The first concert, held by the band Beyond with self-financing and a loan from a bank, ended in tragedy. The whole concert cost more than 16,000 yuan plus labor, and the ticket received nearly 10,000 yuan, and the loss was more than 6,000.

More than a dozen people from more than a dozen record companies in the audience who were invited by Beyond's crying father begging for milk, and most of them had left before the concert was over. The rest of them had a better attitude, first encouraging them, saying that their songs were good, and then asking them if they had any pop works.

After receiving Beyond's negative answer, the music producers all shook their heads and walked away.

Why did the palace-level rock band that later became popular in Asia receive a cold reception from music producers?

Is Beyond's song bad?

Of course not.

Is it that those music producers don't know how to appreciate?

It's even more unlikely.

There is only one reason, and that is that rock music has never had a market in Hong Kong. The big-selling records in Hong Kong now are all modern pop music, and even Cantonese opera records may sell better than rock music records.

Twenty years ago, the Beatles were all the rage among young people in Hong Kong, but only a minority, and young people who played rock 'n' roll were still being called depraved and degraded by the newspapers.

Ten years ago, Wang Zijun's rock songs also sold well in Hong Kong, but they were sold with other pop music, and the taste of rock and roll was already very light.

The market is too risky, and that's the real reason why those music producers are reluctant to sign Beyond.

Watching the music producers leave one by one, Huang Jiaju and the others couldn't hide the expressions of loss on their faces. However, more than 20 audience members came to them for autographs, and it seems that this concert was not completely in vain, at least more than 20 fans were gained.

After enthusiastically signing autographs for these fans, several members of the band sat in silence on stage. The Caritas Center, which had just been bustling, suddenly became empty and quiet with the departure of the audience and music producers.

Wang Zijun and He Chaoqiong, Guan Zhilin, and Liu Jialing sat in the back row, several of them were wearing sunglasses or covering their faces with the brim of their hats, and the lights were not turned on at this time, so they did not attract the attention of Beyond.

"It's over!" Drummer Ye Shirong took the lead in breaking the silence, holding the drumstick and knocking it again and again.

Huang Jiaqiang said: "Don't be discouraged, one day we will be able to hold a concert in the Red Pavilion." ”

"Still thinking about a concert? Let's think about how to repay the bank loan. Huang Guanzhong, who had just joined the band not long ago, smiled bitterly, "I was hurt by you." ”

Huang Jiaju wiped his face with his palm and said, "I'll exchange the loan." ”

"I'm just scratching my hair," Huang Guanzhong glanced at him, "Since it's everyone's band, we should carry it together." ”

After a few people finished scratching, they began to pack up their clothes and prepare to leave, the Caritas Center was rented by them, and if they didn't leave today, they would have to increase the rent tomorrow.

He Chaoqiong didn't know the situation of the Hong Kong record market at all, and only thought that the songs of these young people were very good, so she was ready to go up and sign Beyond into the company she had not yet established.

Just when He Chaoqiong was about to go over to talk to Huang Jiaju and others, Wang Zijun pointed to a guy who slowly walked onto the stage in front of him, and said with a smile: "It seems that someone is one step ahead of us." ”

"Who's that guy?" He Chaoqiong asked.

"An interesting nobody." Wang Zijun commented.

Walking on the stage is Chen Jiantian, the first agent of Beyond in another time and space, and he is also the discoverer of Faye Wong, Xiao Ke, Black Panther, Zheng Jun, Xu Wei and others, Wang Zijun has long admired this person.

Chen Jiantian is about to set up a music company this year, but now he only has the idea of building a company, and he does not even have a signed artist, let alone recording equipment and sales channels, and some are just contacts who worked as a publicity manager in a Hong Kong record cable company a few years ago.

Huang Jiaju and others obviously didn't know Chen Jiantian. Hearing someone coming, Huang Jiaju glanced up at him, thinking that Chen Jiantian was an employee of the Caritas Center who urged them to leave, and sorted out his things and said, "It will be cleaned up in 20 minutes." ”

"You've got a good song." Chen Jiantian said with a smile.

"Thanks for the compliment." Huang Guanzhong put the guitar on and said, "It's a pity that there are too few people in Hong Kong who like to listen to it." ”

Chan said: "You only sang three Cantonese songs in the whole concert, and the rest of the time you were all in English. Most of the world's rock song audience is young people, but there are not many young people in Hong Kong who like to listen to English songs, and those English-speaking ghosts don't appreciate rock 'n' roll...... Do you know what I mean by that? ”

Huang Jiaqiang said angrily: "I know, you mean that rock music has no market in Hong Kong, I have heard this sentence a hundred times." ”

"Wrong!" "I mean, there is no market for English rock songs in Hong Kong, but Cantonese rock songs are not. Perhaps, you can write a little more Cantonese. ”

The four members of the band all stopped what they were doing and looked at Chen Jiantian together, Huang Jiaju stood up and asked, "Are you?" ”

"General Manager of Kingstone Records." Chen Jiantian smiled and said that he had not yet written a word about the company.

"Record label?" The four members of Beyond exclaimed in unison.

But fortunately, the four of them are also singers, although they are underground singers, they are still very familiar with Hong Kong record companies, and they soon realized that this Jinshi record company is so small that they have never heard of it.

