stjorthotic Chapter 78 Tang Lei Calls for a Boycott of Piracy
Chapter 78 Tang Lei Calls for a Boycott of Piracy
Following Chen Ming was the Digital Music Club's ensemble piece "Summer Night Breeze," which used guitar, keyboard, and cajon drums, featuring a richer arrangement and a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere.
After several performances, the atmosphere at the venue had become completely heated.
"Thank you to the students of the Digital Music Club for bringing us such a refreshing 'Summer Night Breeze'." Host Gan Xiaoyu returned to the stage, her smile fading slightly.
"After listening to several heartfelt compositions by our classmates, I believe everyone can feel that behind every melody and every lyric lies painstaking effort and thought. Music is the echo of the soul, worthy of our careful listening, and even more worthy of being respected and protected."
She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping across the audience: "However, it is an undeniable fact that piracy is harming countless creators like the students on stage."
Inferior pirated audio sources steal the fruits of others' labor, damage the aesthetic appeal of the works, and further erode our otherwise pristine musical environment.
Protecting original works and resisting piracy is not only about supporting our favorite musicians, but also about safeguarding the future where everyone can continue to hear good music.
This requires each and every one of us to express our support through listening, making choices, and taking action.
"And next," she began, her voice rising with anticipation, "let's give a warm round of applause to our guest of the evening, someone we've all been eagerly awaiting. He touched countless hearts with his rendition of 'Lilac Flower,' and tonight, he will bring us a whole new kind of emotion. Please welcome Tang Lei!"
Applause and cheers surged like a tide, and under the spotlight, Tang Lei walked onto the stage carrying his familiar wooden guitar.
He first bowed to the audience.
"Hello everyone, I'm Tang Lei. Thank you to Xichuan University of Technology, thank you to the Digital Music Club for providing me with this stage, thank you to all the students who gave wonderful performances tonight, and thank you to everyone sitting here."
"Tonight I will be performing three songs for you. Before singing the most familiar song, 'Lilac Flower,' I'd like to sing two newly written songs that haven't been officially released yet. One is called 'That Autumn,' and the other is called 'Letter from Afar.' I hope you will enjoy them."
Expectant applause erupted from the audience.
As the melody of "That Autumn" begins, it is brighter than "Lilac Flower," carrying the freshness of a campus folk song and a touch of melancholy.
The lyrics depict a fleeting glimpse through a library window, a water bottle left unserved by the sports field, and the unspoken "goodbye."
The chorus is catchy, and by the time Tang Lei sang it a second time, many students were already humming along softly.
The following piece, "Letter from Afar," is a more soothing and personal ballad.
The rhythm is slow, like a long letter on an autumn afternoon, and the lyrics are full of details:
"The scent of sunshine when my mother aired the quilts, the silhouette of my father silently repairing an old radio, the perpetually delayed green train at the small station in my hometown..."
It doesn't aim for a strong emotional impact, but rather flows gently into the hearts of the listeners like a cup of warm water. The older teachers in the front row listened with particular focus.
The two new songs, showcasing different styles and emotions, garnered sincere applause.
"Thank you. The next song..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his fingers gently brushed across the strings.
When the first few notes of the prelude to "Lilac Flower" fell like raindrops, the audience erupted in cheers and applause.
Tang Lei closed his eyes and began to sing the first line. His voice, clear and heartfelt, traveled through the speakers to every corner of the auditorium.
Almost from the second line onwards, low chorus sounds rose from all over the audience, like streams gradually gathering together.
As the song entered the chorus, with the lyrics "The grave is covered with flowers, the beauty you so longed for," the gathered sound finally turned into a spontaneous chorus from the entire audience.
Thousands of voices, some perhaps off-key, some perhaps choked with emotion, but the shared feeling was powerful and sincere, engulfing the entire space.
Tang Lei sang on stage, occasionally opening his eyes to look down at the audience. His gaze fell upon many faces, some with their eyes closed and singing along, others with slightly red eyes.
