Chapter 21: The Rise of the Million-Dollar Contract

  The paper in the hand of Datang was prepared beforehand, similar to a questionnaire, where the company and the artist reached an agreement on some key issues before drafting the contract, formally establishing a contractual relationship.

  "Let me ask, you answer. If there's any doubt, just raise it." Da Tang picked up his pen and asked, "How many years do you want to sign a contract with Hu Lang? There are usually two options, 3 years or 5 years."

  "What are the specific differences between these two options apart from the duration?" asked He Mu.

  "The revenue sharing ratio between the company and artists is different for 3 years and 5 years," Da Tang explained. "The 3-year period is shorter, and it's likely that the artist trained by the company for three years has just gained some fame and left, so the company's investment must be reserved, and the artist can take a larger share of the revenue; this is generally suitable for artists who have already made a name for themselves. For 5 years, the time is longer, and the company has enough time to plan and package the artist in the long run, investing more energy and resources, and the company's resources will also serve the signed artist as much as possible. At this time, the artist must make some concessions in terms of revenue sharing; usually, newcomers choose 5 years."

  "Isn't that forcing the artist and the company to terminate their contract in five years?" He Mu asked, puzzled, as according to Da Tang's words, he could only come to this conclusion.

  The Great Tang smiled slightly: "When the contract expires, artists have the right to leave or stay. We will not restrict this, but of course, the company does not want to spend 5 years cultivating a star only to have them be poached by another company. So we have other reward mechanisms. Let's put it this way, taking a 5-year contract as an example, there is a clause that roughly says: after the third year of fulfilling the contract, the company has the option to increase the artist's share. If you really complete the huge leap from minor supporting roles to top star within 3 years, then the company will necessarily increase your income share and try every means to keep you. On the other hand, if the company puts in great effort but you achieve nothing in three years, then naturally the company won't increase your share, and after another two years, whether you stay or leave is up to you."

  "Also," Da Tang continued, "if you can get a personal award at an international film festival or the domestic three golden awards, then each award can increase your income share by a certain percentage. However, the company will set a bottom line, and your share cannot exceed that bottom line, otherwise the company will lose money. After all, operating an artist also requires investment. We can accept not making money, but we cannot allow ourselves to lose money."

  "Xiao Mu Zi, did you understand this time?" Xiao Fang looked at He Mu, to be honest, he was almost confused by Da Tang's words.

  "I understand." He Mu nodded.

  Xiao Fang reminded him, "Moreover, you should understand that the international awards and three golden film emperors are extremely unlikely for you. To put it bluntly, this is just a pie in the sky that can't be eaten, and relying on this to increase income share is very difficult. Moreover, our company's main business is television dramas, and its assistance to you in the movie industry will not be great."

  "I understand this." He Mu looked at Xiao Fang with gratitude. As a boss, he was already very rare to say such words.

  "What's your choice?" Da Tang asked.

  "I choose 5 years." He Mu said without hesitation, the actor's performing life is very long, over thirty is just the most charming age, five years later he will be only twenty-five, still young, using five years of freedom in exchange for Hu Lang's full cultivation, it's worth it!

  Da Tang checked the box in the "five years" column. "Next question, what is your ideal income ratio to the company's? Just say it out loud, there's nothing embarrassing about discussing money, price negotiation is a normal part of our line of work, and you only need to discuss this once, I'll take care of it for you afterwards."

  "I'm not sure either, how much do others usually pay?" He Mu asked, scratching his head, somewhat embarrassed.

  "Oh, I forgot you've never signed a brokerage contract before. This is how it works: the proportion is not fixed. Well-known artists can take up to 90%, and even if there are fewer, they won't go below 60%. Newcomers, on the other hand, require more investment from the company, so generally, they won't exceed 50%."

  "Let's go by the rules of the circle then." He Mu also said it was not good for him to propose a ratio, so he kicked the problem back to Datang.

  "That's 50%, which is not bad for a newcomer." Da Tang said, in fact, even if He Wu really proposed a very high proportion, he would not be able to agree, asking his opinion was just to enable both parties to reach an agreement on the details of cooperation, and to explain the rules of the industry to him. Giving him 50% of the income share was not exploiting him, but rather very generous, which was also due to the relationship between Xiao Fang and his older brother.

  "Add five more points." Xiao Fang interjected.

  The Tang Dynasty did not put a yes or no on the paper about the division of the place, and modified it a bit. Continue to the next question: "Next, I want to explain the company's responsibilities or obligations to you during the contract period. Listen carefully if there are any objections. During the performance of the contract, the company guarantees that it will provide you with no less than 5 shooting opportunities every year. Listen carefully, it is an opportunity, and you have the right to refuse. In addition, the company will arrange for you to participate in at least one movie and two TV dramas every year, and within the five-year contract period, play the role of male lead in at least four film and television dramas."

  Who wouldn't want to be the male lead, who would want to be an extra in someone else's play? Hearing Da Tang's last sentence, He Mu's heart almost jumped out. Forgive him for being so uncalm, he had been drifting outside for half a year, and it couldn't be said that he didn't work hard, but he couldn't even get a small role with a name. Now, as long as he signed the contract, he could play at least four male leads in the next five years. Such simplicity and shortcut to success seemed within his reach, this temptation was too great!

  "The numbers I mentioned above are just the minimum standards, and they will only be higher in the future, don't you agree?"

  "In agreement, in agreement." He Mu hastily nodded his head, as if afraid that Datang would change his mind.

