Business cooperation may sound complicated, but the preparation stage is relatively simple.
Simply put, as long as both parties can reach an agreement, each will get what they need.
The main responsibility of an agent is to help artists negotiate matters with various brands and partners.
To put it simply, an agent is a businessman who treats artists as commodities, enters the market, and negotiates with people.
Although this is Kurosawa Hikaru's first time as an entertainer, hasn't he seen a pig run even if he has eaten pork
That's right, after the formal meeting and greeting, he sat next to Igarashi Runa and shut his mouth.
"Mr. Zero looks really young."
Ryoko Nishimura couldn't help but look at Kurosawa Hikaru's appearance and always felt that he was very young.
“He is 20 years old.”
"It's amazing that he has achieved so much at such a young age."
"It's the same for Ms. Nishimura. She became the person in charge of a listed company at a young age."
“That’s too much.”
No one doesn't like compliments, especially when they are to the point. Ryoko Nishikawa tied her hair and smiled.
She is quite pretty, mature and calm, wears a pair of glasses, and looks intelligent and capable.
Competent people are often more attractive in the eyes of others.
"As for the advertising endorsement shoot, since Lingshi has no schedule this month, after the official signing of the contract, it is expected to start fulfilling the contractual obligations next month. I wonder if your company thinks there is a problem with the decision on this date?"
After a brief chat, Igarashi Runa returned to the topic and explained the situation.
"no problem."
After thinking about it, Ryoko Nishikawa nodded.
In her early thirties, she was able to become the vice president of a listed company. Although she was beautiful, she still remained calm.
Regarding the advertising endorsement contract, during this period, most of the issues have been resolved either through phone calls or face-to-face interviews.
The only thing that has not been done yet is the appearance and signature of Master Zero Hour.
As long as it can be confirmed that Zero Hour Master is the artist of Zero Hour Agency and the contract is signed, there will be no doubt about this cooperation.
"In that case, Ms. Nishimura, shall we officially sign the contract?"
Igarashi Runa nodded slightly, there was no time to lose.
Although contracts have been signed since the firm was founded, such as the contract to be stationed at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, she, as the person in charge of the firm, directly signed the strategic cooperation agreement.
However, the office-based contract is, after all, a rather special cooperation, and has not yet brought the firm any obvious profit on paper. It is a long-term cooperation.
In comparison, this advertising endorsement is a very straightforward commercial contract, which means that the contract can generate 1 billion yen in revenue as soon as it is signed.
Once this contract is signed, Lingshi's value in the entertainment industry market will be initially determined.
This is a very important part for artists.
"Before signing the contract, I have a small request."
Ryoko Nishimura glanced at Kurosawa Mitsuru across from her and was not in a hurry to sign the contract.
"Please go ahead."
"I want to see Mr. Zero Hour perform a song live again. Our company attaches great importance to this advertising endorsement cooperation and must ensure that everything goes well."
"You want him to prove that he is Zero Hour?"
Igarashi Runa thought for a moment and guessed her purpose.
"That's right."
Seeing her reveal the truth, Nishimura Ryoko affirmed.
Although Kurosawa Hikaru is very handsome, he is the kind of pretty boy who is extremely attractive to a strong woman in her early thirties like her.
But because of this, she had to doubt the authenticity of Kurosawa Hikaru's identity.
The company she works for started out as a music game company and has continued to grow. Naturally, she understands music, and she understands trends and the needs of young people.
When Ling Shi burst onto the scene with the song "Croatian Rhapsody", he was highly talked about, had a very personal image, and had a calm, exquisite and elegant piano skill. She felt at the first moment that this person was very suitable to be the spokesperson for Cat Carnival.
Especially after visiting the performance at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, she was deeply shocked. She was sure that Master Lingshi's attainments in the field of piano, his high level and rich experience made him absolutely a senior.
Perhaps as an older artist, he does not yet have the blessing of the sentimental halo, but Zero Hour’s popularity and heat are too high, and he became famous so quickly that he is far ahead of others. Moreover, his image is very special, which is especially suitable for music games.
That's right. She had been convening board meetings to discuss matters during that period, and finally decided to take a gamble. She believed that Master Zero Hour would definitely become very famous, so in order to sign a cooperation contract with him, she offered him better treatment and sincerity than before.
This cooperation has been going smoothly since the beginning of the negotiation... But now someone told her that the Master of Zero Hour is a 20-year-old young man, which is intriguing.
"May I?"
After pointing out the situation, Igarashi Runa turned her head slightly and looked at Kurosawa Hikaru beside her.
"certainly."
Kurosawa Mitsuru, who was sitting on the same sofa with her for the interview, naturally agreed to her question.
