Chapter 365: Bastard! Are you trying to fool us?

Scott patiently explained:
“Taylor, you’ve been a musician for three years, there are some things you should understand.

No company releases an album for a singer with the intention of losing money to gain publicity.

If I spend a large sum of money to help you release an album at this time, what do you think the chances of making a profit are?"

Taylor still didn't give up, biting his lip and said:
“Uncle Scott, do you also think I’m too young?

But I don’t think that’s a problem, I believe my music will be liked by others!”

Seeing that he couldn't convince Taylor, Scott finally lost his patience and raised his voice a little coldly:

“I think you have great potential, so I signed you and want to train you!

But do you know what the director said after listening to a few of your songs?

He said your style is peculiar, difficult to understand, and your pronunciation is hoarse and weird!

At your age, your vocal cords are not fully developed and the quality of your songs is not good enough.

Do you know what the consequences would be if you forced to release an album?

That means it will be thrown into a corner and collect dust, wasting money and reputation, and there won’t even be any feedback, because no one will buy it! ”

Seeing Taylor bow his head and remain silent, Scott's tone softened:
"Taylor, it's not that I want to shirk my responsibility, but your current ability is really not up to the standard."

Scott comforted:

"You are not even 15 yet, you need more time to grow up.

Study hard and improve your skills. When you are recognized by people in the industry, I will definitely help you release an album, OK?"

Taylor's joy seemed to be blown away by a gust of cold wind, and he felt a little lost:

"Then how long do we have to wait?"

Scott didn't respond immediately because the text message alert on his cell phone rang.

He picked up the phone, his attention instantly shifted to the screen, and he said casually:

"You have to wait at least two or three years, until your vocal cords mature and you can write songs that can really touch people's hearts."

Ultimately, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to get back the money he invested.

Right now, his mind is all on Christina. He recruited her to be the pillar of the company and cannot come up with any other funds for the time being.

Taylor Swift felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on her.

How could Scott change the promise he made so easily?
She was obsessed with it and worked day and night to complete so many songs in a week, all for that promise.

And now, two or three years?
What about after that?

Will there be new delays?
This situation actually happened in my previous life.

If it weren't for her father's generous donation to personally fund Big Machine, she might have had to wait a few more years to release her first single.

That's right, it's just a single, not a full album.

Taylor clutched the notebook tightly in his hand and walked out of the office in a daze.

Instead of returning to her residence, she wandered aimlessly on the streets.

The weather in Nashville in January was a bit cold and there were few people on the streets.

The flower-filled street scene seemed particularly cold in Taylor's eyes.

Not only did she not get the coveted album promise.

The work she worked so hard to write was criticized, which made her feel hopeless about her future as a singer.

She knew she was a little eccentric, and the songs she wrote were still about trivial stories.

But music is what she is most proud of and is her dream.

Now, her last bit of persistence and pride have been reduced to nothing. Where is her future?
At this moment, a voice echoed in my heart:

“When you feel disappointed about the future, you can contact me.”

This was a call from a young oriental man who called himself Du Sheng yesterday.

Taylor had heard of the other person, a big star that everyone was paying attention to, the dream lover of countless Asian girls, the idol of Hilton's daughter, and the song he improvised for her even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart...

"Have you heard my songs at the Las Vegas Country Music Festival?"

Taylor was a little surprised at the time, but also a little happy to be recognized by others.

"Yes, I admire your talent. Would you like to make music with me?"

Du Sheng asked with a smile on the other end of the phone.

Taylor Swift showed a surprised expression and said hesitantly:

"But I've already signed the contract. If I change clubs again..."

"The opportunity is within your reach. If you miss it, you'll miss it."

Du Sheng said calmly.

The reason why he contacted the other person in advance was to plant a seed in the other person's heart.

Taylor Swift didn't dare to speak casually. Although she couldn't see the other person, it put a lot of pressure on her.

"Yeah...sorry."

She apologized quietly.

"No need to say sorry, because this is your choice."

Du Sheng was not surprised. If he were in his place, he would not agree so easily.

Taylor fell silent.

Du Sheng recalled every detail of the other person's past. This was the stubborn girl who would sweep the European and American music scene in the future.

If she had not experienced failure and setbacks, could she have achieved the glory of her previous life?

After all, some songs can only be created with unforgettable emotions.

He doesn’t mind serving as a source of inspiration.

"Taylor, you make me feel very special."

Du Sheng smiled and gave his contact information:
“When you feel extremely disappointed about the future, you might as well come to me. I will do my best to help you once, but only this time!”

After saying that, Du Sheng hung up the phone.

Taylor Swift was quite confused after hearing this and didn't understand what Du Sheng meant by "feeling extremely disappointed".

But now, she finally understood what the other person said.

.........

Three years ago, Universal Music opened a branch in Nashville to focus on the country music market.

But to this day, it's still a mess.

In the office, the general manager was so angry that he threw the documents in his hand onto the table and yelled:

“That bastard Scott, is he trying to fool us?

Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you won the Country Music Award last year?

A small company that has only been established for less than two years and has not even released a decent album dares to break its promises again and again.

I've had enough! I want to sell this piece of crap!" The head of the distribution department was somewhat helpless:
"It is indeed true. No one in the industry dares to take over his despicable fraud. It seems that this investment is going to fail."

