Chapter 6

This time, Silver Wing Media directly signed ten interns, three of whom were the original host's classmates from the prestigious department of Qi'an Music Academy. Being able to be signed in advance indicates their strong abilities, and the competition is still very intense.

Without further ado, Fang Zhao pondered his next move.

With less than ten days left, what should he do?

After suffering consecutive heavy blows, the original host, already exhausted, failed to come up with a good strategy under the pressure of the upcoming rookie competition.

Submitting a barely pieced-together result? It would definitely be rejected.

If he really did that, not only would the original host's self-esteem not allow it, but Silver Wing Media would also mercilessly kick him out, ending his internship.

Being kicked out by Silver Wing Media would be like a black mark on his career, making it even harder for his future in music.

"Rookie competition..."

Fang Zhao searched his memory for all the information about the rookie competitions in the music industry. The way companies operate here is very different from before the apocalypse. Fang Zhao needs to adapt to the new situation and consider the current audience's preferences when composing.

"Pop" also has a generational gap. After the impact of the apocalypse and development over several hundred years, new instruments and electronic synthesizers have emerged, and public thinking and preferred styles have changed significantly from Fang Zhao's former world.

Although Fang Zhao also wanted to ignore everything and just follow his old habits and preferences, his current situation means that if he fails, he will end up homeless.

Artists are also human, and clothing, food, shelter, and transportation are immediate challenges.

Sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood. Fang Zhao sat in the corner of the room where he worked, closed his eyes, and thought quietly.

When he had an idea, Fang Zhao pulled open a drawer next to him and took out a notebook.

While many people liked to use wristbands to record things, the original host preferred to write important things down on paper.

This notebook contained all the records the original host had made over the past six months. The front part was notes from his internship at Silver Wing, and the back part was the works he prepared for the rookie competition. From the marked time, it was clear that the original host had started preparing for the rookie competition very early.

On the three completed works, deep marks were made with a pen, and several pages were torn, indicating the force with which the original host held the pen when he discovered that these three works had been stolen, expressing his disappointment, anger, and despair. However, the original host did not tear up this notebook but put it back in the drawer, as he could not bear to destroy it, which was the result of his hard work.

Fang Zhao looked at the three completed songs, one of which had lyrics, and two did not, probably planning to have the company's lyricists complete them after submission.

In the middle of the notebook, there were a few pages of an unfinished song, which the original host created after a breakup. He also wrote a diary, probably intending to use it as the lyrics for the song.

The main melody was already set, and the original host planned to prove his strength in the rookie competition, then use the company's resources to produce and release the song. If the company agreed to make an MV, it would be even better, as the song had special significance to him. However, he did not expect the song to be stolen, and it never saw the light of day. The original host was still regretful before his suicide.

Fang Zhao carefully read this unfinished song, tapping his fingers on the paper. "It's you."

On a shelf in the corner of the room, there was something that looked like a folding fan. When unfolded, it revealed a keyboard with keys like a piano, and the feel of pressing them was also good. This was the original host's favorite tool for composing. The quality was not the best, but it was definitely not a cheap product.

Fang Zhao was touching this for the first time, and at first, he was a bit awkward, but as the memories in his brain merged and absorbed, his hands became more skilled.

Fang Zhao also tried playing a few of his old works, but they were incomplete and unfinished. He noted them down to avoid forgetting them in the future, planning to perfect them after the rookie competition. These were the treasures that accompanied Fang Zhao through the nights of the apocalypse, and one day, he would bring them back to the world.

After familiarizing himself with the tool and merging the memories, Fang Zhao began to immerse himself in the emotions.

He needed to understand how the original host felt when creating this song. Only by immersing himself in the emotions could he complete the song.

For several days, Fang Zhao only went downstairs at noon to bask in the sun and buy food from Yue Qing's store. The soundproofing of the windows could not completely isolate the noise of the Black Street at night, but it did not disrupt his creative process.

The first two nights, Fang Zhao was indeed not used to it. Excessive vigilance affected his sleep quality, but from the third night, he could balance his vigilance with the outside noise. Rapid adaptation to the environment is a skill honed in the apocalypse, and many survivors can do it.

Another noon, the store owner, Yue Qing, finished basking in the sun and dragged his chair into the store. Although the weather was getting hotter, and even some people who could see the sun were preparing for sun protection, the people of the Black Street still cherished the brief sunbathing. Before entering the store, he glanced at the entrance to the corridor and saw Fang Zhao walking in with the hairless dog.

"That kid has been busy lately," Yue Qing muttered to himself.

