Rebirth 03: Starting a Business After Giving Up a Secure Job

Chapter 63 Giving Yang Chengang Hope

The music store owner put down his guitar and lit a cigarette: "Quite a few people have come looking for him, in two groups. One group is a website developer surnamed Tian, ​​who was very aggressive and said that Yang Chengang sold the song to him and now he wants an explanation. The other group is his friend, Wang Hu, who also came looking for him. I heard that the two of them had a pretty bad argument."

"Copyright dispute?" Lin Feng immediately grasped the key point.

"Absolutely. Yang Chengang is talented, but not very bright. He sold a song to a guy surnamed Tian for two thousand yuan the year before last, and then gave it away to Wang Hu for free last year. Now he has the copyright from both sides, and he's become the thief."

The boss looked at Lin Feng and said, "I think you're an honest person, so I'm giving you a piece of advice: don't get involved in this mess. His song is good, but the copyright issues are too complicated; whoever gets involved will be in trouble."

"Thank you, boss," Lin Feng nodded, "but I still want to see him. Do you know where he lives?"

The boss hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "There's an urban village over at Shipailing. He rented a single room there, but I don't know the exact address. You can ask around there; maybe someone knows. However, he's probably not in the mood to discuss cooperation right now."

Lin Feng thanked him and immediately headed to Shipailing.

The place was a melting pot of all sorts of people, and the alleyways were like a maze. Lin Feng asked at several small shops, and it wasn't until dusk that he finally got a clue from a landlady who was squatting by the door eating.

"The third floor, the innermost room. I haven't seen him come out in a long time. Someone came looking for him yesterday and made a fuss downstairs for a long time."

Lin Feng crept up to the dilapidated tenement building. The stairwell was piled with clutter. He knocked on the innermost wooden door on the third floor, but there was no response for a long time.

"Professor Yang Chengang, I'm Lin Feng, from Chengdu. I'd like to talk to you about a long-term collaboration," Lin Feng called through the crack in the door. "I know you're in a bit of trouble right now, maybe I can help."

After a while, the door opened a crack, and a haggard, unshaven face peeked out, its eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

"How...how did you find this place? Are you one of Tian Chuanjun's men or Wang Hu's men?"

"I'm nobody's man. I'm here to discuss a legitimate collaboration. I produced Tang Lei's 'Lilac Flower' ringtone and MP3. If you're interested, we can go inside and talk."

Yang Chengang stared at him for a few seconds before slowly opening the door.

The room was small and messy, filled with the smell of instant noodles mixed with cigarette smoke. Yang Chengang sat on the edge of the bed, his hands in his hair, his voice a little hoarse.

"Collaborate? The song isn't even mine anymore, how can I collaborate with you?"

"I've heard about the copyright issue." Lin Feng dragged over the only chair in the room and sat down. "You sold it to Tian Chuanjun once, and then gave it to Wang Hu again."

"You knew that, yet you still came to me?" Yang Chengang was filled with regret. "They're all going to sue me now! Tian Chuanjun says I breached the contract, and Wang Hu says I'm disloyal! I'm caught in the middle!"

"So you're hiding?" Lin Feng asked.

"What else can I do? Can I afford to pay Tian Chuanjun 20,000 yuan in compensation? Can I afford to fall out with Wang Hu? He's my friend!" Yang Chengang was extremely frustrated and waved his hand. "Forget it, there's no point in talking to you..."

"It will work," Lin Feng said confidently. "I can help you solve it."

Yang Chengang sneered, clearly not believing the young man in front of him.

Lin Feng confidently stated, "Copyright matters can be complex or simple. Tian Chuanjun's issue is business, while Wang Hu's is a favor. Business can be resolved with money, and favors can also be repaid with money. They are two separate matters, handled separately using the same method."

"What should we do?"

"Wang Hu is your friend, and you owe him a favor. You'll have to pay that debt yourself. I'll lend you some money, and you can use it to compensate him, make things clear, and get the ringback tone authorization back from him. Consider the money a loan, and it will be deducted from your share of the profits later."

Yang Chengang was stunned.

"As for Tian Chuanjun," Lin Feng continued, "he's a businessman, so I'll talk to him directly. I'll pay him to buy out the rights to the 'Mice Love Rice' ringtone. It'll be a one-time buyout, and the song will have nothing to do with him anymore. He bought it for 2000 yuan initially, but I can buy it back at a premium. I'll let him make a profit. He has no reason to refuse."

"You're paying for it?" Yang Chengang was somewhat skeptical; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

"I'll pay. But after we deal with them, the 'Mice Love Rice' ringback tone business will belong to the two of us. The profits will be split according to the proportion of our contributions. The buyout payment to Tian Chuanjun will be my share. The money to Wang Hu will be your share. How about it?"

"Of course, you can choose not to contribute a single penny, and I will cover Wang Hu's expenses. In that case, I would own 100% of the copyright to this song in the future, but I don't want that. What I hope for is a win-win cooperation with you."

Lin Feng was not unaware that acquiring the entire copyright would yield higher future profits. However, if he did that, Yang Chengang might run out of money in the future and recklessly sell off the rights, ultimately leading to endless disputes and lawsuits.

The room fell silent as Yang Chengang pondered Lin Feng, trying to discern the truth in his words while simultaneously processing the solutions Lin Feng had proposed.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, asking, "Why are you willing to spend so much money? That song... will it really be a hit?"

"Your song has the potential to be a hit." Lin Feng looked directly at him. "But whether it becomes a hit depends on many factors. For example, whether there's a platform to help promote your song. Considering the resources and abilities of people like Tian Chuanjun and Wang Hu, it's unlikely you'll become a hit."

I opened a digital studio, making ringtones and MP3s, and investing in promising songs.

The first song I invested in was Tang Lei's "Lilac Flower." Through my efforts, we eventually reached a cooperation agreement with XunJie Audio and China Mobile. We successfully launched the "Lilac Flower" ringtone, and all of us, including Tang Lei, made money.

Forgive my bluntness, but the potential of the song "Mice Love Rice" is no less than that of "Lilac Flower". However, it will not be easy for it to become popular. On the one hand, you need to participate in more performances to increase the song's popularity. On the other hand, you also need us, mobile service providers and operators to promote and operate it for you.

But I believe that as long as you're willing to collaborate with me, the song "Mice Love Rice" will become a hit in the future. And you personally will also achieve financial freedom.

Yang Chengang found it somewhat unbelievable. In early 2004, the survival of grassroots singers was generally very difficult. But Tang Lei suddenly rose to prominence online and in ringtones with his song "Lilac Flower," and Yang Chengang had heard about it.

"Do you have connections with people at the mobile company?"

Lin Feng smiled and nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Yang Chengang, trapped in his predicament, imagined the future Lin Feng had promised him, a future that was simply too tempting. He couldn't refuse it at all, and regarded Lin Feng as his lifeline.

He lowered his head and vigorously wiped his face with both hands. When he raised his head again, his eyes showed a newfound desire for success.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Tell me about Tian Chuanjun and Wang Hu's situation first. How were their contracts signed?"

Lin Feng offered him a cigarette, and Yang Chengang began to explain slowly.