I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 057 The Cost of Firewood and Rice

Tao Cheng beamed with joy when Yang Du agreed.

For a singer on the rise, the probability of finding a producer who understands them and is also very talented is not much higher than finding a favorite giant panda.

But what made her even happier was yet to come.

Yang Du then took out his phone and said, "Actually, I happen to have a song that is very suitable for my senior's voice and market positioning."

As he spoke, he opened the AI-generated version of "Bubble" in the encrypted folder.

AI's interpretation lacks the nuanced emotional processing of a real singer, but based on the song's melodic structure, harmonic progression, and arrangement, it's enough for an expert like Tao Cheng to discern the nuances and even imagine the effect of her own performance.

"Junior..." Tao Cheng's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement, "This song 'Bubble' is just so perfect for me!"

She wasn't exaggerating.

When Tao Cheng debuted, Jin Shi was actually playing it safe by going for urban love songs.

Only a few experimental tracks on the self-titled album retained her high-pitched vocal characteristics, and it wasn't until "Flammable and Explosive" that she had the opportunity to express that kind of emotional explosiveness.

In the song "Bubble," the lower register in the first half requires stable breath control, but in the middle bridge and chorus, the high notes rise dramatically, instantly maximizing emotional tension.

This perfectly showcases her unique vocal characteristics and singing skills!

"This song, 'Bubble,' should definitely be the lead single on our second album!"

Hearing Tao Cheng's praise, Lin Xu, who was sitting to the side, was stunned.

In fact, when Tao Cheng invited Yang Du to be the producer of the second album, he was already in a state of shock.

Yang Du is still a student!

Having just finished "Flammable and Explosive", he then pushed "Painting Heart" to the top of the charts, and "Red Rose" is about to be released.

Yang Du has become an expert in producing singles.

And now, in less than the time it takes to eat a meal, he has already made the leap from single producer to album producer.

That wasn't all; the next second, he casually pulled out a stunning song, "Bubble."

How can the differences between people be so great?

Oh, that terrifying producer is my big shot.

That's fine.

"As long as you like it, I knew 'Bubble' would suit you." Yang Du put away his phone. "As for the other songs on the album and the overall concept, I need to think about them carefully when I get back."

"In addition, I have another order that I need to take care of first so that I can focus on making the album."

"What song?" Tao Cheng asked curiously.

"Birthday Wishing Song".

Upon hearing this unexpectedly different answer, the three people in the private room couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha, that song from the hotpot restaurant last night, right? I saw the video on Douyin, it's hilarious. Your roommate's 'life is meaningless' look has been turned into a meme."

Lin Xu, standing to the side, was even more witty, suppressing a laugh as he imitated Zhou Feng's expression, saying, "This hot pot is truly a hot pot with two broths!"

They are not quite similar, but exactly the same.

After laughing, Tao Cheng said understandingly, "You should go and work on this blessing song first. The album is still in the planning stage, and I haven't finished all my recent appearances yet. There's plenty of time to polish it slowly."

"Mm." Yang Du nodded.

Then, he thought of a very practical problem.

Previously, he produced "Flammable and Explosive", "Painted Heart" and "Red Rose", all of which were projects in collaboration with Kingstone Music. Kingstone coordinated everything in advance, from the venue and recording studio schedule to the musicians. He was only responsible for giving orders.

But "Birthday Wishing Song" is different.

This is a commercial licensing collaboration that Lao Yi Lao approached us with; "Birthday Blessing Song" is a project of Qiu Niu Studio.

"Sister Hong, I have a question for you. What are the prices for the recording studios at Jinshi?"

Sister Hong smiled and said, "Jinshi's recording studios are divided into levels. If it's a recording studio of the second level, the publicly quoted price is 10,000 yuan per day."

According to industry practice, it is said to be a day, but in reality, the usage time is only ten hours.

The timer starts from the moment you step into the recording studio. Ten hours will pass, and if you exceed the time limit, you will be charged extra per minute.

Every minute and every second smells of money.

"Venue rental is just a small part; the real money-burning part is the musicians. Of course, it's cheaper to use synthesizers for composing, as you can do it on a computer. But since this is a project for a quick buck, we can't just use synthesizers; we need to hire musicians to record live in the studio, right?"

"Old Bai, the guitarist you've worked with before, is the kind of guitarist who's played live for superstars. It's not unreasonable for him to charge you 5,000 for a single guitar track, is it? And that's only because we're acquaintances."

Yang Du's eyelids twitched as he listened: "Add the drummer, bassist, strings, and all the other miscellaneous instruments, and the musicians' appearance fees alone would be at least forty or fifty thousand."

Hongjie gave Yang Du a knowing look: "This is only if they don't have many NGs and get it right in one take. If they're not in good form and have to do several takes, you'll have a headache."

Yang Du quickly calculated in his mind that if everything went smoothly, recording the accompaniment would take him two days, and recording the vocals would take three days, with the rental fee alone amounting to 50,000. Adding the musician resources, the initial cost would be 90,000.

This doesn't even include post-production audio editing, mixing, and mastering.

A complete, standardized industrial process would require at least 120,000 yuan to produce a single.

Moreover, this only covers the production cost and does not include the singer's performance fee.

Of course, Tuya, the singer for this "Birthday Blessing Song," was specifically requested by Lao Yi Lao, and the fee was paid by them.

After calculating the costs, Yang Du exclaimed once again, "Making music really is expensive!"

This explains why so many independent musicians can only create in shabby basements, because even slightly upscale industrial production is simply beyond the reach of ordinary people.

If the song becomes a hit, that's fine; but if it doesn't make a splash, the initial production costs of tens of thousands of yuan will all go down the drain.

Upon hearing this, Sister Hong couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Alright, alright, stop pretending to be a poor Versailles."

She pointed to Lin Xu next to her: "If you really think you're poor, you might as well look at Lin Xu. He lives on the meager basic salary the company gives him every month. Now he's just waiting for 'Red Rose' to be released so he can change his fate."

Lin Xu cooperated by making a pitiful, weak, and helpless expression.

"Isn't this just me thinking about being frugal and considering the long term?" Yang Du said innocently.

"Don't give me that, I've heard about it." Sister Hong sneered, "You produced the single yourself, handling the lyrics, composition, arrangement, and production, and you even did the mixing yourself. Aside from the vocal tuning and mastering, do you think Jinshi could possibly make a single penny off you?"