Chapter 112: The Rival of the Theme Song

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“This track... was sent over by Turquoise Records.”

Hearing Xue Tao’s question, the assistant quickly pulled up the record on his phone.

The music was still playing, and when the dolphin whistle in the interlude appeared, Xue Tao got goosebumps all over and hurriedly said, “Quick! Contact Director Luo and call Turquoise Records. Tell them to send the producer of this song over to discuss cooperation. By the way, what’s the name of this song?”

“Uh, it’s called... ‘Painted Heart.’”

Because Xue Tao had previously worked on film scores, he could even tell that this demo’s quality was above the industry average.

The assistant quickly went out to notify the film project’s producer, then called Turquoise Records.

In recent days, due to the matter of the film’s theme song, Producer Luo Yuheng and Director Xue Tao had already argued countless times.

Luo Yuheng was a very dedicated person; when producing, she sometimes even stayed overnight in the office.

Upon hearing the assistant’s message, she immediately rushed over.

“The assistant said just now that you finally have a demo you’re satisfied with?”

There was no need for Xue Tao to answer, as the meeting room was still playing the demo of “Painted Heart.”

Luo Yuheng stood and listened for a while, then said, “This song is indeed good, and its charm fits our film’s story well.”

She gave a brief evaluation but didn’t make a decision right away, instead continuing to listen quietly.

After all, choosing the theme song for a special effects blockbuster with over a hundred million investment could not be taken lightly.

This song was a bit long, over seven minutes.

After the song finished playing, Luo Yuheng looked at Xue Tao and asked, “You must be satisfied with this one now, right?”

Though they often argued due to their roles, the two had worked together for almost a year.

So Luo Yuheng understood Xue Tao well and knew what kind of song he wanted.

“This one’s good. Lock it down with Turquoise Records immediately. Spending a bit more money is fine. Hurry and find someone to record it,” Xue Tao urged.

Since the project’s funds were managed by the producer, spending decisions ultimately needed Luo Yuheng’s approval.

“All right, as long as you like the song, I’ll arrange for someone to negotiate with Turquoise Records,” Luo Yuheng said calmly.

The song was there anyway; they could follow procedure.

After thinking for a moment, considering the director’s high standards, she asked, “Do you have any thoughts on the singer?”

“As long as they can hit the dolphin whistle in the interlude, I don’t mind who it is. Of course, it can’t be too bad; a young singer probably won’t handle this song well,” Xue Tao replied.

“All right, we’ll discuss that with Turquoise Records when they arrive,” Luo Yuheng said. She was just asking for Xue Tao’s opinion, not deciding on a singer immediately.

For film songs like this, the demo singer and the final singer are not necessarily the same.

Put simply, a demo is a trial version.

Recording a demo means producing a sample version for parties who don’t understand sheet music to listen to the melody.

Therefore, record companies usually have lesser-known singers perform demos.

After all, having a famous singer record a demo, only to replace them with another singer for the final recording, would be awkward.

...

That afternoon, Fang Xing was recording the Cantonese version of “A Man Should Stand Strong.”

Actually, the Cantonese version sung by the veteran Lam Tszi Cheung was more powerful and majestic.

Lam Tszi Cheung’s vocal skill was terrifyingly strong, effortlessly reaching a genuine high C5.

However, due to language barriers, the Cantonese version’s audience was somewhat limited.

For this reason, Fang Xing had chosen the Mandarin version for the finals of “Tomorrow’s Star.”

Later, during the commentary phase, Liang Yusong promised that if Fang Xing won the championship, the Cantonese version would be released as a free gift to listeners.

So, Fang Xing was currently recording the Cantonese version of “A Man Should Stand Strong” without earning a penny.

Fang Xing could be considered the poorest top-tier celebrity right now—high popularity but no money.

Of course, he wasn’t making zero money from singing.

For example, other singers covering the ten songs from “Tomorrow’s Star” had to pay for permission.

“Tomorrow’s Star” owned the live rights to those ten songs, held by Fei Fan Entertainment.

