OBS Chapter 29 We now have two choices
Chapter 29 We now have two choices
Wang Bo picked up the contract; it was a thick stack, at least thirty pages long.
He opened it, and the dense legal terms and clauses inside made him a little dizzy—although he had worked in the music industry in his previous life, he mainly made music back then, and the contract matters were handled by his studio partners.
He quickly glanced at the main terms: a five-year contract, with the company responsible for all publicity, production, and distribution, and a revenue split of 60% between the artist and 40% between the company. The copyright ownership was clearly stated—the lyrics and music copyright belonged to Wang Bo, the recording copyright was shared by the company, and the performance copyright was to be negotiated separately depending on the specific project.
In terms of promotional investment, the company has committed to investing at least three million yuan annually in the production and promotion of Wang Bo's albums, and will also allocate corresponding resources.
The termination clauses are relatively lenient, with both parties having the right to terminate the contract under specific conditions. The penalty for breach of contract is also reasonably set, without any of the "indentured servitude" type of unfair clauses.
Overall, the contract was indeed very generous, even more so than Wang Bo had expected.
"How is it?" Su Xiaoxiao looked at him. "Any problems or things that need to be changed?"
Wang Bo put down the contract and said frankly, "I've read it all, and I have no objections. The terms are very fair, even better than I imagined."
Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow: "You finished reading it? Thirty pages, and you flipped through them in less than five minutes."
"I've read the main terms," Wang Bo said. "As for the details... I trust President Su won't try to cheat me."
Su Xiaoxiao was silent for a few seconds, then crossed her hands on the table and looked at Wang Bo seriously: "Wang Bo, I suggest you find a lawyer to help you review this. Contracts are something professionals should handle. There are many detailed clauses here that you might not understand, or you might misunderstand. If a dispute arises in the future, it won't be good for either of you."
She paused for a moment, then added, "I can recommend a few lawyers who specialize in entertainment contracts; the company can cover the fees upfront."
Wang Bo shook his head: "No need."
"Why?" Su Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.
"Because Zhou Yuji trusts you." Wang Bo looked at her, his tone calm and sincere. "She gave me the company's last resources and 'entrusted' me to you. She trusts you, so I trust you."
He continued, "Moreover, it's better to trust a boss who is willing to proactively suggest that I have a lawyer review the contract before signing, than any lawyer."
The office was silent for a few seconds.
"Alright," Su Xiaoxiao finally nodded, "Since you put it that way, I won't be coy anymore."
She picked up the contract, flipped to the page with the contract term, stared at it for a few seconds, then suddenly picked up a pen, made a few marks on it, took out the company seal from the drawer, and stamped it with a "snap".
Wang Bo peeked over and saw that the original "five years" had been crossed out and changed to "three years," with a handwritten note next to it saying "modified by mutual agreement," and Su Xiaoxiao's name and the date were also signed.
"Why change it?" Wang Bo asked.
"Because I can't betray Yu Ji's trust," Su Xiaoxiao raised her head, her eyes clear, "and I can't betray your trust either. Three years. If you do well, we can renew your contract, and the terms will only be better. If you feel the company isn't right for you, or if you have better options, you'll be a free agent after three years."
She pushed the revised contract in front of Wang Bo: "Sign it, Wang Bo. From today onwards, you are a contracted artist with Xiaoyi Culture Media."
Wang Bo picked up the pen and signed his name in the designated area for Party B's signature, his handwriting neat and strong.
Su Yiyi walked over with a cup of tea, and after watching the two sign the contract, she smiled gently: "Congratulations, you are now official partners."
"More than just partners," Su Xiaoxiao stood up, extending her hand, "we are comrades-in-arms fighting side by side."
Wang Bo took her hand.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Su."
"It's a pleasure working with you, Wang Bo."
After signing the contract, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Su Yiyi brewed a new pot of tea, and the three of them sat on the sofa in the reception area and chatted.
"By the way," Su Xiaoxiao picked up a tablet from her desk and swiped around a bit, "After 'Once Upon a Time' became a hit last night, I received quite a few collaboration offers this morning. I did a quick screening, and there are a few I think I can consider."
She handed the tablet to Wang Bo: "Take a look first."
Wang Bo took it; on the screen was an Excel spreadsheet listing various collaboration projects: guest appearance invitations for a music variety show on a certain TV station, songwriting for a car brand, endorsement and promotion for a mobile game, several commercial performance events…
The prices weren't high; the highest price for a GG song was 50,000, while the lowest was only 5,000 for a local TV talk show's travel expenses.
"These offers..." Wang Bo frowned, "aren't they a bit too low?"
"It's really low," Su Xiaoxiao said bluntly. "You're famous now, but it's just a song that's famous, not your 'brand.' The entertainment industry is very realistic. Without continuous exposure and new works to support you, the popularity of a single song can only last for three months at most."
She said earnestly, "So we now have two choices. First, take advantage of the hype and take on more commercial activities to quickly monetize and increase exposure. Second, focus on making music, releasing albums, and consolidating our position with our work, but the initial income will be very low, and we may even lose money."
She looked at Wang Bo: "What do you think?"
Wang Bo remained silent.
Of course, he wanted to choose the second path—making music, releasing albums, and letting his work speak for itself. That's what he did in his previous life; although it was slow, it was steady.
Wang Bo's thoughts were interrupted when his phone suddenly rang.
He took out his phone and saw that it was his mother calling.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Wang Bo got up and walked to the window to answer the phone.
"Hello, Mom?"
The mother's voice, choked with sobs, came from the other end of the phone: "Xiao Bo, your dad... your dad's had an accident!"
Wang Bo's heart tightened: "What's wrong with Dad? Tell me slowly, don't rush me."
"This morning, your dad was driving his three-wheeled cart to the fields to haul corn when he turned a corner... and the cart overturned!" Mom's voice trembled. "He was taken to the county hospital. The doctor said he's not in life-threatening danger, but he has a broken leg and two broken ribs, so he needs surgery..."
Wang Bo gripped his phone tightly: "Do you have enough money? How much will the surgery cost?"
"The doctor said we need to prepare 70,000 yuan for the surgery and hospitalization fees." The mother's voice lowered. "And... Uncle Liu from the same village was also in the car at the time. He was also injured, with a broken arm. Now his family is blocking the hospital, demanding that we pay, saying that the accident happened in our car..."
"Is Uncle Liu badly injured?"
"It's not serious, just a broken arm, but his family says the lost wages, nutrition expenses, and emotional distress compensation... add up to 30,000 yuan." The mother's voice was helpless. "Xiao Bo, Mom knows you're having a hard time right now, but the family... the family really can't afford that much money. Your dad's medical insurance reimbursement can only be processed after he's discharged from the hospital, so we have to pay in advance. Uncle Liu's family is making a huge fuss, saying they'll sue us if we don't pay..."