He could understand Miss Nishimura's concerns and suspicions. After all, his masterful piano skills could not have been achieved without half a lifetime of accumulation and natural talent.
Not to mention that she didn't believe it, if he suddenly revealed his identity, most people would not believe it.
Only Miki Baiyu could believe that he was Zero Hour right from the start and grasp the current situation.
"Then let's go, Miss Nishimura, please move to the second floor."
Seeing that he had no objection, Igarashi Runa nodded, and couldn't help but feel excited.
She doesn't know how to play the piano, but she likes music, which is why she entered the entertainment industry as an agent.
While talking, they stood up, walked out of the office together and went to the recording studio on the second floor.
Along the way, Ryoko Nishimura was also looking around.
Although Lingshi Office is small, like a studio, it has all the necessary equipment... At least, there is no big problem with the piano.
The only pity is that the recording studio is too small to fully display the charm and power of Steinway.
Having said that, in terms of the environment, it is generally good.
For example, this recording studio has air conditioning turned on 24 hours a day to keep the temperature in the most comfortable range for the piano.
"What piece would Ms. Nishimura like me to play?"
Kurosawa Mitsuru came to the piano and sat down, but instead of starting to play directly, he asked.
"The Bells, this classic piece, has been performed by many famous pianists, but the style of the Bells at midnight is inimitable."
Seeing his elegant and calm sitting posture, Nishimura Ryoko couldn't help but look at him a few more times and said.
The same piece of music, performed by different pianists, gives people completely different feelings.
Perhaps most beginners play the same piece of music in the same way, but famous pianists are famous because they have their own style.
Zero Hour's style is one of talent, genius, calmness and confidence, and his sense of music, melody, and even the strength and rhythm of his performance are impeccable and perfect.
It is no exaggeration to say that looking around the world, she couldn't even think of a second pianist who could compare with Ling Shi.
She could have chosen "Croatian Rhapsody" or "Flight of the Bumblebee", after all, these are the masterpieces of the Zero Hour Master.
But compared to "The Bell", the difficulty of playing these two pieces is actually much simpler.
The most important thing is that she really wants to hear the Zero Hour Master perform "The Bell" live again.
After getting her answer, Kurosawa Hikaru didn't say much, but just adjusted his posture.
When his hands were placed on the keyboard, he began to play.
There is no need for prior preparation or thinking about the music score; his performance seems to be engraved into his body's instincts.
The recording studio was very quiet. The moment the clear and clean piano sounded, the bell rang as well.
"Master Zero Time is actually so young..."
After just the prelude, Ryoko Nishimura found the answer and was extremely shocked.
An expert can tell whether something is good or not with just one look.
She didn't even need to listen to the entire piece, because she had already listened to the replay video of Master Zero Hour's performance at the Kawai Piano Competition at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan countless times in the past few days.
Then, she was deeply attracted by the sound of the piano, her eyes fixed on it.
People who like music tend to be more emotional.
Everyone's favorite music is different, and it varies from person to person.
But what is certain is that the reason why everyone falls in love with music is because of resonance and the pursuit of rhythm and melody.
"It looks like she has the answer."
Igarashi Runa stood with her hands crossed behind her, in a very feminine posture. She looked at Kurosawa Hikaru and also glanced at Nishimura Ryoko, feeling very proud.
Perhaps the person playing the piano at this moment is not her, but Kurosawa Hikaru.
But this does not affect her pride at all, because Kurosawa is her artist, her baby, and her idol.
If possible, she wanted to tell everyone in the world how great Kurosawa was and make people understand why she admired him so much.
"… "
As the piano played, the charm of the bells gradually blossomed. Ryoko Nishikawa looked at the performance right in front of her and couldn't help holding her breath.
When the bells reached their climax and thousands of bells rang out at the same time, the small recording studio seemed to have transformed into a magnificent, spacious and brightly lit ballroom.
A pianist's performance, in addition to the interpretation of the piano sound, also includes body movements and even facial expressions, which are all part of the performance.
If we were to ask who the pianist’s first audience is, it would definitely be himself.
No one knows better than them what kind of situation they are in.
"He's firing blindly?!"
Seeing the moment he reached his climax, his hands were dazzling as if leaving afterimages, his handsome face, his eyes gradually closed, as if he was entering a state of ecstasy, Nishikawa Ryoko could not help but cover her mouth with her hands, her heart was shocked beyond words, afraid that she would disturb him with a sound.
Unlike the previous Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, the Master of Zero Hour at that time was wearing a mask, and his expression and demeanor could not be seen.
This time, she suddenly discovered that the difficulty of the performance was so terrifying that the master of zero hour actually played blindly with his eyes closed!
This is an overwhelming talent, and compared to ordinary people, it has the strength of a dimensional barrier!