This meant Fei Fan Entertainment could freely use the live versions but could not modify them.

The copyrights of those ten songs belonged to Fang Xing.

If a singer wanted to cover one of those songs, they had to approach Fang Xing, not Fei Fan Entertainment.

Of course, Fang Xing didn’t handle this personally; his manager Qiao Yinghong took care of it.

Besides that, the sales of “Nocturne” and “Wild Bird” were excellent, earning him a considerable sum.

However, this money didn’t go directly to Fang Xing as soon as the audience bought the songs.

Music platforms had a payout period—usually three months to half a year.

After the sales revenue reached Turquoise Records’ account, they would settle according to the agreed split.

Therefore, Fang Xing would only receive his royalties for “Nocturne” and “Wild Bird” at least three months later.

When Fang Xing was nearly done recording the Cantonese version of “A Man Should Stand Strong,”

Liang Yusong entered the studio and stood outside the glass wall, first asking the sound engineer, “How’s the recording going?”

The engineer gave a thumbs-up and said, “Teacher Fang’s vocal skills are ridiculous. He nailed it in one take. I feel like I’m slacking off, so I recorded a few more takes.”

Liang Yusong gave a thumbs-up through the glass and gestured into the studio.

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Fang Xing took off his headphones and came out, asking, “What’s up?”

“Qingniao Media called, saying they want us to come by at 3 p.m. to discuss the theme song,” Liang Yusong said plainly.

“So soon? Didn’t we just submit it this morning?”

Fang Xing was surprised at the quick progress. Usually, negotiations for film songs dragged on for months.

“Qingniao Media didn’t say whether they decided on our song, but since they want to meet, there’s at least some interest.”

Since the call was vague, Liang Yusong wasn’t sure how far along the talks were.

“I’ve finished recording. Let’s go now,” Fang Xing glanced at the time; it was 2:20 p.m.—just right to head to Qingniao Media.

...

After a brief freshening up, Fang Xing and Liang Yusong took the company’s van to Qingniao Media.

Qingniao Media was a well-known company in the film industry, having produced many films that surpassed one hundred million at the box office.

Despite blockbuster films appearing every Lunar New Year and National Day holidays, the film industry wasn’t easy to break into.

Only about one-tenth of domestic films actually made it to theaters.

With online platforms, many low-budget films got the chance to stream.

However, profitable film companies were far fewer than they seemed.

Therefore, a company producing a hundred-million-box-office film once every year or two was already very famous in the industry.

Qingniao Media’s upcoming National Day film project had an investment of 150 million yuan and was a major production.

For this reason, every detail was held to a high standard, especially the theme song.

At 2:50 p.m., Fang Xing, Liang Yusong, and Qiao Yinghong arrived at Qingniao Media.

Luo Yuheng personally came out to welcome them and warmly led the trio to the meeting room.

However, when they entered, Fang Xing noticed another group was already there.

Liang Yusong, seeing the earlier group, smiled and stepped forward to shake hands, greeting, “General Manager Xu, long time no see. Come, Fang Xing, let me introduce you. This is Xu Liren, Music Director of Puxiang Records. Nice to meet you.”

Fang Xing shook hands with Xu Liren. “Hello.”

Xu Liren clasped Fang Xing’s hand firmly, looking him up and down, praising, “Young man, I’ve been hearing your name every day these past few months. It’s everywhere.”

“Thank you, General Manager Xu,” Fang Xing replied politely.

“I’m very interested in several songs you sang on the show. There’s an opportunity for cooperation—our company’s diva really likes your songs,” Xu Liren said, slipping two business cards into Fang Xing’s shirt pocket.

Liang Yusong quickly pulled Fang Xing back to his side, chuckling, “Fang Xing’s busy with many projects right now, but once he’s done, we’ll definitely pay a visit.”

After the pleasantries, Liang changed the subject, “By the way, Puxiang is also here to discuss the film’s theme song?”

