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During his two days in the hospital, Jiang Yichen took the opportunity to thoroughly understand the ways to earn money from music in this parallel world.
Based on his research, the revenue calculation methods for songs in this world were similar to those in his previous life. There were income shares from streaming and downloads.
Streaming revenue meant that on mainstream digital music platforms, a song earned about 1.2 yuan for every thousand plays. For one hundred million plays, that would amount to 120,000 yuan.
Download revenue depended on the number of paid downloads and the platform’s share. If a song was downloaded for two yuan, with a split of 70:30 between the platform and the copyright holder, the copyright holder would earn 0.6 yuan for each download.
In addition to that, there were also income streams from copyright licensing, performances, physical albums and merchandise, and fan economy.
After two days, Jiang Yichen had made a decision.
He would not sign with an entertainment company; he would become an independent musician.
In the past few days, he had spoken with people from various entertainment companies. Without exception, signing with these companies required sharing the song’s copyright with them. This was perhaps the most fundamental difference between independent musicians and those tied to entertainment companies.
Independent musicians retained full ownership of their music.
The pros and cons of both paths were clear. Entertainment companies had abundant resources and strong financial backing; they could easily spend money to make a catchy song go viral.
Independent musicians faced greater challenges in market promotion without professional marketing teams and extensive networks.
However, this was not a problem for Jiang Yichen. He had a wealth of classic songs from another world stored in his mind. As long as the music was good, everything else could be overcome.
Take, for example, the song “An Unspeakable Secret” that he performed at the welcome party; it had received numerous covers on short video platforms in just two days.
…
After completing his discharge procedures, Jiang Yichen waited at the hospital entrance.
Professor Qin said she would come to pick him up.
To be fair, although she was usually cold and domineering, she did have a warm side.
At the hospital entrance, people bustled about.
Not far away, an elderly woman selling flowers caught Jiang Yichen’s attention.
“Young man, would you like to buy some flowers? Feel free to take a look,” the flower seller said with a smile.
“I’ll take this one, the white lily,” Jiang Yichen said, pointing at a beautiful flower in the basket.
The old woman’s clothes were quite worn and patched up, but the flower bouquet was beautifully wrapped in old newspapers, giving it an artistic retro touch.
“Five yuan,” the flower seller said.
“Is it that cheap?” Jiang Yichen asked, surprised. The last time he ordered a bouquet of lilies from a flower shop, it had cost two hundred yuan for just ten flowers—an average of twenty yuan each.
The old woman smiled, her face lined with wrinkles. “Young man, I’ve been selling flowers here for many years, and it’s always been this price. Are you buying it for your girlfriend?”
Jiang Yichen shook his head. “No, no, it’s for my teacher. I haven’t given her a gift for Teacher’s Day yet.”
After scanning the payment code, he transferred an additional five yuan.
The elderly woman didn’t use a smartphone and didn’t have any voice announcements to confirm the payment. Jiang Yichen worried about how she dealt with those who might try to cheat her.
“Aren’t you afraid I won’t pay?” Jiang Yichen asked curiously.
The elderly woman handed him the white lily and replied, “This place is sacred. I’ve heard many sincere prayers here. Over the years, I’ve encountered some young people who tried to take advantage of me, but most are honest and even give me extra.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yichen nodded in understanding, took the flower, and said goodbye to the elderly woman before walking back to the hospital entrance.
Just as he returned, he saw Professor Qin’s familiar SUV parked by the roadside.
He approached, hiding the flower behind his back.
Bending down, he opened the passenger door and said to Qin Ling inside, “Professor Qin, I have a surprise for you. Want to guess what it is?”
“Did you buy flowers?” Qin Ling replied.
“How did you know?”
“I saw.”
“……” Jiang Yichen was momentarily speechless. He got into the passenger seat and handed her the lily. “Happy Teacher’s Day.”
“Thank you,” Qin Ling said softly. She had received many flowers from students for Teacher’s Day, and it touched her heart.
However, most of the flowers were roses, and while some students had given her lilies, they weren’t white lilies.
Curious, she asked, “Jiang Yichen, why did you choose a white lily?”
“Because it looks nice,” Jiang Yichen answered. “It feels like it suits you, Professor Qin.”
“……” Qin Ling fell silent as she started the car. The white lily Jiang Yichen had handed her was temporarily placed in the glove compartment.
Jiang Yichen observed Qin Ling a bit more closely. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked a bit paler than usual today.
After turning a corner, Qin Ling asked, “Have you finished the sheet music from last week?”
“Of course, I finished it.”
“How’s the piece coming along?”
“Smooth as flowing water~” Jiang Yichen exaggerated slightly.
“Good. When we get back, we’ll have a class.”
“？？？？？？？” Jiang Yichen was confused, scratching his ear. “Professor Qin, what did you just say?”
Class? What class?
It was already eight in the evening.
Shouldn’t he just be going back to the dorm to sleep?
“I won’t repeat myself,” Qin Ling said, her tone firm.
“But it’s already eight in the evening! What class could we possibly have? That’s so inappropriate!”
“No, you missed class the day before yesterday, so you have to make it up.”
“Can’t we just do it tomorrow?”
“I’ve checked your schedule. It’s either tonight or tomorrow night.”
“Can’t it just be forgotten?”
“Absolutely not.”
“……”
Jiang Yichen clutched his chest, feigning pain. “Oh no, I feel like my stomach is still not well. It hurts a bit.”
“Stop pretending,” Qin Ling countered. “The doctor said you’re fine.”
Jiang Yichen: “…….”
The doctor said he was fine?
But the doctor also said he was fine last time, yet she still made him stay in the hospital!