Why did "The Clock" at Zero Hour cause such a stir and shock the whole country
Not only because of its charming and pleasant sound, but also because of the elegance that Zero Hour interprets in a violent and gorgeous manner.
This is a double feast for the visual and auditory senses. Unless one is deaf or blind, one will be impressed by him as long as one sees his performance and hears his piano music.
When the piano music ended, the recording studio returned to silence again.
However, even after the song ended, the lingering sound of that heavenly sound still echoed in everyone's body.
"Liszt is really amazing... After the first album is finished, I will make all original works for the second album."
The same was true for Kurosawa Hikaru. When he performed "The Bell" again, he had an extremely deep appreciation for the pianist's talent and couldn't help but yearn for it.
He actually has the ability to compose music, whether it is "Croatian Rhapsody" or "Adeelina at the Water's Edge". Because he could not remember all the melodies, he could only think of 70% to 80%. The rest was filled in based on his understanding of the piano.
In fact, although he has been moving the world-famous piano pieces he had heard in his previous life, he did so to bring such beautiful music to the world, to put it in a more elegant way, and to ensure that the firm could make money, to put it in a more vulgar way.
Because any piano piece he had heard and remembered in his previous life were famous pieces that were popular in the market and widely recognized.
In contrast, if he wants to be original, the effect cannot be guaranteed.
He had the confidence to ask Miss Runa to start a business together because he had the capital to live a new life.
He possesses entry-level piano skills, and coupled with the deep memory of those timeless world-famous songs, even if he can't become rich overnight and become a national sensation, at least he will have no problem making a lot of money from selling well.
"Ms. Nishimura, do you think I am Zero Hour?"
Immersed in the afterglow, having completely digested it, Kurosawa Hikaru turned his head to look at Nishimura Ryoko beside him and asked.
As soon as he said this, before he could even wait for a reply, he got the answer he wanted.
I saw that Nishikawa Ryoko was looking at him with an admiration that was beyond words, and she was deeply shocked.
"Mr. Zero Time, can you give me an autograph later?"
Ryoko Nishikawa did not answer this question, but asked without restraint.
She became a fan of Zero Hour when she first saw it live at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.
Now, having watched Zero Time's performance from such a close distance, she is certain that her idol will never change in her life.
"With pleasure. Let's go back to the office."
In response to this request, Kurosawa Hikaru smiled and stood up.
Although Miss Nishikawa is not the sponsor, the sponsor is the company she represents.
But according to Miss Runa, this cooperation, with such generous remuneration and good treatment, was entirely facilitated by Miss Nishikawa.
In a sense, she is chasing stars at public expense.
"Mr. Zero Time, why did you choose to wear a mask? With your looks and appearance, you would be more popular without a mask, right?"
As Kurosawa Mitsuru walked out the door, Nishikawa Ryoko followed closely and couldn't help but ask.
"Because I want to make a living from piano, but I don't want my private life to be disturbed."
"When did you start learning piano?"
“I was about 5 years old when I first came into contact with the piano.”
"So you've been learning piano for 16 years?"
"You could say that."
"I studied piano for seventeen years, but later I had no time to play because of work. Now my hands are not good at playing. If you have the chance, can you teach me?"
"Well… "
Faced with her increasingly enthusiastic attitude, Kurosawa Mitsuru suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.
As the saying goes, women at thirty are like wolves and at forty are like tigers... Although this sentence is used to describe women in terms of sex.
But this situation actually also appears in life.
"Ms. Nishikawa, my studies are quite busy at midnight."
Igarashi Runa, who was following behind him, noticed his difficulty and said with a smile.
"Oh, yes, Mr. Lingshi is 20 years old and still in school... Which university are you studying at?"
“The University of Tokyo.”
"Aren't you studying at a foreign music school?"
“I don’t want to be too far away from home.”
"Mr. Ling Shi is the type who cares about his family?"
"This seems a little different from the Gu family..."
Kurosawa Hikaru always felt that what she said was a bit strange.
I have to say, when a woman becomes passionate, she can be really scary.
While talking, they returned to the office.
There was interactive progress between casual conversation and serious business... This was the result of Igarashi Runa forcibly taking charge of the situation.
There are many details to discuss when it comes to advertising endorsements. After all, matters involving money are not that simple.
However, after officially signing the advertising endorsement contract, there is still the issue of music licensing to be discussed.
In Kurosawa Hikaru's opinion, "Flight of the Bumblebee" is definitely suitable for music games, as is "Croatian Rhapsody". With the help of these two songs, they can gain fame among young people.
"Regarding the issue of music licensing, I plan to go back and hold a board meeting for serious discussion before formulating a new project."
Speaking of new projects, Ryoko Nishikawa said after thinking about it.