Luo Yuheng nodded, “Yes, to talk about the theme song.”

“I see...”

Liang glanced at Xue Tao seated nearby and said, “Looks like our timing isn’t great. Have you finished discussing? Should I step out and wait?”

Luo Yuheng waved him back, “No need, sit down and join us. We’re interested in demos from both companies and plan to pick one as the National Day film’s theme song.

“Time is tight, so no individual talks—let’s finalize the song quickly.”

Hearing this, Liang pulled out a chair and sat.

Once everyone was seated, Xue Tao straightened and asked Turquoise Records’ side, “Who is the producer of ‘Painted Heart’?”

Liang Yusong nodded toward Fang Xing, “Fang Xing is the producer. Of course, I’ll oversee it as well, so no worries about quality.”

Liang Yusong was the face of Turquoise Records.

Many companies sought cooperation because of Liang Yusong’s name.

If the producer was a newcomer, clients might lack confidence.

Hence Liang added, “I’ll also supervise.”

Though he knew Fang Xing’s productions didn’t really need his oversight.

But that was his secret; Qingniao Media didn’t know.

Xue Tao looked Fang Xing over again, curiosity in his eyes, “Quite young.”

He didn’t know Fang Xing, as he’d been busy with film post-production and hadn’t had time to watch programs, even though Fang Xing had been viral for three months.

Liang Yusong, experienced in entertainment, knew Xue Tao didn’t recognize Fang Xing. He smiled, “Yes, quite young. Maybe Director Xue hasn’t met him in person. But have you heard ‘The Lonely Brave’ or ‘Fireworks Fade’ lately?”

Xue Tao raised an eyebrow and asked his assistant, “Is the one singing ‘War? War!’ on your phone him?”

The assistant nodded quickly and whispered in Xue Tao’s ear, “Yes, that’s Fang Xing. He sang ten songs on ‘Tomorrow’s Star’ and went viral. ‘Nocturne’ topped the music charts for four weeks until recently replaced by SPK’s new song.”

Though Xue Tao rarely used social media like Weibo, he wasn’t oblivious.

He didn’t watch talent shows like “Tomorrow’s Star,” but he certainly knew about the music charts.

Topping the charts for four weeks was a very impressive achievement.

So Xue Tao looked at Fang Xing with newfound respect and said, “If that’s the case, you can produce ‘Painted Heart.’”

Hearing this, the group from Puxiang Records looked displeased.

They hadn’t even started negotiations, and the song was already decided?

Luo Yuheng quickly interjected, “Director Xue, wait. We still have to consider Puxiang’s ‘Starless Night.’”

Xu Liren chuckled, “No need to explain, General Manager Luo. Seems Director Xue has already chosen Turquoise’s song.”

He’d been in entertainment long enough to see through it.

Qingniao Media invited them clearly not because they liked the songs, but to use them as leverage to negotiate with Turquoise.

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However, Xue Tao wasn’t the kind to play such games—he liked “Painted Heart” and wasn’t interested in other songs.

Luo Yuheng felt awkward and explained, “General Manager Xu, don’t rush. Actually, we hope Puxiang and Turquoise can collaborate, with diva Qi Xiuna singing the theme song.”

In the recording industry, Puxiang Records was larger than Turquoise.

One reason was that Puxiang had a diva, Qi Xiuna.

For such a major National Day film, Qingniao Media naturally wanted a diva to sing the theme song.

This would boost promotional efforts by leveraging her popularity.

Xu Liren was interested in this proposal.

If diva Qi Xiuna sang, there was room for negotiation.

Puxiang could even consider co-financing with Qingniao Media to buy the song outright and produce and distribute it.

This was common in entertainment.

After all, Qingniao Media was the client, and usually the client’s wishes were followed.

Fang Xing, however, politely said, “Sorry, I’d prefer to choose the singer myself for this song.”

Luo Yuheng was surprised and frowned, “Then Qingniao can buy the song.”

Fang Xing thought for a moment and said, “Forget it then. You can consider other songs. I want to keep control over this one.”

