How much courage does it take to make an experimental album that goes against the trend of the market, and how much courage does it take to break away from the record label and make a unique album with dreams on your own?

For the "Don Quixote" album, George paid $150,000 out of his own pocket and put himself into production without any record company contract guarantees. George is just a person, not even an independent record label, and if "Don Quixote" can't find a record company to buy a contract and can't release it, then George will face the danger of losing all his money.

And that's not all. Even if Don Quixote signed smoothly and the record company was willing to pay for the production of the album, George took more than that.

As Matthew just said, on top of the contract, it is stipulated in black and white that the budget for the album is 150,000 US dollars, which also means that after Lan Li receives the advance payment from the record company, he only needs to fulfill the contract and pay the production cost of "150,000 yuan".

However, what if the production cost exceeds the budget? According to the contract, Blue Gift does not need to pay. In other words, the excess will be paid by George himself.

In fact, going over budget is almost a foregone conclusion. While it is said that independent musicians can make albums more cost-effectively, just like independent films, many of the costs involved in the production process are unavoidable. Even the cost of producing even the most ordinary pop album is between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan, and there is really only a limit to the space that independent musicians can save.

This also means that George is ready to dig into his pocket.

And that's not all, the royalty section continues this pattern.

After an artist signs a contract with a record label, he or she can make a profit through royalties in addition to the advance payment. Generally speaking, the royalty rate for newcomers is 10 to 15 percent, the royalty for mid-level singers is 16 to 18 percent, and the top singers can get 20 percent.

According to the contract, Lan Li can receive 15% of the royalties of the album, which is almost the maximum amount that newcomers can get. Lan Li couldn't help but think of what Andy said, he barely spent any effort, and George took the initiative to give the highest standard treatment. What does this mean?

This means that when signing with the record company, as a producer, George will take the initiative to get this percentage of treatment for Lan Li, without even Andy coming forward.

In addition, in addition to artists, producers also have the right to share royalties, but unlike the film industry, producers' income is not paid by the record company, but by the artist. The producer's fee can be divided into two parts, one is an advance payment, and the other is a royalty dividend.

According to the current market situation, the average cost of hiring a producer is about 70,000 to 90,000 US dollars, while the cost of a top producer like George is only high, and the producer's royalty dividend is relatively fixed, 25% of the artist's royalty income, which is about 3% to 5% of the overall royalty income of the album.

Judging from the terms of the contract, George only demanded the normal royalty dividend at the average market price, but did not mention the part of the advance payment.

Not to mention that a well-known top producer like George, how should the cost be calculated is more appropriate, even if it is 70,000 to 90,000 yuan at the market price, George did not mention it at all, and it was completely free to do day work. Obviously, deducting this expense, this saves almost a third of the cost of the album budget for "Don Quixote".

Not only that, the premise of royalty dividends is: the album can be listed and sold, as for the royalty dividend of three to five percent, how much income can be made depends on the market sales performance of the album. On the contrary, "Don Quixote" is another album that completely disregards commercial potential......

"I just wanted to make an album that was genuine. ”

Lan Li couldn't help but think of George's words, and it was only now that the deep meaning of this sentence became clear.

Even if he didn't have a record company to sign on, even if he went bankrupt, even if he had nothing, George had to finish the album "Don Quixote". Stripped of business considerations, stripped of career achievements, and stripped of realistic compromises, everything is only related to art, perseverance, and life pursuits.

It's not so much another job as a rekindled dream, and George, who has been retired for three years, has once again shown an unstoppable and unstoppable momentum that is enough to move people.

This "sincerity" is as important as a thousand pounds.

Lan Li thinks that he is persistent, hard enough, and determined enough on the road of chasing his dreams, but the world is so big, there are people outside the people, and there are mountains outside the mountains, in George's body, Lan Li really saw the madness of dedicating everything to the cause he loved, and couldn't help but be in awe.

Music has always been a hobby for Lan Li, it was before, it is now, and it will be the same in the future, and his passion comes from acting, which will not change, just like George.

Acting, this is the dream that he has to pursue all his life, and his goal is to be like George, thirty or forty years later, even the day before the end of his life, he can still stand on the stage and focus on the performance he loves.

