Tyler sat across from Mr. Harris, the lawyer who had been there for him through some of his darkest days. The office felt oddly comforting with its wood-paneled walls and shelves lined with legal books. It reminded Tyler that this was a man who had seen him at his lowest and still believed in him. Harris was already flipping through the contract, his glasses perched on the edge of his nose.
"Alright, Tyler," Harris said, rubbing his chin. "This is a pretty standard recording contract, but there are a few things we need to go over."
Tyler leaned forward, his stomach in knots. "What kind of things?"
"Well, first of all, the percentage splits—40% for you and 60% for the label. That's not bad for someone just starting, but you'll want to make sure you keep control of your publishing. That's where the real money is long-term."
Tyler nodded. He had heard Jax mention that once or twice. "Yeah, I don't want to get finessed."
"Exactly," Harris replied, flipping to another page. "Now, here's something else. The masters. Black Gold wants to keep the master recordings, but they've left a door open for you to buy them back after the contract period. That's rare, but you need to be careful. Labels don't give up control easily."
Tyler ran his hands over his face. "So, what should I do?"
Harris closed the contract and removed his glasses. "Here's the deal, Tyler. You've got momentum, and Black Gold knows it. They're giving you more flexibility than most artists would get at this stage. But don't rush into anything. Let's ask for a few tweaks—maybe more control over creative decisions, and a buy-back clause that's a little easier to execute."
Tyler nodded, feeling more confident. "Yeah, I want to make sure I can build my brand."
"Exactly. And one last thing—always have an exit plan. If things go south, you need a way out."
The next day, Tyler found himself back at Black Gold Records, this time with Mr. Harris by his side. The two of them walked into the sleek office, greeted by Marcus, who stood up to shake their hands.
"Good to see you again, Tyler. And this must be yourlawyer, thanks for coming," Marcus said, gesturing for them to sit. "I'm sure you both had time to review the contract. Is everything in order?"
Harris cleared his throat. "We've gone through it, and there are a few adjustments we'd like to discuss. Nothing major, but we want to ensure Tyler retains more creative control and has a clearer path to buying back his masters."
Marcus smiled. "Of course, that's something we can work with. Black Gold values Tyler's long-term growth as an artist."
They continued the back-and-forth, ironing out the details. Everything was going smoothly, but as they neared the end of the conversation, Marcus leaned forward, a serious look on his face.
"Before we move forward, I need to ask—Tyler, is there anything from your past that could come back and bite us? You know how this industry is—if there's something that could be a liability, we need to know now."
Tyler's heart skipped a beat. He knew exactly what Marcus was hinting at. His stomach churned as he thought of Carlos, Rico, and the gang. The streets never truly let you go, even when you tried to walk away.
He looked at Harris, who gave him a slight nod, as if telling him to be straight.
"Yeah," Tyler said, exhaling. "There's something."
Marcus raised an eyebrow but remained quiet, waiting for Tyler to continue.
"Back when I was younger, I ran with some people... a gang. Carlos and Rico were the heads of it. We had some problems, and they still got influence. They've got eyes everywhere, especially in Brooklyn. If I show my face in any video or public event, there's a chance they'll recognize me."
Marcus folded his hands on the table, listening intently. "How big of a problem are we talking? Could this jeopardize your career or the label?"
Tyler swallowed. "It's hard to say, man. They ain't the type to let things go, and they were big fans of Jax. If they see me in the 'Resurrection' video or any promo, it could get messy."
Marcus leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. "Okay, this is something we can work around. We've had artists with pasts before—plenty of them, actually. But this gang situation... we'll have to be careful. We'll make sure your identity is covered, at least for now."
Tyler nodded, feeling a weight lift slightly. It was the truth, out in the open now, but it still felt like a time bomb waiting to go off.
"We'll have to come up with a strategy to protect you," Marcus added. "No one's gonna derail your career over something like this. We'll take precautions."
Harris chimed in. "As long as we're proactive about this, Tyler should be fine. Just don't take any unnecessary risks."
Tyler exhaled. The meeting had gone better than expected, but there was still a lot hanging over him. He was in deep now, but at least he had a team behind him. He couldn't afford to mess this up.
Marcus stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. "Alright, gentlemen. I'll get these contract revisions to you by tomorrow, and we'll move forward. Tyler, don't worry. We've got your back."