Flying over the bubble era

Chapter 157
"CBS Sony?"

Wanyumi Watanabe listened, thought for a while, and praised: "It's a good idea."

In 1968, Sony Corporation and Columbia Records each held 50.00% of the shares and established a joint venture, CBS Sony.

At that time, the industry was dominated by enka. CBS Sony, as a new company, did not join the competition for the enka line. Instead, it competed with other record companies that held trump cards. Instead, it was ingenious, and as the first record company to set foot in idols, it successfully opened up the market.

By the way, the record appointment of the legendary idol Momoe Yamaguchi is at CBS Sony.

When he first came back from time travel, Shinichi Iwahashi, a complete layman, heard that Mimi Club had signed with CBS Sony.

But in fact, no.

Up to now, every time the band releases an album, it sells [-] to [-] copies.Fortunately, these kids from rich families have big pockets. Even if they debuted in the mainstream, their mentality is not affected by sales at all, and they continue to have fun.

Yanqiao Shinichi has been very busy for more than a year, and he and the band that first opened the door to the new world for him have kept exchanging postcards for the New Year, but sometimes he will talk to Amaya Mari on the phone, and when chatting with her You know, after debuting, the band is busy touring around the country.

In the 80s, when the information was not developed enough and there was no convenient publicity channel, there were three treasures for record promotion, radio broadcasting, TV playing songs, and a three-way trip to the countryside, including but not limited to clubs, civic halls, and shopping street performances.

Mimi CLUB's sales are dismal, which may have a lot to do with their style. Whether they have or not, after hitting the street for a few consecutive copies, generally speaking, the record company will consider letting them try to change their style.

But even so, CBS Sony still treats them with a tolerant attitude.

At that time, Mimi CLUB chose to sign with CBS Sony. One of the important reasons was that the representatives sent by the other side were friendly and promised not to interfere with their creations, and they did not ask them to cut off the seemingly useless backup dancers or change the bells and whistles like other record companies did. Typhoon.This commitment is still valid after the contract is signed.

In addition to the Mimi CLUB, which Shinichi Iwahashi casually called the "performance department", CBS Sony also owns Rebecca, a representative of a band composed of female lead singers and male musicians. The avant-garde electronic band TM NETWORK even paid liquidated damages to recruit PRINCESS PRINCESS, an all-female band that can create independently.

Each band has a different style and has its own different selling points. Although most of them are not popular at the moment, CBS Sony, which spreads the net to collect various styles of bands, and their tolerance for various styles, let Shinichi Iwahashi wondered in his heart whether they were going to follow the old path of 20 years ago, giving up the idols who had gone downhill but still occupied a huge market, and focused on the band route.

I have never disliked a record company with a lot of newcomers under it. If CBS Sony really wants to focus on developing a wave of bands, maybe they can persuade them to join this draft.

……

In addition to this reason, there is another thing, which is the reason why Iwahashi Shinichi hopes to get closer to Sony.

In the late 70s, Sony and Philips jointly developed CD, a new media medium. In 1982, Sony's CBS Sony Corporation took the lead in introducing CD records.

The principle of CD reading is to rely on laser reflection. When making the master tape, store it with tiny pits on the aluminum plate, and then use the master tape to suppress the CD.Because of this, the production process of the master tape is related to the quality of the record.

As CBS Sony, which developed the CD and took the lead in the production and distribution of CD records, and Sony, which is backed by "hardware and software are the two wheels of Sony and must run at the same time", there is no doubt that it has a first-class CD production line.

Shinichi Iwahashi firmly believes that the future will be the era of CD. Of course, the production volume of CD has officially surpassed that of traditional LP. He knows that LP will become exclusive to music enthusiasts in the future.

Even CDs, a medium that old-school people thought would endanger the record market in the early days of its birth, have been beaten all over the place in the Internet age, sales have shrunk year after year, and record stores have closed down one after another.

Because he believed in the coming of the CD era, Iwahashi Shinichi decided to skip LPs, which cost more to produce, and go to CDs after setting up his own music production company.Therefore, in his eyes, CBS Sony is not only a record company, but also an excellent producer, distributor, and seller.

