Chapter 32： idol band

"This is only a temporary contract, and it's the same for newcomers. If you want 10%, you can talk to the company when you sign the official contract." Craig Cook's businesslike appearance is not leaking. His slender eyes narrowed, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, "Universal Music will not be harsh on you in such details, you know, we are one of the top five record companies in the world." The condescension in his eyes appeared again. , seems to despise Gu Luobei who has never seen the world.

But on the contrary, Gu Luobei has not only seen the world, but also knows far more than Craig Cook thinks. "I think you are saying the opposite. The bigger the company, the harsher the terms. It’s not easy to compromise; on the contrary, small companies have room for negotiation.” There are too many talents in large companies, and they will not easily change the original system for a certain so-called talent. common thing. Besides, the difference of 2% does not seem to be much, but in a big company like Universal Music, if the singer is successful and the income is tens of millions, then 2% multiplied by this high base is not a The numbers are small, so it's easier for big companies to "calculate" rather than, as Craig-Cook puts it, big companies have big belly.

The back and forth between Gu Luobei and Craig Cook was very fast and sharp. Before Gillen and Haas had time to react, the two of them seemed to be fine. Craig Cook's already slender eyes squinted again at this time, and they were almost invisible, and the thick dark circles made him look like he was asleep.

"How's it going? Do you have any questions about the contract?" Craig Cook looked away from Gu Luobei and smiled cheerfully.

"Wait, I still have a problem." It's Gu Luobei again, Craig Cook has already discovered that this kid named Evan Bell is really difficult to deal with, unlike other rookie bands, who are signing the first When contracting, the mentality is always relatively relaxed, and it is easy to suffer losses. If it were normal times, Cracker-Cook might appreciate Gu Luobei, but now he is an agent, and every time Gu Luobei makes things difficult, his interests are divided, so he naturally doesn't like it. For managers, well-controlled artists can indeed save a lot of trouble.

Craig-Cook is also a veteran. How can someone in their thirties be afraid of the challenge of an eighteen-year-old college student, narrowing their eyes again, as if "you speak as you please".

"I would like to ask, what is Universal Music's position on melancholy mood? After we sign a contract, does the company have any plans?" These are what Gu Luobei knew when he chatted with Linkin Park last time. Thinking about it carefully, this is indeed the truth. For an artist to achieve good results, although his talent is very important, the company's positioning for the artist is more important. With a good positioning, it is also possible for some unpopular artists to become popular. Therefore, positioning and development plans are particularly important.

Originally, when Gillen Haas and others heard Gu Luobei's endless problems, they were a little nervous, worried that they would annoy Universal Music. But hearing Gu Luobei's question was purely for the sake of the band, he couldn't help but feel relieved and turned his attention to Craig Cook.

Craig Cook's eyes flickered, but because he kept squinting, it didn't show. He didn't expect that Gu Luobei would actually be able to pay attention to this issue. Generally, bands are more concerned about their own interests when they sign contracts; however, there are not many people who attach so much importance to positioning and development plans.

"The development plan must be formulated after a formal contract is signed, so there is no rush now." Craig Cook skillfully brought the focus to the past. The development plan of any newcomer requires professional discussion. Planning, he is a small agent, has not yet decided. But positioning, he, the agent who discovered the melancholy mood, still has the right to speak, and it must be mentioned in the report submitted to the company. Now, it can be revealed to the little ghosts, and it can be considered to appease them. Before he knew it, Gu Luobei used his wit to win the qualification to negotiate with Craig Cook on an equal footing.

"I think it's very suitable for you to form an idol band. If necessary, add a guitarist or bassist, and the combination will be complete." At this point, Craig Cook didn't squint any more, and his tone changed. He has to be lively, obviously he is still very confident in his own ideas, "You know, in this era of popular idol groups, but no idol band has ever been able to rise, I think you can definitely set off a band storm. Craig Cook glanced at Gu Luobei, although this kid has too many problems, it is undeniable that his conditions are indeed unique, and his stability and precipitation beyond his age make him have an infinite future.

It is the end of the year 2000. The male idol groups headed by Houstreet Boys, Xicheng Boys, and Super Boys are popular all over the world. The female idol groups represented by True Destiny and TLC are not to be outdone. The album sales of these idol groups are tens of millions. It occupies an irreplaceable place in the global music market. More importantly, the fans of idol groups are always strong, and their dedication to idols, regardless of returns, can often make idol groups explode with amazing energy.

