Perfect Superstar.

On June 10, Lu Chen returned to Capital City.

Shaking off the melancholy of graduation farewells, he felt invigorated and ready to embark on a new journey.

From now on, he would no longer be a university student in an ivory tower, but a true newcomer in society.

The road ahead is long and has no ending; I will search high and low for my goals!

At this moment, Lu Chen had no idea what awaited him in the future, nor did he know if he was about to step onto a bright avenue paved with flowers or a perilous path strewn with thorns.

But he was fearless and full of anticipation!

…

On June 11, Thursday, it was overcast.

Lu Chen arrived at the Delong Building, located on the Fourth Ring Road.

The Delong Building is a 58-story office building situated in the most bustling financial district of the Fourth Ring. Lu Chen had been there twice recently, participating in the production of two music singles by the Wandering Band at the 35th-floor Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop.

Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop is well-known in the Capital City pop music scene. Established a decade ago, it primarily engages in music production and promotion, boasting complete and advanced equipment along with a team of excellent professionals.

Many industry heavyweights have produced their works through the Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop. Qingyu Media decided to make its first foray into the pop music scene by having its debut album produced there.

Quality comes first!

Although Lu Chen's involvement was not deep, he gained a profound understanding of Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop's capabilities.

Therefore, he wanted to entrust his own album to Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) for completion.

The idea of producing a personal album had started forming in Lu Chen's mind since he signed with ''Whale TV''. After discussing it with Editor Suian from Yunji Music Network post the PK theme show, he finally made up his mind.

Lu Chen wanted this album to be his stepping stone into the broader entertainment industry!

Thus, he placed great importance on it as the first major task upon returning to the capital.

In the client reception room of Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop, Lu Chen first met the company's business representative.

The representative, Ms. Ni, was in her thirties and epitomized the typical workplace elite, with meticulous makeup and well-tailored attire. Although her smile was somewhat professional, it did not make anyone feel neglected.

Ms. Ni spoke in a soft voice: "'Mr. Lu Chen, here is our company's external music production pricing list. It includes five package combinations: A, B, C, D, and E. Of course, if you have special requirements, our company can also customize for you.'"

Lu Chen nodded and took the pricing list to examine it carefully.

During his previous visits to Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound), he had been helping out and hadn't inquired about prices. Now, he was seeing the details for the first time.

This pricing list was specifically for album production and included all costs for composing music, recording, and post-production. Among the five packages, the lowest E package was priced at 100,000 yuan, while the highest A package was priced at 1,000,000 yuan—ten times the difference!

Before coming to Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound), Lu Chen had some understanding of music single and album production.

Capital City is the center of the national cultural industry, with entertainment and media companies as numerous as the stars in the sky, and the number of professionals in related industries reaches millions. There are countless music workshops, recording rooms, and professional production companies.

If someone merely wants to dabble in music without concern for quality, they can easily order a personal album online.

For those wishing to experience the thrill of studio recording, spending 1,000-2,000 yuan can suffice.

Of course, these are all amateur efforts; for anyone wanting to produce high-quality music singles or albums, the costs are incredibly high. Spending 1,000-2,000 yuan per song is the basic expectation, and one should not be surprised if costs reach hundreds of thousands— quality reflects price.

So, despite the numerous vagrant singers in the capital, many never produce a true album in their lifetimes. Beyond the songs themselves, the production costs are crucial, and there are still expenses for promotion and distribution. If the album doesn't sell, it results in a total loss!

As for songs produced for just a few thousand yuan, there are no channels to release them; giving them away would be embarrassing.

As a seasoned company in the industry, Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop was very professional, detailing the list of expenses included in the five packages, and making it clear for all to see.

After reviewing the options, Lu Chen was most satisfied with Package C, which included a well-known composer, a producer, and band accompaniment, along with high-standard recording and post-production, priced at 500,000 yuan— equivalent to 50,000 yuan per song.

It wasn't that Packages A and B were inferior to C; rather, the prices were simply beyond Lu Chen's means.

