"CBS Sony?"

Watanabe Manyumi listened, thought for a moment, and approved, "It's a good idea." ”

In 1968, Sony and Columbia Records each held 50 percent of the shares to form CBS Sony.

At that time, the industry was the world of singing, and CBS Sony, as a new company, did not join the competition of the singing route, and fought against other record companies that held trump cards, but was ingenious, and successfully opened up the market as the first record company to set foot in idols.

By the way, the record of the legendary idol Momoe Yamaguchi is about CBS Sony.

When he first crossed over, Shinichi Iwahashi, a complete layman, heard that Mimi Club had signed with CBS Sony, and he had the feeling that this strange band had become a big man since then.

But in fact, no.

Until now, the band has sold 30,000 copies every time they release a record. Fortunately, these rich children have bulging pockets, and even if they make their mainstream debut, their mentality is not affected by sales at all, and they continue to have fun.

Iwahashi Shinichi has been very busy for more than a year, and he and the band that first opened the door to a new world for him have maintained the level of sending New Year's postcards to each other, but sometimes he talks to Matoshi Amaya on the phone, and when chatting, he knows from her that after their debut, the band is busy touring all over the country.

In the 80s, when information was not developed enough and there was a lack of convenient publicity channels, there were three treasures for record promotion, radio broadcasting, TV singing, plus a three-way to the countryside, including but not limited to clubs, civic halls, and shopping street performances.

Mimi Club's dismal sales may have a lot to do with their style, whether or not, after hitting the streets several times in a row, generally speaking, the record company will consider letting them try to change their style.

But even so, CBS Sony's side still treats them with a tolerant attitude.

At that time, Mimi Club chose to sign with CBS Sony, and one of the important reasons was that the representatives sent on the other side were friendly, promised not to interfere with their creation, and did not ask them to cut the seemingly useless backup dancers or change the bells and whistles like other record companies. This promise is still valid after the contract is signed.

In addition to Mimi Club, which is casually called "acting" by Shinichi Iwahashi, CBS Sony also has Rebecca, a representative of the female lead singer and male musician band, and TMNETWORK, an avant-garde electronic band composed of Tetsuya Komuro, Takashi Utsunomiya, and Shanden Kigen, and even paid a penalty to poach the all-female band PRINCESSPRINCESS, which can create on its own.

Each band has a different style and has its own different selling points, although most of them are not popular at the moment, but CBS Sony's style of casting a wide net to collect bands of various styles, as well as the tolerance of various styles, made Iwahashi Shinichi wonder in his heart whether they are going to follow the old path of 20 years ago, abandon the idol that still occupies a huge market despite the decline, and focus on the band route.

I've never disliked a record label with a lot of newcomers, and if CBS Sony really has the heart to focus on developing a wave of bands, maybe they can be moved to join this draft.

......

In addition to this reason, there is another reason, which is the reason why Shinichi Iwahashi hopes to get closer to Sony.

In the late seventies, Sony and Philips worked together to develop a new media medium, the CD, and in 1982, Sony's CBS Sony Corporation was the first to introduce CD records.

The reading principle of CD is based on laser reflection, and when making the master tape, it is stored in tiny dimples on the aluminum plate, and then the master tape is used to press the disc. Because in this way, the production process of mastering is related to the quality of the record.

As CBS Sony, which developed CDs and pioneered the production and distribution of CD records, and Sony, which is backed by "hardware and software are Sony's two wheels and must run at the same time", there is no doubt that it has a first-class CD production line.

Shinichi Iwahashi firmly believes that the future is the era of CDs, and of course, the fact that CD production has officially surpassed that of traditional LPs has already heralded the arrival of the CD era - although there are still many people who believe that LPs are irreplaceable, he knows that LPs will become the exclusive domain of music enthusiasts in the future.

Even CD, which was considered by old-fashioned people to be harmful to the record market in the early days of its birth, was still beaten all over the ground in the Internet age, sales shrank year after year, and record stores closed down one after another.

Believing in the advent of the CD era, Shinichi Iwahashi decided to skip LPs, which cost more expensive to produce, and go to the arms of CDs after establishing his own music production company. Therefore, in his eyes, CBS Sony is not only a record company, but also an excellent producer, distributor, and seller.

