Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 6 I Choose Bread
Perhaps it was at the moment when the stark data was revealed that Xia Shen's last shred of perseverance was completely crushed into the mire.

Those earnings came overnight.

These revenue figures fully demonstrate just how valuable a widely sung song is and how much income it can generate.

It's entirely fair to say that as long as a musician or singer has one hit song that becomes widely popular and generates massive online buzz, they can be guaranteed a life of comfort and wealth.

It could even be considered a true 'pension insurance'.

It's not uncommon for a single song to earn a small fortune.

But what is the real reality?

That is, for most practitioners, it may be difficult to even make ends meet.

How many people can live off one song for a lifetime? You could probably count them on two hands.

How many people actually make a living and support themselves through this industry?
In reality, the vast majority of people live on the brink of extreme poverty, ignored by everyone. Their works go unheard, generate no data, and make it impossible for them to support themselves.

If it weren't for that senior named 'Tian Min' who adapted the song and used it as background music for his short videos, Xia Shen would actually belong to the latter group as well.

He even invested all his savings to gamble recklessly on producing this song.

If he loses the gamble and the future of this path is bleak for him, how can he truly help his family while ensuring his own survival?

Let alone building a house, it's uncertain whether our own weathered bungalow will be deemed unsafe in a few years.

How will he handle his affairs after death? What will become of his future?

Clearly, in the end there are only two paths.

Either go all the way down a dark path, abandon everything, and even if you starve to death, just headfirst into the south wall.

In the end, he made himself into a wretched, inhuman mess, and when he looked back on his life, he found that he had accomplished nothing.

Alternatively, you could switch careers as soon as possible, let your diploma go to waste, get away from this unsuitable industry, and go to another industry or do something else.

There are only these two paths.

That's pretty much how this industry is; the polarization is extremely severe.

Or, to put it another way, this applies to all industries related to art: those who can make ends meet are already among the top 0.1%.

The remaining 99.99% of people live below the poverty line.

Before seeing the bill, Xia Shen could say that she could temporarily turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the current situation.

But the arrival of the bill dealt a huge blow to all his principles.

The market also indirectly told him that the industry might not be as he imagined.

So what if you have a cheat ability from another world?
So what?
Do you really think that the market has become like this because industry professionals are incapable of producing good work? Is it really true that all they can do is write these kinds of songs?
Of course not. There are so many people in the world, and so many people who make music. Isn't it easy to find some talented people who can write songs?

But don't you see if you go to any of the major music apps and look at the niche singers and independent musicians that nobody listens to? Aren't the things they've been doing of low quality?

Very high, unexpectedly high.

Can't Tian Min write songs properly?
As a professionally trained student who graduated with high marks from a music academy in Shanghai, and who has managed to create an account with millions of followers and thrive in today's internet world.

His main characteristic is that while he is abstract, his singing skills are also extremely impressive.

Can't he make music properly?
Of course not. In terms of expertise, Tian Min is more professional than the vast majority of people.

In fact, this became even more apparent to him after he actually met Tian Min!
Yes, in the end, on the second day, Xia Shen went to Visual Effects Culture Media Co., Ltd. for the second time and met with Tian Min. He finally met the senior that Qi Yixiang had once highly praised.

Then, the two began a detailed discussion about music.

"Actually, the idea behind your song is really good. The fact that you can write a song like this shows that you are a musician with strong creative ability and excellent qualities in all aspects. You thought of using vocal slice sampling to express the melody within the same singing section, turning what should have been a rigid directional chord melody into a dynamic one, adding your own sense of layering. I can tell you directly that this is something I didn't expect and couldn't do, but you did it. I am not as good as you in this respect."

In the office, Tian Min looked at Xia Shen. Those words immediately made Xia Shen understand that Tian Min wasn't unprofessional; on the contrary, his professionalism far surpassed that of most people. Otherwise, a layman wouldn't have given such an evaluation. Moreover, the real Tian Min was completely different from the cringe-worthy persona he portrayed in the videos.

Instead, he was wearing a clean T-shirt and had a simple side-parted hairstyle, looking like a normal young man, exuding a refreshing handsomeness and a sunny vibe.

"Perhaps you are not very familiar with the short video industry, and most of the time you are just a simple viewer, treating it as entertainment. But in reality, this thing has changed a lot of the current culture. It can shrink the distance between society and between people, but at the same time it makes many things less difficult to get started."

However, many things are inevitable trends that we cannot change with our individual efforts. Or you can change your approach. It's not that the public has low taste. We should never blame the public for what they like to do or what they like, and we have no right to do so.

Because in reality, most people just treat many things as a form of entertainment. In fact, as long as it can entertain the masses, it's not a bad thing.

Tian Min laughed and said, "Actually, I was just like you when I first graduated. I hit a wall and wondered why the industry had become such a mess. But now I don't think about those things anymore. Sometimes, dreams are precious, but filling your stomach is even more precious. Not everyone has the ability to keep pursuing dreams while neglecting their own needs."

"Mm." Xia Shen nodded as well.

In fact, after we talked, many of my thoughts quietly changed.

Especially his understanding of the current state of the industry.

Yes, you can't write songs if you're not in the industry, and you don't know what a good song is.

On the contrary, they know more than anyone else, understand things better than anyone else, especially those habitual song plagiarists and tailors.

If they get serious, they're actually not much easier to deal with than any talented scholar.

In short: the market makes heroes.

The amazing era of the sinking market is actually where the audience determines the market, and then determines the content.

Twenty years ago, it was an era of great talent vying for attention because there was fertile ground for such competition. People were happy to listen to those kinds of things and could even calmly appreciate good works.

Nowadays, people like to listen to fast-paced, mindless things, so they make that kind of thing.

"So what do you think? Want to come and give the company a try? Making money is the most important thing."

Tian Min also formally extended an invitation to Xia Shen.

To be honest, if it were the Xia Shen of the past, he would have just turned around and left, then gone headfirst into a wall with that so-called dream of 'saving the music scene'.

But now, he has figured out a lot of things.

especially.
Who do you think you are? Do you think you're the one to save the music industry?
You think you can save the music industry? How much money has the music industry ever given you? Has it ever given you a million dollars? And you think you can save the music industry?
Are you able to eat your fill?

Especially after witnessing the true money-making power of online traffic, he still felt that sometimes choosing bread wasn't such a bad thing.

It's important to understand that the revenue you're currently generating across several platforms is just the first part; there will be much more to come.

The senior student adapted "Give Me a Song's Time," and that version will also provide him, as the original author, with a share of the profits.

This is all real money, pure and simple cash.

Now, I can even think about tearing down and rebuilding my old house instead of just doing a simple renovation.

It can even be built very well.

These are all changes that are visible to the naked eye.

Xia Shen smiled: "I agree."

He still extended his hand.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"Yu Meng, the finals are coming up soon, haven't you decided which song to use yet? You need to decide quickly, otherwise, the song for the finals has to be of very high quality. If you insist on an original debut single, a high-quality, high-production song, there probably won't be enough time."

(End of this chapter)