Even Package C was currently an unaffordable sum for him.

Compared to Packages D and E, which cost 250,000 and 100,000 yuan respectively, Package C felt significantly more worthwhile.

Without being the one in charge, one wouldn't understand the costs of living!

Lu Chen sighed inwardly, holding the pricing list as he tentatively asked, "'Ms. Ni, if I choose Package C, what kind of discount could your company offer?'"

He had heard Qin Hanyang mention last time that it was possible to negotiate with the production company.

Ms. Ni replied sincerely, "'Mr. Lu, I can offer you a maximum discount of 5% off. If you can get our manager or director's signature, the lowest discount will be 10%.'"

Lu Chen felt disheartened upon hearing this. Not to mention that he didn't even know the manager or director of Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop, even if he could get their signatures, a 10% discount would still amount to 450,000 yuan.

Lu Chen knew that if a company like Qingyu Media were negotiating on his behalf, the price would probably be lower. But since he was doing it on his own, that was the situation.

As the saying goes, "A big tree provides great shade." Signing with an entertainment and media company indeed meant losing many freedoms and rights, but it also offered numerous conveniences, such as not having to worry about production and distribution— only the promotion required effort.

However, Lu Chen did not regret his choice!

After considering, he said, "'Then I'll think about it, Ms. Ni. Can I take this pricing list with me?'"

Ms. Ni smiled brightly, "'Of course, you can take it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly.'"

She had already given Lu Chen her business card when they met.

"Thank you!"

Lu Chen left Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop with the pricing list in hand.

In fact, for Lu Chen at this stage, 450,000 yuan wasn't an excessively large sum; he could earn it back in a short time or find a way to sell two songs to make up for it.

However, this led to another question: with such a large investment, would he be able to recoup his costs? Lu Chen felt uncertain about this.

He had achieved some success in online live streaming, with a large number of fans, but in the entertainment industry, he was still just a newcomer— an outsider without any real influence.

Moreover, releasing an online album raised concerns about piracy. The selling price for online albums was quite low, and not many were willing to pay for them because free pirated versions would quickly become available after release.

The same logic applied to ''Whale TV''; despite having hundreds of thousands of Fish Fans, it was like tipping—only a small portion of people were truly willing to spend money.

An album was undoubtedly going to be released, but Lu Chen didn't want to lose money while trying to gain fame, nor did he want to compromise on quality. That would be a major problem—his ideas were beautiful, but the reality was harsh!

With a tangled mindset, he took the elevator down to the ground floor of the Delong Building.

Just a few steps out of the elevator, a middle-aged man suddenly approached him and blocked his way.

"Excuse me, sir, are you planning to produce songs at Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Workshop?"

The middle-aged man looked to be around fifty, with a slender build, dressed in somewhat ill-fitting clothes that made him appear a bit shabby.

He spoke with noticeable nervousness, his eyes frequently darting to the security guard in the nearby lobby.

"Uh…"

Lu Chen was taken aback and curiously asked, "'Is there something you need?'"

The middle-aged man immediately relaxed and pulled a business card from his pocket, handing it to Lu Chen with both hands.

"'I'm Manager Wang Changsheng from Nirvana Music Production Workshop. Can we have a chat?'"

His speech was quite fast, carrying a hint of unease and hope.

Nirvana Music Production Workshop? Lu Chen thought for a moment and couldn't recall anything about it. Nevertheless, he hesitated before replying, "'Alright.'"

He was mainly curious.

The first floor of the Delong Building had a tea house, where the two found a spot to sit and ordered a pot of tea.

Once seated, Lu Chen's first question was, "'Manager Wang, how did you know I was planning to produce songs at Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Workshop?'"

Manager Wang Changsheng pointed to the pricing list Lu Chen had placed on the table and said somewhat sheepishly, "'I saw you holding this, so I thought I'd take a chance and come over.'"

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh.

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(End of Chapter)

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