novelODS Chapter 39: A New Era of Indenture?
Chapter 39: A New Era of Indenture?
"Thank you for your interest. I will give it a good consideration."
The person on the other end of the phone was still rambling on and on, painting a rosy picture, but Fu Shiyan had already lost patience to listen any longer.
He responded politely and then pressed the hang-up button.
"Why--"
As soon as he put down his phone, he unconsciously sighed, his voice revealing a hint of weariness and helplessness.
This is the Nth similar call I've received in the last few days.
Those small platforms that somehow obtained his contact information pounced on him one after another like wildcats smelling fish.
Some claim to be emerging forces, some claim to be "dark horses in the industry," and some even dare to shamelessly offer "contract terms" before their official websites are even properly set up.
Fu Shiyan stared at the ceiling for a while.
Actually, if the other party were truly sincere in sitting down and having a proper talk, even if the terms were less favorable, he wouldn't be so upset.
The problem is that these small platforms mostly treat him like a naive young man who has just entered the world and is inexperienced. They have a "let's try our luck" mentality and are purely trying to fool him.
The opening remarks were all the same, the same old empty promises from older internet companies.
"Our platform desperately needs a streamer with your potential; you'll be treated like a top streamer once you join!"
"All site traffic will be allocated to this campaign, including a featured splash screen ad, and simultaneous promotion across all online channels!"
"A multi-million dollar annual salary? That's just the starting point; if you do well, multiplying it several times over is not a dream!"
As for the specific amount of the signing fee?
The statement was vague, saying something like "it depends on subsequent performance."
What about the live stream duration? It's flexible, euphemistically called "adjustable flexibly according to the platform's needs and your personal situation," which translates to working overtime at any time.
As for the particularly important contract term—heh.
Thinking of this, Fu Shiyan couldn't help but chuckle.
Three years is the minimum, five years is not too much; the penalty clauses for breach of contract fill two pages, each rule like a rein tethering someone to a millstone. Even a dog would shake its head at such a contract, yet they think it can intimidate people.
"No," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples, his tone incredulous, "is the esports industry ecosystem in this world really this chaotic?"
After learning about the various problems in the LPL region, he had already mentally prepared himself—related derivative industries, such as live streaming, talent management, and content production, are probably not much better.
But when those calls actually came in and those contracts were laid out before him, he realized he had been too optimistic.
How can it be "not much better"?
This is utter chaos; they can't even be bothered to put up a fig leaf.
This is not an isolated case. If it's unavoidable that smaller platforms would act recklessly and cheat one person at a time, then the fact that a platform like DouSha, which can be considered an industry leader, would resort to such underhanded tactics right from the start is what truly bothers him.
As for the DouShark platform, well...
Based on Boss Mo's description, Fu Shiyan's personal understanding, and the contract he presented to him, it aligns well with his summary and evaluation of Fu.
"High-salary poaching, traffic above all else!"
The contract appears to offer generous benefits, but it also contains numerous hidden traps and clauses.
First, there's the issue of revenue settlement, which Mr. Mo complained about. Douyu's revenue settlement is rife with irregularities, and the risk of delayed payments is extremely high.
For example, Douyu set a threshold of "500kg/cycle" for fish balls, which is the least friendly to new streamers, and the settlement cycle is as long as 2 months. If the target is not met, the settlement cannot be completed. Fish balls are given away for free by fans, and it is very easy to fail to meet the target when traffic fluctuates.
Furthermore, the commercial deals that make up the bulk of the streamers' income are not shared, and the revenue is exclusively handled and priced by Douyu. The second party has no right to negotiate the price, and Douyu can arbitrarily deduct or delay settlement. The contract does not even clearly define the liability for breach of contract due to overdue settlement.
Furthermore, the terms do not clearly define the scope of "after-tax," which may lead to Douyu withholding high taxes later on, resulting in a reduction in the actual income received by the streamer.
There have even been cases like the little celebrity next door in my past life, where they received after-tax wages, but the company didn't pay a single penny, and they ended up having to borrow money to pay back the taxes.
In addition, Douyu's live streaming restrictions are extremely harsh, and it can even be said that they completely deprive the platform users of their autonomy.
Take this so-called "A" grade contract offered to me, for example, the live broadcast time is ridiculously long, reaching 130 hours!
What does this mean?
Even if he didn't eat or drink and broadcast at a high intensity for more than ten hours a day, it would still take him half a month to finish.
Not only are the live streams long, but Douyu also requires him to have at least 22 effective live stream days per month.
For a full-time streamer, this is nothing, but for a professional player, long-term high-intensity streaming can easily lead to a decline in performance. In addition, given his other future plans, signing this contract would be no different from finding himself a cyber prison.
Of course, what Fu Shiyan found most unacceptable was the outrageously high penalty for breach of contract imposed by Douyu Shark.
Thirty million!
Yes, for a "newcomer" streamer who signed with a live streaming platform for the first time, Douyu immediately demanded tens of millions of yuan in breach of contract fees in his contract, which was only worth a million yuan a year.
Of course, if you say you've invested a lot of resources and offered generous compensation, and therefore raised the penalty for breach of contract, no one will say anything to you.
If your compensation is mediocre and the penalty for breach of contract is extremely easy to trigger, then you're treating me like a fool.
What constitutes failing to meet the required live streaming duration, taking unauthorized breaks, violating exclusivity clauses, generating negative public opinion, or failing to cooperate with platform adjustments, all of which could trigger a penalty for breach of contract?
Even more outrageous is that the platform has the right to unilaterally determine the standards for "negative public opinion" and "non-cooperation".
So if I have a minor argument with someone during my live stream, it can be considered "negative public opinion" in your eyes. If I suddenly get sick and take a day off, it can be considered unauthorized rest, and I could be held accountable by Douyu, or even face exorbitant compensation.
This isn't a live-streaming contract; it's practically a modern-day indenture.
To be honest, if Douyu's contract hadn't been so outrageous, Fu Shiyan wouldn't have thought of negotiating with Huya as a professional player right away.
At least for a while, it would be good to earn more RMB as an individual streamer or to fight for some more practical benefits.
But after seeing such a ruthless and heartless deity, and considering his current impoverished state, Fu Shiyan gave up the idea of trying any crazy schemes.
In contract negotiations, the prerequisite for your ability to operate is not only that you have sufficient ability and value, but also that you have the capital to sit at the same table with the negotiating party.
For example, when it came to offline negotiations with Huya, Fu Shiyan used his lack of experience as an excuse to hand over the task to his boss, Mr. Mo, who owns a four-room house on the first floor in Shanghai and is quite wealthy.