder why it is so difficult to find a good song?"

Although he is just a small assistant, after all, he is familiar with him, and once he speaks, he will be a little more courageous. At this time, Huang Wenjuan couldn't help curling her lips, "I said sister, we have collected 73 songs, you don't know how many people in the company are greedy, I heard someone blowing director Du last time, It is said that we have so many songs, and we don’t need them, so we might as well use them for other singers! If it weren’t for Sister Zhao who stood in the way, I guess apart from those five songs, those songs would have been robbed long ago...Everyone wants to If you snatch it, isn’t it considered a fine product?”

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

After taking another two steps, she said: "Among those songs, there are still some good songs, but the problem is... I always feel that something is missing, so, if you talk about good songs, there are a few songs, but if you talk about high-quality songs, you can't..." !"

"Ms. Mianmian's song "Cloudy Sky" is not considered a high-quality product? He is a big name in the songwriting industry. It is said that in order to get this song, even Mr. Zheng personally came forward. The only people in the company who are watching this song Most people!"

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

Huang Wenjuan has nothing to do 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 no choice but to avoid talking about it, and just said: "But now, we really don't have any other songs to choose from! You went to see Mr. Zheng just now, didn't you say that there is no play?"

Liao Liao went back and sat down, and said helplessly: "Boss Zheng said, that's all the songs I can find. If I'm not satisfied, let me go out and invite songs myself!"

Huang Wenjuan was speechless.

Let yourself ask for songs... Doesn't that mean letting go and leaving you alone!

Although it was only a year since she joined the record company as Liao Liao's assistant, Huang Wenjuan still has some understanding of some situations in the music circle.

In fact, strictly speaking, this circle is not big.

The top producers and songwriters in the circle have fixed partners. Those producers often only make albums for a few or even a certain person, and once those top songwriters and songwriters have works, they will Often they will show it to their old acquaintances first. Only when the old acquaintances are sure that the style is not compatible will they be circulated among major music companies and record companies, like the song "Mianmian" that Mr. Zheng personally came forward to come out before. This is the case with Cloudy Sky.

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

Therefore, the practice in the music circle is that behind a popular singer, there is often a strong producer and a close circle of songwriters.

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

Of course, it doesn't mean that there are no good works for lyricists and songwriters who haven't reached that level, and there are. Among the best works that appear in this circle every year, those top songwriters account for at most half, and the remaining half will be the occasional burst of inspiration from some ordinary authors, and even new writers. .

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

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 a song.

To put it bluntly, even if someone has a good work, they will first provide it to a big-name singer, hoping to sell it at a higher price, and secondly, hoping to use the fame and strength of a big-name singer to make their work Redder isn't it?

So, how many chances does a fledgling singer like Liao Liao have to get a work that satisfies her or even surprises her? Especially...she is so demanding!

Too generic...don't.

If the words and music are not up to a certain level... don't.

Anything that doesn't fit your own aesthetic style and taste... don't.

So, in eight months, out of seventy-three songs, she only selected four. In addition, one of her own dozens of creations was selected as the best, and together, there are only five.

Want to... no more.

The producer, Sister Zhao, Zhao Meifeng, couldn't find her anymore, and even the big boss, Mr. Zheng, simply let it go.

…………

After walking a few more steps in the room, Liao Liao stopped suddenly, then she looked back at Huang Wenjuan and asked, "Do you have any paper and pen?"

Huang Wenjuan froze for a moment, then immediately took out her work diary and a gel pen from her pocket and handed them over. Then I saw Liao Liao took it, turned to a blank page, and started writing after a moment of hesitation.

Huang Wenjuan was a little excited at the beginning, which meant that she had a sudden inspiration, but when she looked closely, it was full of... people's names one after another.

Swiping, she wrote more than a dozen in one breath, and then slowed down. After thinking about it, she wrote one or two more names——Huang Wenjuan, an assistant, has been working for a year after all. She didn't know anything about the music circle, and she had 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 names were written in the small book. As far as Huang Wenjuan knew, the top songwriters in the industry had almost been wiped out.

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

After biting for a while, she crossed out a name on the notebook, and after biting for a while, she crossed out another name.

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 not to receive songs, retired or semi-retired, or those who had already received other people's works but were not going to use them—such as Mianmian— — These people were crossed out by Liao Liao.

After thinking for a while, Liao Liao spread the notebook on the tea table and said, "That's it for them!"

Huang Wenjuan felt as if she was going to die, and asked, "Sister, what do you want to do?"