Chapter 46 Brokerage Firm

Xiao Qingfeng arrived at the "street corner" coffee shop as promised!

Xiao Qingfeng gave the room number and then, led by the waiter, arrived at the entrance of the Qingzhu private room.

As soon as the door opened, a bespectacled man in his thirties came into view!

"Hello, Mr. Xiao, please come in!"

After the two were seated in the private room, the man carefully examined Xiao Qingfeng. His first impression was that Xiao Qingfeng was taller and more handsome in person than on TV.

"Hello, I'm Xu Wencai, the director of Tencent Entertainment Media!"

Xu Wencai offered his business card, which Xiao Qingfeng took, glanced at, and put in his pocket.

"Hello, Mr. Xu, please speak frankly about what's on your mind!"

Xiao Qingfeng spoke in a calm tone, neither appearing agitated nor distant.

Xu Wencai thought to himself that taking down Xiao Qingfeng would indeed not be easy.

A man who was kicked out of Phoenix Media but managed to turn the tide and even dared to confront Jing Chenxi head-on is definitely not to be underestimated.

"Alright, Mr. Xiao is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush either. I wonder if Mr. Xiao would be interested in joining our Tencent Entertainment Media!"

Tencent Entertainment, Phoenix Entertainment, and Yunyi Entertainment are hailed as the three giants of the domestic entertainment industry, holding an unshakeable position in the entertainment circle.

Xiao Qingfeng is now a freelance musician, and with several hit songs that could be considered legendary, as well as his current immense popularity, he should have already been approached by a management company.

The reason it wasn't there is quite simple: it's due to Phoenix Media.

Everyone knows that Xiao Qingfeng was kicked out of Phoenix Media, and on top of that, he had such a bad falling out with his former employer. Moreover, there are rumors in the industry that Phoenix Media has already announced that it will blacklist Xiao Qingfeng.

Therefore, even if 90% of talent agencies value Xiao Qingfeng's talent, they dare not sign him on their own initiative, otherwise they would not be able to withstand the wrath of Phoenix Media.

However, Tencent Entertainment is not among these 90% of talent agencies, since it is backed by Tencent and has no fear of retaliation from Phoenix Media.

Xiao Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned forward, and placed his hands on the table with his arms crossed. He said, "President Xu, since you are so sincere, I would like to ask first what kind of treatment your company can offer me?"

Xu Wencai adjusted his glasses and replied with a smile, "Mr. Xiao, Tencent Entertainment Media will certainly not treat you unfairly. First of all, we will equip you with a top-notch team of agents and tailor a development plan specifically for you."

"Secondly, we guarantee to release at least two high-quality music albums for you every year and invest a lot of resources in promotion and publicity."

"Furthermore, we will strive to secure various top-tier business collaborations and endorsement opportunities for you, allowing your commercial value to be fully realized."

Xiao Qingfeng shook his head slightly and said, "President Xu, this doesn't seem attractive enough. The number of albums isn't the key. We live in the era of social media; anyone can release songs on any platform and earn money!"

Xiao Qingfeng smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, what about the profit-sharing ratio?"

Xu Wencai adjusted his glasses and replied with a smile, "Mr. Xiao, Tencent Entertainment Media will certainly not treat you unfairly. Regarding revenue sharing, our initial plan is to give you a 40/60 split, with you receiving 40% and the company 60%."

Xu Wencai thought to himself that this ratio was already quite good in the industry, and he hoped to stabilize Xiao Qingfeng first.

Xiao Qingfeng shook his head slightly and said, "President Xu, this doesn't seem quite reasonable. With my current popularity, talent, and future development potential, this profit-sharing ratio is really hard for me to accept."

Having gone through the Phoenix Media incident, Xiao Qingfeng had considered going solo. He said he didn't lack money or songs, but rather time and connections.

Now that Tencent Media has approached us, they have the most complete operating system in the world, and their resources and channels are top-notch in China.

I could first work at Tencent Media, using their channels and resources to boost my popularity and influence.

Of course, this is on the premise that the other party can agree to my conditions, especially in terms of creation, I must have absolute autonomy and the other party cannot control me.

Xu Wencai frowned and said, "Mr. Xiao, you need to know that the company needs to invest a lot of resources in your image and promotion, which is a considerable expense. A 40/60 split is already a relatively high percentage we can offer."

Xu Wencai tried to persuade Xiao Qingfeng to make concessions, but Xiao Qingfeng was no novice and was not easily fooled.

In the entertainment industry, the revenue split for newly entered artists is generally 20/80, with the artist taking 20%. Slightly more experienced artists may receive 30/70 or 40/60.

Only top-tier artists can get relatively large profit-sharing contracts, but the highest is no more than 70% or 30%, which is almost transparent in the industry.

Regardless of the profit margin, as long as you sign an artist contract, you're still essentially an employee. Therefore, successful artists usually choose to establish their own studios and then collaborate with a large company.

In this way, they not only have maximum autonomy, but also more say in economic matters, since they are turning their lives around and becoming their own bosses.

Xiao Qingfeng guessed that the other party came to him at this time not without the intention of taking advantage of a bargain.

His popularity is growing day by day, which is obvious to the naked eye. He has won first place three times in a row on "Singer Who Makes Waves" and is very likely to win the title of King of Singers this year.

It's a sure thing that I'll become a top-tier singer by then, and it will definitely be impossible to sign a singing king at the price of a newcomer.

The best way to maximize profits is to sign someone when your popularity is on the rise!

As the director of Tencent Media, Xu Wencai had naturally seen his share of ups and downs, but he was still unsure of what to do when faced with Xiao Qingfeng's calm demeanor.

Many other artists, even top-tier celebrities at the height of their popularity, were not as calm and composed as Xiao Qingfeng when they met him.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Wencai pushed up his glasses and gave a professional smile.

"Mr. Xiao, how about this: please state your conditions, and we'll see if they're feasible!"

Xiao Qingfeng didn't hesitate; he had been waiting for this very sentence!

"Okay, then let me state my conditions. First, I want absolute autonomy. Your company must not interfere with my creative content, and all the copyrights of my works belong to me and I will not sell them."

"Secondly, during the term of the agency contract, I must control all my commercial performances, activities, and endorsements myself, and the company cannot force me to do so."

When the second point was mentioned, Xu Wencai's brows furrowed, but Xiao Qingfeng pretended not to notice.

"Third, regarding the revenue from song downloads uploaded to music platforms, I take 90% of the revenue as an independent musician, and the platform takes 10%; as for other advertising revenue and commercial activity revenue, I take 80%!"

After listening to Xiao Qingfeng's conditions, Xu Wencai remained silent for a long time, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, as if weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at Xiao Qingfeng!

"Mr. Xiao, the conditions you have proposed are indeed very demanding, and I'm afraid we cannot agree to them!"

Xiao Qingfeng smiled slightly, showing no sign of disappointment!

"Mr. Xu, the conditions are indeed a bit demanding, but if they cannot be met, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to reach a cooperation agreement with your company."

Xu Wencai took a deep breath and said, "How about this, Mr. Xiao, give me two days. I'll go back and discuss it with the company, and then I'll give you an answer."

Xiao Qingfeng nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll await your good news, Mr. Xu."

......