Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 18 Theme Song

"Both of them need frequent gigs," Zeng Hao said. "Can you manage to keep the monthly gigs up to the contract limit, without considering their schedules or comfort levels?"

Xu Wen paused for two seconds, then said, "I can do it, but what if the artist has a problem with that..."

"You're responsible for handling the emotions," Zeng Hao said. "This is part of your job. You can use whatever methods you like—promising, comforting, or coaxing—but the number of announcements you receive cannot be less than the contract limit."

Xu Wen nodded. "And the salary?"

"The base salary is 12,000 yuan, and the commission for each announcement is 3%," Zeng Hao said. "If you do well, there will be a bonus at the end of the year."

"Okay, I'll take it," Xu Wen said decisively.

Zeng Hao pushed the contract over, saying, "We can sign it today."

Xu Wen looked down at the contract, flipped through a couple of pages, then looked up. "President Zeng, there's a clause—if an artist's emotional issues affect the execution of their schedule, the company has the right to deduct the agent's commission for that month. This clause..."

"Is there a problem?"

Xu Wen thought for a moment, "Okay, no problem."

He picked up the pen and signed it.

During Xu Wen's first week on the job, Yang Shanshan's work schedule was sent to her.

Yang Shanshan stared at the chart for a long time, then sent Xu Wen a WeChat message: "What does this mean? There are twenty-three announcements this month, I only had fifteen last month, why are there so many more?"

Xu Wen replied quickly and politely, "Sister Shanshan, there are several brand events with particularly good schedules this month. If you miss them, they're gone. President Zeng's idea is to take advantage of the momentum and get as many as possible, so you can rest well afterwards."

Yang Shanshan stared at the message, stood there for a few seconds, then threw her phone onto the sofa. "Riding the wave? My popularity isn't like Zhang Tianai from 'Go Princess Go'. What does he mean by arranging all this..."

She muttered to herself, but still picked up her phone, opened the announcement schedule, and started looking at the specific times.

The contract was there, in black and white, and the maximum notice limit was to be enforced according to the contract; she had no reason to refuse.

Unbeknownst to her, on the same day, Zhang Tianai also received a schedule with the same density of dates.

Zhang Tianai's reaction was different from Yang Shanshan's. She glanced at the watch and sent a WeChat message to Xu Wen, "I already have another event on Wednesday, which conflicts with this announcement."

Xu Wen checked and replied, "Sister Tian'ai, the event on Wednesday was one you accepted privately and is not within the scope of the company contract. I suggest you cancel it. Company announcements have higher priority, which is also stipulated in the contract terms."

Zhang Tianai looked at the reply, put down his phone, and didn't say anything more.

She remembered the look in Zeng Hao's eyes when he sat across from her at the table and pushed the contract towards her on the day she signed the contract.

She thought she had gotten a good deal.

Now she understands that the 200,000 yuan signing bonus bought out all her bargaining power for the next three years.

She picked up her phone and replied to Xu Wen, "Okay, I understand."

Then reopen the schedule and start noting the specific requirements for each announcement.

Since we've already signed it, let's get to work.

Starting this month, the revenue from the announcements received by Yang Shanshan and Zhang Tianai will both increase in the company's accounts.

In his office in Qianhu City, Zeng Hao opened the script for "Back to 20," picked up a pen, and wrote a line on the blank page of the first page: Theme song, Lu Han, to be contacted.

He crossed out the words "to be contacted" and replaced them with: as soon as possible.

When Zeng Hao was writing the casting notes for "Back to 20" on page three, he put down his pen.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon outside the window. Summer comes early in Qianhu City, and the sunlight made the glass curtain wall of Wanda office building turn white.

He flipped back to the first page of the memo and stared at the line of text for a few seconds—theme song, Lu Han, as soon as possible.

"As soon as possible" is not just a figure of speech.

He knew exactly where Luhan's window of opportunity was. In the second half of 2015, EXO had a packed schedule of commercial activities in Korea. SM Entertainment has always been strict about members accepting domestic commercial deals individually. In addition, there were the costs of agency commissions and cross-border coordination. Going through such roundabout routes would take much more time than expected.

More importantly, "Back to 20" is scheduled to be released in September, and the theme song must be recorded before filming begins to allow time for post-production mixing and promotion. If we count the time, we must start contacting them no later than the beginning of July.

It is now late June.

Time is limited.

Zeng Hao closed the memo, picked up his phone, and scrolled down a name: Chen Mo.

Among the middlemen in the entertainment industry, Chen Mo was one of the few reliable people he knew. He had worked as a copyright intermediary for record companies in his early years, and later switched to connecting talent resources. He had a number of channels for connecting with Korean entertainment companies. He wasn't a talent agent, but he could pass messages in.

The phone rang twice before being answered. The voice on the other end had a slightly noisy background, like someone at a dinner party.

"Mr. Zeng?"

"Chen Mo, I need to ask you for a favor," Zeng Hao said directly. "Lu Han, I need to contact his management team. Do you have any connections?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Luhan? EXO's Luhan?"

"right."

"Mr. Zeng, he's still under SM Entertainment. As for taking on domestic commercial orders on his own..." Chen Mo lowered his voice a little, "It's not impossible, but it's quite troublesome. SM Entertainment has to go through the formal application process, and the price won't be low."

"I know," Zeng Hao said. "Could you ask him for me? I need him to record a song on his own, to be recorded in China, before early July. Can he take the job and give me a quote?"

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment, "I'll go ask him, but Mr. Zeng, you have to be prepared. His current commercial value is at the top in China. If you book him alone, plus the cost of cross-border coordination, it won't be less than six or seven hundred thousand."

"I know," Zeng Hao said. "Go ask first, we can talk about the price later. Time is of the essence, so give me an answer as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll contact you tonight and get back to you in the next day or the day after."

The phone hangs up.

Zeng Hao put down his phone, picked up his pen again, and changed "to be contacted" to "in contact with Chen Mo" in the memo. He then wrote a number next to it: budget limit, 65.

He had calculated that number.

There is currently about 220 million in the account. The revenue sharing from "Go Princess Go" is coming in one after another. Last week, Sister Liu gave him the latest data that another 80 had arrived. The platform settles accounts according to the number of views. The cumulative number of views has exceeded 1.5 million, and this number is still rising.

In total, the available funds on the books are slightly over 300 million.

The budget for "Back to 20" was set at 500 million, which is a level higher than "Go Princess Go". The production standards for theatrical films are different, and the props, sets and post-production all need to be upgraded.

Of the 500 million, the budget allocated to the theme song is 65, which is the maximum.

He circled the number and continued writing the casting notes.

Two days later, Chen Mo called.

"Mr. Zeng, I've asked around," Chen Mo's voice was a little subtle. "They can take it, but SM is asking for 80 yuan, saying it's for a single recording, including basic recording studio fees, agency coordination fees, and—" He paused for a moment, "the image rights licensing fee for Lu Han herself, and the licensing fee for the use of the theme song promotional materials, all priced separately."