What they were discussing was a small start-up record company invested by a branch of Universal Music.

To fill the gap in country music, the branch acquired a stake in Big Machine Records, founded by former Universal employees, a year ago.

In that era, the Internet was not yet fully popularized, and online albums also needed distribution agents, so Big Machine accepted the olive branch from Universal.

The condition is that within one year, the singer under Big Machine Records must release his first profitable album and successfully sign Christina.

However, a year later, none of the conditions had been met.

Scott also said that since Warner Records refused to let her go, it was unlikely that Christina would come.

If you want to terminate the contract early, you have to pay a penalty of 800 million.

This nearly bankrupted Universal Music Nashville, and Scott apparently wanted them to pay the bill.

The general manager almost got into a fight with Scott over this.

He now regrets it very much. It was the worst investment he made to be associated with this small company.

But now no one is willing to take over if I want to get out!
At this moment, the blond secretary rushed in:
"General Manager, Lawyer Zales called..."

"what's up?"

Seeing the plump secretary, the general manager's anger subsided a little.

"He said that an Oriental man found you through his connections and wanted to buy our shares in Big Machine Records!"

The general manager and the head of the issuing department looked at each other in disbelief.

.........

Big Machine Records' headquarters is not far from the Universal branch.

Its founder was originally a manager of Universal Music and founded this company last year with hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

Today, Big Machine has not become a favorite among music fans, but is instead disliked by major record distributors.

Du Sheng looked around curiously, and saw a fat, middle-aged white man of English descent walking towards him.

However, his attitude was not very good, and he was looking angrily at the white lawyer next to Du Sheng:

"Lawyer Zales, what on earth is going on!"

“Scott, as we heard on the phone, Universal Music Nashville has lost patience with you.”

The lawyer replied calmly:
“The Big Machine Records stake was sold.”

Scott was furious:
"But we have an agreement between the two of us that Universal Music Nashville will be responsible for my distribution!"

"If you insist on talking about the agreement, then it will be meaningless."

Lawyer Zales spread his hands:

"You haven't fulfilled any of the treaties on your side, and Universal Music Nashville has no intention of waiting any longer."

"Damn it! It's not that I didn't do it, I just wanted to do it better, to improve the quality of the songs and give the fans a better experience!"

Scott argued loudly.

In fact, he doesn't care about the shares being sold.

What he cares about is who will release albums for his singers after the Nashville branch of Universal Music withdraws.

Big Machine Records does have a bad reputation now, and its funds are barely enough to maintain operations, with no extra funds to pay for additional releases.

Without waiting for Lawyer Zales to continue speaking, Du Sheng walked up to Scott and said with a smile:
“In terms of doing better, I’m all for it.

An album is successful only if it satisfies and enriches the fans! "

"Dude, you're absolutely right, who are you?"

Scott asked, tilting his head.

Attorney Zales says:
"This is Mr. Du, who purchased your company's shares from Universal Music's Nashville branch."

Scott reached out and shook hands with Du Sheng:
“Du, you have good taste, it will definitely be worth your money in the future.

Can you tell me how much it cost you this time?

"$120 million."

Du Sheng answered frankly.

"Wow, the Universal Music branch is doing really well on this deal, the price has tripled!"

Scott said sarcastically.

Lawyer Zales didn't care, he was just an employee anyway.

Du Sheng smiled and said:

"I also feel that I made a good deal by buying 120% of your shares for 40 million."

It is really good value for money.

Although Scott's character is not very good, he has a very sharp vision. The three artists under his company have all developed well and their valuations have skyrocketed more than ten times.

But he has no foundation here, so a compromise and a roundabout option is the best solution.

Even if he can't pee in a pot in the future, he will have gained momentum and a female fan.

Scott pulled Du Sheng aside and sighed:

“Du, although I don’t like what the Universal Music branch did, it was the company’s original plan for the release.

Now that you have replaced it and become a member of the company, can you help us solve this problem?
Even the best album is useless if there is no distribution channel.”

In addition to providing capital, investors in the music industry often help companies solve problems, which is why small companies in Lighthouse Country have the opportunity to thrive.

"Have you ever heard the song "Just the Way You Are" which ranks 48th on the Billboard Hot ?"

Du Sheng did not answer but asked instead.

Scott was startled, then he realized something and asked in surprise:

“Is this song your work?”

"Yes, I just did it on impulse a few days ago."

In order to have a good cooperation and release records in the future, Du Sheng revealed:
“I have some cooperation with Sony, which is also due to which this song has entered the Billboard Top 50 so quickly.

If you have an idea, I can introduce you to someone.”

"That's great!"

Scott was surprised and finally felt relieved.

He didn't expect that this tycoon from the East was an insider and had received such great support from Sony.

Based on the rising momentum of the song "Just the Way You Are", it is 100% certain that it will enter the top ten.

The top five can also be expected!
From this we can see that the cooperative relationship between Du Sheng and Sony is not ordinary.

With this person helping to build bridges, the future is promising.

Du Sheng changed the subject and waved to the girl who came in nervously with a smile:
"But the condition is that I release an album for her as soon as possible.
Don’t be afraid of losses, just think of it as accumulating experience.”

.........

(End of this chapter)