The morning light streamed through the thin curtains of Allen's apartment, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. He stirred, blinking away sleep as the sound of his phone vibrating on the bedside table jolted him fully awake. Groaning, he reached over and grabbed it, squinting at the screen.
Unknown number.
Allen hesitated, his mind still hazy from the remnants of sleep. He wasn't expecting any calls today, at least none that he knew of. Still, something told him to answer it. He swiped to accept the call, bringing the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Allen Rice?" The voice on the other end was calm but professional, the kind of voice that commanded attention. "This is Amanda Carter. I'm a producer at Horizon Studios. You submitted a demo to us a while back—'Fading Lights,' correct?"
Allen's heart skipped a beat. Horizon Studios was one of the major players in the industry. He had sent the demo almost as an afterthought, not really expecting anything to come of it. Yet here he was, talking to someone from their team. He sat up straighter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Uh, yeah. That's me. I didn't think I'd hear back so soon."
"Well, your demo caught our attention. We've been reviewing it, and we're interested in publishing the track. Our team believes it has real potential, and we'd love to bring you in to discuss a contract."
Allen blinked, trying to process what she was saying. His song. They wanted to publish his song. For a moment, he couldn't believe it. All the work he'd put into writing and producing "Fading Lights," all the nights spent tweaking the lyrics and melody, and now it was paying off.
But as the initial excitement faded, Allen's instincts kicked in. Something about this felt too sudden, too fast. He didn't want to rush into a contract with a big studio without understanding the full picture. After all, he had only just started building his career. He wasn't ready to give up control—not yet.
"I appreciate the offer," Allen said carefully, his mind racing with thoughts. "But I'm not sure I'm ready to sign with a studio right now. I've been working on building my own brand, and I kind of want to stay independent for the time being."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and Allen braced himself for the producer to hang up or try to push him into the deal. Instead, Amanda's voice came back, calm and measured.
"I understand where you're coming from," she said. "Many artists prefer to maintain control over their careers, especially in the early stages. However, we believe your track has commercial potential, and we'd still like to move forward with it. How about this: we can publish the song under Horizon Studios, but we'll split the earnings fifty-fifty. No contract, no commitment beyond this one track. You keep your independence, and we handle distribution and promotion."
Allen's mind raced. That was… an interesting offer. He could still stay independent, but with the backing of a major studio to help push the song into the world. It seemed like a win-win, but the cautious part of him still hesitated. There had to be a catch, right?
"Fifty-fifty split?" he asked, his voice skeptical. "You're saying I keep the rights to the song?"
"Exactly," Amanda replied. "You retain ownership of the track. We'll handle everything from distribution to marketing, and you get half of the revenue. It's a low-risk way for you to get your music out there while maintaining your creative freedom."
Allen tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch, his thoughts racing. He had heard horror stories of musicians getting locked into terrible contracts, losing their rights, and being exploited by big studios. But this… this seemed different. Horizon wasn't asking for long-term commitment. They weren't asking for the rights to all his future work. Just one song, on a fair split.
"Why do they even want my song?" he thought. "What's the angle here?"
He paused, considering. This could be his chance to get his music in front of a much larger audience than he could reach on his own. And with the Brightest Star competition coming up, having a track already gaining momentum could help boost his credibility. But he also didn't want to make any decisions purely out of excitement.
"Alright," Allen said slowly, still feeling the weight of the decision. "I'll agree to that. You can publish the track, and we'll do the fifty-fifty split. But I'm staying independent."
"Understood," Amanda replied smoothly. "I'll send over the paperwork for the split agreement. It's pretty straightforward, just outlining the revenue share and distribution rights. Once it's signed, we'll move ahead with releasing the track."
Allen let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Sounds good. Thanks for reaching out."
"We're excited to work with you, Allen. You've got talent, and this could be the start of something big. I'll be in touch soon."
As the call ended, Allen stared at the phone for a moment, his thoughts a whirlwind. He had just made a huge decision, and while he felt good about it, there was still that lingering uncertainty. Was this the right move? He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though. There was paperwork to go over, and the realization that his song—his very first original track—was about to be released under a major label.
"Wow," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "That just happened."
He set the phone down and stood up, pacing across the small living room. His mind buzzed with excitement and a hint of nervousness. This wasn't just some random opportunity. This was big.
But then, a different thought crossed his mind. Sarah.
She had always been supportive of his music, even when they were kids. Allen found himself reaching for his phone again, sending her a quick text.
"Hey, got some big news. Wanna grab lunch and catch up?"
He hit send and threw himself onto the couch, waiting for her reply. His thoughts drifted back to the offer from Horizon Studios. He knew that in the music industry, these chances didn't come around often. If he could get his foot in the door without giving up control, he had to take it, right? And who knew where this track could go if Horizon really pushed it?
His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. Sarah had responded.
"Big news? Now I'm curious. Let's do it! Meet you at that café in an hour?"
Allen smiled. Sarah always had a way of bringing him back down to earth, grounding him in the chaos of everything.
"Sounds perfect," he texted back.
As he got ready to leave, the excitement started to build again. His first real song was about to hit the public, and he was about to share the news with the one person who had always believed in him. And for the first time in a long time, Allen felt like things were truly falling into place.
He grabbed his jacket, took one last look in the mirror, and headed out the door. Today was just the beginning of something bigger, and Allen knew it.
The café wasn't too far from his place, a small, cozy spot nestled between two larger buildings. The air outside was crisp and cool, the kind of weather that made everything feel alive. As Allen approached, he saw Sarah already seated at one of the outdoor tables, sipping on a coffee. She looked up and smiled when she saw him.
"Hey! You're late," she teased, though her tone was lighthearted.
"Barely," Allen shot back with a grin as he slid into the chair across from her. "But you're gonna forgive me when you hear what I've got to tell you."
Sarah raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, this better be good."
Allen leaned forward, his voice lowering just slightly, as if the news was a secret between them. "I got a call from Horizon Studios. They want to publish 'Fading Lights.'"
Sarah's eyes widened, her coffee cup frozen midair. "Wait, what? Horizon? That's huge, Allen!"
"Yeah, it is. They want to release the track, but I'm staying independent. We're doing a fifty-fifty split on the earnings."
Sarah set her cup down, her face lighting up with excitement. "Allen, that's incredible! I knew you'd get noticed eventually, but I didn't think it would happen so soon."
"Me neither," Allen admitted, a smile tugging at his lips. "But I'm not complaining."
For the next hour, they sat at the café, talking and laughing about everything—music, the future, and old memories. As much as Allen tried to focus on the conversation, a small part of him couldn't help but wonder what this deal would mean for his career, and where things with Sarah might be headed now that everything in his life was changing so fast.
Whatever happened next, though, Allen was ready for it.