"If you can write 10 good Cantonese rock songs, I will consider signing you and promise to release a record to you within a year of signing the contract," Chan explained. ”

For Huang Jiaju and others, it is already very good to have a record company to sign them, but they really can't pick and choose fat and thin, a small company is a small company, it is better than them raising their own funds to hold a concert.

Just as Huang Jiaju and the others were agreeing, a female voice suddenly came from the audience: "You don't need to write ten songs, I can sign you now." ”

Beyond and Chen Jiantian were taken aback, Wang Zijun and others stayed in the back row of the dark audience, and suddenly made a sound like a ghost.

He Chaoqiong walked in the front, Wang Zijun, Guan Zhilin, and Liu Jialing were a cut behind her boss.

Chen Jiantian didn't know He Chaoqiong and asked, "Who are you?" I know most of the musicians in Hong Kong. ”

"Who do you care who I am? It's not about signing a contract with you. He Chaoqiong didn't bother to tell him more.

Chen Jiantian sneered at this sudden competitor: "I'm afraid that someone is a liar. ”

Suddenly, he suddenly interjected in the back: "Say that others are liars, what about you, Mr. Chen?" It seems that you are still working as a department manager in a certain music company, why did you become the general manager of Kingstone Records? ”

As Wang Zijun gradually approached, Chen Jiantian saw him clearly by the light, and said in surprise: "You are Wang Zijun?" ”

Huang Jiaju and others also recognized Wang Zijun, and they wrote letters and phone calls to various music companies and TV stations in Hong Kong like a net, but in the end, only more than a dozen people came to the concert, and most of them were small roles. Unexpectedly, this concert actually hooked Wang Zijun.

Wang Zijun is known as the father of Chinese rock, and he is a famous name in the rock circle of Hong Kong and Taiwan. Although Huang Jiaju and others now advocate authentic British rock, and some disagree with Wang Zijun's rock concept, this does not hinder their respect for Wang Zijun.

Even though Wang Zijun hasn't released a record for several years, he is also a well-deserved predecessor in the Chinese rock circle.

Ye Shirong was so excited that he couldn't speak, and when Wang Zijun approached, he jumped off the stage, stretched out his hand and said, "Mr. Wang, I didn't expect you to come, it's like a dream." ”

Compared with Beyond, which has infinite scenery on the stage later, they are still very rustic at this time, even if they are holding a concert, they are only wearing T-shirts that have been stalled for a few years.

Wang Zijun shook hands with Ye Shirong, turned his head directly to Chen Jiantian's side, and said, "Mr. Chen, this is Miss He Chaoqiong, the daughter of the gambling king." She recently wanted to open a record company, and she pulled me to participate in it, I wonder if Mr. Chen is interested in joining? ”

This is also Wang Zijun's temporary idea after seeing Chen Jiantian. I couldn't find a professional to manage the company before, isn't Chen Jian Tian the best candidate for general manager?

Although this person was questioned by many people because of the economic dispute with Beyond later. But opening a company is not looking for a woman, Wang Zijun can't control other people's private morality.

Wang Zijun's words made Chen Jiantian's heart itch, he was tired of being a publicity manager in a Hong Kong record cable company, and he had accumulated some contacts and was thinking of starting his own company, but he couldn't implement it for the time being because of financial problems and not meeting a suitable singer.

Now that Wang Zijun and the daughter of the gambling king are investing, the funds are naturally abundant, and since Wang Zijun has taken a fancy to Beyond, the singer's problem has also been solved.

Wang Zijun said with a smile: "Miss He doesn't understand the affairs of the record company, and I don't have much energy to run it, if you are interested, Mr. Chen, you might as well come and help us manage the company." Don't give you a penny, I'll give you 10% of the shares. ”

Do you still need to think about it?

Apparently not.

Chen Jiantian said with a smile: "It's too late for me to be happy to be able to cooperate with Mr. Wang." ”

"Then it's decided!" Wang Zijun said, "Let Miss He give the company name, if there is no suitable one, it will be called Jinshi Records." ”

"I'm okay with that." He Chaoqiong said that she opened a record company purely to help her friend Chen Baiqiang.

Chen Baiqiang's contract with Warner Records has not yet arrived, and even if other record companies want to sign him, they have to pay a large sum of money to buy him. With Chen Baiqiang's current fame, as long as the news that he wants to leave the original company is revealed, there are naturally many record companies rushing to dig into the wall. But the wool is out of the sheep, and the new company has made a lot of money to poach people, and in the end it has to be squeezed on Chen Baiqiang, so it is better to stay at Warner and not leave.

But now, with Wang Zijun, a big financier, directly spending money to redeem Chen Baiqiang to sign into their new company, and the contract He Chaoqiong will order it himself, which is not only to help his friends, but also to sign a good singer for the company.

Wang Zijun smiled at Huang Jiaju and others, who were still in a daze: "Congratulations, you are about to become the first batch of signed singers of Jinshi Records." ”

Huang Jiaju, Huang Jiaqiang, Ye Shirong and Huang Guanzhong looked at each other, they all couldn't believe it was true, just now they were still suffering from not being able to enter the record company, and now they were directly invited by Wang Zijun to join the record company!

With Beyond, there will be Chen Baiqiang soon, and with Chen Jiantian, a super singer discoverer, Faye Wong and others must not be able to run. This record company that plays like a ticket seems to be a bit exciting.

(To be continued)