His voice intertwined with the collective harmonies, bringing the evening's performance to its climax.
As the song ended, the lingering resonance of the final note seemed to still hang in the air.
After a moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted and lasted for nearly two minutes before gradually subsiding.
He held the microphone, waiting for the room to fall completely silent. After the powerful emotional resonance evoked by "Lilac Flower," the auditorium was now filled with an atmosphere of focused concentration.
"Thank you, thank you so much everyone." His voice was lower than when he was singing, carrying a sincerity of sharing his innermost thoughts.
"Every time I sing this song, I feel a special connection, which makes me feel that all the loneliness and polishing during the creation process was worthwhile. Music is memory, emotion, and a world that the creator painstakingly weaves and hopes to fully convey to you."
He paused, his tone becoming more solemn: "So, I would like to sincerely ask all music lovers for one thing: please support original works and protect this hard-won creation and connection."
He glanced at the audience: "Some people may think that as long as they can hear the melody, that's enough. But for creators, piracy compresses not only the sound quality, but also the delicate emotions and the expression that should be complete in the music."
It's like looking at a painting that's been soaked in water; the outline is still there, but the vitality and details between the brushstrokes have become blurred.
More importantly, only when creators' hard work receives the respect and support they deserve will they have the motivation and the means to continue writing the next, even better song for everyone.
Here, I need to make a solemn statement to everyone. Currently, only the "Digital Music Festival Commemorative Edition MP3" and the "Lilac Flower Commemorative Edition MP3" released in collaboration with Fengchi Digital Studio contain the officially authorized audio of "Lilac Flower," which can fully present the song as it should be.
Recently, an MP3 player called "Shengyue" appeared on the market. It came pre-installed with "Lilac Flower," but it used illegal pirated audio files with severely compromised sound quality and was not authorized.
Purchasing such products not only fails to provide a good listening experience but also unintentionally harms the original music itself. Please be discerning and choose legitimate copies when supporting music. This is the greatest encouragement for creators. Thank you!
Tang Lei's words were sincere and his intentions were clear.
Applause erupted again from the audience, this time with more understanding and support than before.
The vast majority of students agreed. Among the school leaders, several spoke in hushed tones with serious expressions and nodded slightly.
After the performance, the principal, vice principal, and Teacher Zheng from the Youth League Committee, along with other school leaders, personally went backstage to shake hands and talk with Tang Lei.
Lin Feng accompanied the group as a representative of the event organizers.
After exchanging pleasantries, Tang Lei naturally brought up the topic of campus music copyright protection.
He spoke sincerely, discussing the importance of supporting legitimate content for the music ecosystem from the perspective of a creator, and also mentioning the current phenomenon of pirated MP3 sales on campuses.
"Students at your school are openly selling pirated MP3s of my songs, and in considerable quantities," Tang Lei said gently, but with a firm attitude.
"My partner and I have already engaged lawyers to handle this matter. But I still hope the school can pay attention to it. The student years are a critical stage for the formation of values, and the awareness of respecting copyright and creation should be cultivated from a young age."
The principal's smile faded slightly, and he turned to look at Teacher Zheng beside him: "Is that so?"
Teacher Zheng was also somewhat surprised and looked at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng spoke up at the opportune moment, succinctly explaining the situation: Zhou Yang was organizing the sale of MP3s pre-installed with pirated copies of "Lilac Flower" on campus, which constituted copyright infringement. He had reported this to the Computer Science Department, but the outcome was unsatisfactory.
The principal's face darkened.
He did not express his opinion on the spot, but said to Tang Lei, "Teacher Tang, rest assured, the school will definitely deal with this matter seriously. Our Xichuan University of Technology is a place for teaching and nurturing people, and we will never allow infringement to grow on campus."
After seeing Tang Lei off, the principal immediately made the following arrangements: "On Monday morning, have the dean of the Computer Science Department and the person in charge of student affairs come to my office."