In the next few days, Cao Zhiqiang has been focusing on the production of pop songs.

Although at present, there are not many people in China Audio and Video who understand music and music production, but with the help of CCTV, Cao Zhiqiang's own excellent singing talent, and top guitar playing skills, the recording has been going smoothly without any

question.

However, something went wrong during the tape recording process.

The problem is not big, it is that the output cannot meet expectations.

Originally, Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audio and Video Company handed over the recording work of audio tapes to the Peking Tape Factory.

The Peiping Tape Factory is currently the largest tape production plant in Beijing, with six production lines and a daily output of up to 50,000 tapes.

Of course, 50,000 plates is the maximum output of three shifts. Normally, the output of this factory is only about 30,000 per day.

It was agreed at the beginning that the Peking Tape Factory's supply to Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audio and Video Company was to produce 20,000 tapes per day, which meant that it could produce 20,000 recorded audio tapes per day.

However, in just three days, the Peiping Tape Factory changed its mind and could only supply 5,000 tapes per day.

When I asked, I found out that as Labor Day was approaching, other units had increased their orders for tapes, and the Peiping Tape Factory was in short supply, so it could only reduce its order output in other areas.

Being able to continue to provide 5,000 tapes to Huaxia Audio and Video Company every day is for the sake of Hongguang Machinery Factory.

If the majority shareholder of Huaxia Audio and Video Company was not Hongguang Machinery Factory, and Hongguang Machinery Factory was an enterprise directly under the Ministry of Metallurgy, the Peiping Tape Factory might have directly cut off supply.

There is no way. The current domestic audio tape market is a seller's market where supply exceeds demand. People are looking for audio tapes everywhere, so the manufacturers have the final say.

If the market pricing of audio tapes had not been fully liberalized in China, I am afraid that the price of domestic audio tapes would have skyrocketed and would not continue to be the current price of 1.5 yuan for a blank tape.

Of course, the price of 1.5 yuan per blank tape is the wholesale price, and the retail price is generally between 1.8 yuan per tape and 2 yuan per tape.

The ex-factory price is different.

Taking the Peking Tape Factory as an example, on average, an unpackaged blank tape costs 8,000 yuan for 10,000 boxes, which is an average of 8 cents per box.

If you also need to add content and packaging, the price of the complete set is 13,000 for 10,000 boxes, which is an average of 1.30 cents for a box of tapes with content and packaging.

In other words, adding content and packaging will cost an average of 50 cents more per box.

Maybe you want to say, the packaging fee is so expensive, can you not pack it, just buy the tape with the content, and pack it myself when I go back?

You know, if you pack it yourself, the average packaging fee for a tape will probably not even cost you two cents.

But I'm sorry, the answer is no.

Because during this period, as long as you buy tapes with content in large quantities, you must bring packaging, that is, tape boxes and stickers, and this packaging must be handed over to the tape factory and cannot be handed over to others.

Is it okay if I just buy blank tapes, then I can rip them one by one with a tape recorder, and then package them myself?

The answer is yes, but for this kind of blank tape, just wait slowly. Let alone five thousand tapes a day, it will be good if I can give you a hundred boxes a day. This is only if you have connections and connections.

In fact, in 1983, because domestic audio tapes were still in short supply, the domestic tape market was a seller's market, and the manufacturers had the final say.

Although tickets for audio tapes have been cancelled, and there is no need to buy them with tickets, the natural scarcity of the quantity, coupled with the non-market behavior of not allowing arbitrary price increases, has led to tape manufacturers generally not liking to sell blank tapes.

Sell ​​tapes with content directly.

As for blank tapes, they are not always produced, but they are given to some special units, such as CCTV, radio stations, daily newspapers and other news media units, as well as some units that require frequent recording.

Personally, if you want to buy blank tapes in bulk from a tape factory, you might as well smuggle them.

Yes, during this period, in addition to domestic tapes, there were also a large number of imported tapes, most of which were smuggled in from Xiangjiang and Japan.

Most of these imported tapes from abnormal channels are not new tapes, but used tapes or discarded tapes. They are then brought into the country under the name of imported foreign garbage, cleaned and packaged a little, and then some popular songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan are recorded.

, you can set up a stall and sell it.

Therefore, the cheap pirated audio tapes at this time, such as those of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers, were basically imported tapes.

The quality of the imported tapes sold by these small vendors cannot be said to be bad. After all, they are imported goods, and the technical level is there. But you must not think about how they came from, otherwise it will shatter your outlook.

This is just like those imported clothes, which are garbage that other countries do not want and have hidden dangers in terms of hygiene and other aspects.

Precisely because the domestic supply of audio tapes exceeded demand during this period, the production of audio tapes was a good business.

For example, TCL, which later became famous, was a manufacturer of audio tapes from the beginning, and made its first pot of gold from audio tapes.

