"No, I think this requires a whole band to complete the recording. After the arrangement, the entire song is grand and magnificent! It even has a symphonic feel to it. Your lyrics are truly grand. Are you sure you composed them in just a few short minutes? It wasn't prearranged with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was it?
Anyway, what I mean is, the lyrics have profound meaning, and they need a more massive melodic structure to support them. Your previous performance on the show was merely on the guitar, too cold and thin to convey the essence of this song. I can't fathom what those netizens are excited about. Wait until they see the complete version we produce; they'll be dumbfounded. By the way, where were we?"
Watching Herbert in front of him, Renly burst into laughter.
The last song they hadn't recorded yet was "Your Bones", the one he had composed on the show. The chords of this song seemed simple, but after arrangement, it became grand and majestic, like a rushing waterfall, yet it retained the original melody's purity and clarity, fully showcasing the unique characteristics of folk music.
They were currently discussing how to complete the recording of this song. George and the others seemed to have "disappeared", but neither of them paid any attention to their absence. They didn't even bother to inquire where they went and continued busying themselves.
There was a sound at the entrance of the recording studio, and then the door opened. Nathan and George walked in one after the other, both of them showing exceptional excitement. Their faces were brimming with joy. Roy followed behind.
"Have you finished recording?" George asked with great enthusiasm. Every move he made expressed his inner delight. Before Renly and Herbert could answer, he eagerly continued, "Guess how our work progressed just now?" His blatant expression of anticipation was genuinely amusing.
Renly and Herbert were well aware that Abraham had come for an inspection today.
Herbert was itching to ask about their progress, but he restrained his curiosity and turned to look at Renly instead. Surprisingly, he wore a calm and composed expression, showing no sign of urgency. He just pursed his lips and gently adjusted his jaw, as if saying, "I see," and that was it.
George couldn't hold back his frustration and said, "This is your album, and you don't care at all?"
He widened his eyes and stared at Renly, his eyeballs almost popping out. Then he remembered Renly's personality and couldn't help but surrender. It was a good day today, with the recording of the album nearing completion and the record contract mostly settled. There was no need to create trouble for himself.
So, a smile finally appeared on his lips. "Anyway, you'll have to sign the contract in the end. I might as well tell you now. We've secured the record deal! Fifteen percent of royalty sharing, and every five hundred thousand increase in sales raises the royalty by half a percentage point. The album production cost is $130,000. The additional condition is "1+3", not like those big companies now with their "1+6" vampire-like contracts!"
The so-called "1+3" and "1+6" refer to the same thing, one album plus the option for three or six additional albums.
In simple terms, after signing the contract, the artist can release their first album. Afterward, the record company still has the right to release the artist's next several albums. Nowadays, large record companies typically sign a "1+6" contract, which means they have the rights to release six albums.
Until these six albums are completed, the artist cannot terminate the contract voluntarily. Only the record company can decide whether to continue the contract, transfer it to another company, or nullify it. Even if the artist eventually produces these six albums as required, it's still up to the record company whether to release them or let them gather dust in a warehouse.
Of course, the "1+6" clause refers to the number of albums, not the time frame. If an artist refuses to fulfill the contract for an extended period, like Justin Timberlake did, by recording one album and then pursuing other interests, the contract will continue indefinitely until the record company decides to give it up. However, during this period, the artist cannot switch to another record company.
Such contracts naturally protect the interests of the record company, especially concerning new artists. Ed Sheeran, for instance, signed a "1+6" deal with Atlantic Records.
Now, what George was negotiating was a "1+3" deal, which meant that many of the constraints on Renly would be lifted.
Of course, for Renly, whether it's "3" or "6" doesn't make much difference at the moment. Currently, he couldn't see the possibility of a second album. Nevertheless, the terms themselves showed the other party's sincerity.
"Most importantly, this album has a maximum of sixteen tracks!" George said with eyebrows raised and an excited expression, almost on the verge of shouting. Then he heard Herbert's uncontrollable roar as Herbert clenched his fists, jumped high, and used his entire body to express his excitement.