Records are not recorded in the recording studio and produced as a master tape. There must be a special producer for production. If you do not have distribution channels and want to sell on a large scale, you must entrust a large company with its own distribution network. .

Small record companies do not have the ability to build a distribution network, and often entrust the distribution process to large companies.

Thighs are not easy to hug, so if you have the opportunity to hug, try to hug them.

However, having said that, CDs have impacted tapes and LPs, MP3s have impacted CDs, pirated editions have impacted genuine copies, downloads have impacted entities, and finally downloads have been impacted by streaming media. Starting with 1985 when Shinichi Iwahashi came here, the next 30 years The development and replacement of the year is an extremely fast model that has never been seen before.

Living in this era, sometimes when I think about it, I feel inexplicably standing on the starting line.

It's just that I don't know what role I will play when I decide to enter the music industry and start from a music production company.It is an ordinary practitioner under the torrent of the times, a beneficiary of a certain period, or...

Can you put your name in it?

Although Shinichi Iwahashi knows about the future what others don't, his own future is still "unknown".This kind of understanding made him full of expectations for everything he was going to do now.

After the dice is thrown, before it stops, no one knows what kind of points will be thrown.

……

In addition to the CBS Sony proposed by Shinichi Iwahashi, Wanyumi Watanabe does not rule out bringing in Warner Pioneer.

The previous women's rock music festival allowed Warner Pioneer to sign several groups of underground bands. However, in comparison, Warner Pioneer lacked experience in making bands.Previously, Shinichi Iwahashi's band almost signed a contract with Warner Pioneer, but at that time the negotiation was based on the premise that Shinichi Iwahashi would control the band's music style.

But now, Wanyumi Watanabe sees other possibilities from it, thinking that Warner Pioneer's lack of experience may be beneficial to Shinichi Iwahashi.

Because Warner Pioneer lacks experience in making bands, it is necessary to listen to the opinions of all parties during the production. While the right to speak increases, more unexpected things can be obtained correspondingly.

To choose a suitable record company, strength is not the first priority, the most important thing is whether it fits with my plan this time, otherwise it will not be a partner, but a big trouble.

Now in 1987, both the office and the record company are in a state of "coexistence".Big firms are powerful but not monopolistic, and small record companies occasionally make a profit by making a wrong move.

The golden age of television came, and the record market declined year after year, with opportunities growing in some places and shrinking in others.

……

Wanyumi Watanabe not only called Shinichi Iwahashi when she went to TBS to meet the producer, but also called him when she went to visit Yokichi Osato of AMUSE.

"You are also a partner." She plausibly said.

Yanqiao Shenyi did not reject running around with her, rather, this process of running around also gave him the opportunity to broaden his contacts.Although he did not become Watanabe Wanyumi's subordinate, to a certain extent, Watanabe Wanyumi, who is called Kamiiwabashi Shinichi in everything, is still cultivating him.

It is hard to find a confidant, and it is even rarer to find a comrade-in-arms who can go forward with two or three legs.

The road to start is the most difficult, and Shinichi Iwahashi knew this, and he couldn't help but be grateful to Manyumi Watanabe.

When contacting AMUSE, Yokichi Osato readily agreed to the meeting.Not only that, when Mayumi Watanabe said that Shinichi Iwahashi was also visiting with her, Yokichi Osato said to her on the phone: "I welcome you very much."

Watanabe Wanyumi conveyed this sentence to Iwahashi Shinichi, and said with a smile, "Your efforts were not in vain."

This is the truth, Yanqiao Shinichi accepted it frankly.

The two took the plan and went to AMUSE's office headquarters in Daikanyama together to have an interview with Yokichi Osato.

When participating in the music festival before, Yokichi Osato was not stingy in admiring Watanabe Wanyumi and Iwahashi Shinichi in front of his wife.In his eyes, the person who inherited Watanabe Jin's spiritual mantle is Watanabe Wanyumi. Now, knowing that she has become independent, Osato Yokichi doesn't say anything, but is happy for her in his heart.

