Obviously, Cao Zhiqiang's persistence made President Yamamoto a little unhappy.
Because he felt that the conditions he offered were good enough, and there was probably no one in Japan that was better than the conditions he offered.
But Cao Zhiqiang, a young man from China, seems to be a little ignorant of the heaven and the earth, and he bargains with him here, and he does it like a lion.
Even if he has some talent, can sing well, and looks good, these are not his assets to be arrogant.
This is Japan, not his continent!
Therefore, after insisting on his conditions again, he found that Cao Zhiqiang still refused to accept it and only insisted on single cooperation. After Yamamoto Tokuhara became a little impatient, he planned to refuse the other party and terminate the meeting.
But at this moment, the phone on his desk rang.
After giving a brief signal to Cao Zhiqiang and Masashi Zuoda, Yamamoto Tokuhara got up from the sofa, came to the desk, and answered the phone.
What he didn't expect was that the caller was actually Endo Minoru.
"How's it going, Yamamoto-kun, the young man I introduced, isn't he bad?"
Hearing what Minoru Endo said, Yamamoto Tokuhara frowned subconsciously. After looking back at Cao Zhiqiang, he quickly smiled and said to the phone: "It's not bad, but maybe because I'm a foreigner, I don't know much about it. The situation here is that my appetite is a bit big.”
"Oh?" Endo Minoru said with a smile, "What a great trick, tell me."
Yamamoto Tokuhara did not hide anything, and gave all the music copyrights requested by Cao Zhiqiang to him. He also did not sign an exclusive artist contract with various restrictions. He only cooperated on the release of singles and asked for 10% of the album release price as compensation. The requirements were stated once.
"Endou-san, tell me yourself. He is a newcomer and a foreigner. Are these conditions suitable? This is obviously a trick on me!"
After listening to Yamamoto Tokugen's complaint, Endo Minoru laughed: "The conditions are a bit harsh. In this case, you give him the phone and I will tell him."
Yamamoto Tokugen frowned, knowing that the other party said this, and it was clear that he wanted to support Cao Zhiqiang.
But forget it, who told him to be Endo Minoru, just give him some face.
And to be honest, Cao Zhiqiang's songs are indeed good. If Endo Minoru can really convince the other party to let him become his signed singer, that would also be good.
Thinking of this, Tokuhara Yamamoto covered the phone microphone and said to Cao Zhiqiang, who was not far away: "Cao Sang! Your phone number is Endo-san."
Upon hearing what Yamamoto Tokugen said, Cao Zhiqiang quickly ended his whispered discussion with Masashi Zuoda and hurriedly came over to answer the phone.
"Hello, Endo-senpai, I am Cao Zhiqiang."
"Cao Sang, I just heard from Yamamoto-kun about your situation. Can you lower your requirements? What you mentioned is simply unrealistic."
Cao Zhiqiang smiled and said to the phone: "Senior Endo, to be honest, it would be fine if it were just me, but these songs of mine are like my children. I can't just sell them at a low price." .
Endo-senpai, you are also a music composer. I guess you don’t want the songs you write to be sold at a very low price, right?
Therefore, my requirements are not high at all, they are the most basic respect for my song.
….
If I don't get respect, I would rather let my song continue to be silent. "
After listening to Cao Zhiqiang's statement, Endo Minoru laughed directly.
In his opinion, Cao Zhiqiang was obviously making excuses for himself to ask for exorbitant prices.
But if you think about it carefully, Cao Zhiqiang's ability is good, and he does have the capital to ask for sky-high prices.
In other words, he has the capital to be proud of.
After all, Yamamoto Tokuhara didn't know that Cao Zhiqiang had just written and registered a hundred songs in one breath. He also didn't know that Cao Zhiqiang was doing well in mainland China and had no shortage of money in his pocket.
In fact, Endo Minoru's request for Cao Zhiqiang to come to Warner Pioneer Records in Japan was not entirely selfless. In fact, his own Xiao Jiujiu was also involved.
This is very simple to put on, that is, Endo Minoru wants to use Warner to sing
Let’s take a look at the film to verify Cao Zhiqiang’s quality.
As a veteran musician, Minoru Endo understands the energy of a talented musician.
It can be said that in the music industry, a person who can write and sing well, is good at both writing and singing, and has a particularly good figure and appearance is a huge asset in itself, and can directly lead a concert club.
For example, Elvis Presley in the United States and Michael Jackson now are all examples.
There are also examples in Japan, such as Misora Hibari and Nakajima Miyuki. They are both national treasure-level singers. Their existence itself is the greatest wealth of their agency, and they are also the favorite people of the record company.
But the problem is, whether a singer is valuable or not, the market has the final say.
No matter how talented you are, if the market doesn't accept you and everyone doesn't accept you, it's all in vain.
Therefore, even if Endo Minoru thinks that Cao Zhiqiang is very talented, he is not afraid of ten thousand, but afraid of the worst.
