PNB Chapter 026 Taking the Initiative
Chapter 026 Taking the Initiative
In the recording studio, as the last note faded away, Jiang Yan anxiously watched the young man in front of the control panel through the glass, awaiting the final result.
"It's settled then." Yang Du called Jiang Yan out. "It's you I've decided on."
"Me...me?"
Jiang Yan stood there stunned, her eyes instantly turning red.
She couldn't even believe her ears; after all, it was pop star Xu Xiao who had just been kicked out.
just in case……
What if the pop star comes back with the company's top executives?
In the entertainment industry, the story of a nobody replacing a big shot sounds inspiring, but the reality is that capital teaches people a lesson, and there aren't that many lucky nobodyes.
Peng Liang, who was standing to the side, was also very excited and quickly said, "Thank you, Producer Yang, thank you, Teacher Wang. Jiang Yan will definitely sing well and will not let you two down."
Seeing the excited duo, Yang Du instructed, "Go back and prepare well. Recording the backing track will begin tomorrow; you'll be notified of the vocal recording time in advance. Take care of your voice these next few days, avoid spicy food, don't stay up late, and stay in top condition."
"Understood, Producer Yang, don't worry, we will definitely prepare well in the next few days."
The two thanked him profusely before leaving happily.
Once everyone else was in the control room, Yang Du said, "Teacher Wang, I have a question for you. Is there surveillance footage in recording studio number two? Could you possibly copy a copy of the afternoon's footage for me?"
Wang Shihui quickly shook his head: "Absolutely impossible."
He explained, "You can't just access the surveillance systems of a big company like that. Jinshi is one of the top three companies in China, and its security and confidentiality are top-notch."
"How many celebrities have recorded here, said countless things that can't be made public, and lost their tempers enough to ruin their public image? If just anyone could copy this surveillance footage, Jinshi wouldn't be Jinshi."
"Furthermore—" Wang Shihui paused, then added, "Let alone someone like you who only signed a project cooperation agreement, even an old man like me who has spent most of my life at Jinshi doesn't have the authority to touch that thing without the approval of a director-level person."
Yang Du was not surprised by this answer.
He nodded thoughtfully: "I see...that's a real pity."
Wang Shihui was old enough that he quickly realized what was going on.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "Why are you suddenly wanting to monitor me? Are you worried that Xu Xiao's team will use this incident to cause trouble?"
"Be confident, drop the 'is it or isn't' part." Yang Du crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his swivel chair. "Isn't it obvious? I'm just a weak student with no connections and no strength, and my career has only just started to take off, and I've already offended a rising star."
"What if she tries to distort the truth online and make false accusations? Where can I seek justice? I definitely need to take precautions to prevent this from happening again."
"Come on, give me a break," Wang Shihui said. "When you pointed at the door and told Xu Xiao to go ahead, you were acting all high and mighty."
However, despite his complaints, Wang Shihui's expression turned serious.
"Don't worry, if things really come to that, I definitely won't stand idly by. I'll personally testify for you."
……
"We can't let our guard down. If things really come to that point, Wang Shihui won't be able to act recklessly."
In a private room of a high-end coffee shop, Yuan Xiuqing, the newly appointed agent, said the following.
She knows all too well the rules of how this world of fame and fortune works.
"Yes, I know. If things get out of hand, Jinshi Music will definitely intervene."
"That's right," Yuan Xiuqing analyzed. "From the perspective of the senior management of Jinshi Music, on one side is Xu Xiao, the rising star they invested real money in, who can bring huge profits to the company continuously."
"On one side, there's you, a newcomer who, despite your rising fame, has only collaborated with Jinshi twice at most. They'll definitely prioritize you and decide who's more important."
"In this matter, if Xu Xiao wants to make a scene, Jinshi will most likely choose to suppress it, and may even make you suffer in silence in order to appease her fans. To put it another way, even if Jinshi's senior management is willing to settle things peacefully and mediate, from the perspective of industry standing, things are still not in your favor."
Yuan Xiuqing summarized: "In this industry, self-interest determines one's perspective, and interests supersede right and wrong. Even if Xu Xiao was late, made a mistake, and was in the wrong first, she still became famous."
"In the entertainment industry, fame is everything! She doesn't even need any evidence. Just one vague, sarcastic Weibo post is enough to give us a run for our money."
"This is the entertainment industry," Yang Du remarked.
"However, we need to see beyond the surface," Yuan Xiuqing said shrewdly. "Xu Xiao's diva-like behavior today is just a side effect; the key is the struggle for control of the recording studio."
"That's right." Yang Du picked up the thread and continued his analysis, "From the perspective of a singer, especially a rising star, the purpose of vying for control of the recording studio is only one: to break the existing framework, give the song more personal color, and show the outside world her proud singing skills and techniques, thereby consolidating her position in the music industry."
"She's not content with just being the singer of 'Painting Heart,' she wants to be the master of it. If I don't back down, she won't be able to achieve her goal."
"That makes sense." Yuan Xiuqing nodded in agreement. "Once we figure out Xu Xiao's purpose, we can find a way to deal with it in advance. As the saying goes, strike the snake at its seven-inch spot; whatever she wants, we'll make our move there."
Just do it.
The two opened their laptops and tablets and first searched for Xu Xiao's posts on Weibo and music forums, capturing a few keywords. Then they carefully watched Xu Xiao's representative works and live performances, analyzing her performance characteristics.
"The analysis on the forum is correct. I found a live performance where she added a very complex trill during the interlude."
"I also noticed that during the climax, an unnecessary high note was hit, which is completely different from the original."
The two looked through the video's bullet comments and the comments below, and sure enough, the fans not only did not have any aversion to this technically impressive change that destroyed the original structure of the song, but instead praised it highly.
The screen was filled with comments like "Divine singing skills," "Xu Xiao is awesome, god-level arrangement," "This is the true queen of live performances," and "A completely different auditory experience"...
After thinking for a while, Yuan Xiuqing came up with an idea: "Regardless of her other characteristics, from now on, Xu Xiao's characteristic is her ability to improvise. We need to force this label onto her in the public's perception."
Yang Du instantly understood his agent's meaning: "You mean, to praise someone to death?"
"That's right, we absolutely cannot criticize this characteristic of hers. On the contrary, we should reinforce this label. We should help her establish a persona of being good at adaptation and pursuing art, so high that even she herself would be embarrassed."
"That makes sense," Yang Du agreed. "To strike first is to gain the upper hand; to strike later is to be at the mercy of the enemy."
Yuan Xiuqing said, "I still have a batch of marketing accounts in my hands, and I'll start working on them later. The tone will be from the perspective of a casual fan, and I'll edit together all of Xu Xiao's live performances and concerts over the past few years, including improvisations, vocal runs, and hitting high notes, into a compilation."
"Marketing accounts will praise her in all sorts of ways, praising her for having independent musical opinions, praising her for not only being a singer, but also a musician who knows how to arrange music, and for being good at giving songs a new life and vitality with her personal characteristics."
"When everyone thinks she's a talented queen of improvisation who doesn't stick to the original song, if she jumps out to criticize you or argues with you, we have a lot of room to maneuver."