Rebirth of the courtyard, the start is 80s

In the next few days, Cao Zhiqiang has been focusing on the production of pop songs.

Although at present, there are not many people who understand music and music production in Huaxia Audiovisual, but because of the help of CCTV, Cao Zhiqiang's excellent singing talent, and top-notch guitar playing skills, the recording has been smooth, without any question.

However, during the tape recording session, something went wrong.

The problem is not big, that is, the output cannot meet expectations.

Originally, Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audiovisual Company handed over the tape recording work to Beiping Tape Factory.

The Beiping Tape Factory is currently the largest tape production plant in Beijing, with six production lines and a daily output of up to [-] tapes.

Of course, [-] discs is the limit output of three shifts. Normally, the output of this factory is only about [-] per day.

It was agreed at the beginning that the supply from Beiping Tape Factory to Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audiovisual Company was to produce [-] tapes a day, that is, to produce [-] recorded audio tapes a day.

However, in the past three days, the Beiping Tape Factory changed its mind and could only supply [-] tapes a day.

After asking, I found out that it was approaching Labor Day, and other units had increased orders for tapes. The supply of Beiping Tape Factory was in short supply, so they could only reduce the output of other orders.

Being able to continue to provide Huaxia Audiovisual Company with [-] tapes every day is already for the sake of Hongguang Machinery Factory.

If it weren't for the fact that the majority shareholder of Huaxia Audio-Visual Company was Hongguang Machinery Factory, which was directly under the Ministry of Metallurgy, the Beiping Tape Factory might have cut off its supply.

There is no way, the current domestic audio tape market is a seller's market where supply exceeds demand, and everyone is looking for audio tapes, so it is the manufacturers who have the final say.

If it weren't for the fact that the market pricing of audio tapes has not been fully liberalized in China, I am afraid that the price of domestic audio tapes has skyrocketed long ago, and the current price of 1.5 yuan for a blank tape will not continue.

Of course, the price of 1.5 yuan per blank tape is the wholesale price, and the retail price is generally between 1.8 yuan and 2 yuan per disk.

Ex-factory prices are different.

Taking Beiping Tape Factory as an example, an average of 8 boxes of unpackaged blank tapes costs [-] yuan, which means an average of [-] cents per box.

If you still need to add the content and packaging, the price of the full set is [-] for [-] boxes, which is an average of [-] cents for a cassette with content and packaging.

In other words, adding content and packaging will cost an average of [-] cents more per box.

Maybe you want to say that the packaging fee is so expensive, can I just buy the tape with the content and pack it myself?
You know, if you pack it yourself, the average packing fee for a tape may not even cost [-] cents.

But sorry, the answer is no.

Because in this period, as long as you buy tapes with content in large quantities, you must bring packaging, that is, tape boxes, stickers, etc., and this packaging must be handed over to the tape factory and cannot be handed over to others.

So if I just buy blank tapes, I will record them with a tape recorder, and then pack them myself, is that okay?

The answer is yes, but this kind of blank tape, you just wait slowly, let alone [-] tapes a day, it would be nice to give you a hundred boxes a day, this is only because you have connections and connections.

In fact, in 1983, because domestic audio tapes were still in short supply, the domestic tape market was a proper seller’s market, and manufacturers had the final say on everything.

Although tickets for audio tapes have been cancelled, and there is no need to buy them with tickets, the natural scarcity of the quantity, coupled with the non-market behavior of not allowing random price increases, makes tape factories generally not like to sell blank tapes, and they like it. Sell ​​tapes with content directly.

As for the blank tapes, they are not released, but they are given to some special units, such as CCTV, radio stations, daily newspapers and other news media units, as well as some units that need frequent recording.

Personally, if you want to buy blank tapes in large quantities from the tape factory, you might as well smuggle them.

That's right, during this period, in addition to domestic tapes, there were also a large number of imported tapes, most of which were smuggled in from Xiangjiang and Japan.

Most of these imported tapes from abnormal channels are not new tapes, but tapes that have been used by others or thrown away, and then brought into the country under the name of imported foreign garbage, cleaned and packaged a little, and then recorded some popular songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan , you can set up a stall for sale.

Therefore, at this time, those cheap pirated tapes, such as those of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers, are basically imported tapes.

The quality of the imported tapes sold by these small vendors cannot be said to be bad. After all, they are imported goods, and the technical level is there, but you must not think about how they came here, otherwise it will ruin the three views.

This is the same as those imported clothes, which are garbage that other countries do not want, and there are hidden dangers in hygiene and other aspects.