After entering June, the competition on the rookie chart became intense. People in the industry were discussing who would make it into the top ten and which companies they belonged to.

The upper management of Silver Wing was also paying attention to this rookie chart. Du Ang was under a lot of pressure, dealing with inquiries from above and arranging the affairs of the interns. None of the three assistants could ease his burden.

In fact, Du Ang only needed to follow the usual procedures, urging them to create, scheduling producers, recording, uploading, and promoting. Many of these tasks only required a word from him, and specialized teams would handle them. However, this year, the company's upper management seemed to have some important plans, as evidenced by the recruitment of ten composing interns, whereas in previous years, only three to five were recruited.

Moreover, Du Ang had heard some news. The upper management decided that if these ten people performed well and made it into the top fifty, all ten would be promoted to full-time positions. He didn't believe the company didn't want to make a big move.

Because of this, the pressure from above was even greater. Du Ang was running around, arranging things, and was exhausted. Those responsible for the rookies were still better off; the agents responsible for the established stars were almost losing their hair from worry.

However, when he thought about the ten rookies he was in charge of, especially Fang Zhao, who had not yet submitted any work, Du Ang felt a headache.

"What a difficult team to lead!" Du Ang sighed.

He had given that kid ten days under pressure, which was only possible because the upper management was particularly focused on this year's rookies. He didn't know if the kid would live up to the challenge. If he couldn't submit a satisfactory work in ten days, he would have to be kicked out.

Flipping through the real-time rankings, Du Ang stared at the top two, his eyes almost burning with fire.

He was angry!

The New Talent Chart, the first stage for rookies to showcase their abilities, had not changed its top two for a week, and they were steadily pulling away from the rest. If it were anyone else, Du Ang might have tried to push his rookies, but after those two appeared, he gave up.

On the New Talent Chart:

1st Place:

"Believe Me," Singer: Xun Huai, Composer: Xun Huai, Company: Tongshan Shihua.

2nd Place:

"Rainbow Candy," Singer: Felice, Composer: Felice, Company: Neiguang Culture.

The composer and singer are the same person, so they must be very strong, right?

No!

These two are indeed very strong, but they are not real idols; they are virtual idols!

Real idols go through intense competition to debut, and rookies rack their brains to climb the charts, always on edge, fearing poor performance in their debut, as their performance is tied to the company.

But virtual idols are different, especially those with clear purposes. They are the result of significant investment and long-term planning by their companies, and these companies concentrate more resources on them, a convenience that real rookies cannot obtain.

Behind each virtual idol is a complete team and ambitious capital.

Can they even be considered rookies?!

These virtual idols, launched by major companies, have resources and support that other rookies cannot match. This year, there is no real rookie who can compete with them, and Silver Wing cannot concentrate resources to help their rookies against these two virtual idols. The company's focus is on bigger stars, as a senior executive put it: "Look long-term, think big!"

Therefore, the upper management has decided to give up on the top two spots in the rookie competition.

Virtual idols on the rookie chart are like bugs, year after year, overshadowing the real rookies. Whenever virtual idols appear in the rookie competition, the real rookies can only serve as stepping stones.

A senior executive from Silver Wing once proposed to the Global Music Association to remove virtual idols from the rookie chart, but it was rejected. The news was leaked, and Silver Wing was attacked by virtual idol fans for half a year!

The fans were furious: "Virtual idols are not idols? This is discrimination! Prejudice! Narrow-mindedness! The third-largest entertainment company in Yanzhou should have the breadth to match its size! Look at what Neiguang and Tongshan Shihua are doing, and you're just talking nonsense!"

The people at Silver Wing would have spat blood at the thought of it.

Of course, the uninformed public would say, "Since the top two companies in the industry launched virtual rookies this season, why doesn't Silver Wing do the same?"

However, anyone familiar with the industry knows that Silver Wing is weak in virtual idols. Every time they launch one, it fails, and they all flop!

Last year, a virtual idol team launched by the company failed, and the producer, after being openly mocked by Tongshan Shihua and Neiguang Culture, fainted and is still in the hospital, too ashamed to face the company's upper management and employees. After all, he had made a pledge, but reality slapped him in the face... Regret!

The upper management of Silver Wing also regretted it. If they had known it would fail, they wouldn't have ventured into virtual idols, leading to ridicule from the industry and the loss of money that could have been used to launch several promising real rookies.

The virtual idol projects launched by Silver Wing have almost all been financial disasters. The appearance of two virtual idols on the rookie chart this season made the upper management of Silver Wing suspect that Tongshan Shihua and Neiguang Culture were deliberately trying to frustrate them.