I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 080 The Millionaire

On August 1st, at Qiuniu Studio, Yang Du met the assistant that Yuan Xiuqing had recruited for him.

A thirty-year-old man with a neat buzz cut, a tall and straight figure, sharp eyes, but a reserved and calm demeanor, who seemed very reliable.

Just by standing there, he really does look like a javelin.

After settling the tough guy named Chen Chen on the first floor to familiarize himself with the work environment, Yang Du called Yuan Xiuqing to the second floor.

"Sister Qing, is he my assistant? Judging from his demeanor, he doesn't fit the style of our entertainment industry at all. He looks like he just got discharged from the military."

"That's right, Chen Chen is indeed a veteran. I pulled a lot of strings and carefully selected him."

Yuan Xiuqing began to list Chen Chen's merits.

"When looking for an assistant in this industry, the worst thing you can do is be a gossipy, impatient young person. Chen Chen is a veteran, has a stable personality, and most importantly, he is tight-lipped. He will never ask what he shouldn't ask, and he will never say what he shouldn't say."

"He used to be a squad leader for three terms in the army, with ten soldiers under his command. He is not only meticulous and resilient under pressure, but also caring. You can completely trust him with your daily life matters."

At this point, Yuan Xiuqing laughed: "Most importantly, Chen Chen is not only good at being an assistant, but he's also a good driver, after all, he came from the military. Once Qiuniu Studio gets its own commercial vehicles, he can directly serve as your personal driver."

"That's not all. With Chen Chen's physique and skills, when you attend some public and chaotic occasions in the future, he can act as your bodyguard and help you avoid those crazy fans and paparazzi."

"Sister Qing, you really know how to manage your money," Yang Du exclaimed sincerely, feeling a pang of conscience. "You're paid the salary of an assistant, but you're actually doing the work of an assistant, driver, and bodyguard. Even capitalists would weep if they heard that."

Yuan Xiuqing rolled her eyes at Yang Du, annoyed: "Who am I doing all this for?"

Yang Du immediately made a zipping motion with his mouth shut and stopped talking.

"It's really not right to only take one salary. We're only getting 2 a month now, but we'll definitely get a raise in the future. Let's work things out for now." Yuan Xiuqing sat up straight, her joking expression gone, and said seriously, "Now, Qiuniu Studio is no longer the makeshift team with just one or two people it used to be."

There are three people now!

"With Chen Chen joining the company, the previous lax attitude must be put away. Before, when there were no outsiders, it was fine for me to call you 'Boss' and you to call me 'Sister Qing.' But from today onwards, in front of employees or in other public places, you have to change how you address me."

"In the workplace, rules and professionalism matter, not age. You are the founder of Qiuniu Studio, and I am your subordinate. You can call me Xiuqing or by my title. The boss's authority must be established."

That makes sense.

Yang Du straightened the wrinkles on his T-shirt and adopted a boss-like demeanor: "Then please let Director Yuan begin the second agenda item of today's meeting."

"Okay, Mr. Yang." Yuan Xiuqing opened the folder in front of her and switched to reporting mode. "The main purpose of this small meeting with you today is to conduct a comprehensive review of the various copyright revenues of Qiuniu Studio in the early stages."

"First, some good news. The total revenue from 'Flammable and Explosive' in May was 166 million. This money was officially transferred to the studio's account yesterday afternoon after the accounting was completed by the finance department of Jinshi Music."

"very good."

166 million in cash.

"Next up is 'Flammable and Explosive.' After more than two months of release, it has been downloaded over 720 million times and has been certified as a double platinum single. The total number of streams across the internet has reached 9.5 million."

"Based on the above data, the additional royalties generated by 'Flammable and Explosive' in June and July totaled 270 million."

Yuan Xiuqing turned to a page of the report and continued, "Next is 'Painting the Heart'."

"As of July 31, the number of digital downloads reached 2.8 million, the number of streaming playbacks reached 850 million, and the total revenue for June and July was 407 million, based on 10% of the lyrics and music royalties plus 3% of the producer points."

"Then there was 'Red Rose,' which had 410 million digital downloads and 6.6 million streaming views, generating 417 million in revenue."

Every time Yuan Xiuqing said a number, Yang Du would press the corresponding number on the calculator.

The crisp sound of the keys was like the most beautiful music in the world.

"...Add 417 million, and it equals 1260 million!"

Yang Du felt like he was in a dream: "I'm a multi-millionaire now!"

The entertainment industry is really lucrative!

Yuan Xiuqing said, "That's not all. There's also 'Birthday Blessing Song,' which has been downloaded 200 million times digitally and streamed 1.2 million times."

"Although the data for 'Birthday Blessing Song' after 25 days of release is relatively weak, we own the master tape copyright. We only need to pay Tuya 15% of the artist royalties, and the remaining 85% of the revenue goes to Qiuniu Studio, which takes the lion's share."

Yang Du asked curiously, "How much?"

"Electronic downloads brought in 357 million, and streaming media brought in 306 million, totaling 663 million!"

Yang Du leaned back in his chair, let out a long breath, and felt as if his soul had been elevated.

"So, we still need the master tape rights, without middlemen taking a cut. If download streaming explodes to the size of 'Flammable and Explosive,' I can't even imagine it."

That's only four singles.

It is only due to the limitations of production cycle and output capacity that Qiuniu Studio could have grown into a music giant with countless master tape copyrights in just one year, and even the Big Three have to look up to it and call it "Dad".

Yuan Xiuqing agreed, saying, "Copyright is an asset. In the past, we were forced to do so because Jinshi took the lion's share, and we only got a small piece of the pie. But starting with 'The Lone Warrior,' we've been independently producing singles, and the studio's asset-light model will become more and more significant in the future."

"But—" Yuan Xiuqing coldly poured cold water on the situation, "According to the T+60 settlement rule, this total of 1800 million is just an estimated total revenue. It's currently just hanging in the account; you can see it, but you can't touch it."

"The good news is that over time, these earnings will snowball and enter the settlement period. Based on the current turnover, the studio's account will receive approximately 500 million in cash each month over the next few months."

"Sigh!" Yang Du sighed again at the T+60 settlement rule, his face full of pain. "They're betting all my hard-earned money."

"Alright, Mr. Yang, be content. Earning 500 million a month, that's like a money-printing machine. How many companies in China don't even have the net profit of this studio? You can't be too greedy."

"Okay."

Yang Du pursed his lips, quickly composed himself, after all, starting today he was also a person earning 500 million a month, and he needed to broaden his horizons.

"Now that the money has arrived and the driver is available, I'll pick up the car this afternoon and won't be taking ride-hailing services anymore."