It would be tragic if the songs he wrote were well-received but not popular.
Therefore, it is necessary for Cao Zhiqiang to give Warner a try first, release an album to see how it goes, and then judge the next step based on the results, whether to continue the cooperation or stop here.
If Cao Zhiqiang can become an instant success with the help of Warner Pioneer, or if the album sales are at least enough to break even, that's okay.
But if Cao Zhiqiang's work is not good, the market does not recognize it, and sales are very low, then the subsequent investment and cooperation in opening a record company can be postponed for a while.
In addition, Endo Minoru's attentive help also values another identity behind Cao Zhiqiang, that is, he is also the president of a mainland record company and has the power to release records in the mainland. This is something that no one else can Unreachable.
If he can make good friends and cooperate with Cao Zhiqiang, Endo Minoru will not only gain huge wealth and fame in Japan, but may even enter the mainland market first.
Although the mainland is still very poor, the potential can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye. After all, it is a market of one billion people, and the entertainment industry is still quite primitive.
If we can be the first to enter the mainland market through Cao Zhiqiang, the benefits will definitely be huge.
However, the relationship between China and Japan has not been good in the past, and the mainland is too conservative. The Japanese entertainment industry, or artists, cannot smoothly enter the mainland, and they cannot make much money.
But it's different now.
….
Now, due to the honeymoon relationship between China and the United States, China and Japan are very friendly, and the mainland is currently opening up. If we can enter this market in advance, there will be no doubt the benefits.
Of course, he can't do it alone, but he can win over his allies to do it together.
And Yamamoto Tokumoto is obviously the first ally that Endo Minoru thinks of.
Without him, just because Yamamoto Tokuhara is strong enough and has the best relationship with him.
"I understand!" Endo Minoru said with a smile, "Cao Sang, I agree with what you said. Every song we write is indeed like our children, unwilling to give up easily, so I can accept your conditions. I understand, but this is Japan after all, and there are Japanese rules, so why can't you lower the conditions?
For example, 10% of the release price as remuneration is too much. No record company can agree to it because the distribution cost of this film is too high and the risk is too high.
Let's do this, five percent, okay? If that's okay, I'll talk to Yamamoto-kun for you.
Wait, don’t refuse in a hurry.
Cao Sang, listen to me, even if you are rich and want to open a record company in Japan and release your own songs in the future, it is best to have a big local record company to support you.
Because here is different from your country, there are rules here, and in many cases it is not just about having money.
Let's put it this way, if you just come here to get money to open a record company, there is no problem on the surface, but privately, if your background is not strong enough and no one is there to protect you, then there must be a lot of potential trouble.
Not to mention anything else, just those yakuza organizations that can't be put on the stage can make it impossible for your record company to operate. "
Upon hearing what Endo Minoru said, Cao Zhiqiang immediately frowned.
Indeed, Japan in the 1980s was far from as simple as outsiders thought. It can even be said that Japan in the 1980s was an extremely conservative society, and it was also a period of rare self-reliance.
When foreign companies come to Japan, unless they come from an American background like Warner, it will be difficult for them to make a move.
Even American-funded companies must cooperate with local people in Japan, otherwise they can use various means to kill you.
Of course, it would be different if Japan was in Japan after the Plaza Accord was signed, or in the late 1990s after the bubble burst.
At that time, Japan was completely flat and unable to compete with American capital.
But no matter what period of time, it would be very thankless or difficult for him as a Chinese to open a record company in Japan.
Unless he has a big boss in Japan to help him, or cooperates with a big boss.
Looking at the current situation in Japan, Warner Pioneer is indeed the best partner, even more reliable than Polydor.
Because Warner Pioneer is half American-owned and half Japanese-owned, and Yamamoto Tokugen is still a big boss. Not only does he have a close relationship with some political families, but he also has a very close relationship with Nishiguchi Shigeo, the chairman of the Japanese violent organization Sumiyoshi Kai.
Therefore, Warner Pioneer, with Tokumoto Yamamoto at the helm, is the record company that Endo Minoru believes is most suitable for Cao Zhiqiang to cooperate with.
Minoru Endo had told Cao Zhiqiang about these situations before, and Cao Zhiqiang also understood the purpose of Minoru Endo's words.
….
Perhaps because of this, Minoru Endo recommended this company instead of other record companies.
"Okay, I understand." Cao Zhiqiang nodded, "Then let's take a 5% share, but we can't give in to other conditions. If nothing else, I can't give up the song copyright, nor can I give up my freedom. , I will not sell myself to a record company unless the record company is mine."
"Hahaha." Endo Minoru laughed, "Okay, okay, I understand, then let's do it. You give the phone to Yamamoto-kun, and I will continue to talk to him."
Cao Zhiqiang then covered the phone microphone and gently called Yamamoto Tokugen, who was chatting with Masashi Zuoda across the street.