In contrast, it was the manager who planned the music festival who chose to set up a music production company, which surprised Osato Yokichi even more.

Self-made Yokichi Osato knows best about the difficulty of starting a business.At that time, as a last resort, he also accepted funding from BRUNING President Zhou Fang Yuxiong. As a price, AMUSE lost the song copyright of Southern Star's early debut.

Although the firm has grown stronger and has left the BRUNING department, Yokichi Osato never forgets the embarrassment of the year.

After saying hello and skipping the small talk, Wanyumi Watanabe explained the plan for this draft to Yokichi Osato. After listening to the introduction, Yokichi Osato said very directly: "Sounds good, I'm quite interested of."

I thought that I would play Tai Chi implicitly, or test each other before expressing my opinion. Such a straightforward attitude is not very Japanese. "And style" related.

"Actually, I have been thinking about this issue since I participated in the production of the music festival last time." Oli Yoshi said, "I also feel the enthusiasm of the bands in Pacers Paradise. Next, the band will definitely do something."

"This is not only the choice of the public, but also the choice of the market. It has become difficult to launch popular idols, and record companies and agencies have to start thinking about changes. Next, we must introduce new trends that will replace them."

Osato Yokichi spoke without much pause, and it seems that he really thought about it, "In an era when even ballads seem outdated, enka obviously cannot be revived. After thinking about it, it really is a band."

"AMUSE started with music. In recent years, many actors have also signed contracts. However, the fundamental music policy cannot be shaken." Yokichi Osato said, "This project has good feasibility. If we can take advantage of this opportunity It’s okay to sign a few newcomers and participate.”

"Although there are more and more ways to discover newcomers nowadays, TV auditions still have their charms, such as the ability to make a debut after gaining popularity on the show with a little bit of polishing."

Dali Yangji's meaning is very clear, if you get a rookie with immediate combat power, then you will participate.

At the beginning, he didn't leave because he fell out with Watanabe Productions, but because he wanted to be independent because of different ideas.Later, in the planning of the music festival, they came together again because of the common idea. Now, Watanabe Mayumi came with a plan that could impress him, and Yokichi Osato had no reason to refuse.

As for tantalizing - it's just an opportunity in front of you, not a fruit that is about to ripen. Yokichi Osato is not superficial enough to play tricks for things that can't be realized.

Yokichi Osato's happiness convinced Wanyumi Watanabe and Shinichi Iwahashi.

However, before he could feel relieved, Yokichi Osato suddenly threw the topic to Shinichi Iwahashi who had been in charge of making supplements just now, "Iwahashi-kun, have you opened a music production company?"

"Yes."

"So, let me ask a question." Osato Yokichi said, "In this draft, Watanabe-kun's U-MIZ is to discover new talents. What is your production company going to get?"

"Get the production rights, President Osato." Yanqiao Shinichi replied.

"Watanabe-kun introduced just now, saying that he has to defend the competition for five consecutive rounds, that is, to win the record company's contract for five consecutive rounds. The threshold for debut is set very high."

"Yes."

"To be honest, the record company won't take it lightly for a band that has won five consecutive championships. At that time, why will your production company get the production rights of the winning band that signed with the record company?" Osato Yokichi looked at He said, "At that time, it will be bad if we fetch water from a bamboo basket."

"Moreover, the high threshold for winning will also block the enthusiasm of the participants." Oli Yangji reminded.

"That's right." Iwahashi Shinichi admitted.

"President Osato, you asked me how to get the production rights," he explained slowly, "So, what if I don't want to win the production rights of the band?"

"Oh?" Oli Yangji was a little interested.

"This and the high threshold you mentioned should be answered together." Shinichi Iwahashi said, "The threshold for winning is high, so it is necessary to increase the enthusiasm of the participants in another place."

"tell me the story."

"As long as you can win the championship in one week, even if you are eliminated in the second week, you can get a chance to make the winning track in the show into a single, how about that?"

(End of this chapter)