My agency went bankrupt before I even got on stage.

NetEase Music is the largest music platform in China. Almost all established singers in the entertainment industry have released songs and charted on NetEase Music, as well as countless independent singers like Lin Fan.

Therefore, the competition on this website is fierce. Without the support of a talent agency, there is basically no exposure and no chance to stand out.

Unless you are very wealthy and can directly buy traffic from the platform, you should be prepared to play single-player games.

Of course, this is not absolute.

For example, Lin Fan is participating in a talent show with high traffic and exposure. He also has a good public image and has gained a group of fans, thus gaining basic exposure and traffic.

Secondly, the quality of the work is genuinely good and can withstand the test of the market, which qualifies it for platform recommendation.

But such recommendations aren't easy to get.

Netsun Music Headquarters.

The copyright department of Netsun Music is holding a group meeting.

Department head Jiang Jie spoke first: "The songs on this month's original music chart have all performed well. Let's do some more research and see if there are any hidden gems. Let's buy the copyrights before they get too popular."

As soon as he finished speaking, an employee rushed to answer: "Manager Jiang, apart from the original works by new artists promoted by the entertainment company, we've bought the copyrights to all the original works by independent musicians on the charts that we could. There are too many newly uploaded songs; we're still screening them, and we haven't found any particularly outstanding works yet."

Jiang Jie grunted in agreement and continued flipping through the reports, then his gaze sharpened: "What's going on here? How did this seventeenth place appear?"

It's no wonder Jiang Jie was dissatisfied.

The difficulty for independent musicians to make a name for themselves on music platforms is not only due to fierce competition among platforms, but also to the platforms' own operational dynamics.

The works of singers promoted by entertainment companies fall under the scope of their clients, and the relationship between them and the platform is mutually beneficial. Therefore, there is no possibility of behind-the-scenes manipulation or deliberate suppression.

But independent musicians don't receive the same treatment.

To put it bluntly, you're making money by releasing songs on my platform, which means you're clinging to my coattails. Although I also make money, I don't care about that small amount, and similarly, I don't care much about you either.

Aside from those promoted by clients, most of the songs that make it onto the charts belong to the platform, which is what Jiang Jie previously referred to as "buying copyrights."

The platform buys the copyright of the song, but only gives the singer the right to be credited as the original singer. The singer can make a quick buck, and the platform will help promote the song, so the singer can also gain some fame.

However, the revenue generated after the copyright is bought out and any changes to the copyright are no longer relevant to the singer.

Most independent musicians would accept such a buyout because they don't know if the song will become a hit, and making quick money is much more tangible than earning a few cents in download fees.

Secondly, if the copyright is not sold, the platform can suppress the song through various means, causing it to sink into the vast sea of ​​songs and never have a chance to rise again, unless you buy traffic yourself.

Another point is that refusing to sell copyrights could offend the platform. Many independent musicians rely on the platform for their livelihood. If they offend the platform, they will have nowhere to release their songs and their source of income will be cut off.

Therefore, the platform staff usually select suitable songs, then contact independent musicians to negotiate the purchase of copyrights, and then promote the songs to get them onto the charts.

As for where it will end up on the charts, that depends on the quality of the song.

However, the seventeenth person on this list clearly did not follow this process.

The employee explained, "This is a new song uploaded by Lin Fan, a contestant on the 'Morning Star' program. I've listened to it; the song is of very good quality, and it climbed the charts within just a few days of its release. And it seems to have potential; with further promotion, it should achieve an even higher ranking."

Jiang Jie frowned: "Is he a newcomer to 'Morning Star'?"

"No, the agency he was previously signed with went bankrupt before he took office, so he should be a free agent now. I haven't heard of him signing with anyone else."

"Since you're a free agent, why not buy the copyright?"

"The 'Morning Star' program is a closed program; trainees aren't allowed to bring their phones, so we couldn't get in touch..."

Jiang Jie was very unhappy: "Can't you report the problem you can't solve to your superiors? If I hadn't discovered this today, would you still be using the excuse of not being able to contact anyone to drag it out? Do you know this song is already on the charts? How much more money will the company have to spend to buy the copyright? Are you going to pay that money?"

The employee stammered and dared not answer.

Jiang Jie cursed a few more times, then adjourned the meeting. He then called a dance teacher he knew well from the "Morning Star" program: "Is this Teacher Chen? This is Jiang from NetEase Music! Hello, hello! It's like this..."

……

Lin Fan was called to the corner of the dormitory building's stairs by his accompanying PD, Liu Jia, where he met Chen Fang, a dance teacher who was waiting there.

"Teacher Chen, you wanted to see me?"

"Lin Fan, you've arrived. I'm just passing on a message for someone; it's all out of courtesy, so I hope you don't mind."

Lin Fan thought to himself, "You've already said it out loud, what can I do if I really mind? Just turn around and leave?"

"No, no, what's wrong? Please tell me."

Chen Fang smiled and said, "It's like this, your original song from your first stage performance has already been uploaded to the music platform, right? The platform couldn't contact you, so they called me to ask me to pass on a message for you."

Lin Fan was surprised. Why did the people from NetEase Music want to talk to him?

Chen Fang didn't keep them in suspense: "The people from NetEase Music want to ask if you plan to sell the copyright to this song? They think your song is of very high quality, so they want to buy the copyright at a high price."

Lin Fan understood: "Buying the copyright is fine, but what kind of copyright do they want to buy? The arrangement copyright or the GG copyright?"

Chen Fang hesitated for a moment: "No, it's about buying out the copyright."

"Buyout?"

"Yes, it's a buyout except for retaining the original singer's credit." Perhaps feeling that this was a bit of a rip-off, Chen Fang added, "However, after NetEase Games buys the rights, they will promote the song, which will benefit you. At least it will boost your popularity and greatly help your upcoming competitions."

Lin Fan shook his head: "Sorry, Professor Chen, I don't sell copyrights."

"Lin Fan, they said the price is negotiable," Chen Fang advised. "Given your current situation, a single song won't actually be of much help. It would be better to sell the copyright, get promotion from the NetEase platform, and build up your popularity. Once you debut, you can always buy the copyright back."

Lin Fan directly refused: "Teacher Chen, thank you for your kindness, but I will not accept a buyout, and I really, really don't want to debut!"