The end of the domestic tape shortage, if all goes well, should be after 1986.

But before 1986, domestic audio tapes were still a rarity.

Especially domestic blank tapes are difficult to buy personally.

Instead of buying a blank tape, you might as well buy a tape with content on it, then wash out the content and re-record it yourself.

Needless to say, there were actually self-employed people doing this during this period.

According to Cao Zhiqiang's knowledge, there are currently audio tapes with content and packaging, and the price is generally around five yuan.

But the price also depends on the content.

For example, the authentic audio tape of Teacher Li Guyi, which is currently in the limelight, the one with "Nostalgic Love", the price of a tape is about seven yuan.

Mainland pirated audio tapes of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars cost between four and five yuan each.

However, some teaching audio tapes, such as English learning tapes, only cost about three yuan per tape.

Therefore, many people buy teaching audio tapes in large quantities, then use a tape recorder to erase the original content, then record popular songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, then make their own packaging, and finally sell them on the streets.

Although this method cannot compare with the tape factory in terms of quantity, on average, one tape can earn at least 50 cents.

You can earn at least 50 cents from a tape. A dual-card tape recorder can produce at least 100 audio tapes a day, which is equivalent to making at least 50 yuan a day.

Earning fifty yuan a day is already very impressive in this day and age.

It is precisely because of this that later on, teaching audio tapes were not so easy to buy, and purchase restrictions were issued.

It was not until after 1986 that the number of tape manufacturers increased, a large number of audio tapes were put on the market, and the overall price of audio tapes dropped, this situation gradually disappeared.

In other words, during this period, if you personally went to a domestic tape factory, it would be difficult to buy blank tapes in large quantities, and it would be difficult even for an employer.

Only tape manufacturers are willing to accept tapes with content and packaging because the profits are higher.

In fact, purely from the perspective of making money, the Peking Tape Factory is happy to cooperate with Cao Zhiqiang's Huaxia Audio and Video Company.

After all, Huaxia Audio and Video Company pays you directly in cash, without any arrears or stress. It pays in advance and then delivers the goods, which is quite refreshing.

As for other companies, many of them ask for the goods first and then give the money. Some companies even hold off the payment for a year or two.

Whoever becomes the director of a tape factory will be willing to cooperate with buyers who pay in advance.

But there is no way. The Peking Tape Factory is in the capital, and there isn't much else in the capital except for the number of yamen.

Many yamen don't feel comfortable giving money, but they have the power.

If you use any chicken feathers as arrows, the tape factory will have to be obedient, and it won't work if you don't give them.

But the output is only so much, what to do, the only way is to demolish the east wall to make up for the west wall, and first move the production that is easy to talk about.

Unfortunately, Huaxia Audio and Video Company, in the eyes of Peking Tape Factory, is the kind of person who is easy to talk to, so it is natural to misappropriate their indicators first.

What, breach of contract?

Haha, I broke the contract, you can sue me if you dare!

Believe it or not, if you file a lawsuit today, I will cancel my cooperation with you later!

There is no way, the tape factory is so tough at this time, at least for Huaxia Audio and Video Company, it is very tough!

Regarding this situation, Cao Zhiqiang had no other solution but to find another manufacturer to cooperate with.

For example, you can discuss cooperation with Baoding Tape Factory, Tianjin Tape Factory, SJZ Tape Factory, etc.

But when it comes to discussing cooperation with these tape manufacturers, I have no relationship with them before and I don’t know if it will work.

What if these tape factories are like the Peking Tape Factory, and their orders are full, supply exceeds demand, and they cannot free up production capacity?

So in the end, we had to decide to postpone the release of the record until after Labor Day.

The reason for the postponement is that Cao Zhiqiang has predicted that his first single "Blood-stained Style" will definitely become a hit.

And a fire will inevitably cause mad looting.

At this time, if you don’t stock up enough, what will happen?

It can only be because piracy is rampant, giving pirates an advantage!

Although at this time, limited by domestic tape production capacity, pirates could not seriously purchase large quantities of goods from regular tape factories like China Record Company and Huaxia Audio and Video Company, but there were many of them.

There is no threshold for pirated tapes. You can just find a dual-card tape recorder.

As for blank tapes, it's easy to find some imported tapes and cheap teaching tapes. There are many ways to do it.

A pirate dealer may not be able to sell too many pirated tapes at one time, but if there are too many pirated vendors, the ants will kill the elephant.

However, Cao Zhiqiang's price for his first single was quite high, costing 6 yuan for a single tape.

The price of 6 Yuanqi is already higher than the price of many audio tapes on the market.

If you don't stock up on enough goods and put it on the market rashly, then people won't be able to buy genuine tapes and will have to go crazy and buy pirated tapes.

Therefore, the best way is to stock up on enough goods in advance, and then once it becomes popular, you don’t have to worry about running out of goods.

It doesn’t take much either.
To be continued...