RNP Chapter 102 Song of the Palace
Chapter 102 Song of the Palace
Lin Zhou walked up to her, took a piece of paper out of his pocket, and handed it to her. The paper contained lyrics and sheet music that he had printed out in his spatial dimension using a printer. The handwriting was neat, and the title read "A Thousand Songs".
"This song is for you," Lin Zhou said gently. "I wrote it especially for the person who came in first, and it will also be the first album released by Zhonghua Records."
Zhao Yazhi took the paper with trembling hands, her eyes quickly scanning the words on it, her heart pounding.
She looked down at the lyrics—"Looking back slowly, the nights that once belonged to each other, you are still the bright sun in my heart," and as she read line by line, she felt her eyes getting hotter and hotter.
The melody of this song is tender and poignant, carrying a sense of melancholy at parting, yet also hiding an expectation for the future. It is a perfect match for her voice.
"Mr. Lin..." Zhao Yazhi raised her head, her voice choked with emotion. All the words she wanted to say were condensed into one sentence: "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Lin Zhou patted her shoulder, his tone resolute. "This is what you deserve. I believe this song will make you a star in Hong Kong."
A few days later, the recording of Zhonghua Records' first album officially began. In the recording studio, the lights were soft, and Zhao Yazhi, wearing headphones, sang "A Thousand Songs" into the microphone again and again.
A professional instructor sat in front of the mixing console, personally supervising her, occasionally raising his hand to indicate, "Your breath control is a little more steady," or prompting, "Your emotion is a little stronger."
Zhao Yazhi listened attentively, adjusting her own state of mind. She knew that this album was not only an opportunity for her, but also the key for Zhonghua Records to open the door to the music scene.
"A Thousand Songs" is destined to become the hottest song this autumn.
In Hong Kong during the 1970s, radio, vinyl records were all the rage. Joseph Koo's melodies played on the radio every day. The giants PolyGram, Capital Artists, and Universal Music Hong Kong firmly held the power in the music scene, making it extremely difficult for newcomers to make a name for themselves.
The rumor that Zhonghua Records was going to release an album spread like wildfire throughout the music industry in just a few days.
That afternoon, a private room in an elegantly decorated teahouse in Tsim Sha Tsui was filled with smoke.
Zhou Qiyuan, manager of Universal Music's Hong Kong branch, was slowly skimming the foam off his teacup with the lid. Opposite him sat several record store owners, each with a gloomy expression.
"Have you heard? Zhonghua, the company that makes air fryers and handheld game consoles, is going to get into the music industry." The speaker was the owner of a small record store, surnamed Huang. His company mainly sells covers of Japanese songs, and its volume is not very large.
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his tone full of disdain, "What does an electronics guy know about singing and opera? He's probably just obsessed with money."
Zhou Qiyuan chuckled, put down his teacup, and tapped the table with his fingertips: "Boss Huang, you're being too polite. Who is Lin Zhou? He's so young yet he's made Zhonghua Company incredibly successful, selling out of handheld game consoles. Now he wants to get a piece of the music scene? He's probably just relying on the money he has in his pocket."
"That's right," another boss chimed in. "I heard he signed seven new artists, and their first album was for someone named Zhao Yazhi. He even said he wrote the songs himself, something like 'A Thousand Songs.' Tsk, that name sounds so out of place, no wonder it's not going to be a hit."
Zhou Qiyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes: "The music industry isn't his electronics factory; it's not something you can control just by throwing money at it."
"If we join forces and contact those established record companies, are we afraid we can't handle a greenhorn like him?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the private room nodded in agreement.
Some of them control most of Hong Kong's record distribution channels, some are on friendly terms with the music directors of major radio stations, and some have access to popular singers.
If they join forces, Zhonghua Records' album "A Thousand Songs" will not only fail to become a hit, but it probably won't even have a chance to be placed on the shelves of record stores.
Within two days, resistance began to emerge.
Manager Zhang of the distribution department at Zhonghua Records, carrying a sample copy of "A Thousand Songs," visited record stores large and small throughout Hong Kong. The owners who had greeted him with smiles before he came to Zhonghua Records now all looked troubled.
"Manager Zhang, it's not that I'm being disrespectful," the owner of a record store said apologetically, rubbing his hands together. "It's just that our shelves are full lately, and we can't make any room. How about... we wait until next month?"