Once, he thought that this was unrealistic idealism, only existing in Japanese hot-blooded comics, and there was no room for dreamers in real life, but now, Lan Li got acquainted with George, and really saw the version of dreams come true, when ideals meet reality, this time the ending is happy.

Lan Li nodded and agreed to make an album for a very simple reason, on the one hand, it was a hobby, trying some new challenges, and getting involved in different areas of life, and on the other hand, he was moved by George's sincerity and dedication, and the joy and excitement of meeting another companion on the road of his dream led to this project.

But now, Lan Li is beginning to re-examine his attitude.

It shouldn't just be a hobby, it shouldn't just be a dream, for George, it's a carnival party, a party that burns life and releases soul.

After countless vicissitudes and countless ups and downs, George's life has gone to the second half, and it is very likely that this is the last wanton in his life, which will be a lifetime of perseverance and concentration, a lifetime of enthusiasm and madness, a lifetime of brilliance and brilliance, completely blooming, just like the fireworks display on July 4th, a hundred flowers blooming, drumming and colorful, instantly releasing all the magnificence, magnificent and magnificent.

In this carnival dance party, what an honor to be a part of it, and it can even be said to be the most touching moment in Lan Li's two lives so far. Even the performance process of "buried alive" and "love is crazy" cannot be compared. Because, Lanli not only witnessed a craftsman dedicate his life to his dream, but also became a part of it. Once in a blue moon.

Regardless of whether this is Lan Li's only album, regardless of the future of this album, and regardless of what the future holds, all he needs to do now is be fully committed and that's it. Unreservedly, attentively, and selflessly, according to his own ideas, he integrated his artistic understanding, his soul resonance, and his life comprehension into this album, and joined hands with George and Herbert to complete the creation of this artwork.

Like every previous acting exploration, the moth is on the fire, burning and releasing to its heart's content.

In the distant future, when Lan Li looks back on his life, he will be glad that he made the album "Don Quixote" and, more importantly, he participated in every detail of the production process. This will become a part of his life, belonging to his original intention, to his dreams, and to himself.

Who would have thought that George Slander would become the first life coach of the two lives?

The mood slowly precipitated, like the lemonade that gradually cooled in his hand, in the cold and quiet of midnight, Lan Li felt heavy and light. Raising his head, his gaze turned to Matthew, and changed the subject, "So, you mean, can this contract be signed or not?"

Matthew could catch the light between Lan Li's eyebrows, wise and vicissitudes, not bright, but always with an unquestionable firmness.

The Lan Li in the memory seems to have never changed, the resolute and upright figure, always standing in front, bravely facing the storm, arrogantly chasing his life. This kind of blue ceremony makes people look forward to it, and involuntarily, they want to follow his footsteps, move forward, and move forward, exploring the unknown in that fog, imagining what kind of magnificent and thrilling it is.

"Absolutely. Matthew replied with a smile, "However, I don't know much about the content of the major. I'm not sure if the numbers are reasonable, for example, the cost of 150,000 yuan for the production of the album, whether this is more or less, and for example, the tax dividend ratio between you and George, whether this is in line with the industry standard. In these cases, you need to confirm with Andy, if there is no problem, you can sign at any time. ”

Lan Li took his jaw, "Andy agreed to these numbers. At this time, recalling Andy's playful tone on the phone at that time, as well as Matthew's ridicule today, Lan Li couldn't help but laugh, it is estimated that Andy was also frightened by George's boldness at that time, "Give me the contract." ”

Lan Li put away her legs, sat up straight, reached out to take the contract, and placed it on the coffee table, ready to sign it—but there was no pen at hand.

Not surprised by such a scene, Matthew took out a pen from the inner pocket of his suit and handed it over. Lan Li glanced at it and chuckled, "What year is this your birthday present?"

"Eleven years old. "It was Matthew's eleventh birthday, and Lan Li gave him a birthday present. In the blink of an eye, it has been with itself for ten years.

Opening the pen, Lan Li quickly signed his name on different pages of the contract. He will definitely not be absent from this party of chasing dreams and burning lives.