Chapter 56: No song can surpass the popularity of this year's "As Long As You're Here."

Song Ming had some doubts about Wu Yinglei's abilities, but she made up her mind to continue hiring a sound engineer. After all, Shi Shi had other plans for the company's development, which meant she would have to make money from this sooner or later. She was a former agent, and in terms of personnel, resources, and information, everyone else present was practically no match for her.

She receives a share of Shi Shi's profits, and if she wants to increase her value, she needs to demonstrate her worth!

Singers need to enter the recording studio to record their performances. During the recording process, attention must be paid to the quality of the voice, pitch accuracy, and emotional expression. Depending on the needs of the song, multiple recordings may be required to select the most satisfactory version. It sounds simple, but recording engineers need absolute pitch sensitivity. Sometimes, even if the same person sings the same song fifty times, and each time is different, you won't be able to hear the difference. This is a profession that not everyone can handle.

Furthermore, for parts featuring instrumental performances, each part must be recorded separately to ensure that the sound of each instrument is clear and harmonious. Not to mention the mixing! The recorded audio tracks (such as vocals, instrument sounds, etc.) must be combined, and the volume, timbre, and spatial positioning of each track must be adjusted to blend them together and achieve a balanced and harmonious effect.

Do you think that's all there is to it after doing all this?

Then you are completely wrong!

The master tape hasn't been processed yet!

This is the final sound adjustment stage for the entire album. It involves fine-tuning the overall volume, dynamic range, frequency equalization, and other aspects to ensure the album delivers good sound performance on different playback devices.

The reason Wu Yinglei was worried that Shi Shi couldn't handle the producer role was because it's a highly collaborative job. Even if he could do all the recording engineer's work, there would still be other tasks!

Should we design the cover?

The cover must clearly reflect the album's theme and be visually appealing. It can be a photograph, a painting, or a carefully designed graphic combination.

The album title and tracklist design also need to be determined by the producer, right?

The album title should be concise, creative, and reflect the album's theme. The track list layout should also be aesthetically pleasing and clear. These are just the basics! If you encounter a nitpicky client, these two points alone can make your life a living hell!

Digital albums are a bit easier, but physical albums are much more troublesome!

The album's packaging format, such as CD cases or vinyl records, needs to be determined, and production must be carried out according to the design.

Even if you've finished all that work, and you're just about to grin and laugh... wait a minute. The most important part—distribution and promotion—is still up in the air! Buddy!

Alright, it's time to choose your distribution channels! While you have different options—you can release through a record label or self-release via digital platforms—this involves sales and profit sharing!

Once you've diligently completed all of that, it's time for the most mundane task: promotion and marketing.

You need to use various methods such as social media, music media, and offline events to promote the album and increase its awareness and audience reach.

Singers and management companies do cooperate in the final stages, as it involves the interests of all parties.

But there's a very real issue: whether an album is a hit or not, the management company won't take the blame. But the album producer, who is fully responsible, can't escape responsibility. If you eventually back down and the album flops, will you still be able to get work in the future?

As it turns out, once the money is in place, many things become easier. Shen Jingyuan facilitated a deal, getting Shi Shi a set of the same equipment from his studio as well. When Wu Yinglei saw the equipment, he almost drooled.

Setting up the recording studio was simpler than expected; the problem arose with the musicians.

Shi Shi's studio, as a rising star, was considered unworthy of anyone with average skills, not only by Shi Shi but even by Song Ming. The price of those instruments was simply shockingly high. She suddenly realized that Kong Lai was quite generous to Lao Shen, tolerating his extravagant hobby.

Rumors circulate online that Shim Jung-yeon owns a villa specifically for storing musical instruments.

Yes, Song Ming can confirm it's true. And this villa is even bigger than the one their family of three lives in. Besides, Old Shen regularly maintains the musical instruments, has installed an AI butler for the entire villa, and a 24-hour temperature control system to prevent anything from harming his precious instruments.

This is also why Shi Shi didn't ask to borrow it, but instead bought it directly. She felt she would be committing a sin if anything happened on the way to borrowing it.

… …

… …

Shenghui Entertainment

Wei Qi looked at her manager with a gloating expression: "You mean they hired a small studio called Tu Ming to make the album?"

Manager Li nodded with a grim expression. Under pressure from Wei Qi, she had significantly reduced the company's PR and publicity resources. Actually, she didn't want things to get so tense with Me&Me. Wei Qi was the strongest member of the group, and this was her farewell album. She'd successfully retired and married into a wealthy family, while she still had to work at Shenghui!

Wei Qi understood Li Jie's thoughts; after all, Li Jie had been mentoring her since her debut. Li Jie knew far too much about her. Although Li Jie had her husband's influence, preventing her from revealing anything, she was still a tactful person.

Wei Qi swayed her high heels as she walked over and sat down next to Sister Li: "I heard from Lao Sun that the company is going to launch a variety show at the end of this year, the kind with open auditions. They'll select 9 people from 100 male trainees to form a group. It's the era of traffic kings now; you know how much money male idols can make."

Since it was Director Sun who said it, it must be true: "There are only two months left until the end of the year."

"We're already considering which TV station to collaborate with." After saying this, Wei Qi looked at Sister Li's bright eyes and smiled charmingly: "I think in our company, you're the only one capable of leading that 9-member group."

After she finished speaking, she patted Sister Li's hand twice, and both of them showed satisfied smiles.

Shi Shi's Office

Shi Shi, Min Lian, Min Ling, Song Ming, and the twins' agent, Fan Zhuo.

"Song Ming, you said you've written all ten songs for the album, are you kidding me? We don't just want any catchy pop song." The question naturally came from Fan Zhuo.

Fan Zhuo had absolutely no intention of agreeing to Tu Ming's offer to handle all the songs on the album and also to take on the production work. They'd been bullied terribly by Wei Qi lately and were determined to turn the tables. That's how the entertainment industry is; otherwise, everyone would want to step on them.

But something happened that changed Fan Zhuo's attitude.

Jiang Haichao's TV series has been released. And it's on CCTV-8, airing two episodes back-to-back in prime time at 8 PM.

It's normal for a TV series to become popular. But what's truly remarkable is that the theme song has become a hit in every household across China. What's even more astonishing is that the song appeals to people of all ages.

Pang Ying and Yi Cheng's "As Long As I Have You" is now a household name.