Chapter 5: How many steps to release a record

Genta Nakai's efficiency is very high. That night, he said he was going to a dance hall to find suitable talent.

However, in Naoki Nagayama's view, it was probably another night of drunken dreams and death.

Who would have thought that the next day, while Nagayama was still eating breakfast, Genta Nakai brought a young woman who was not tall to the door.

"Nagayama-san, this is Suzumi Hoshino, my good friend, a top student at Toho Gakuen School of Music! She is also a Seiko fan~"

Naoki Nagayama saw the fashionable beauty in front of him and couldn't help but want to ask: "Is she really not hooked up casually from a nightclub..."

"Ohayou~ Nagayama-kun, I heard your story from Nakai-san, and I couldn't help but be curious and come over~ Hahahaha." It turns out this is also a cheerful girl~

"Ohayou~ Hoshino-san." Naoki Nagayama hurriedly invited the two into the door, and by the way, stuffed the remaining rice ball into his mouth. "I didn't prepare in advance, the room is a bit messy, please sit wherever you like..."

They were all young people, and they weren't too cautious. The two sat casually around the small low table. "It doesn't matter, compared to Nakai-san's home, your place is much cleaner~"

"Why drag me into this, Suzumi~ My place is also clean~" Genta Nakai was not happy. "I clean it properly every week~"

For a bachelor, it was indeed okay.

After a few pleasantries, they got to the point.

Suzumi Hoshino asked: "Nagayama-san, the song you mentioned before, can you tell me about it?"

Nagayama took out the lyrics he had written before and hummed the melody. "How is it, can you compose the music?"

Suzumi Hoshino was worthy of being a music major. After listening to it just once, she could look at the lyrics and sing it out a cappella.

Naoki Nagayama and Genta Nakai listened to Suzumi Hoshino's a cappella, and the same thought was in their brains: "Sure enough, this song "Cherry Blossom", sung by a sweet female voice, is really ten times better!"

"If this song is sung by Princess Seiko, it will definitely be popular all over Japan!" Suzumi Hoshino was indeed a die-hard Seiko fan. "However, for composing, there are still some details that need to be supplemented..."

"Hai, I'm really sorry to trouble you, I will also try my best for the remuneration of composing..."

"Forget about the remuneration, contributing to Princess Seiko is also the wish of us Seiko fans!"

Say it again, she is indeed a die-hard Seiko fan!

Composing music is not something that can be done overnight. For the next two or three days, Suzumi Hoshino would come to Naoki Nagayama's place every day to improve the score together. Sometimes Genta Nakai accompanied, and sometimes there were only the 2 of them.

Even the landlady Mrs. Makino asked quietly: "Is that beautiful lady Nagayama-san's girlfriend?"

"Hahaha~ No, Miss Suzumi Hoshino is Nakai-san's good friend. These few days we are communicating for a song."

"Oh, are you going to release a record?" Mrs. Makino was very curious.

"No, I created a song and want to try if I can provide it to Seiko Matsuda to sing." Naoki Nagayama was a bit embarrassed, but for the first pot of gold, he still had the thick skin to call it "creation".

"Really? That's truly amazing." Although she was old, Mrs. Makino was not ignorant of the new stars in the entertainment industry.

Days passed by, the score of "Cherry Blossom" had long been completed, and he also asked Suzumi Hoshino to record a demo tape, and submitted the song to SunMusic, the agency where Seiko Matsuda was, and also attached a sincere letter.

Currently, Seiko Matsuda's second single "Kaze wa Aki-iro" was in the promotion period and had won first place on the Oricon chart, destined to be a big hit. The popularity of the previous "Aoi Sangoshou" had declined a bit, but it had also won first place on "The Best 10".

After Momoe Yamaguchi retired, the media had already called Seiko Matsuda a phenomenal newcomer. At this time, this song might be able to add another fire to Seiko's popularity.

At this time, at an internal meeting of SunMusic, President Hideyoshi Aizawa was listening to the demo tape. Of course, Hideyoshi Aizawa was very concerned about the newcomer that the agency was pushing hard.

Early this morning, the person in charge of the agency's planning department brought this single "Cherry Blossom" to Hideyoshi Aizawa, saying that a fan of Seiko had written a great song for Seiko.

Hideyoshi Aizawa didn't care much at first, but now that he heard the demo tape and thought about Seiko Matsuda's vocal conditions, he had to admit that this song was not inferior to "Aoi Sangoshou".

However, during this period, the agency was promoting "Kaze wa Aki-iro", and "Aoi Sangoshou" also wanted to add more effort, hoping to win an award at the Japan Record Awards.

If this single was released at the end of the year, it would be a bit of a waste of potential. If it was used as the opening single next year, it seemed more appropriate.

"No matter what, this song should be taken down first."

Hideyoshi Aizawa asked the manager Sanwa Taisei, who was in charge of Seiko Matsuda, to contact the creator Naoki Nagayama first. The subsequent record production would have to be communicated with Muneo Wakamatsu, and it would most likely be placed next year.

As a senior man in black in the industry, Sanwa Taisei had worked with many composers and lyricists, but this kind of single DEMO where both lyrics and music had been created was generally sent by newcomers who wanted to debut. It was really rare for a fan to send it to the door directly.

He asked the planning department for the contact information and dialed the landline of the Makino family directly.

"Moshi moshi, this is the Makino family."

"Hello, this is Sanwa Taisei from SunMusic. May I ask if Nagayama Naoki-san is there?"

"Hai, he is, please wait a moment." Because he had greeted Mrs. Makino in advance, the contact information Naoki Nagayama left was the landline of the apartment.

These few days, he basically stayed in the apartment watching TV, listening to records, constantly deepening his connection with the Showa era, and by the way, resting his body. When he received the call, Naoki Nagayama even felt that he had gained a circle of weight.

"Moshi moshi, this is Naoki Nagayama!"

"Hello, this is Sanwa Taisei from SunMusic. We received the single "Cherry Blossom" you sent. It is indeed an outstanding song. We want to talk to you about the subsequent cooperation matters. May I ask when you are convenient?"

"So that's it, I've been very free lately... Ah, no, I'm free now. You set the time..."

Finally, it was set for the next morning at SunMusic for specific negotiations.

Producing a record is planned by the producer, using reserved lyrics and music, or inviting composers and lyricists to create. If it is centered on a certain singer, it can also be specially created as an exclusive single. Generally speaking, in the total revenue of a record, the agency and the record company take away more than 90%. After all, the distribution and promotion costs are all on their side.

However, famous lyricists and composers and popular stars also have corresponding bargaining power. Of course, there is also the practice of buying out directly, but songs destined to be big hits are generally not bought out by anyone.

The conversation between Naoki Nagayama and Sanwa Taisei was very smooth. After both sides agreed on the excellence of the single, the copyright transfer fee and royalty sharing were also a matter of course. In addition to the 10 million for buying out the copyright, Naoki Nagayama could finally get a 5% royalty share for the lyricist and composer.

The entertainment industry is really fast at making money!

After talking and signing the contract, Sanwa Taisei invited Naoki Nagayama to a high-end restaurant near the agency for a meal. This had almost become a tradition. No matter what contract was signed, as long as both sides determined to cooperate, they always had to pull the relationship. The consumption level of the entertainment industry, in some aspects, also represented the face of the agency. Anyway, the hospitality standard of SunMusic was also considered first-class in the industry, and this could not be saved. ===== CHAPTER 6 =====