Chapter 5

Nakai En-ta is very efficient; that same evening, he said he would go to the nightclub to look for suitable talent.

However, from Nagayama Naoki's perspective, it was most likely just another night of revelry.

Who would have thought that the next morning, while Naoki was still having breakfast, Nakai En-ta brought a young woman of modest height to the door.

"Mr. Naoki, this is Hoshino Suzumi, my good friend and a top student at Toho Gakuen University! She's also a Seiko fan~"

Nagayama Naoki, seeing the fashionable beauty before him, couldn't help but think, "Really not just some random pickup from a nightclub..."

"Ohayo~ Mr. Nagayama, I heard your story from Mr. En-ta and couldn't help but come out of curiosity~ hahaha" It turns out she's a cheerful girl~

"Ohayo~ Ms. Hoshino" Nagayama Naoki quickly invited them in, stuffing the remaining rice ball into his mouth, "I didn't prepare in advance, so the room is a bit messy, please make yourself at home..."

Being young, they weren't too formal, and the two casually gathered around the low table, "It's fine, compared to Mr. En-ta's place, yours is much cleaner~"

"Why are you bringing me into this, Suzumi~ My place is clean too~" Nakai En-ta protested, "I clean every week~"

For a bachelor, it was indeed quite tidy.

......

After a few pleasantries, they got down to business.

Hoshino Suzumi asked, "Mr. Naoki, could you tell me about the song you mentioned earlier?"

Naoki took out the lyrics he had written and hummed the melody, "How about it, can you compose a tune for it?"

Hoshino Suzumi, being a music major, could sing the lyrics after just one listen.

Listening to Hoshino Suzumi's clear singing, both Nagayama Naoki and Nakai En-ta had the same thought: "Indeed, the song 'Cherry Blossom' sounds ten times better when sung by a sweet female voice!"

"If this song is sung by Princess Seiko, it will surely become a hit in RB!" Hoshino Suzumi, being a die-hard Seiko fan, added, "However, there are still some details that need to be refined in the composition..."

"Hey, I really appreciate your trouble, and I will do my best to provide the compensation for the composition..."

"Compensation is not necessary, contributing to Princess Seiko is the wish of all Seiko fans!"

Indeed, she is a die-hard Seiko fan!

Composing a song is not something that can be done in one go. Over the next few days, Hoshino Suzumi came to Nagayama Naoki's place every day to refine the composition, sometimes accompanied by Nakai En-ta, sometimes just the two of them.

Even the landlord, Mrs. Makino, quietly asked, "Is that beautiful lady Mr. Naoki's girlfriend?"

"Hahaha~ No, Ms. Hoshino Suzumi is Mr. En-ta's good friend. She's here to discuss a song."

"Oh, are you going to release a record?" Mrs. Makino was very curious.

"No, I wrote a song and want to see if it can be provided to Matsuda Seiko for her to sing." Nagayama Naoki was a bit embarrassed but, for the sake of his first big payday, he still called it "composition."

"Really? That's amazing!" Although she was older, Mrs. Makino was not entirely unaware of the new stars in the entertainment industry.

......

Days passed, and the composition for "Cherry Blossom" was already completed. Hoshino Suzumi had also recorded a demo and sent the song to Matsuda Seiko's Sun Music agency, along with a heartfelt letter.

At the time, Matsuda Seiko's second single "Kaze wa Aki-iro" was in the promotion phase, topping the Oricon charts and destined to be a huge hit. The previous single "Aoi Sekai" had seen a slight decline in popularity but had still won the top spot on "THE BEST 10."

After Yamaguchi Momoe's retirement, the media had already dubbed Matsuda Seiko as a phenomenon-level newcomer. At this point, this song could add more fuel to Seiko's popularity.

At a Sun Music internal meeting, the president, Aizawa Hideyuki, was listening to the demo, naturally very concerned about the agency's hotly promoted newcomer.

That morning, the head of the planning department had brought Aizawa Hideyuki this single "Cherry Blossom," saying it was a great song written by a Seiko fan.

Aizawa Hideyuki wasn't particularly interested at first, but after listening to the demo and considering Matsuda Seiko's vocal abilities, he had to admit that the song was on par with "Aoi Sekai."

However, the agency was currently promoting "Kaze wa Aki-iro" and wanted to give "Aoi Sekai" another push, hoping to win an award at the RB Record Awards.

Releasing this single at the end of the year would be a waste of its potential. It would be more suitable as a New Year's single next year.

"Regardless, we should secure this song first."

Aizawa Hideyuki instructed the agent in charge of Matsuda Seiko, Mifune Daikoku, to contact the creator, Nagayama Naoki, and discuss the record production with Wakamatsu Sadao, likely to be released next year.

Mifune Daikoku, a seasoned industry insider, had worked with many composers and lyricists, but a completed single demo sent directly by a fan was quite rare.

He obtained the contact information from the planning department and called the Makino household's landline.

"Moshi moshi, this is the Makino household."

"Hello, this is Mifune Daikoku from Sun Music. Is Mr. Nagayama Naoki available?"

"Hi, he's here, please hold on." Since he had already informed Mrs. Makino, the contact information left by Nagayama Naoki was the apartment's landline.

Over the past few days, Naoki had mostly stayed at the apartment, watching TV and listening to records, deepening his connection to the Showa era and taking a break to rest. When he received the call, he even felt he had gained a bit of weight.

"Moshi moshi, this is Nagayama Naoki!"

"Hello, this is Mifune Daikoku from Sun Music. We received the single 'Cherry Blossom' you sent. It's indeed an outstanding song. I would like to discuss the next steps of our collaboration. When would be a convenient time for you?"

"Ah, I'm free these days... No, I'm available now. You can set the time..."

They finally agreed to meet the next morning at Sun Music for detailed discussions.

Producing a record involves the producer leading the planning, using stored songs or commissioning composers and lyricists. If it's for a specific singer, a special single can be created. Generally, the total revenue from a record is mostly taken by the agency and the record company, as they bear the costs of production and promotion.

However, famous composers and lyricists, as well as popular stars, have some bargaining power. Of course, there is also the option to buy out the rights, but for a song destined to be a hit, no one would buy out the rights.

The conversation between Nagayama Naoki and Mifune Daikoku went smoothly. After both parties acknowledged the quality of the single, the copyright transfer fee and royalty split were naturally agreed upon. In addition to the 10 million yen for the copyright buyout, Nagayama Naoki would also receive a 5% royalty split as the composer and lyricist.

The entertainment industry is indeed a quick way to make money!

......

After signing the contract, Mifune Daikoku invited Nagayama Naoki to a high-end restaurant near the agency. This has almost become a tradition; regardless of the contract signed, as long as both parties have agreed to collaborate, they always go out to build a relationship. The level of spending in the entertainment industry, in a way, represents the agency's face. Since Sun Music's hospitality standards are top-notch in the industry, this cannot be spared.