It is also because domestic audio tapes are in short supply during this period, so the production of audio tapes is a good business.

For example, TCL, which became famous later, was a manufacturer of audio tapes from the beginning, and made its first pot of gold by relying on audio tapes.

The end of the domestic tape shortage, if everything is normal, should be something after 1986.

But before 1986, domestic audio tapes were still rare.

Especially domestic blank tapes, it is difficult for you to buy personally.

Rather than buying a blank tape, it is better to buy a tape with content on it, then erase the content and re-record it yourself.

Needless to say, during this period, there were really self-employed people who did this.

According to Cao Zhiqiang's knowledge, there are currently packaged audio tapes, and the price is generally around five yuan.

But the price also depends on the content.

For example, Mr. Li Guyi's original audio tapes, which are currently in the limelight, include "Hometown Love", and the price of a disc is around [-] yuan.

The mainland pirated tapes of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars cost between four and five yuan a set.

However, some teaching audio tapes, such as tapes for learning English, cost only about three yuan a piece.

So many people buy a large number of teaching audio tapes, and then use the tape recorder to erase the original content, and then record popular songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and then make their own packaging, and finally sell them on the street.

Although the amount of doing so cannot be compared with the tape factory, on average, a tape can earn at least [-] cents.

A tape can earn at least 50 cents, and a dual-card tape recorder can produce at least [-] tapes a day, which is equivalent to earning at least [-] yuan a day.

Earning 50 yuan a day is already an awesome thing in this era.

Because of this, later on, it was not so easy to buy teaching audio tapes, and a purchase restriction order was issued.

This situation gradually disappeared after [-], when the number of tape manufacturers increased, a large number of audio tapes came into the market, and the price of audio tapes dropped as a whole.

In other words, during this period, if you personally go to a domestic tape factory, it is difficult to buy blank tapes in large quantities, even for units.

Only tapes with content and packaging are willing to be accepted by the tape factory, because the profit is higher.

In fact, purely from the perspective of making money, Beiping Tape Factory is very happy to cooperate with Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audiovisual Company.

After all, Huaxia Audiovisual Company gave cash directly, no arrears or pressure on money, and delivery after paying in advance, which was quite straightforward.

As for other units, many of them ask for the goods first, and then pay the money. Some units even hold down the payment for one or two years.

Whoever becomes the director of the tape factory is willing to cooperate with buyers who pay in advance.

But there is no way, the Beiping tape factory is in the capital, and there are not many other things in the capital, except that there are many yamen.

Many yamen are not happy to give money, but they have the right.

Take any chicken feather as an arrow, and the tape factory has to be obedient and refuse to give it.

But the output is only so much, what to do, we can only tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall, and first move the output that is easy to talk about.

Unfortunately, Huaxia Audiovisual Company, in the eyes of Beiping Tape Factory, is the kind that is easy to talk about, so it is natural to misappropriate their indicators first.

What, breach of contract?

Hehe, I have breached the contract, if you have the guts, you can sue!
Believe it or not, if you sue today, I will cancel my cooperation with you later!

There is no way, the tape factory is so stubborn at this time, at least for Huaxia Audiovisual Company, it is very stubborn!

For this situation, Cao Zhiqiang has no good solution, he can only find another manufacturer to cooperate with.

For example, Baoding Tape Factory, Tianjin Tape Factory, SJZ Tape Factory, etc., can all discuss cooperation.

But discussing cooperation with these tape factories, because I have never had friendship before, and I don’t know if it will work.

What if these tape factories, like the Beiping tape factory, are full of orders, supply exceeds demand, and cannot spare capacity?

So in the end, we can only decide to postpone the release of the record until after Labor Day.

The reason for the delay is that Cao Zhiqiang had predicted that his debut single "Blood Stained Style" would become a hit.

As for the fire, it will inevitably lead to crazy looting.

At this time, if you don't stock up enough, what will happen?
It can only be that piracy is rampant, and the pirates are cheaper!
Although limited by domestic tape production capacity at this time, pirates can't get goods in large quantities from regular tape factories like China Record Company and Huaxia Audio-Video Company, but there are so many of them.

There is no threshold for pirated tapes, just find a dual-card recorder and you can do it.

As for blank tapes, it is also easy to find some imported tapes, cheap teaching tapes, there are plenty of ways.

A pirate may not be able to make too many pirated audio tapes at one time, but if there are too many pirated vendors, the ants will kill the elephant.

However, Cao Zhiqiang's price for his first single is quite high, 6 yuan for a single tape.

