Huayu: Brother, I'm having such a great time!

Chapter 77 Cooperation with Xiao Ke

After tidying up the clutter left by the former employer, I had lunch with Yang Siwei and Gu Ling. Afterwards, I arranged for Yang Siwei to go to the furniture store to choose furniture, and then I took Gu Ling to Xiao Ke's studio.

Arriving a bit early, Xiao Ke hadn't come over yet. While waiting, Xu Jingxing toured Xiao Ke's studio.

This place not only has a recording studio, but also a classroom specifically for musical theatre training, used to cultivate new talent.

But what Xu Jingxing liked most was the reception area that Xiao Ke had specially designed.

Xiao Ke used a semi-arched metal grille to create two semi-enclosed booths in the corner.

The coffee table in front was made from an old-fashioned tape recorder.

Several wooden guitars that can be easily removed are embedded in the wall behind, and a piano and drum set are not far away.

I can already imagine a group of friends coming to the studio for a small gathering, casually taking a guitar from the wall, and improvising a song along with a piano or drum set.

According to the people at the studio, Xiao Ke has also rented the space next to the studio. After the renovation, it will become a small theater that can accommodate hundreds of people. At that time, this leisure area will also be transformed into an open area where people can eat Western food and drink coffee.

Xiao Ke rushed to the studio right after finishing a cup of coffee hand-ground by her assistant.

"Sorry I'm late!"

"I arrived too early. I was thinking of visiting Teacher Xiao Ke's studio to learn from her experience."

Xu Jingxing shook Xiao Ke's outstretched hand and introduced Gu Ling, who was standing next to him.

Xiao Ke then led the two people to her office.

On the way, Xu Jingxing praised the coffee at his place, but as soon as he sat down in the office, his accommodating assistant brought out two more cups of coffee and placed them in front of them.

Xu Jingxing silently added another note to his mind: besides designing the reception area properly, he would definitely need to hire a capable front desk assistant for his studio in the future.

"Xiao Xu, did you finish writing the lyrics by hand, as I asked you yesterday?"

"It's finished."

Xu Jingxing handed over the lyrics he had written.

After receiving the lyrics, Xiao Ke recalled the tune Xu Jingxing had sung yesterday and began to hum along.

As expected of a professional musician, I only heard Xu Jingxing sing it once yesterday, and he was even slightly off-key in some parts, but today he was able to reproduce it almost exactly.

"This song really suits Na Ying."

After humming the first half of the song, Xiao Ke put down the lyrics and looked at Xu Jingxing, asking, "Do you have any suggestions for the accompaniment of this song?"

Xu Jingxing quickly waved his hand and said helplessly, "Teacher Xiao Ke, I know nothing about music. Since I want to work with you, it's because I trust your creative and judgment abilities. I won't interfere in this part."

"Okay!" Xiao Ke nodded, clearly not surprised by the answer. "I'll send the demo to your email at this time tomorrow."

With the overall melody in place, the most difficult part of the composition has been determined. With Xiao Ke's abilities, she could actually send the first draft to Xu Jingxing tonight.

Saying it's tomorrow at noon is just leaving room for maneuver, since there are many things to do in the studio and other things might inevitably cause delays.

"By the way, Xiao Xu, are you applying for the copyright for the lyrics separately, or are you applying jointly with my studio?"

Let's go together.

On the way here, Xu Jingxing had already inquired in detail about the copyright issue with Gu Ling.

"Okay." Xiao Ke asked, "Are you familiar with the revenue distribution for a song?"

"I know. The rights to a song are divided into three parts." When it comes to her professional field, Gu Ling seems to become a different person. She continued, "They are the copyright of the lyrics and music, the recording copyright, and the performance rights."

Yes, that's right.

Gu Ling continued, "From what I understand over this period of time, in addition to the revenue sharing from album sales, the platform also takes 30% of the revenue generated through online platforms as a service fee. Therefore, when sharing revenue, that 30% service fee will be deducted first."

After listening, Xiao Ke smiled with satisfaction, "I just like talking about professional things with professionals, it saves a lot of trouble."

"Xiao Xu, let's finalize the distribution of earnings between the lyricist and composer, and then sign a 'Collaborative Creation Agreement,' and that'll be it."

Xu Jingxing said, "Let's split it in half as you said before."