Luo Yuheng hadn’t expected such a firm stance from this young man.

Normally, a newcomer music producer with a chance to make a theme song for a blockbuster would be more deferential.

Liang Yusong noticed Fang Xing’s inflexibility and worried the talks might break down, so he tried to ease the mood, “Don’t worry, we can discuss another cooperation plan.”

Luo Yuheng, familiar with Liang Yusong, gave some face and considered before saying, “We want Qi Xiuna to sing the theme song and record it quickly for the second trailer.”

Liang Yusong glanced at Xu Liren, “How about this: Turquoise produces the song, and Qi Xiuna sings it. Is that acceptable?”

Xu Liren wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement.

From his perspective, he wanted the theme song to be released by their company.

Qingniao Media didn’t mind as long as Qi Xiuna sang it as the theme song.

Fang Xing interjected, “I originally wanted to choose the singer myself. If Qingniao insists on choosing, that’s fine. I’ll produce the song, but the singer won’t share in the song’s post-production royalties.”

When he said this, Luo Yuheng and Xu Liren both widened their eyes.

Luo Yuheng found it amusing, “Director Liang, your new signing is impressive.”

Of course, her “impressive” was not exactly praise.

Liang Yusong laughed and smoothed things over, “New blood is a bit cocky. No need to rush, General Manager Luo. We’ll talk it through.”

Luo Yuheng shook her head with a smile and looked at Fang Xing, “Young man, can you really make decisions? Shouldn’t you check with your boss first?”

Liang Yusong knew Fang Xing’s temper too well and replied helplessly, “He can.”

Luo Yuheng was surprised that Liang would indulge this young man so much.

She frowned slightly and turned to Xu Liren, “General Manager Xu, what do you think?”

Xu Liren leaned back in his swivel chair, fingers pressing his temple, thinking for a moment before saying, “If the song is produced by Turquoise, we can only negotiate at market rates. Qi Xiuna’s minimum is 20% royalty share.”

This was the publicly stated rate from Puxiang.

Of course, this didn’t mean everyone who asked Qi Xiuna to sing had to pay that much.

Friends or favors might get a discount, but the standard public rate was 20%.

Fang Xing pondered briefly and said, “Sorry, I’ve already negotiated with a singer. If we use my choice, Qingniao doesn’t have to pay extra.”

Luo Yuheng frowned and pressed, “Which singer?”

“The one who sang the demo,” Fang Xing answered.

Upon hearing this, Xue Tao immediately agreed, “Fine. The demo was already high quality. We can polish the final version. Let’s decide on this.”

Luo Yuheng’s expression fell as she looked at Xue Tao.

They had been arguing over film matters for almost a year.

Xue Tao bluntly said, “That’s my opinion. I agree to the demo singer. If General Manager Luo isn’t satisfied, handle it yourself.”

Luo Yuheng knew Xue Tao’s temperament well and sighed, “Who is the demo singer?”

“Li Caiwei,” Fang Xing replied.

Li Caiwei was a near top-tier singer, and Luo Yuheng had certainly heard of her.

However, she hadn’t appeared on programs much recently, giving a somewhat faded impression.

Still, as a near A-list singer, Li Caiwei’s skills were solid.

Luo Yuheng looked at Xue Tao and asked, “Are you sure about Li Caiwei?”

Xue Tao answered decisively, “After hearing the demo, I knew she could do it well. I also hope General Manager Luo won’t be an outsider meddling in internal affairs. If you insist on interfering, I’m clear: I want this song, however you buy the rights.”

His tone was blunt and unapologetic.

Luo Yuheng, used to this, wasn’t angry. She looked at Xu Liren, “Director Xue has decided on Li Caiwei. Sorry about that. Maybe we can talk next time?”

“Next time then,” Xu Liren stood, shook Luo Yuheng’s hand, and looked at Liang Yusong, congratulating, “Congratulations on securing this deal, Director Liang, and signing such a strong newcomer.”

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