Liang Yin was also quite excited, saying, "We have a guitarist and a lead vocalist. I can play the drums a little. If we hire a keyboardist, we can debut!"
Wang Zhi said, "That's right!" The thought of being the guitarist for Da Fei thrilled him. The talent he'd honed for over a decade finally had a chance to shine!
"Da Fei, what do you think?" Lin Chudong asked, sitting on the sofa.
"Don't get too excited. I'm here to apply for the guitar teacher position. Forming a band isn't urgent."
Liang Yin sat down right next to him, like two imposing mountains closing in, making Lin Chudong feel suffocated.
"Why isn't it urgent? This is your most difficult time. As your fans, we naturally have to give you our full support!"
Lin Chudong asked, "You'll really help us out?"
"Absolutely!"
"Alright, let me lay out the plan."
Lin Chudong crossed his legs, his expression turning serious.
"First, we need to register a company. That won't cost much."
"The main expense of forming a band will be instruments. We'll need at least three performance-grade electric guitars, one acoustic guitar, a keyboard, an electric piano, a drum kit, a bass, and effects pedals, and so on."
"Your store has most of these. That will save us some money, but it's still your cost. The initial estimate for the bare minimum is around 300,000 yuan. If you were opening a music store, your costs would be about 250,000 yuan. That's the lowest configuration."
"The second expense is the musicians' salaries. Since I'm the lead vocalist, I can forgo a base salary and just take 15% of the performance fees. That'll save us some money."
"But the salary for a guitarist who can perform on stage is at least between ten and twenty thousand. Of course, the musician's skill level is also linked to the salary; you get what you pay for."
"Let's aim for a salary of over ten thousand. We'll need a drummer, a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist, a bassist, and a keyboardist. That's the bare minimum. We'll also need a trumpeter, a violinist, a harmonica player, and other musicians. The monthly expenses will be at least over a hundred thousand."
"The initial investment is two hundred and fifty thousand, with monthly expenses of a hundred thousand. If we get a performance, for a new band, the performance fee is at most two thousand, and we still have to cover travel and accommodation..."
Lin Chudong's words caused the great ambitions in Liang Yin's chest to shrink little by little.
"With your fame, how could the performance fee only be two thousand?"
Lin Chudong said, "I signed a contract, so I can't use the name Da Fei during promotion. Therefore, even with me, the performance fee won't be too high."
"Then can't we write 'former lead vocalist of Da Fei Band'?"
"That's possible, but the company's strength isn't great. The organizers will still lower your performance fee. Because with our current strength, we have no performances at all. So, let alone two thousand, even if they offer you a thousand, you'll have to take it."
Liang Yin's enthusiasm was instantly doused. Spending a hundred thousand a month… she had some savings, but it wouldn't last for long.
Could they turn things around in a few months?
Relying solely on Lin Chudong seemed unlikely!
Seeing that they had both calmed down, Lin Chudong smiled.
"So, there's no rush. I'll teach lessons first, earn some living expenses."
Wang Zhi was a little unconvinced. "Big Fly, you've seen my skill. Can't I really be a guitarist?"
Lin Chudong shook his head. "If you want to join the band, you could switch to bass."
Wang Zhi was stunned. "No way! Guitarists are so cool. Bass is boring!"
Lin Chudong patted his shoulder earnestly and said.
"You study guitar, and the world just gets another guitarist."
"But if you switch to bass, the world gets a band. Think about it."
After Lin Chudong finished speaking, Wang Zhi was silent for a long time. He silently walked to the corner and picked up a bass.
He had some bass basics, and had been a bass teacher before, but he was definitely a bit behind professional musicians.
Lin Chudong simply wrote a teaching plan and had Liang Yin put it up on their door.
"Guitar Crash Course, Learn to Play and Sing for 3,000 yuan, One Month Speedrun."
This teaching plan left Wang Zhi speechless. He strongly disagreed with the speedrun approach, but the other person was Da Fei, so he didn't say anything.
Liang Yin was serious about forming a band. Although Lin Chudong had poured cold water on her, she still felt there was a chance.
After staying up all night watching highlights of the Da Fei Band, including Da Fei's amazing guitar solos, drum solos, and performances on piano, harmonica, and Morin Khuur…
It seemed Da Fei could play anything. Any instrument in his hands could produce beautiful melodies.
With a lead vocalist like that, she didn't believe forming a band could lose money!
Lin Chudong lay in the dormitory, quietly waiting for the treasure chest to open.
The dormitory environment was not bad, clean and tidy, but that was its only advantage. There wasn't even a small window, which was quite depressing.
Fortunately, Lin Chudong wasn't picky. She had lived in worse environments; this was nothing.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Lin Chudong opened the door and saw a woman who wouldn't even let cookie crumbs fall on her feet.
A loose nightgown concealed her figure somewhat; otherwise, it would be too easy to have unhealthy dreams in the middle of the night.
"Boss Lady, what's up?"
"Da Fei, I've thought it over. I'm going to support you in forming a band! I can provide a starting fund of one million, and I also have a house that I can mortgage. Plus, all the instruments in my shop. Is that enough?"
Lin Chudong was stunned. The Boss Lady was loaded.
How many people running brick-and-mortar stores these days could come up with a million in cash? Don't be fooled by how much money a family claims to have; it's mostly tied up in their houses. Not many people have even a few hundred thousand in actual cash in the bank.
"That should be about right."
Liang Yin was overjoyed to get Lin Chudong's approval.
"So, where do we start?"
"Come on in and sit down first."
The two of them sat on the bed. Liang Yin's loose pajamas immediately molded to her figure as she sat, the curves impossible to ignore.
Lin Chudong looked up, trying his best not to look.
"Tomorrow, you go register the company, and then prepare to release a song first. Release the one I sang today, 'Chengdu'."
It was just registering a company, after all. Who the legal representative was didn't matter. He just needed this initial capital.
Once the company had more funds later, they could sign a copyright contract.
Lin Chudong only had a little over a hundred thousand, while Liang Yin was investing a million plus a house. With this funding ratio, he didn't feel right demanding controlling interest.
But he also couldn't just let the company be run without his say, he couldn't repeat his mistakes. So, for now, he'd earn some money first before signing the equity agreement.
As for the subsequent copyright issues of the songs, that would be discussed later. In short, Lin Chudong couldn't make the same mistakes twice.
He had to hold tight to one share of equity and one copyright.
He remembered that after Lin Chudong obtained the system three years ago, he had been continuously checking in. Finally, on the last day of the third year, he received a "Hollowed Out" gift package.
This gift package hollowed out eighty percent of the entertainment system in this world.
In other words, most of the well-known songs that Lin Chudong knew didn't exist in this world. He could shock the music scene just by taking out a single song.
Of course, to shock the music scene, he also needed a platform.
Busking on the street would only attract the attention of the Urban Management Officers.
Liang Yin didn't know much about this. "How much does it cost to release a song?"
"If it's a normal release, including songwriting, composing, professional arrangement, performance, harmony, recording studio, and music license number, it would cost at least several hundred thousand."
"But I can handle all of that myself. You just need to take care of the recording studio and the promotion and distribution after it's finished."
"Around seventy to eighty thousand, roughly."
Liang Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. That much money is no problem. Your song 'Chengdu' is really good; it's bound to be a hit!"
Lin Chudong smiled faintly. Before the world was hollowed out, "Chengdu" was a song every guitar enthusiast had to learn.
So many music stores used the slogan "Learn 'Chengdu' in thirty days" to attract countless students.
This song, "Chengdu," might not make their band famous, but it would definitely save music stores nationwide.
(End of Chapter)