137: Chapter 137 Undercurrents and Bargains

The efficiency of Attorney Lauren's team was astonishing. Just three days later, an eighty-page draft of the "phantom singer Original Music Cooperation Agreement Standard Framework V1.0," filled with various restrictive clauses and revenue calculation formulas, was placed on Alex's desk. This was not the final version, but a "battle map" for internal simulation and future negotiations.

Alex could almost imagine the bewildered and solemn expressions on the faces of the negotiators from Universal Music or other record companies when this draft was placed on their desks. In the traditional model, the program "purchased" or "leased" performances, but the core of this draft was a requirement to become a "joint investor and long-term revenue partner" for original songs.

"The biggest potential point of contention lies in the definition of 'joint bargaining power' and the definition of 'major commercial authorization'," Attorney Lauren's virtual avatar analyzed clearly and calmly in the video conference. "We must make the terms rigorous enough to prevent singers from transferring commercial value through related-party transactions or other means after the show becomes a hit, thereby evading our revenue share. But at the same time, the terms cannot appear too harsh, becoming a target for public criticism, or deterring talented creators."

"So we need a 'benchmark case'," Alex looked at the draft. His Collective Narrative Analysis ability instinctively filtered the risks and opportunities in the terms. "A creator who is talented and has potential, but also relatively needs platform support, to be the first to eat the crab. Use actual cooperation and success to prove the win-win nature of this model and shut the mouths of those who say we are 'exploiting creators'."

"Would Theo be a suitable candidate?" Marcus asked. "He signed for the 'Sound of Echoes' project, has a foundation for cooperation, and his vocal characteristics are unique enough."

"No," Alex shook his head. "Theo's field leans more towards sound art; the commercial potential of his work is uncertain, and 'Summit Creative' has already approached him. Using him is likely to trigger unnecessary associations and controversy. We need a purer, more intuitive singer-songwriter with clear potential."

Just then, Rex's message was inserted in encrypted form: "The target 'Terracotta' has slight movements. They posted a new adapted clip on the forum and vaguely mentioned a 'longing for broader resonance'. Technical tracking remains difficult, but it can be judged that their activity frequency has increased slightly in the near term, which may be related to the spread of industry rumors about 'phantom singer'."

Alex's eyes flickered. This mysterious "Terracotta" might be a long-term target worth observing, but it couldn't solve the immediate problem.

"Activate our 'scout' network," Alex made a decision. "Not limited to 'Flashpoint', expand to all independent music platforms, offline Livehouses, and even music conservatories. Goal: Find those singers who have excellent original works, have accumulated a small range of word-of-mouth but lack a breakthrough platform, and... might have doubts about the traditional record company contract model. Use the core advantages of our 'cooperation framework'—'retaining copyright, sharing long-term revenue, top-tier exposure'—as the hook for initial contact."

"Understood. This will take time," Marcus recorded.

"We have time. Before 'phantom singer' is officially announced, we need to reserve at least five to ten such potential 'benchmark' candidates," Alex said. "At the same time, Attorney Lauren, turn this framework draft into a 'simplified friendly version'—highlighting creator rights and long-term revenue parts—as a beautifully crafted explanatory document. We won't send it to the giants formally yet; instead, let it flow into the music circle through some 'informal' channels to see the reaction."

Casting a stone to test the water, observing the wind direction.

The effect of the draft "leak" came faster and was more complex than expected.

First came the whispers and polarization from the music circle. In some independent musician groups and forums, there was heated discussion about the "phantom singer new cooperation model". Some people thought it was "pie in the sky" or "new-style bundling," suspecting that the program team had buried deep pits in the revenue sharing ratio and authorization scope. But another part, especially those singer-songwriters who were struggling to monetize their works and were scared away by traditional record contracts, saw an unprecedented opportunity. In the public opinion monitored by Rex for Alex, keywords like "respecting copyright," "long-term partner," and "not a slave contract" began to appear in association with the "phantom singer" project. This was the first step he wanted—planting a seed in the hearts of potential contestants.

Immediately following was the tentative pressure from industry giants.

The first to call was that Senior Vice President of Universal Music who was negotiating the joint label with Alex. The tone was as enthusiastic as ever, but the wording was cautious: "Alex, I've heard some... interesting discussions about your new program cooperation model. Very innovative! However, you know, many talented artists have their management contracts and record contracts bound, involving complex rights. Your 'long-term revenue sharing' model might touch upon some existing contract clauses, making it difficult for some big-name singers to participate. Can we sit down and discuss a more... compatible plan?"

Euphemistic, but the meaning was clear: your new way of playing might exclude the big-name, complex-contract singers we have, or trigger legal disputes. They hoped Alex could be "flexible," at least open a backdoor for these "big names," and return to the traditional performance authorization model.

