Huayu: Starting by piggybacking on the fame of "Fairy Mom"

Chen Minghua chuckled twice to cover his embarrassment; the artist appointment was now completely off the table.

Actually, he had asked before the negotiations, "Should we notify your parents to come?"

Zhou Xiaobai answered decisively: "I've reached an agreement. Grandma Wang can sign on my behalf. If we notify the adults in the family, do you think the deal will be finalized?"

This answer, however, made Chen Minghua think – it's better to be an adult! No matter how young or mature you are, your age is still a factor, and you're always easier to guide.

He also asked Wang Shuzhen and was secretly pleased after confirming the answer—thinking he could gain an advantage and wanted to cut the Gordian knot quickly, binding Zhou Xiaobai and An Qianqian together first.

Unexpectedly, this kid was so difficult to deal with, his thinking was as clear as a steel plate that couldn't be leaked.

At this moment, Chen Minghua's relaxed demeanor vanished, and he truly began to regard Zhou Xiaobai as an opponent.

He decided to compromise and adjust his strategy: "How about this, we won't interfere with the creative process, we'll just sign a recording contract—a long-term contract. What do you think?"

"What does the record deal include?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, looking at him. In business, everything needs to be in writing, so it's best to clarify.

"A record deal means we exclusively distribute your records. We have established distribution and promotion channels. Once we sign the contract, we will prioritize production and arrange promotion as soon as you release a record—including but not limited to radio, television, print media, public spaces, and live events."

An Qianqian looked troubled: "Uncle Chen, live events are not allowed, Mom definitely won't allow it." This was An Qianqian's personal experience, and Liu Xiaoli's performances outside the home were also a source of family conflict.

"There's an activity fund, ten thousand each time," Secretary Li suddenly interjected.

Upon hearing this, An Qianqian once again transformed into a little money-grubber, gazing longingly at Zhou Xiaobai.

Zhou Xiaobai smiled at An Qianqian and turned to Chen Minghua: "Not now, we definitely can't participate now. Your arrangement and recording will take at least a month, right? Then Qianqian also has to record her vocals, even if it's just one song a week, it won't be finished until April at the earliest. And then there's production and promotion, it won't be done until before May Day at the earliest."

These words were well-reasoned and based on evidence, which was the result of my private inquiries with Zhou Wenqiong over this period of time.

He paused, then gave another reason: "Sissi and I still have to go to school! To be honest, we kept this record a secret from our families, you wouldn't want—"

He didn't continue.

Although making money is not shameful, it cannot affect his and An Qianqian's escape plan. Binding Fan Bingbing and Tong Liya is the key, and it is better to do so sooner rather than later.

Even if I want to participate in events, I have to wait until the album is released, accumulate enough popularity, and then I can acquire Da Meili.

For now, we must play it safe and keep our plans secret to avoid getting into trouble.

"Okay!" Chen Minghua chuckled and nodded. He also wanted the two of them to participate in promotional activities, but he didn't want things to fall apart.

He paused, then continued, "What about long-term record contracts?"

"It's too early to talk about this now, but I can guarantee that I'll definitely contact you guys if there's a new album or single later." Zhou Xiaobai glanced at Chen Minghua and played the emotional card, "Besides, what's our relationship? I already call you uncle."

"Haha! You rascal." Chen Minghua laughed, giving a thumbs up. "Okay, we'll do it your way."

Let's skip the discussion of the record contract and move on to the next step.

Zhou Xiaobai said, "Uncle Chen, we must own all the copyright to the song."

"We must have the right to perform for a certain period of time; otherwise, the head office will not agree." This was said by Secretary Li.

The issue of performance rights is a company rule, and Chen Minghua's position on this matter is actually understandable. Even if someone doesn't have the performance rights, they can't hold you accountable for using your song.

There aren't many people who are aware of copyright these days, and even if you have copyright, it's not very useful in this era.

This is mainly due to the influence of the overall environment. Even if there are laws, they are uncontrollable. With the changing times, it will take at least 10 years for this to change.

However, for his own future benefit, Zhou Xiaobai asked Wang Shuzhen to help him submit copyright applications.

"That works. I can authorize your company as the entity holding the performance rights for five years, after which we can renew the contract," Zhou Xiaobai nodded. Even if he didn't authorize it, there was no way to hold them accountable if they used it, so he might as well do them a favor.

"Okay, the copyright is settled then." Chen Minghua was also satisfied with this.

After chatting for over an hour, everyone present was deeply impressed by Zhou Xiaobai's eloquence, which far surpassed that of his peers, as well as his highly professional negotiation skills.

Chen Minghua had certainly broadened his horizons. In modern parlance, it was like being cut open on the buttocks with a knife and gaining new insights. He even wanted to smash open the kid's head to see what was inside.

Although Wang Shuzhen knew a great deal about it, she hadn't been involved in any professional scenarios, so this time she gained new insights.

An Qianqian is completely unsolvable. When Zhou Xiaobai is with her, he always gives in to her. In front of her, Zhou Xiaobai lowers his IQ to be with her.

After agreeing on the copyright, both parties proceeded to the production details.

"We must be involved in the entire process of recording the original version, and we must have the leading role in the recording. If you want to adapt and sing it later, you must obtain authorization."

Zhou Xiaobai took the recording and arrangement very seriously. Although the song was copied, he had no prior experience in post-production arrangement. He wanted to gain experience through the record company and believed that this hands-on experience would significantly improve his skills.

"That's fine, we welcome your full participation, it will save us the trouble of doing it ourselves," Chen Minghua said, waving the sheet music in his hand.

"Okay, then this is settled," Zhou Xiaobai said.

Next, the two sides moved on to the crucial revenue-sharing agreement.

Zhou Xiaobai said, "Uncle Chen, let's set the publication period at five years. If we renew the contract after five years, your company will have priority under the same conditions. We can clearly write this into the contract."

Zhou Xiaobai had his own plans regarding the five-year timeframe.

A year later, the album's popularity and influence were incomparable to what they are today.

Once An Qianqian's voice has settled down, there will definitely be a re-release. If we continue to negotiate according to the current profit-sharing ratio, I will definitely be at a disadvantage.

He estimates that the album will sell no less than five million copies over five years, which is real money.

Before the negotiations, he did his homework thoroughly, and even found a reason to ask Da Meili.

I knew that the cost of a record would not exceed three yuan, while the record company's ex-factory price was about ten yuan.

Even after deducting commissions and taxes, Zhou Xiaobai would still have over ten million yuan in income after taxes, even if he only took a portion.

However, Zhou Xiaobai plans to use the donation tax deduction method—he has checked and consulted Wang Shuzhen, and this method is feasible.

Orphanages are charitable organizations. If the conditions are right, after deducting the tax-deductible portion and adding another 10%, 30% of the revenue is removed.

This donation amounts to several million dollars. Wang Shuzhen, the "Tax Debt Specialist," agreed to it, but she absolutely refused the extra 10%.

Finally, Zhou Xiaobai and An Qianqian joined forces, relentlessly pestering him:

Explain it to us with reason—our achievements today are all thanks to your guidance, and besides, it was you who helped us compose the music.

Appealing to their emotions—without your adoption, I, Zhou Xiaobai, might have starved to death outside. The orphanage is my home; where there's a home, there's me. I want the children in the orphanage to live with more dignity and have access to medical care. You can also expand the orphanage to adopt more children.

These words finally made Wang Shuzhen relent.