blueteamnovel Chapter 4 Contract Negotiation
Chapter 4 Contract Negotiation
EE-Media's "overbearing terms" are mainly reflected in its control over artists, excessive liability for breach of contract, and excessively long contract periods.
Lin Feng studied this matter carefully. Some things were mandatory conditions that could not be changed; but some things were worth fighting for in order to protect his core interests in the future.
The first is copyright, which is easy to negotiate. Whether it's singer copyright or film and television copyright, there are exclusive copyright contracts. General agency contracts do not include copyright.
Moreover, Tianyu Media definitely positions Lin Feng as an idol artist, not a creator. Just in case, it would be best to include this in the contract.
The second is autonomy, which is probably the most difficult. Tianyu's most domineering trait is its desire for control, and Lin Feng can't explain "why," which easily leads to conflict.
Long Danni happens to be the most domineering agent, and she dislikes disobedient artists the most. Just look at how she treats Chen Chusheng and Xiao Zan, and you'll understand.
Thirdly, the contract term is too long. Eight years is more about the development of Tianyu Media. Now, mainstream film and television companies like Huayi Brothers generally offer five-year contracts. Moreover, since Zhang Han was able to secure a five-year contract in his previous life, he should also try to secure one.
Finally, there's the commission for brokerage. A little more or a little less is acceptable. Although Lin Feng is short of money, he can sacrifice some "small money" in the early stages in order to pursue long-term interests so that he can make "big money" later.
As for the 1000 million yuan penalty for breach of contract, Lin Feng didn't even mention it. On the one hand, the penalty for breach of contract isn't set at a fixed amount; even if the court makes a judgment, it's based on a specific analysis of factors such as the artist's earnings and the remaining years of the contract.
On the other hand, Lin Feng is confident in himself and doesn't care about this amount of money in the future. In a sense, this might even be a way of protecting Tianyu Entertainment!
Therefore, after reviewing the agency contract with Tianyu Media, Lin Feng thought for a moment and then spoke frankly:
"Mr. Long, thank you for the company and for your recognition of me. I also have some thoughts on my career development. First, I hope that the company can respect my opinions when negotiating projects and give me some decision-making power."
I also enjoy writing and drawing, and I hope to retain the copyright for my creative works, such as scripts.
Moreover, this 8-year economic contract is a bit too long; I think 5 years would be more appropriate.
Regarding commission sharing for brokers, I think it would be best to have a tiered commission sharing system.
For example, if I create less than 1 million yuan in value for the company, the company will split the profits 30/70; between 1 million and 2 million yuan, it will be 40/60; between 2 million and 3 million yuan, it will be 50/50, and so on.
In short, it's about setting up a tiered profit-sharing system that everyone can accept, essentially acting as an incentive mechanism.
Good grief, I said four things and you replied with four things, what does that mean?
Although Lin Feng's idea was good, Long Danni was very dissatisfied. She didn't like artists with too many ideas and rejected him without even thinking about it.
"Your contract is exactly the same as the female lead's in the same production. You can't make exceptions. Besides, she's only one year younger than you, very young, and the contract term is the same—8 years."
Even in terms of screen time, she is the only female lead in the production, while you have four male actors. Even if there is some emphasis on the genders, the contract differences cannot be too large.
Lin Feng tried again, saying, "President Long, although I still have two years until graduation, I'm already a junior. My studies won't be affected, and apart from the graduation exams, I can devote myself entirely to my work."
Moreover, the terms I just mentioned aren't about giving me special treatment; they're more of an incentive to motivate me to improve faster!
Lin Feng was right; it was indeed a motivating tactic, and Long Danni's attitude softened considerably.
Yao Jia, standing nearby, added fuel to the fire for Lin Feng, saying, "President Long, I think it's a good idea. It's a win-win collaboration, and Lin Feng deserves this agency contract. I think he'll definitely make it."
Yao Jiatai has her eye on Lin Feng. Since she has decided to choose Lin Feng, she will do so without reservation. She doesn't want to lose Lin Feng, this future star, because of the contract.
At this moment, Long Danni fell into deep thought and began to seriously consider Lin Feng's conditions. The conditions were not too outrageous. Her concerns came more from the challenge Lin Feng posed. Among all the artists in Tianyu, this was the first artist to propose so many additional incentive conditions.
There is a play!
Seeing that Long Danni was still a little hesitant, Lin Feng finally used his "business negotiation card" and went all out!
The rest is up to fate. If it doesn't work out, so be it. It's not like he has to be fixated on "Meteor Shower".
With the 20% ratio added, Long Danni finally changed her mind, "Okay, let's do it your way, but we still need to discuss some details."
Now that the general direction was agreed upon, the rest was easy to negotiate, and both parties quickly finalized the specific economic contract:
Copyright can be retained; Tianyu Media has not set any obstacles in this regard.
The autonomy granted Lin Feng only one "veto right." If Lin Feng succeeds, he can continue to use it, but if he fails, he will have to follow the company's arrangements from now on.
The contract is for 5 years, but the start date is June 2009, which is roughly the time when "Meteor Shower" was preparing for its promotion and broadcast. Tianyu is really stingy; they even have to calculate these few months!
经纪分成採用阶梯式分成，低于100万元的按三七经分成、100万-200万之间的按四六分成、200万-300万的五五分成、300-400万的六四分成、400-500万的七三分成、500万以上的八二分成，
比如：林锋一年能赚600万，最后的分成是（100*30%）+（100*40%）+（100*50%）+（100*60%）+（100*70%）+（100*80%）=330万。
Earning 100 million now seems like a lot, but with future film salaries skyrocketing, Lin Feng will be able to earn even more in the future, but he'll have to earn less in the first two years.
For example, the production team of "Meteor Shower" received 2000 yuan per episode, totaling 7.2 yuan for 36 episodes. After deducting the agent's share and taxes, they only received 2 yuan in the end, which is not much money at all, just enough to pay for tuition.
After all the contracts were signed, the three of them took a group photo. Only then did Long Danni realize that she couldn't believe she had agreed to such conditions. Perhaps Lin Feng was just too outstanding; that was the only reason she could attribute it to.
However, since things had come to this, Long Danni didn't dwell on it. She simply encouraged him, "Lin Feng, we believe in you. Don't let us down!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Long, I will definitely work hard and won't let you down. This might be the most valuable agency contract you've ever signed!"
"I hope so! I have high hopes for you! However, the contents of this contract must be kept confidential and not let anyone else know." Long Danni gave Yao Jia a few more instructions before leaving.
Only then did Lin Feng finally relax completely. He had not only won the present, but also the future. He never expected it to go so smoothly. He excitedly pumped his fists twice. The system is awesome!
Lin Feng was eager to share this exciting news, and just then he received a long-awaited phone call.
"Lin Feng, I have something to tell you!"
girlfriend?!
So Lin Feng has a girlfriend now!
......