After explaining the situation softly and handing the phone to Yamamoto Tokumoto, Cao Zhiqiang went back to sit with Masashi Zuoda.
Yamamoto Tokuhara smiled and looked at Cao Zhiqiang opposite, making sure that the other party could not hear what he said, and then answered the phone.
"Hey, Endo-kun, how was your conversation with him?"
Endo Minoru chuckled: "Yamamoto-kun, I told him, and he agreed to compromise, as long as he gets a 5% share."
"Oh?" Yamamoto Tokugen nodded, "What about the other conditions?"
"As for other conditions, let's follow Cao Sang's wishes." Endo Minoru said with a smile.
"Endo-kun, are you kidding me?" Yamamoto Tokugen frowned, "You know this is impossible. I can't take all kinds of risks to cultivate and support an artist who has no contractual relationship with our club, right? ?I’m not a philanthropist.”
"Don't worry yet, Yamamoto-kun." Endo Minoru said, "Just listen to what I have to say first, and maybe you can change your attitude."
Then, Minoru Endo told Yamamoto Tokugen the news he had received and his thoughts.
In addition to focusing on Cao Zhiqiang's talent in song singing and song writing, that is, registering a hundred new Japanese songs in one breath, Endo Minoru also focused on Cao Zhiqiang's identity in mainland China.
According to Minoru Endo, Cao Zhiqiang is now not only a popular singer in mainland China with sales of more than four million records, but also the general manager, or president, of a state-owned record company.
In other words, Cao Zhiqiang has an internal record distribution channel in mainland China.
As for the potential and prospects of the mainland market, there is no need to elaborate, everyone understands it.
It’s just that the mainland market is too closed, and ordinary people have nowhere to start.
Now Cao Zhiqiang has finally arrived. If we can negotiate with him and come up with a Sino-Japanese cooperation, then it is very possible
Through the audio and video company controlled by Cao Zhiqiang, he officially entered the mainland market.
Once the cooperation is successful, Japanese singers can go to the mainland to perform and sing, or take the records of his singers and release them in the mainland.
Even if the per capita consumption power in mainland China is not as good as Japan, there are still many people.
When the quantity is large, the profit is still considerable.
Especially those who enter the market first will definitely get the maximum profit.
At the same time, Cao Zhiqiang also intends to open a record company in Japan, produce and release his own songs, and delve into the Japanese market.
If Cao Zhiqiang's songs are indeed popular, then this is not a bad thing.
When the time comes, he, Minoru Endo, and you, Tokumoto Yamamoto, can take the opportunity to get a share, and the future benefits will be limitless.
….
Finally, Warner Pioneer is Warner Pioneer, and you Yamamoto Tokugen is Yamamoto Tokugen.
Warner Pioneer belongs to Warner and Pioneer, not to you, Tokugen Yamamoto.
It's better to take this opportunity to give yourself one more choice.
Minoru Endo believes that Cao Zhiqiang definitely has the potential to become a hit, and his identity also has great potential.
Therefore, let’s just use the platform of Warner Pioneer to promote Cao Zhiqiang and try out Cao Zhiqiang’s quality.
If the song "As Long As You're Here" can be a hit, it proves that Endo Minoru's vision is right, and this is a horse that can be invested in.
Without mentioning anything else, just the hundred Japanese songs registered by Cao Zhiqiang are enough to praise Cao Zhiqiang.
Not everyone can write a hundred good songs casually, and not everyone can have a voice as good as Cao Zhiqiang's that God will reward him with.
What's more, this is a period of friendship between China and Japan. Cooperating with Cao Zhiqiang is not only in line with the current environment, but also conducive to the further expansion of Warner Pioneer and the progress of Yamamoto Tokugen.
Needless to say, Endo Minoru's words really impressed Yamamoto Tokugen.
Without him, what the other party said were all real truths, and they were all considering the interests of both parties. They were not only talking about friendship, but also talking about interests.
"Understood." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded, "Since you said that, I will talk to him again, but as you said, Cao Sang is the president of a record company in China. Is this true? "
"It should be true." Endo Minoru said.
"Cao Sang has their country's official passport, which contains Cao Sang's workplace and position. You can tell just by looking at the passport.
Then, I also called before and asked friends who are familiar with mainland China.
My friend told me that a very popular young male singer has indeed appeared in mainland China recently, named Aqiang, and he must be Cao Sang himself.
Also, the record company where singer Aqiang works is called Huaxia Audio and Video Company, which is exactly the same as the company name on his passport.
Therefore, Cao Sang should not have lied, and it is impossible for him to lie, because such lies can be easily exposed.
In short, Mr. Yamamoto, there is a Chinese idiom that says, rare things can be lived in.
Cao Sang is that rare creature who can live here!
Now that you have encountered it, you must not let it go! "
"That's it." Yamamoto Tokugen pondered for a moment, "Okay, thank you Endo-kun for reminding me, I know what to do."
Tang Juyi