Alex's answer was polite but firm: "Thanks for the reminder; this is exactly one of the changes we want to promote. We respect all existing contracts, but if a singer brings a brand-new original work born during the program, we hope to explore a future-oriented cooperation method for this song. As for established singers, they participate because they value challenge and breakthroughs; our model might bring them new possibilities beyond just exposure. Of course, we can analyze specific cases specifically."

Neither humble nor pushy, he both insisted on the principles of the new model and did not completely close the door to cooperation with artists under the giants, throwing the problem back to the other party.

However, the real pressure came from another direction. A few days later, Marcus reported with a heavy face: "The third potential target singer we contacted was communicating smoothly, but after receiving our simplified framework, they suddenly became hesitant and finally declined in-depth communication. We learned from the side that during their hesitation, a large talent agency that has a close relationship with a TV platform we are contacting reached out to them, offered 'more generous' traditional agency contract terms, and hinted that if they participated in 'phantom singer', it would be better to choose a 'more conventional, less post-involvement' cooperation method."

The sniping had begun. And the means were more covert; they didn't directly oppose the new model but used more direct short-term benefits (possibly higher signing bonuses or promised resources) to lure potential candidates away from Alex's "long-term binding" model and attempted to influence the attitude of the broadcast platform.

"Can you find out which agency it is? Is there any connection to 'Summit Creative'?" Alex asked.

"On the surface, there is no direct equity connection. But the founder of this agency was a college classmate of an executive at 'Summit Creative'. The circle is very small." Rex's addition confirmed Alex's guess. Competition had never stopped; it had just put on a more compliant commercial coat.

"As expected." Alex was not angry. "This shows that our model hit some people's pain points, or at least made them see a threat. They are afraid that once this model of 'deep binding between creators and platforms to share revenue' succeeds, it will shake their control over artists relying on information asymmetry and traditional contracts."

He walked to the window, looking at the traffic on the street below. "Marcus, adjust the strategy. Be more frank when contacting the remaining potential targets. Clearly inform them that they may face 'temptations' or 'pressure' from other sides, but at the same time, show them more intuitively the parts of our framework draft regarding revenue calculation, copyright protection, and the future resource tilt of 'Echo Vision' (such as priority signing for the joint label 'Echo Manufacturing', film/TV OST opportunities, etc.). What we are looking for are 'partners' who have vision, determination, and are willing to bet on a longer-term future, not just looking for 'contestants'."

"Also," he turned around, "give a reply to Universal, expressing that we value their concerns. Propose to add a specific topic to next week's joint label negotiation: discuss how to handle the compatibility plan with existing big-name singer contracts under the 'phantom singer' framework, and... whether Universal is willing to join us in formulating and promoting this new industry cooperation standard."

Turning a challenge into an opportunity to jointly set rules. This was an attempt to pull Universal from a potential obstructer to a possible ally. Success or failure was hard to predict, but it was worth a try.

A few days later, when Alex met Taylor Allison again to discuss the details of the program's music director, Taylor Allison brought up the rumors in the circle.

"Your new contract framework is a hot topic now." Taylor Allison stirred her coffee. "Several of my creator friends are asking me about the details in private. Some think you're crazy, wanting to change the industry; others think, maybe... this is the way out. You're under a lot of pressure, aren't you?"

"The pressure has always been there." Alex smiled. "But this time, the pressure also helped me filter out the truly like-minded people. Has 'Terracotta' had any movements recently?"

Taylor Allison shook her head: "Still mysterious. However, if 'he' or 'she' is as talented as you judged, this new model might actually be attractive to 'him'. After all, mysterious people usually want to control their own works more."

Alex nodded. He called up the system interface. The gamesmanship surrounding the new model over the past period, the fermentation of public opinion, and the contact and screening of potential targets, although they did not immediately bring an explosion in popularity, caused the experience bars for Cultural Trend Anchoring and Collective Narrative Analysis to grow slightly. The system recognized this deeper, more strategic operation of influence.

• Historical cumulative popularity: 115,200,000 points (steady growth)

• Available popularity: 34,530,030 points

• Strategy progress: The new industry cooperation model has caused waves, entering the deep water zone of talent screening and gamesmanship with giants.

He closed the interface. The road ahead still needs to be measured step by step, negotiated, and persuaded. A "net" based on brand-new profit-sharing rules is being woven; it will inevitably touch the old spider webs, attracting resistance and entanglement.

But Alex believed that as long as this net itself was tough enough, fair, and had real long-term value, there would eventually be excellent "flying insects" willing to fall into it and grow together with it.

The undercurrents were surging, but the course had been set. What he held in his hand were bargaining chips facing the future.