But George noticed that Renly remained calm, still sitting on the couch. George felt a bit stifled. "Sixteen! Renly, a whopping sixteen tracks! What a daring decision..." He attempted to continue but then realized he was talking nonsense, so he gave up. "Never mind. I'm in a fantastic mood today, and I won't get angry!" George's smile bloomed again. "Jesus Christ, I always thought I was crazy, but now it seems there are even crazier people out there!"
The ambition of Studio Eleven far exceeded George's expectations.
"It's all thanks to Roy!" George finally remembered and eagerly pulled Roy over, thanking him as the biggest contributor of the day. Throughout the negotiation process just now, Roy had virtually taken control of the initiative and negotiated most of the agreements. "Without Roy, none of this would have happened. My goodness, it's incredible! Who could have imagined that Teddy would agree so readily? I genuinely feel now that Teddy is the loveliest person in the world!"
Herbert was still cheering wildly, and George continued to exclaim. Nathan, looking at the chaos before him, felt a little bewildered. Seeing this scene, Renly couldn't help but chuckle. The genuine joy emanating from him lifted his spirits.
Turning his head, Renly looked at Roy, who had just taken a seat nearby, with a puzzled expression. "Teddy?"
"The final agreement was reached with Studio Eleven," Roy replied, leaving Renly momentarily stunned. He clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events, but upon closer consideration, it seemed perfectly logical.
Missing out on Atlantic Records but then gaining Studio Eleven – the dramatic ups and downs of this process were indeed enthralling. No wonder George had lost control of himself.
Even someone like Renly couldn't help but marvel: he knew it was a losing proposition, yet he pursued it with unwavering determination.
Perhaps, in this cold and restless world, dreamers with childlike hearts still existed, and there were more than just him, more than just George; maybe there was more than one Don Quixote. Now, Renly was curious about how many people would take the time to listen attentively once this album was released.
Gathering his scattered thoughts, his gaze landed on Roy. Renly smiled and inquired, "So, can I take it that your answer is a yes?"
Roy didn't answer immediately. Instead, he scrutinized Renly with those deep brown eyes.
There was no impatience or panic in Roy's gaze, just calm and serenity as he met Renly's eyes. Faint light swirled within his pupils, profound and vast, seemingly bottomless. The slight smile played across his features, holding a wisdom beyond his years and a rebelliousness that belied his appearance, hidden beneath that calm demeanor was a sense of freedom and audacity, resilience, and stubbornness, subtly present.
It was precisely this twenty-one-year-old youth who, in just one year, had turned Hollywood upside down. Roy suddenly felt a sense of anticipation: what would it be like when he fully matured?
Two weeks ago, he received a call from Renly inquiring about his work plans and then directly proposing an interesting proposal: "Are you interested in becoming my manager?"
As a seasoned publicist, he understood the importance of a manager. A good manager shouldered the task of balancing an artist's life and career, managing the balance between an artist and their public relations, and handling the artist's income and expenses, somewhat like a butler but even more challenging.
Generally, artists would choose people close to them, someone they trusted, to take on this role. In recent years, there had been a rise in professional managers, and a small number of artists were willing to give it a try, but it still wasn't mainstream.
So, what was Renly's reason?
"Why?" Roy looked at Renly and asked.
Renly chuckled lightly. "Because I think you're suitable."
The topic of managers had been brought up several times by Andy. During the promotion of "Fast 5", Renly became increasingly aware of the importance of a manager. For him, the most critical role of a manager was to balance the ratio between life's trivial matters and work. He needed someone to manage all the trivialities so that he could fully immerse himself in his work.
Among the candidates for the manager's position, Renly had considered Matthew but then abandoned the idea. Matthew had his own career and his own life, and furthermore, Matthew might not be suitable for Hollywood. Naturally, he ruled out all his friends as potential candidates. Hiring another aristocrat to serve as the manager was not a good idea.
So, Roy emerged as the top candidate for Renly.
After a few limited interactions, Roy had left a deep impression on Renly. He was highly capable, had a distinctive style, and, most importantly, he was straightforward, principled, and experienced. Both of them shared common definitions and pursuits in life. It was a good start.
With such a simple and somewhat unreasonable answer, Roy shook his head helplessly and then nodded. "Yes. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."
Renly shook the right hand that Roy extended. His lips curled up, and he said, "A pleasant collaboration!"