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

"Our company does have a clear distinction between the revenue sharing ratio for signed and unsigned artists."

When the topic of profit sharing came up, Chen Minghua became serious, as it directly affected his performance and value.

Due to geographical limitations, the local cultural and entertainment environment in Jiangcheng is scarce.

The branch office mostly receives sporadic orders; although the quantity is large, the quality is not high, and the profit margin is actually very limited.

His dedication to this album is naturally partly due to these considerations.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Although I have a close relationship with Wang Shuzhen, I can't let it harm the company's interests.

Era Records has made private estimates; their market analysis is more detailed, and they have a certain grasp of the flow of the piracy market.

In fact, their real plan was to seize a share of the piracy market.

"7:3, our company accounts for 70%." These were the words of Secretary Li.

"No way." Zhou Xiaobai shook his head, speaking bluntly, "To be honest, we wrote the song, and you didn't provide any help in the early stages. In fact, you were only in charge of distribution."

He turned to Chen Minghua and smiled, "Uncle Chen, the production cost shouldn't exceed three yuan, right?"

"No, not really... but let's calculate it based on this first, the actual cost will definitely be kept under three yuan." Chen Minghua's eyes widened - how does this kid know all this? He really can't get any advantage at all.

"6.5:3.5 Our company also needs operating and marketing costs, and we don't know how well the public will accept it. It's still an unknown at the moment," Secretary Li continued to argue.

"Your company should have analyzed the songs. This album's target audience isn't just children; adults will definitely be more receptive to these tracks." After saying this, Zhou Xiaobai's gaze returned to Chen Minghua's face. "I won't participate in the album's specific distribution plan. Leave the professional matters to the professionals. I trust you know your stuff."

"Oh, I thought you were planning to handle everything yourself?" Chen Minghua said half-jokingly.

Zhou Xiaobai didn't respond to that, but turned back to Secretary Li: "6:4, I'm six. You should know the quality of the songs. In two years, we'll give you a big surprise, which will definitely be no worse than this album." He was confident in saying this because the songs provided by the system were all meticulously crafted and could withstand market scrutiny.

"Really?" Chen Minghua's expression turned serious, while Secretary Li was calculating in her notebook.

"I guarantee it won't be bad," Zhou Xiaobai said.

"4.5:5.5, we'll split it 50/50. As long as the song is recorded well, we guarantee to complete the master tape production within three days." Secretary Li remained unyielding.

"5:5 is my bottom line. These pieces will definitely exceed your expectations. Besides..." Zhou Xiaobai paused, then played the emotional card, "Uncle Chen, I still need to donate some of the proceeds to the orphanage. You wouldn't want to see these children in the orphanage lacking food and clothing, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuzhen felt a warm glow in her heart.

Chen Minghua looked at the group of children outside the office. Thinking of Wang Shuzhen's efforts over the years, he hesitated for a moment before relenting: "Let's do as you say. The main reason is that you haven't signed artist contracts, and this is the maximum authority I can give you." What he said was indeed true, and this was also the bottom line of the head office.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen." Zhou Xiaobai changed the subject, becoming more direct than before, "However, when will the advance payment for the record contract arrive? And how much is it exactly?"

This is the most crucial part of today's negotiations.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to discuss the contract.

At this moment, Anxi sat up straight. This was related to her wallet, her plan to run away during the summer vacation, and the bet that Liu Xiaoli would call her "Mom".

Although we're still far from ten million, filling our wallets first is the priority.

A few days ago, her mother emptied her savings and even said she wouldn't give her any pocket money anymore. If she had no income, she wouldn't be able to survive the New Year.

The mention of prepayment surprised Chen Minghua. He hadn't expected this kid to know this; it seemed he had consulted quite a few people.

"While Sisi's 'Learn to Meow' is up to the standard for releasing a record, the other songs—" Chen Minghua was a bit hesitant. "Even at the pace you mentioned before, it would be May 1st by the time they're ready to be recorded, and that's the most optimistic estimate."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Shuzhen with a helpless expression—the company's rule was that advance payment was only given after the song was recorded.

Wang Shuzhen laughed heartily, "Xiao Zhang, don't worry about that. Qianqian has learned another song in the past two days. She's progressing very quickly. I've never heard of such a talent before. I guarantee it won't take up your time."

After she and Zhou Xiaobai composed the song "We Are All Good Kids".

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Anxi came to her and showed off her singing voice. Although it was still a long way from releasing an album, the progress was amazing.

"This~"

Chen Minghua looked at Wang Shuzhen, then turned to An Qianqian, somewhat incredulous.

Before An Qianqian could answer, Zhou Xiaobai interjected, "Uncle Chen, you heard Qianqian sing 'Learn to Meow' last time, and I also told you that her singing skills would improve significantly in the next few days. Now I can tell you definitively that Qianqian has done it."

He pointed to the page of "We Are All Good Kids" in Chen Minghua's hand and added, "And she sings this song very well now."

"Yes! Yes! Uncle Chen, I've made great progress. Xiao Bai said I'm destined to become a god. You're talking to a god right now, so don't miss out!"

Hearing Zhou Xiaobai praise her singing, An Qianqian got really excited. It was finally her turn to shine, otherwise she would really be just a decoration, a pretty face.

She's really going all out to get the advance payment; she's been frantically leveling up her skills on social media these past few days.

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

"Really?" Chen Minghua's eyes lit up.

"Of course. Without an advance payment, we won't have any pocket money." Anxixi blurted out anxiously. Money was a matter of utmost importance; not having pocket money would be the death of her.

This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter again!

Zhou Xiaobai covered his forehead and shook his head—Oh my god! Someone come and take this idiot away.

However, he still had to clean up the mess. He rolled his eyes at An Qianqian, knowing he couldn't discourage the little one right now: "Qianqian is right. How about this? If you can finish arranging and recording this song today, we'll go over tomorrow and have Qianqian sing it for you."

"Now that you mention it, it looks like we'll have to work overtime tonight." Chen Minghua laughed heartily, then looked at An Qianqian with curiosity, "Are you guys saving up your allowance—"

"Stop, don't change the subject." Zhou Xiaobai smiled wryly. An Qianqian really spills everything. Can you just casually talk about having a secret stash of money?

"Hehe! Tell me if you need pocket money! I have some." Chen Minghua patted his pocket, teasing the child.

"Then pay upfront. Aren't we just talking about advance payment?" Anxixi spoke up again, her eyes gleaming as she stared at Chen Minghua's pocket.

"Well!"

"Xiao Bai, this album hasn't been recorded yet, so it's not allowed in principle," Secretary Li said, breaking the awkward silence.

"You yourself said it's a principle, but there are exceptions," Zhou Xiaobai stated bluntly. He then asked, "What's your factory price?"

"Around ten yuan," Secretary Li replied, telling the truth that couldn't be hidden.

Zhou Xiaobai nodded, agreeing that it was roughly what he knew.

With that in mind, he decided to pull out all the stops to secure the prepayment—