To be honest, it's not surprising that Craig Cook would think so, after all, this is the era when idol groups are popular. But the problem is that from the very first day of its formation, Melancholy was a rock band, which made rock players suddenly change to the idol line. Now, Gillen-Haas and the three were immediately stunned.

Gu Luobei's brows furrowed even more, which is one of the reasons why he doesn't like big companies. Under the premise of considering commercial interests, artists under the big record companies are often forced to sacrifice their ideals and persistence.

"We are a rock band!" Gu Luobei's voice was very firm, and received the unanimous support of the three Gillen-Haas.

Craig-Cook seemed to have expected them to react like this for a long time, with a smile on the corner of his mouth. Young people always have unrealistic ideals. He has encountered this kind of thing many times, and it is not unusual at all. "Rock? This is not the era of the Beatles and Elvis." In fact, rock has always been one of the irreplaceable music genres in the United States, but it is undeniable that if you want to make money now, rock will not be a record. The company's first choice. "Your strength can only be said to be good, but it is almost an impossible task to make a breakthrough in today's music market."

Craig Cook's words silenced the four young people in front of him. Gu Luobei knew that he was telling the truth.

"You can go the idol band route and realize your rock and roll dreams after you really succeed." Craig Cook continued to throw sugar-coated cannonballs, watching the subtle changes in the expressions of the four people in front of him, and was very satisfied." With the support of fans, you want to realize your dreams, and you also have leverage when negotiating with the company, don't you?" At this point, Craig Cook's eyes stopped on Gu Luobei, he found that Gu Luobei His eyes were still firm, and there was no expression, but he still showed a thoughtful look, "As for now, to be honest, you are not qualified to negotiate with Universal Music." The words are very direct and hurtful, but they are all is the truth.

For a while, the coffee shop was quiet, the jazz music in the shop was singing lazily, the sun at 4 o'clock in the afternoon was already a little cold, and the four people in the melancholy mood had their own ideas in their hearts, but before they communicated, no one knew the teammates. mind.

"You can think about it, and I'll wait for your reply." Craig Cook knew that it was necessary to give the melancholy mood time to think and discuss. His gaze stopped on the faces of the four young men one by one, but unfortunately, apart from the constant struggle in Jacob-Tibo's eyes, the other three couldn't see why, and it was estimated that they were also intense in their hearts. fight. "Three days, Universal Music is willing to wait for you for three days. I hope what I'm waiting for will be good news."

Only Gu Luobei noticed Craig Cook's departure. In fact, he had already made up his mind. He was just speculating on the thoughts of the three teammates.

"How's it going? What do you think?" Gu Luobei turned around and looked at the three young people beside him. It was estimated that his mind was confused at this time. Finally, there is a record company willing to sign, and it is still signed with the entire band. Universal Music, one of the five largest record companies in the world, is really happy. But the problem is that they are asked to abandon the original intention of forming a band and become an idol band, which is unacceptable to them.

Life is like this, nothing is perfect. Either enter Universal and become an idol band; or continue to wait for the next opportunity and stand at a fork in life Even people in their 40s and 50s will be confused, not to mention three young people in their early twenties. people. Gu Luobei was not confused because he had already died once and had already seen it.

"Evan, what do you think?" Gillen Haas asked, but he asked Gu Luobei in return.

"Didn't you already know what I'm thinking?" Gu Luobei pulled out a faint smile from the corner of his mouth, because he had already made a decision in his heart, so the smile was very determined, giving people a warm feeling, "I joined the band at the beginning. , I just said, I just want to enjoy the band life, I want to do the music I like. Maybe it's rock, maybe it's pop, maybe it's blues, but whatever it is, I like to be able to do what I like to do."

Gillen-Haas looked at Gu Luobei and nodded involuntarily. In fact, isn't this the idea of ​​the beginning of the formation of the melancholy mood?

"But today, from the attitude of Universal Music, it can be seen that for the sake of business interests, today they let us be an idol band. It's okay to make money, but if we can't..." Gu Luobei paused and saw that the three of them had After thinking about what he was thinking, he went on to say, "On the bright side, Universal Music will definitely transform the band; on the bad side, it's normal for the band to disband or even be refrigerated. This is the case in big companies, and business interests will always be there. in the first place."

"So, if it were me," Gu Luobei's smile became wider, with confidence in his firmness, the kind of radiance that is persistent in pursuit of ideals, very dazzling, "I will go to 'free choice'."

First update today.

Thank you for your support this week, and let Seven Cats have a good position on the new book list, hehe. Tomorrow is a new week. The new book list needs to start all over again. I hope everyone can support it. Today is a small outbreak, and there are three more updates!

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