Chapter 133: The Frustrated Music Moguls

More than an hour later, Chen Qi arrived at a café near a recording studio. This was the same studio where Xu Man had recorded “Beyond Light Years” last time. When he accompanied Xu Man back then, he had deliberately saved the contact number of the person in charge, never expecting it would come in handy so soon.

As he left earlier, Chen Qi called the studio manager to book a recording slot. The manager was refreshingly straightforward, saying no appointment was needed—just come by anytime and record! With the music industry in its current sorry state, they were lucky to have any business at all. Booking in advance? Impossible.

So Chen Qi arranged to come later for the recording.

He found a quiet spot in the café, casually ordered a cup of coffee, and checked the time. He still had nearly half an hour before his meeting with Tang Yan. Not in a hurry, he waited patiently.

The reason he chose to collaborate with Tang Yan was mainly because Xu Man had worked with her before, so Chen Qi had some slight familiarity with her. Being unfamiliar with the music market, it was wise to partner with someone who had some insider knowledge. It was like arriving in an unfamiliar city and choosing a restaurant—going where the crowds were was rarely a mistake.

Twenty minutes later, Tang Yan hurried over.

“Director Chen!” Seeing Chen Qi already there, Tang Yan began apologizing from a distance, “Sorry, sorry for being late.”

“No problem, I just arrived too,” Chen Qi stood to greet her.

After sitting opposite Chen Qi, Tang Yan first expressed her gratitude for the meeting opportunity. She was no fool; she knew her competitors were probably frantically trying to reach Chen Qi as well. That he agreed to meet her first was a significant gesture of goodwill.

Chen Qi only smiled quietly without replying.

After some polite small talk, Tang Yan asked about the copyright.

“Rest assured, the copyright is firmly in my hands, clear and without any issues,” Chen Qi affirmed.

He had registered the copyright immediately after singing the song in the square yesterday.

Seeing the copyright was clear, Tang Yan didn’t press further and went straight to the main point with sincerity: “Director Chen, since we’ve already collaborated once, I won’t bother with formalities. Whatever conditions you propose, if I can agree, I will.”

She was very optimistic about this song and had come with great sincerity. As her superior had said, no matter what, they wanted to secure this song today.

As long as Chen Qi’s terms were reasonable, she was ready to give immediate approval.

Chen Qi nodded in understanding and asked directly, “What is your initial price?”

“Three million! For a three-year exclusive online license!” Tang Yan was candid, revealing the figure without hesitation.

“Three million?” Chen Qi was a bit surprised.

This price was a million more than the last song, “Beyond Light Years.”

Tang Yan saw his surprise and explained, “The song’s success is already predictable. There’s tremendous attention on it now, so our price is relatively high. Also, we know many competitors are vying for it, so a low price would show a lack of sincerity.”

Chen Qi nodded thoughtfully, silent, lost in contemplation.

Tang Yan glanced at him and said, “Besides the price, we have arranged promotion and exposure at the same level as ‘Beyond Light Years.’”

Chen Qi thought for a moment and then suddenly asked, “If I don’t want the promotion and publicity, how much higher can the price go?”

Tang Yan was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting such a question. But on reflection, it made sense—the song’s popularity was already established, so their website’s promotion might be redundant. In fact, if they announced acquiring exclusive rights to “For You” now, it would be a massive advertisement for their streaming platform.

She paused, considering the question carefully. “Director Chen, what price would you consider appropriate?”

Chen Qi didn’t hesitate and gave his offer directly: “Five million.”

Tang Yan’s heart skipped a beat.

Five million was a staggering price, comparable to top-tier superstars.

After hesitating briefly, she took out her phone. “Wait a moment, I need to make a call.”

Chen Qi smiled and nodded.

Without further words, Tang Yan stepped aside to make the call. Chen Qi watched her and patiently waited.

Unfamiliar with the music market, he wasn’t sure if five million was excessive. But seeing his phone—silenced—displaying seventeen missed calls and over twenty unread messages, he gathered more context. Given the current high attention on “For You,” he believed the song was worth the price. If the other party considered it too high, they could always negotiate.

“Okay, okay, I understand,” Tang Yan said shortly after hanging up.

She quickly approached Chen Qi, excited: “Director Chen, we accept your price.”

Chen Qi was surprised. “So straightforward? Any conditions?”

Tang Yan smiled, “None. We not only accept your price but will also provide all the promotion and publicity agreed upon.”

Chen Qi was puzzled.

This was too agreeable. Had he underestimated his own offer?

Seeing his confusion, Tang Yan explained cheerfully, “You know how much attention this song is attracting. Whoever signs it gains massive traffic and high reputation.

“We recently released the sensation ‘Beyond Light Years’ online. Now, releasing another high-quality song, ‘For You,’ will greatly enhance our brand image. More importantly, some fans and media are already speculating who will secure ‘For You.’ It’s unlikely anyone expects us, the smallest of the five major platforms, to land it.”

Chen Qi smiled subtly.

“When the speculation peaks and we announce signing this song, imagine the shock and the elevated regard for our platform. It will boost our brand immensely. Perhaps this is our chance to shed the ‘bottom of the big five’ label.”

Chen Qi suddenly understood and looked at her in surprise.

He realized the executives of this platform were quite strategic. What puzzled him, however, was how a company with such savvy leadership could still be the weakest among the top five.

Recalling that Tang Yan had recently been promoted to Content Director, he guessed there must have been significant personnel changes at the top recently—otherwise, it didn’t add up.

After finalizing the cooperation intention, they discussed some contract details. Having worked together before, many terms could be reused, so it didn’t take long.

Soon, they agreed to officially release the new song, “For You,” in three days.

After signing the contract, Tang Yan hurried off to prepare for the release.

Chen Qi wasted no time. Carrying the prepared musical score, he headed to the recording studio. Under professional guidance, he began recording.

Since he had already done sound tests here, everyone was familiar, and the recording quickly proceeded smoothly.

At the same time as Chen Qi started producing the new song, the outside world was abuzz.

Although Chen Qi hadn’t officially responded about releasing the full version of “For You,” the general consensus was that he was negotiating with major platforms.

With the song already exposed and wildly popular, only a fool would not release an official version.

As Tang Yan predicted, neither fans nor media expected Chen Qi to collaborate with this particular platform.

One website promptly launched a poll, and the powerful kingpin platform, 99 Music, garnered the most votes.

The platform Chen Qi chose, as expected, ranked last with very few votes.

Although “Beyond Light Years” had been released on their platform before, outsiders unaware of the background assumed it was just a stroke of luck.

Now, “For You” was a completely different matter—its quality was public knowledge. Competing for its first release rights would require all-out strength.

Given these conditions, the powerhouse 99 Music clearly held the advantage.

But what no one knew was that while everyone excitedly played the voting game, the top music giants were at their wits’ end!

They couldn’t reach Chen Qi at all.

After a brief morning reply saying he was not considering cooperation for now, it was as if he had vanished from the world. Their calls and messages were met with silence.

At this critical moment, they were nearly frantic!

With the music industry already in such decline, no one knew how desperately they wanted this song.

Not exaggerating—the one who secured this song would effectively rule the world!

They had prepared a series of irresistible offers but couldn’t even find the man to negotiate with. It was driving them mad!

“Keep calling! Until he answers!”

“Can’t we try something else?”

“Is there anyone else who can reach him?”

The big music giants tried everything they could think of to contact Chen Qi.

Usually, musicians came to them; this was the first time they had been so desperate searching for someone.

Page end.