  "During the contract period, our company will arrange for you to release at least one album, with production costs of no less than 500,000 yuan, to help increase your popularity." Da Tang added.

  "No, don't, I sing terribly, it's better if you don't release a record for me."

  "How bad can it be?" Da Tang laughed, he himself was also a musician, and in his years as an agent, he had mainly collaborated with singers. If possible, he still hoped that He Mu could develop in multiple directions. Now in the entertainment industry, crossover was popular, and actors releasing albums were not uncommon. As long as the singing was passable, it would be fine. It wasn't about making money from this, but rather that an actor who had released a song could increase their chances of getting commercial performances, thereby earning high performance fees.

  "It's really hard to hear, okay, I'll sing a song I especially like, 'Ten Years', you guys listen..." He Mu cleared his throat and began singing.

  He Miao sang very seriously, with a lot of emotional investment. Whether it was the expression on his face or his body movements, you could tell he had already become immersed in this song. You could hear that he had sung this song many times before, and the lyrics were memorized. However, half a minute later, Xiao Fang, who was covering her ears, hastily called for him to stop. Looking at Da Tang's calm face, Xiao Fang exclaimed: "Da Tang is indeed formidable, able to withstand this."

  "I'm just speechless," said Da Tang, shaking his head in dismay. "Let's just forget about this one, Director Xiao. Don't expect him to make any performance fees. Just focus on acting and filming commercials instead. As for the profit distribution, we've basically reached an agreement. I can draft a contract now. Take a look and see if there are any issues or consult with a lawyer."

  After Da Tang left the office, Xiao Fang smiled and said: "How's that? Are you now feeling confident and eager to show off your skills?"

  "It still feels like a dream." He Mu still had an unreal feeling, and he formally embarked on the path of performing arts?

  "Hurry up and wake up, I'll treat you to dinner tonight, invite Da Tang too. From now on, the three of us will be comrades in arms, we should keep in touch more often," Xiao Fang asked He Mu with a scrutinizing gaze, "Your brother's drinking capacity is so good, how about yours? Can you reach half his level?"

  He smiled mysteriously: "Five years ago when you came to my house, I wasn't allowed to drink with you because I was still a minor. If I had joined in back then, I would have been the last one standing."

  "So arrogant, then I'd like to see it for myself." Xiao Fang said with a hint of excitement.

  After Da Tang arrived, Xiao Fang brought up the matter of drinking, and Da Tang smiled: "Director Xiao doesn't need to accompany his wife and children tonight?"

  "Fang Ge, you're already a father!?" He Mu was slightly surprised. A successful man who wasn't even thirty years old had actually locked himself into the prison of marriage so early and even had children - this was just too rushed!

  Xiao Fang looked a bit embarrassed and said, "What's wrong with being a father? My baby is my little cotton-padded jacket. You two bachelors don't understand what family joy is all about. Forget it, let's not drink tonight. Let's find another time to have dinner with the people from the company. Xiao Muzi, you're going to be the focus of our work in the future, everyone will be revolving around you."

  "Take a look at this contract." Da Tang handed two identical draft contracts to Xiao Fang and He Wu, saying that this was the agreement between the two of them.

  Party A: Hu Lang Ying Shi Investment Company, Address: ..., Legal Representative: Xiao Fang.

  He Mu also looked carefully, Party B: He Mu, ID number: XXXX, mailing address: NNNN..., phone number: XXXXXX.

  After negotiation between both parties, Party A and Party B have reached the following agreement regarding the signing of agency matters: Firstly, the rights and obligations of Party A.

  I. Both parties shall cooperate in good faith and mutual development, with Party A obligated to exert its best efforts to promote Party B's creative and performing career, while Party B shall respect Party A's endeavors and labor.

  II. Party A shall be responsible for the overall design and planning of Party B's artistic image, artistic positioning, promotional positioning, and other comprehensive packaging.

  III. Party A shall accept Party B's reasonable special entrustment and conduct all-around packaging and promotion activities for Party B.

  IV. Party A shall be responsible for the publication of Party B's creative works, contacting various performance activities, and handling overall agency matters.

  V. During the contract period, Party A shall own the rights to Party B's portrait, artistic image, audio-visual products, advertising images, and agency rights for all performances.

  VI. Party A has the right to manage Party B's artistic behavior, performance behavior, and other behaviors in accordance with the company's rules and regulations.

  VII. During the contract period, in order to enable Party B to better devote itself to work without worrying about life, Party A shall provide comfortable housing and a nanny car for Party B at its own expense until the contract expires. Additionally, Party A shall pay Party B a one-time signing fee of RMB 1 million.

  He Muyu saw this and almost shouted out: "One million!" What a huge amount of money!

  Xiao Fangdiao sneered, "One million is nothing. If five years later you really go to another company and they offer you a signing fee of less than 100 million, that would be Datang's fault."

  Da Tang was shot innocently, still silent and speechless. Xiao Fang's words were still acknowledged by him. The signing fee for a first-line star is usually in the tens of millions. Although 10 million yuan is a bit too much for He Mu as a newcomer, if he really succeeds in his career, this would be just a few advertisements' worth of money, which is nothing to speak of.

  Suppressing the surprise in her heart, He Mu continued reading...

  This contract is rewritten based on the template of Huayi and Li Bingbing's contract, although it may seem like a patchwork, it is also to let everyone understand some professional things~~~ Don't blame me, don't blame me~~~ From now on, each chapter will be 3000 words, so even if the number of updates hasn't increased, the word count has greatly increased! Two updates can surpass three updates!