Manager Zhang frowned: "Boss Wang, we've worked together before. You even sold the records I brought over before, and they sold quite well."
"Things change," Boss Wang said, avoiding Lao Zhang's gaze and lowering his voice. "Lao Zhang, don't blame me for not warning you, you'd better leave Zhonghua Records. Their record company is going out of business."
Besides, Manager Zhou has already spoken to us; we're a small business, we can't afford to offend him.
Manager Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood. He gritted his teeth, turned around, and went to the next store. But the results were surprisingly consistent: either the shelves were full, the music style didn't suit the market, or they simply refused to see him.
Distribution channels were blocked, and problems also arose on the radio station side.
Manager Zhang's publicity staff took the demo tape to the music program producer at Hong Kong Radio. The producer was polite, but after listening to half of "A Thousand Songs," he shook his head and said, "The melody of this song is too soft; it doesn't fit the style of our program. Nowadays, listeners prefer upbeat songs, so this might not be suitable."
The publicity staff grew anxious: "Producer, the lyrics and singing style of this song are really great, would you like to listen to it again?"
"No need." The producer waved his hand, his tone indifferent. "Our program schedule is already full. Let's talk about it later."
The staff member walked out of the radio station building, looked at the gray sky, and felt a chill in his heart. How could he not see that this wasn't a problem with the music style, but that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
When the news reached Zhonghua Records, the atmosphere in the training room instantly became tense.
Seven girls huddled together, their faces filled with anxiety. Zhao Yazhi clutched the sheet music for "A Thousand Songs" in her hand, her fingertips turning slightly white. She looked out the window, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Were all her months of hard work going to be for nothing?
Chen Meiling, with her quick temper, couldn't help but yell, "These people are going too far! They're clearly taking advantage of us being newcomers and Zhonghua being a new company!"
"What should we do? If the record can't be released, won't all our efforts be wasted?" Li Yue's eyes were red, and her voice was trembling with tears.
Just then, the training room door was pushed open. Lin Zhou walked in, followed by Lao Zhang. He looked at the girls' disappointed expressions, but his face showed no sign of panic.
Old Zhang sighed and recounted the setbacks he'd encountered with distribution and radio stations. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "President Lin, it's my fault. I couldn't get the channels sorted out."
Lin Zhou waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to blame himself. He walked up to the girls, his gaze sweeping over their faces, his voice calm yet firm: "The channels are blocked, the radio stations won't broadcast it, it doesn't matter. We don't need them, we can still make 'A Thousand Songs' spread throughout Hong Kong."
Everyone was taken aback and looked up at him.
Lin Zhou smiled confidently and pointed out the window: "How many electronics stores are there in Hong Kong? How many Zhonghua handheld console distributors? And our Zhonghua Daily's media platform, our own territory, why would we be worried about not having a place to put our records?"
He paused, then added, "Also, we'll make 'A Thousand Songs' into a cartridge, and give it away with every handheld console purchase. I refuse to believe that nobody will listen to it!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.
Exactly! Zhonghua handheld game consoles have hundreds of partner electronics stores in Hong Kong, more than a dozen directly operated handheld console specialty stores, and countless newsstands—these are all readily available channels! Moreover, handheld consoles are selling like hotcakes, and offering a free game cartridge with the purchase of a handheld console is absolutely a brilliant move!
Looking at Lin Zhou's composed face, Zhao Yazhi's unease instantly dissipated. She suddenly felt that this young man in front of her seemed to always have a way to resolve crises.
Old Zhang suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his thigh: "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! Mr. Lin, I'll arrange it right away, contact the electronics stores and specialty shops, and the records will be on display tomorrow!"
Lin Zhou nodded: "Go ahead. Also, print another batch of posters and send them to the Zhonghua News Agency so they can distribute them along with the newspaper. Tell everyone in Hong Kong that Zhonghua Records' 'A Thousand Songs' has arrived."
Old Zhang responded and left, his steps much lighter.
The girls in the training room cheered, their gloom vanishing. Chen Meiling patted Zhao Yazhi on the shoulder and said excitedly, "Yazhi, this is great! Our song is sure to be a hit!"
Zhao Yazhi smiled and nodded, her eyes sparkling. She watched Lin Zhou's retreating figure, silently reciting the lyrics of the song "A Thousand Songs" in her heart.