Xiao Ke shook her head. "Yesterday I only told you about the unspoken rules of the industry, splitting it 50/50. But you wrote the lyrics and melody for this song. If I take another 50%, my colleagues will laugh their heads off."

"Is this appropriate?" Xu Jingxing asked.

Xiao Ke waved her hand, "What's the big deal about whether it's appropriate or not? It's a 40/60 split, I get 40% and you get 60%, but then the composer can't be credited as you."

"I don't care about that," Xu Jingxing said.

"Okay, it's settled then. For future collaborations, as long as you provide the lyrics and melody, the profit sharing will be based on this ratio."

Xiao Ke took out the "Collaborative Creation Agreement" that her assistant had prepared beforehand, signed her name first, and then pushed it to Xu Jingxing.

Gu Ling picked it up and glanced at it. After confirming that there was no problem, she placed it in front of Xu Jingxing.

Xu Jingxing picked up his pen and signed the agreement, officially concluding his collaboration with Xiao Ke.

Then, Xu Jingxing took out another piece of paper and handed it to Xiao Ke.

The lyrics to "Just Once" are written on it.

"This is another song I wrote before, called 'Just Once'."

"Shall we hum a few lines?" Xiao Ke asked, looking at the lyrics.

"Yes, hum a couple of lines."

"Okay, I'll listen."

Xu Jingxing began singing a cappella.

After the song ended, Xiao Ke could no longer contain his excitement. He grabbed Xu Jingxing's hand and asked, "Can I sing this song myself?"

"Didn't we agree yesterday that you could decide who sings?"

After saying that, Xu Jingxing took out another lyric sheet and handed it to Xiao Ke.

"What is this?" Xiao Ke asked.

"On my way back yesterday, I heard Sister Zeng Li sing a few lines of Peking Opera, and this song suddenly came to mind. However, I only have the climax of this song; I couldn't come up with the rest of it right away."

"Sing a song for me."

Xiao Ke became extremely interested in the lyrics that Xu Jingxing had handwritten.

"it is good."

Xu Jingxing began to sing a cappella.

"Ah~ my wife, Wang Baochuan,"

"Pity you, confined to your cold cave, pity you, all alone."

"I, Xue Nanpinggui, have been waiting for you for a full eighteen years."

"Ah~ my wife, Wang Baochuan,"

"I shouldn't have doubted you, I shouldn't have tested you."

"Just so you and your husband can meet, yet you still have to put on a show."

"..."

After finishing his song, Xu Jingxing looked at Xiao Ke, waiting for his reaction.

The lyrics to this song were too hard to remember, so I only remembered these few, which is at most a half-finished product.

"That's all?" Xiao Ke asked.

"That's it. I just came up with a climax, and the rest of the parts were just so-so."

He didn't remember the lyrics, but he hummed the tune quite a bit. Xu Jingxing then hummed the tunes he could remember to Xiao Ke.

"Opera-style singing..." Xiao Ke stroked her chin, pondering, "This is interesting."

"So what are your plans for this song? Will you come back to me after you've written the lyrics?"

"I've been really busy lately because I rented a studio, and I haven't had the energy to write any lyrics. If Teacher Xiao Ke likes this song, you can use it to write some lyrics," Xu Jingxing said.

"This song is really original, I can give it a try." Xiao Ke put the lyrics sheet away.

"That's great."

Then, Xu Jingxing said apologetically, "I got the inspiration yesterday after listening to Sister Zeng Li sing a few lines of Peking Opera in the car, so I promised that if this song is ever written, she will sing it."

Just moments ago, Xu Jingxing had said that Xiao Ke would decide who would sing the song, but he had overturned that decision himself not long afterward, which naturally made him feel a little embarrassed.

"This song is definitely best sung by someone with a background in Peking Opera, and Zeng Li did indeed ask me to sing it yesterday, so let her sing it."

Xiao Ke paused for a moment and said, "However, the profit sharing for this song can't be 40/60. We're brothers, so let's keep things clear. This song should be 50/50, and I'll also get credit as the lyricist."

"Of course, I'm fine."

Upon hearing Xu Jingxing's reply, Xiao Ke took out a new agreement, signed her name, and pushed it to Xu Jingxing.

Just as Xu Jingxing was about to pick up his pen to sign his name, a question suddenly occurred to him. He looked up and asked:

"Is it me or you?"

Xiao Ke: "??????"

......