If you don't have a distribution channel and want to sell it on a large scale, you have to entrust it to a large company with its own distribution network.

Small record companies do not have the ability to build distribution networks, and often entrust the distribution process to large companies.

The thighs are not easy to hold, so if you have the opportunity to hold them, you will find a way to hold them.

However, having said that, CD has impacted tapes and LPs, MP3 has impacted CDs, piracy has impacted genuine copies, downloads have impacted entities, and finally downloads have been impacted by streaming media, starting with 1985, when Iwahashi Shinichi came here, and the development and replacement of the next 30 years is a high-speed mode that has never been seen at any time.

In this era, sometimes when I think about it, I feel like I'm standing at the starting line.

I just don't know what role I will play when I decide to enter the music industry and start as a music production company. It is an ordinary practitioner under the torrent of the times, a beneficiary of a certain period, or a ......

I can leave my name in it.

Although Iwahashi Shinichi knows what others don't know about the future, his own future is still "unknown". This realization made him full of anticipation for everything he had to do at the moment.

After the dice are rolled, no one knows what kind of points will be rolled until they stop.

......

In addition to CBS Sony, which was proposed by Shinichi Iwahashi, Watanabe Manyumi did not rule out bringing Warner Vanguard over as well.

The previous women's rock festival allowed Warner Pioneer to sign several underground bands, but in comparison, Warner Pioneer lacked experience in making bands. Previously, Shinichi Iwahashi's band almost signed to Warner Pioneer, but at that time, it was negotiated on the premise that Shinichi Iwahashi's musical style would be in control of the band's musical style.

Now, Watanabe saw other possibilities in it, believing that Warner Vanguard's inexperience might be beneficial to Iwahashi Shinichi's efforts.

Because Warner Pioneer lacks experience in producing bands, it is necessary to listen to the opinions of all parties during production, and at the same time, the right to speak will increase, and more unexpected things can be obtained accordingly.

To choose the right record company, the strength is not the first place, the most important thing is whether it fits with your plan this time, otherwise it will not be a partner, but a big trouble.

Now in 1987, both the studio and the record company are in a state of "coexistence". The big firms are powerful but not monopolistic, and the small record companies occasionally make a piece of the pie.

The golden age of television has arrived, but the record market has been declining year after year, with opportunities increasing in some places and decreasing in others.

......

Not only did Manyumi Watanabe pull up Shinichi Iwahashi when she went to TBS to meet the producer, but she also called him when she went to visit Yoyoshi Osato at AMUSE.

"You're also a collaborator. She was eloquent.

Iwahashi Shinichi did not reject following her to run east and west, but rather, this process of running east and west also gave him the opportunity to broaden his network. Although he didn't become Watanabe Manyumi's subordinate, but, to a certain extent, Watanabe Manyumi, who was called Shinichi Iwahashi for everything, was still cultivating him.

It is difficult to find a confidant, and it is even more rare to have a comrade-in-arms who can move forward with two people and three legs.

The road to the start was the most difficult, and Shinichi Iwahashi knew this, and he couldn't help but be grateful to Watanabe Manyumi.

WHEN HE CONTACTED AMUSE, YOKICHI OSATO READILY AGREED TO THE MEETING. Not only that, but when Watanabe Manyumi said that Shinichi Iwahashi was also the person who went to visit, Yoyoshi Osatoshi said to her on the phone, "I'm welcome." ”

Watanabe Manyumi relayed this sentence to Shinichi Iwahashi as it was, and said with a smile: "Your previous efforts were not in vain. ”

This is the truth, and Iwahashi Shinichi accepted it calmly.

So the two of them took the plan and went to AMUSE's office headquarters in Daikanyama together to meet with Yoyoshi Osato.

When he participated in the music festival before, Yoyoshi Osato, in front of his wife, did not hesitate to praise Manyumi Watanabe and Shinichi Iwahashi. In his eyes, the person who inherited the spiritual mantle of Watanabe Jin is Watanabe Manyumi, and now, knowing that she is independent, Yoyoshi Osato doesn't say anything, but he is happy for her in his heart.