The price of 6 yuan qi has exceeded the price of many tapes on the market.

If you don’t stock up enough and rush to the market, you won’t be able to buy genuine tapes, and you can only buy pirated tapes like crazy.

So the best way is to stock up enough goods in advance, and then there is no need to worry about running out of goods once there is a fire.

It doesn't take much either.

Cao Zhiqiang estimated that as long as there are enough 50 copies, he can try to launch it.

In fact, this hoarding method is to take a lot of risk.

After all, although the domestic music market was huge during this period, it was still too risky to store 50 tapes in advance for a single.

In fact, if an album is released during this period, if it is a single, generally around [-] tapes are stockpiled, and it can be sold directly on the market.

Like Cao Zhiqiang, the singer himself is not well-known, and the price of the first single audio tape is as high as 50 yuan a box, and the stock volume is [-], which is simply unheard of.

That is to say, Huaxia Audio-Video Company is a new company, and there are not many people who know how to do it.

If you change to other units, such as China Records, if you dare to price a single of an unknown newcomer at 50 yuan a box, and stock up [-] cassettes before it is released, you must be crazy, and you will never be rejected. pass.

The reason is very simple, 50 cassettes, even if calculated according to the cost of one yuan, it is 50 yuan!
50 yuan was quite a large sum during this period, even a large unit like China Record Company could not afford a loss of 50 yuan.

Therefore, Cao Zhiqiang's music project this time is really a very bold and risky action.

If it wasn't for Cao Zhiqiang's absolute confidence in himself, and the fact that Huaxia Audiovisual Company was in his own hands, and it was completely his opinion, then his behavior would absolutely not work.

As time went by, although Cao Zhiqiang still wrote songs, sang and recorded songs every day, he no longer had any hope of releasing his first single before May Day.

The reason is that news came from Li Youfu that the tape factories in Tianjin, Baoding, etc. have been running at full capacity recently, and the order line is full, and there is no way to spare production capacity for Huaxia Audio-Video Company.

On the contrary, Liaoning and Shandong have a total of three magnetic tape factories, which can free up some production capacity, but the combined production capacity of the two places can only supply about [-] disks a day, and the money must be paid first before the goods are delivered, and the freight Pay yourself.

Although the conditions are somewhat harsh, fortunately, the production capacity is not bad.

The production capacity of Liaoning and Shandong, together with the production capacity of the Beiping Tape Factory, is normally about [-] tapes a day.

In this way, it only takes about 50 days to stock up on 20 disks.

In other words, if everything is normal, he will not be able to release his first single - "Blood Stained Style" until mid-May.

"Li Youfu, please come here again in person, take my master tape and packaging format, and go to sign contracts with the three tape factories respectively. The money can be paid first, but it must be produced as soon as possible. The more the better, understand?"

After listening to Cao Zhiqiang's instructions on the phone, Li Youfu immediately said: "General manager, I will go back to Beijing to get the master tape and the packaging format, and it is too time-consuming to go back and forth.

I see it this way. I'm in Jinan now. Why don't I talk to the tape factory here to confirm their order first, and you can send someone to bring over the master tape, tape packaging format and samples.

That way, as soon as the master tapes and packaged samples come in, they go straight to production.

When the production here in Jinan starts, I will take the master tape and packaging format, take a plane to Liaoning, and talk to the tape factory in Liaoning.

In this way, the production speed can be faster, don't you think? "

Cao Zhiqiang thought about it for a while, and thought it was okay, so he agreed, "Yes, let's do it this way."

"Then look at the money..."

"Don't worry, as long as you have reached an agreement, I will send a wire transfer there immediately."

Hearing this, Li Youfu said in relief: "That's all right, then I'll talk to the factory director Liu today, and you send someone to deliver the things as soon as possible, preferably today. By the way, general manager, The person who sends the master tape must be reliable!"

"Guaranteed to be reliable!" Cao Zhiqiang said with a smile, "I let Zhang Jin go in, is it reliable enough?"

"Old Zhang, then there's no problem." Li Youfu said with a smile.

"Okay, hurry up." Cao Zhiqiang said while holding the phone, "We must produce as soon as possible with quality and quantity guaranteed!
Remember, time is money!

One more day you waste is one day less money you earn.

Don't forget, your sales department has a share, the more our company sells, the more you earn.

So, if you want to make a lot of money, run and move for me! "

"Don't worry, Mr. Cao!" Li Youfu said eagerly, "Time is money, I will remember this sentence later.

Just look at it, I, Li Youfu, will not sleep in the future, but I will take these orders and promise to complete the task! "