funbook-pk Chapter 59 Folk Music's Ambition to Break Through the Crowd!
Chapter 59 Folk Music's Ambition to Break Through the Crowd!
"Xu Lang, did you miss out on a chance to play the male lead?" Hehe asked cautiously, looking in the direction where Yu Zheng had disappeared.
Xu Lang remained relatively calm: "For the lead male role, I would definitely choose one of my own artists; Yu Zheng has always wanted to sign me, but I didn't agree. I want to take control of my life."
"What's done is done. Better roles will come my way in the future."
As he spoke, he stood up:
"Let's go get a business license!"
Although I don't know much about the "battle for top billing" in the entertainment industry, I know that a leading role offer that Yu Zheng personally negotiated with must be quite significant, so I can't help but feel sorry for Xu Lang.
But he respects Xu Lang's choice!
To obtain a business license, you first need a place to operate.
The two were extremely efficient and quickly found a reasonably priced office in a remote cultural and creative district.
The rent is low and the environment is quiet. Although the location is deserted, it is just right for a startup studio.
I called the landlord, negotiated with her, and got it settled in half an hour, finally getting the rental contract.
The two then went to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to apply for a business license.
Everything went smoothly!
Xu Lang immediately transferred 50,000 yuan to Hehe to buy office supplies, as he had to rush to Beijing.
"Xu Lang, don't you want me to go to the capital with you?"
"No need, just get the office ready, I'll be right back."
……
Two hours later!
As Xu Lang walked out of Beijing Airport, he immediately saw the bright and beautiful Meng Ziyi waving and cheering at him.
"Here, Xu Lang, here!"
Meng Ziyi wore a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans today. Her high ponytail swayed gently with her movements, and her bright smile was particularly eye-catching under the airport lights.
Xu Lang walked straight over and said:
"Ziyi, long time no see; did you miss me?"
"I don't want to!" Meng Ziyi turned her head away, feigning a haughty yet proud expression, and said:
"You're not bringing anything?"
"What do I need to bring to the music festival? Just bring people!" Xu Lang walked outside.
Meng Ziyi quickly followed, unable to hide the smile on her lips.
Since her last visit to the set, she has tried countless times to find another reason to see Xu Lang, but she has always been tied up with schoolwork and rehearsals.
Unexpectedly, Xu Lang took the initiative to come to Beijing this time and even specially invited her to the music festival.
She was so excited that she couldn't sleep for several days, imagining all sorts of scenes with Xu Lang.
Young girls always love to fantasize and imagine all sorts of romantic scenarios.
After leaving the airport, the two found a place to eat at random, and then immediately headed to the music festival venue—the Yongding Riverbank in Mentougou.
Upon arriving in the vicinity, the road signs were clear, and traffic police were maintaining order, with crowds returning to their nests like ants.
The music festival starts at 3 p.m., and ticket checking has already begun.
The two followed the flow of people, had their tickets checked, and entered the venue.
Xu Lang had two tickets, given to him by Zhao Lei, for seats very close to the front.
The venue was almost full, packed with people, many of whom were very excited.
The two sat down, and Xu Lang took out his phone, took a picture of the stage, and sent it to Zhao Lei to let him know that he had arrived.
Zhao Lei quickly replied: [Okay, let's have a drink tonight.]
……
3 PM!
The music festival started on time, and Meng Ziyi was very excited, cheering along with the audience.
The performers at this music festival are all folk singers, including Zhao Lei, Ma Di, Song Dongye, and Wan Xiaoli.
For a period of time, Xu Lang really liked folk songs and would hum a few lines of some of the more popular ones.
The first to take the stage was Song Dongye!
He is also one of the leading figures in the folk music scene.
As the prelude to "Anhe Bridge" began, the entire venue fell silent, as if everyone was lost in deep memories, memories of irreparable regrets...
"Let me look at you one more time, from south to north—"
The fans were very enthusiastic; some enjoyed listening intently, while others liked to sing along.
In folk songs, distant places, dreams, and girls are always the main themes!
Xu Lang had been waiting for Zhao Lei to come on stage. As dusk fell, he finally found him and brought him up on stage, holding a guitar.