In contrast, it was the manager who planned the festival who chose to set up a music production company, which surprised Yoyoshi Dazato even more.

The difficulty of starting a business is best known to the self-made Osato. At that time, as a last resort, he also accepted the funding of President Bruning Choo Ikuo, and in return, AMUSE lost the copyright of the song in the early days of Southern Star's debut.

Although the firm has grown and is now separated from the BRUNING department, Yoyoshi Osato never forgets the embarrassment of the past.

After saying hello and skipping the small talk, Watanabe Manyumi explained the plan for the draft to Yoyoshi Osato, and Yoyoshi Osato said very directly just after listening to the introduction: "Sounds good, I'm still interested." ”

I thought I would implicitly play a dozen Tai Chi, or test each other before expressing my position, such a refreshing attitude, but it is not very similar to my own style, which may be related to the fact that Dazato Yoyoshi has been yearning for overseas since he was young, and he is not so "harmonious".

"Actually, I've been thinking about it since the last time I was involved in the production of the festival. "I also feel the enthusiasm of the band of the Pacers Heaven, and the band will definitely do something in the future." ”

"It's not just the choice of the public, it's the choice of the market. It's getting harder to launch hit idols, and record companies and studios have to start thinking about change. The next step must be to propose a new trend that will replace the same. ”

Yoyoshi Osato's words were said without a pause, and it seems that he did think about it, "In an era when even songs and ballads seem outdated, it is obvious that singing cannot be revived, and when I think about it, it is still a band." ”

"AMUSE started with music, and in recent years, a lot of actors have been signed, but the fundamental music policy cannot be shaken. "This project is very feasible, and if we can take this opportunity to sign a few new people, it is not impossible to participate." ”

"Although the means of discovering new talents are becoming more and more abundant today, the instant combat power that can make a debut after gaining popularity in the show with a little polishing, the TV talent show still has its charm. ”

The meaning of Dazato Yoji is very clear, if you get a newcomer with combat power, then you will participate.

At the beginning, he didn't leave because he had a face-out with Watanabe, but because he wanted to be independent because of his different ideas. Later, in the planning of the music festival, they came together again because of a common idea, and now, Watanabe Manyumi came with a plan that could impress him, and Yoyoshi Osato had no reason to refuse.

As for the appetite - just an opportunity in front of him, not a fruit that is about to ripen, Osatoyoyoshi is not so superficial as to play tricks on something that has not been realized.

Yoyoshi Osato's pleasure made Watanabe Manyumi and Iwahashi Shinichi feel reassured.

However, before he could be relieved, Yoyochi Osato, suddenly threw the topic to Shinichi Iwahashi, who had been in charge of supplementing the side just now, "Iwahashi-kun, did you open a music production company?"

"Yes. ”

"So, let me ask a question. Yoyoshi Osato said, "In this draft, Watanabe-kun's U-MIZ is to discover new talents, what is your production company going to get?"

"Get the production rights, President Dasato. Iwahashi Shinichi replied.

"Watanabe-kun just introduced that he had to defend five consecutive issues, that is, five consecutive periods to get the record company's contract. The threshold for debut is set very high. ”

"Yes. ”

"To be honest, a band with the strength of five consecutive championships, the record company will not take it lightly. At that time, how will your production company get the production rights to the winning band that has signed to the record company?" Osatoyoyoshi looked at him, "and it will be nice if the bamboo basket fetches water." ”

Moreover, too high a threshold for winning will also hinder the enthusiasm of the participants. Yoyoshi Dazato reminded.

"That's right. Shinichi Iwahashi admitted.

"President Dasato, you asked me how I got the production rights," he explained slowly, "So, what if I don't want the production rights of the winning band?"

"Oh?" Osatoyoshi was a little interested.

This should be answered in conjunction with your mention that the threshold for winning is too high. "The threshold for winning is high, so we need to raise the enthusiasm of the participants in other places." ”

"Tell me about it. ”

"How about winning one week, and even if you get eliminated the next week, you can get a chance to make a single from the winning track on the show?"