Chapter 80: Senior Composer

The next day was Saturday.

At nine o'clock, Lin Yuan arrived at the company's composition department.

Upon entering, he noticed that his colleagues were giving him strange looks.

Wu Yong approached mysteriously, whispering to Lin Yuan, "Do you know Dad Yang?"

"Who?"

"Senior Yang Zhongming!"

"Yes," Lin Yuan had heard of Yang Zhongming's works.

Wu Yong sighed in relief, "No wonder he's not angry. Knowing him makes things easier..."

Lin Yuan didn't delve into Wu Yong's words.

Wu Yong would never know that Lin Yuan's understanding of "knowing" was completely different from his.

At that moment, Zhou Ruiming arrived. There seemed to be a hint of joy on his face. As soon as he entered, he said, "Lin Yuan, come to my office."

"Okay."

Lin Yuan followed him into the office.

Old Zhou smiled and said, "Have a seat first."

Lin Yuan nodded and sat on the office sofa.

Old Zhou took out a form, "Take a look at this."

Lin Yuan took the form.

The form listed four songs under Lin Yuan's name, followed by a series of download counts.

"Life Like Summer Flowers" - 3.33 million downloads.

"Big Fish" - 5.01 million downloads.

"Flammable and Explosive" - 4.21 million downloads.

"Balloon" - 3.57 million downloads.

Lin Yuan suddenly realized this. No wonder when the salary was distributed yesterday, the song's share unexpectedly exceeded six hundred thousand.

It turned out that the download counts of his previous songs had been steadily increasing, even surpassing the month when the songs were initially released.

"I believe you already knew," Old Zhou said excitedly, "In the past few months, the potential of the songs you've written has been very high. The download counts have been steadily increasing, and most of them have the potential to surpass ten million. This morning, when I saw this data sheet sent by the lower department, I was shocked by you!"

Lin Yuan: "..."

He didn't know because he hadn't paid attention.

But from the trend of the download counts, he understood a truth.

Seasonal performance is not everything. It's just that some songs are suitable for the charts, while others are not. What really determines the value of a song is not its performance in a single season but the potential it has in the future!

This is determined by the overall environment in Qin Prefecture.

Every month, a large number of excellent new songs emerge. Except for industry professionals and some music enthusiasts, no one can keep track of the changes in the charts at all times.

Many people might only hear songs from a few seasons ago after several months and then add them to their playlists.

For some songs, the download counts in the first month may directly exceed five million, or even ten million, making them invincible on the charts.

But in the following months, the download counts of these songs may remain stagnant.

And for some songs, the download counts in the first month may only be a few hundred thousand, but in the following months, they can easily surpass a million or even ten million!

Take Lin Yuan's "Balloon" as an example.

This song was released in February, and its download count in that month was the highest among Lin Yuan's songs.

But in March, the download count of this song seemed to have not increased much.

This indicates that some songs are liked by the audience in the short term, but as time goes on, they may feel tired of them.

These songs are relatively suitable for the charts, as they have a strong short-term freshness.

Even "Balloon" didn't perform particularly well on the charts. Its success was more due to the balloon challenge initiated on Weibo.

The listeners in Qin Prefecture have become overwhelmed by the vast number of new songs every month.

In just one short month, it might not be enough. They might need more time to discover which song is their absolute favorite.

Moreover, there's a rule in the music scene of Qin Prefecture: Every song has five free trial opportunities each month.

With such a rule, it's inevitable that some freeloaders will emerge. For some, even if they love a song, they won't spend money to download it. Five free trial opportunities per month are sufficient for them.

How many times do you listen to your favorite song each month?

Those willing to download it are either deeply in love with the song or simply don't care about that small amount of money.

So.

In the twelve seasons of Qin Prefecture Music's annual ranking, it's rare to see a song explode in download numbers in its first month, unless that song is truly extraordinary, unlike anything on Earth.

"Four already."

Old Zhou stared at Lin Yuan. "As long as one more song surpasses a million downloads, you'll become a senior composer, the new ace of the tenth-floor composition department!"

There's one more thing Old Zhou didn't say.

That is, if Lin Yuan becomes a senior composer this year, he will be the youngest ace in the entire Starlight.

Lin Yuan nodded.

Old Zhou chuckled. "Alright, go busy yourself. By the way, let me give you a piece of information. The higher-ups in the company are also keeping an eye on you recently. It's beneficial for your future."

"Mm."

Lin Yuan stood up.

As he walked to the door, he overheard Old Zhou making a call. "Yang Zhongming is back from Qi Prefecture. I'm thinking of sending someone there again."

...

Sending someone to Qi Prefecture? After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yuan left.

Back at his desk, Lin Yuan contemplated silently: Just one more song, and he would be the ace. Should he go for it now? After all, he didn't release a song last month, so it's like taking a month off, right? And becoming an ace would mean getting a higher share, as Zhao Jue mentioned. It was quite tempting for Lin Yuan.

So.

On the way back to school that night, Lin Yuan finally made a decision.

Walking on the school road, he took out his phone and dialed Sun Yaohuo's number.

Sun Yaohuo answered quickly. Lin Yuan's calls were always answered in seconds, and Sun Yaohuo's opening line was always the same:

"Younger brother, what do you need me to do?"

"In a while, come to the company for a song recording," Lin Yuan said.

He planned to hand over "Red Rose" to Sun Yaohuo. It was his last song and suitable for boosting download numbers. Sun Yaohuo's vocal conditions could handle this song well.

"What?" Sun Yaohuo thought he misheard.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "0.5% share."

After saying this, Lin Yuan hung up, not giving room for negotiation.

...

At this moment, Sun Yaohuo was walking on the street. He heard the news and was stunned for several seconds.

It wasn't until Lin Yuan hung up that he came to his senses, understanding the meaning of Lin Yuan's words.

"Ah!"

He suddenly became joyful, almost dancing on the street, nearly throwing his phone away.

"I'm going to be popular again!"

The crowd flowed around him.

But Sun Yaohuo paid no attention, reveling in the street and even joyfully singing a song: "I am this dazzling moment, the flame that streaks across the sky..."

People around him hurriedly avoided him.

A passing little girl asked in astonishment, "Mom, what's wrong with this uncle?"

The girl's mother sighed, full of emotion on her face. "It's all pressured by life. You must study well in the future, so you won't end up like him when you grow up."

"Oh."

The girl nodded, not fully understanding.