He sat quietly in the center of the stage, playing the guitar, and began to sing. The first song was "Southern Girl".
"Xu Lang, can you sing? Let's sing together!"
Meng Ziyi noticed Xu Lang humming along, grabbed his arm, and excitedly joined in the singing.
It lasted until after 9 p.m.!
The performance has just ended!
Xu Lang also got to enjoy a live music performance, which was a very pleasant experience.
After the performance!
Everyone picked up their trash and left in an orderly fashion.
Only Xu Lang led Meng Ziyi against the tide, rushing backstage to look for someone.
"What are you doing? Do you want an autograph?" Meng Ziyi asked curiously as he led her against the flow of the crowd.
Xu Lang didn't say anything, but pulled her to the backstage. He saw Zhao Lei packing up the performance equipment with the staff and walked over quickly.
"Teacher Zhao Lei, we've finally met."
Zhao Lei's hairstyle is a bit unconventional, with longer hair at the back of his head that covers his neck, and side-swept bangs on his forehead.
Hearing the sound, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Xu Lang:
"Are you Xu Lang?"
"It's me!"
The two shook hands.
Zhao Lei said a few words to the musicians beside him, then led Xu Lang and Meng Ziyi away from the scene.
……
The three of them arrived at a long-established barbecue restaurant deep in the alley.
The shop wasn't big, but it was packed with people, the sounds of Beijing dialect and clinking glasses creating a lively atmosphere.
Zhao Lei was clearly a regular customer, and the owner personally came over to greet him, quickly serving beer and several signature grilled skewers.
"Professor Xu Lang, could you tell me your thoughts?"
The three sat down, and Zhao Lei got straight to the point without beating around the bush.
Xu Lang poured him a drink and said, "Teacher Zhao Lei, your status in the folk music circle is undeniable. But if I may be frank, folk music is still a niche genre. It's not that the works aren't good enough, but rather that they lack the opportunity to break into the mainstream."
"What I want to do is help folk music find that opportunity. Through film and television OSTs and cross-industry collaborations, I want to bring folk music to a wider mainstream audience."
Zhao Lei paused slightly in his hand holding the wine glass.
"I've studied the data, and the willingness and engagement of folk music audiences to pay are actually very high, it's just that the base is too small."
"If a song can become a phenomenal hit and drive attention to the entire genre, many struggling musicians might be able to survive by making a living through their work."
Instead of focusing on the benefits of this collaboration, Xu Lang chose a broader perspective: to contribute to breaking into the folk music scene and promoting folk music to people across the country.
Although this was his first time meeting Zhao Lei, he had paid considerable attention to him in his previous life.
He participated in the singing competition show "I Am a Singer", and his song "Chengdu" became a hit across the internet. The melody of this song could be heard in every corner of the country.
Instead of taking advantage of the situation to make a fortune, he chose to disappear from the public eye, went on vacation to Sanya, and avoided all media interviews and commercial performances.
He didn't value money that much.
In several interviews after his death, he mentioned that he wanted to promote folk music to the whole country, otherwise many people in the folk music circle would not be able to make a living.
These thoughts didn't come to him later; they arose from his experience of those unbearable days, from firsthand understanding of the suffering involved.
I had this idea back then!
He became excited when he heard Xu Lang's words.
This person's thoughts coincided with his!
Snapped!
Zhao Lei slapped his thigh excitedly and said:
"Xu Lang, what you said really resonated with me!"
"Among us folk musicians, who hasn't thought about breaking out of our niche? We've received invitations to variety shows, but we're always afraid that things will change if we go on a show. But if we continue to just stick to our own little world... to be honest, with the ticket sales from livehouses, we can't even afford to record an album."
Xu Lang knew that what he said was true.
The folk music scene is full of talented musicians, but most of them are trapped in the predicament of being "critically acclaimed but not commercially successful".
Zhao Lei is arguably the most commercially successful among them, but precisely because of this, he is more aware of the fragility of the entire ecosystem.
"So I want to give it a try," Xu Lang raised his glass:
"Use film and television to promote music, and use the traffic to support creation. Don't change the soul of folk music, just broaden its path."
Zhao Lei stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly laughed:
"You're an interesting person."
"Come on, tell me your plan in detail."