I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 086 Independent Label

"And you, the big producer," Tao Cheng pointed to a watch that wasn't actually on her wrist, "We agreed on a ten-minute break, and it's been fifteen minutes already."

Yang Du said speechlessly, "I just received a call from my agent saying that some talent show has approached me and insists that I be a guest mentor for one episode."

At this point, Yang Du secretly admired him.

When it comes to the entertainment industry, the reality can be truly astonishing.

He knew he was currently very popular and had a lot of online traffic, but his album "Swallowtail Butterfly" wasn't even finished yet. Capital had already caught wind of this and was eager to monetize his popularity by bringing him in as a mentor.

The production team really dared to have a 21-year-old junior at the Beijing Conservatory of Music as a mentor; they're not afraid of being drowned in a sea of ​​criticism from netizens.

"What's so surprising about that?" Sister Hong scoffed. "Actually, given how often you trend on social media, you're just suffering because of the producers behind the scenes. If you were to sing a song yourself, you'd be booked until next year."

However, as a seasoned veteran in the industry with extensive experience, Sister Hong still offered professional advice.

"The variety show industry is a very complex place, especially for newcomers like you who have popularity but little on-screen experience. You have no idea how big the difference is between the actual situation during filming and the effect presented after the broadcast."

"I understand, it's about the art of editing."

As we all know, post-production for variety shows is a magical skill, involving collage, manipulation, and even devilish editing...

These are all standard procedures; with a single cut, you can create a version of yourself that even the guest wouldn't recognize.

Yang Du nodded: "But I never intended to participate in this so-called 'Voice of Tomorrow 2' in the first place."

"The Voice of Tomorrow 2?" Tao Cheng and Sister Hong asked in unison.

"What's wrong?"

Hongjie explained, "Chengzi's last appearance before joining the studio was on 'The Voice of Tomorrow 2,' where she served as a guest mentor for one episode. Overall, the experience was pretty good, and there weren't any messy or chaotic things."

Tao Cheng said in a surprised tone, "You might not believe it, but there was a contestant on the show with a very distinctive voice. It was very clean and ethereal."

"If you close your eyes and just listen to the voice, you can't tell whether it's a man or a woman singing. It's truly androgynous. Anyway, when I was there, I thought it was quite incredible. They have a lot of talent."

"Oh?" A melodious chant suddenly flashed through Yang Du's mind, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

"That's interesting, senior. Do you have that student's information?"

"Xia Mingchen is quite popular now because of his unique voice. His singing skills are absolutely top-notch, and he would definitely have a smooth ride with me. Unfortunately, he comes from humble beginnings and doesn't have a management company backing him up, so I doubt he'll make it to the end."

Sister Hong added mercilessly, "You guys are just too young. Not only will you not make it to the end, but all three major production companies have their own new talents to promote this year. The pie is only so big. For those without capital backing, unless they're willing to sign a ten-year or eight-year contract, the production team will definitely take measures to prevent them from making it a hit."

Finally, seeing Yang Du's thoughtful expression, Sister Hong joked, "What's wrong? Is our producer Yang interested? It's not impossible. Why not take advantage of the show's recent airing and before he becomes completely famous, and sign him directly to Qiuniu Studio?"

"That's right." Tao Cheng also suggested, "With your junior's current ability to only produce hit singles, it wouldn't be difficult at all to promote such a talented and unique individual."

To everyone's surprise, Yang Du simply shook his head.

"Qiuniu Studio only makes music, not manages artists."

Tao Cheng and Sister Hong exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other.

"I understand." Tao Cheng drawled out the words, using an "I see" tone. "You're complaining that being an artist manager and a nanny is too tiring. You have to take care of their food, clothing, housing, and even public relations and anti-blacklisting. It seems you want to be a pure producer and label manager."

"Yang Du, your thinking is quite clear." Sister Hong put away her joking expression and analyzed objectively, "There are three major companies in China, and their publicity channels and top resources are completely monopolized. If it's a traditional independent label, it's too difficult to start doing artist management from scratch. They can only eat the leftovers from the three major companies."

That's not the worst part. The worst part is that after finally helping a singer go from obscurity to a little fame, the three major entertainment companies immediately poach them with their money, making all the difference for others.

If independent labels hadn't offered a 50/50 split, or even been willing to share master tape copyrights with singer-songwriters or promise to return master tape copyrights upon contract expiration, thus differentiating themselves from the Big Three and complementing each other in their niche, the music market would have long been completely divided up by the Big Three.

"On the contrary, independent production labels like Qiuniu, which only handle copyrights and do not sign artists, do not directly compete with the three major record labels for artists, and thus enjoy a more detached status. They can accept anyone's songs and make money from anyone."

"However—" Sister Hong looked at Yang Du and reminded him, "If a producer's label wants to go far, it still needs to cooperate with the three major producers."

"I understand." Yang Du nodded with a smile. "We can't keep all the profits to ourselves. We have to leave some for them to earn, so they don't get suppressed."

To put it bluntly, in today's music industry, whether in China or abroad, a musician who wants to pursue a purely independent path faces three insurmountable obstacles.

The first major obstacle was surviving, not selling oneself to the three major record labels, and becoming an independent musician who controlled her own copyrights.

Yang Du has already achieved this.

With songs like "Flammable and Explosive," "Painted Heart," and "Red Rose," he earned money in the market, supporting himself while also controlling the copyright of the lyrics and music.

The second major hurdle is to grow bigger and stronger, transform into a capital-driven entity, and upgrade small music studios into independent labels that exclusively control the master tape copyrights.

Generally speaking, those big names in the industry who own independent labels are those who have worked hard for ten or eight years after selling themselves to large companies, finally achieving success, spending a lot of money to buy back their freedom, and then establishing their own labels.

Most industry insiders who reach this stage will choose the traditional path: to create an independent artist management label, sign a few promising talents, and use their own fame, influence, and connections to mentor newcomers, thus becoming the platform and the boss and making money themselves.

However, this inevitably leads to a quagmire of competing with the three major talent agencies for star-making resources, and there is also the constant risk of artists' careers collapsing, which could result in a complete loss.

Qiuniu Studio, established just three months ago, has not only completed a journey that other musicians might take eight to ten years to achieve, but is also striding towards a more advanced and freer model—a pure producer label.