As she spoke, her eyes were completely glued to Kurosawa Hikaru, full of enthusiasm and admiration.
“Don’t worry, we are looking forward to working with your company.”
When it comes to serious matters, Igarashi Runa is the full-fledged agent.
"Okay, I will quickly draw up a contract that will satisfy both parties... Mr. Ling Shi, are you free later? Is there a chance for me to have lunch with you?"
"Ms. Nishikawa, I have an appointment later at midnight. I'm afraid I won't have the chance to have lunch with you this time."
"What about next time?"
Realizing that it wouldn't work this time, Nishikawa Ryoko felt sorry, but she didn't give up.
If possible, she wanted to spend more time with her idol.
"Next time I will try to arrange my time well... I am really busy at midnight. In addition to studying, I have to practice piano every day."
This kind of situation is not new to Igarashi Runa, and her tactics are very common.
Generally speaking, financial sponsors have ulterior motives for artists, which could be their talent or their sexiness.
For example, Fujiwara Rika has received many such invitations in the past because of her youth and beauty.
Most invitations can be resolved by procrastination... Of course, there are a few situations that cannot be resolved by procrastination, such as if you don’t accompany me for a meal or to a dance party, the cooperation will be ruined, so I will be forced to go on a date.
After all, the cooperation and signing of artists is not just a personal matter, but is related to the collective interests of the company.
"good."
Although it was a delaying tactic, it was better to have hope than no hope at all. Nishikawa Ryoko couldn't force it, so she could only nod and leave it to fate.
Not long after, they chatted for a while, and because the agreed time had arrived, this business meeting officially ended.
"See you next time, Mr. Ling Shi. I will definitely bring you a satisfactory contract next time."
As she said goodbye, Ryoko Nishikawa chuckled as she walked out of the office.
"Then thank you for your trouble."
Hearing her assurance, Kurosawa Hikaru smiled back.
"Go back to the lounge and wait for a while. I'll go see Miss Nishikawa off."
At the same time, Igarashi Runa sent her away.
Of course, as long as it is delivered to the door, it will be fine. After all, the vice president of a listed company still drives when he goes out.
…
Going up to the lounge on the third floor, Kurosawa Mitsuru sat down on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
"This negotiation went quite smoothly, thanks to someone's beauty."
Not long after, Igarashi Runa opened the door of the lounge and walked in.
"Stop talking. I'm so tired."
Hearing her teasing, Kurosawa Hikaru sighed.
"You don't need to sigh, do you? Isn't it a good thing that Miss Nishikawa likes you so much? It means that you are liked by others."
Igarashi Runa couldn't help but laugh when she saw him sighing.
"Chatting with her is more tiring than playing ten piano pieces." Kurosawa Hikaru had a headache.
"Don't you like teasing girls? Don't you like being teased by girls?"
Seeing that he was extremely tired, Igarashi Runa walked to the table, picked up his cup, and went to the side to pour some water.
"That depends on the person. If it's a girl as pretty as you, I would definitely like her."
Seeing this thoughtful gesture, Kurosawa Mitsuru looked at her graceful back and figure, and changed the subject.
Although Miss Nishikawa is quite pretty, it depends on who you compare her with.
"… "
Igarashi Runa, who was pouring water to wash the cup in front of the water dispenser, froze when she heard this.
What is this? A confession? Or just a polite remark
"You said I have an appointment for dinner later. Who will I eat with?"
Seeing her stiff movements, Kurosawa Hikaru realized that what he said made her unsure of how to respond, so he simply changed the subject.
"That was just a polite remark to deal with Miss Nishikawa. Can't you tell?"
Igarashi Runa rolled her eyes at him.
"I thought I was really going to have dinner with someone."
Kurosawa Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, he knew that it was just an excuse to divert her attention.
The time now is past 10 in the morning, still not suitable for romance.
"Are you scared?"
Igarashi Runa found the look on his face very funny.
Representatives of partners like Ms. Nishikawa are very easy to get along with.
“A little.”
Kurosawa Hikaru was indeed scared. He didn't even know that his beauty could kill a woman in her thirties. Was he a queen killer? Or a young woman killer
"There are three more signing sessions today, at 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30 in the afternoon."
Igarashi Runa reminded leisurely.
Because Kurosawa had been very busy before and had no time to show up, there were still many things that were put on hold.
Of the five projects initially selected, except for Tokyo Bunka Tokyo, which had seen her in action as Zero Hour's agent, they readily allowed her to sign the contract as a representative. The other partners wanted to see Zero Hour in person before they were willing to sign the contract.
Work is not that simple, and making money is not that easy either.
"Will it be a boy or a girl later?"
"A man."
"That's fine." Kurosawa Hikaru nodded.