Chapter 14: New money-making plan
There was only one person in Music and Lyrics Acquisition department of "StarFire Records". Her name plaque introduced her as Linda, and as she represented a department, she had her own office.
Now, there was a smartly dressed teenage boy in her office. He had parted dark hair of average length, greenish-blue eyes and slightly pale skin. The boy sported a confident smile, looking around with appreciation.
"Miss Linda, I wrote some lyrics casually and brought them today so that you could take a look," he said.
"Michael, is it? Can you tell me, what exactly are your expectations here?"
"I hope you can name a good price for my lyrics. They are definite hits."
"Do you know how many people come here and tell me the same thing every day?"
"Please, just read them first."
Michael handed three papers to Linda, "I'm afraid I don't have the accompanying music for them yet. I'm happy to sell the lyrics without it."
Linda began checking the songs out one by one. Her face barely showed any emotion as she moved her lips, following a motive she imagined. Michael noticed her lips move more energetically reading "Rolling in the deep". After Linda finished, she put the songs away and collected her thoughts.
"Your songs are fine, Michael. I don't get 'Moves like Jagger', but it can be due to lack of music. Unfortunately, these songs are only on the level of our staff writers' usual works. I enjoyed 'Rolling in the deep' more than the other two, I think it has potential. I'm prepared to offer you $500 for this song. Or we could agree on $800 for all three, if you like."
"What? That is like five times less than what I expected!"
"Oh no, only definite hits can earn you thousands of dollars. Your songs are good, true, but I don't see them as chart-dominating tracks. Of course, the no music part is also important. Lyrics won't get you far, a price tag on a song with music is several times higher."
Michael went into Linda's office expecting to get a payout of no less than $6,000. He didn't take into account professional songwriters and the overall high level of lyrics they provided.
It was incredibly unlikely for a song to catch the eye of a famous singer. Most of them wrote their own songs – this way they understood the songs' emotions better than anyone.
In an average album, two-thirds of the tracks would be written by the performer. Then, a couple would reach the performer via connections which only left one or two spots. The competition for that album spot was fierce, sometimes around thousands of tracks. The performers' people would be responsible for the screening, as one person could never sift through that many songs. Quality only got you a place in that pile, luck was what put you on top of it.
The songs Michael chose from his past life had been written by the performers, which ensured they didn't yet exist in this world. On the other hand, there was the downside of having to fight against thousands of songs of lower or similar quality.
Definite hits with music cost tens of thousands, nine-tenths of which was music. With no knowledge of composition, musicians he was familiar with or starting capital to pay for their work, Michael had no way to increase the price of his songs.
"Let me sing them for you."
"Sorry?"
"You'll hear how catchy they are if I sing them for you."
"Look, kid, that won't sway my decision. I'm not paying for you to sing. When you leave home with your money, all I'm left with is the text. Sorry, but that won't cut it."
Michael sat there a minute longer before grabbing the papers and heading for the door. As soon as he left, Linda accessed the server with copyrighted songs. "StarFire Records" provided Linda with access to this server so she wouldn't buy stolen works by accident.
To her dismay, Linda quickly found all three songs on the server, meaning she couldn't steal them and claim as her own. She refused the boy hoping he wasn't smart enough to protect his creative work but got played instead. Unfortunately, he stormed out so quickly she didn't get his name or phone number. He had entered "StarFire Records" from the street without a reservation and left no personal information.
Linda hit the table, "Now the kid can go to another company!" She had quoted him a low price, trying to portray his songs as average. But with 20 years of experience in the business, she could tell a hit when she saw one. And the boy had not one, but three of those.
Even if she paid him $5,000, it would be a great investment. And now that kid sat on a goldmine somewhere in the city and she could do nothing about it.
…
Michael sat in front of the computer and considered his options again. All of them hit a wall, and the wall's name was music. Without music, selling those great lyrics was akin to selling a laptop for 10 bucks, marketing it as a hammer.
Michael even did a quick Google search and found out the contact information of Eminem's producer. He stared at the screen with a phone in his hand but couldn't muster the courage. After all, he didn't need to go that far to earn a few thousand dollars.
There was another way to sell those songs – to become popular. He had everything he needed, too: the Internet and his knowledge of what people liked.
In 2008, not everyone was a blogger, vlogger, or a "YouTube personality". Creating content for people's enjoyment wasn't yet trendy or promising. However, YouTube had already launched its partnership program. Now, anyone could get paid if their channel became popular. Michael looked like a 13-year-old, which let him connect with other teenagers. Who used the Internet for recreation more than them?
With this idea in mind, Michael began work on a plan towards becoming a YouTube celebrity. He had no intention to become popular by commenting funny videos, which was perhaps the easiest way. Instead, he opted to create several channels with different target audiences.
The name he had assumed, Michael North, was simple and served as a good trademark. Michael registered on YouTube and, one by one, filled out the forms for North Academy, North Gaming, and North Fitness. One for students, one for slackers and one for health nuts.
For Michael, the most popular YouTube channels had one of two qualities: they were either fun or useful. At least, this was true for normal people. Popular singers could always gain high view counts by posting a clip to their song for free. On the other hand, average Joes had to post videos that were fun to watch or were something people actively searched for.
Another reason Michael decided on these channels was that they wouldn't require much editing. With three channels, he'd have to spend a lot of time shooting the videos. He couldn't also sit for hours, cutting frames out. This was why he was determined not to edit and review funny videos or movies even if that was highly in demand.
On the other hand, he was very familiar with the content required for his three channels.
First, Michael would provide detailed and down-to-earth explanations on schoolwork in North Academy. He was an adult man with years of experience and his status as an EIS student would also help his credibility. He'd start with the topics usually studied early in the school year and move from there.
Secondly, as a person diagnosed with LZD1, Michael had been obsessed with working out and eating healthy in his past life. Even if he couldn't match the movements, he used to watch athletes' lectures on how to lose weight and how to sculpt the body. With his limited money, Michael rarely ate healthy organic food, but he knew how to create a diet.
Finally, even though Michael never played computer games produced in 2008, he didn't think much of it. He believed his enhanced nervous system would guarantee him the title of a professional gamer easily.
When he earns some money and recognition, he will hire someone to write and play music for him. Then, selling his hit songs will be a breeze.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BlackInk
BlackInk In case of cutoffs: "Then, selling his hit songs will be a breeze."
How do you like my slightly more realistic approach? In most novels, it's easy to use future knowledge to earn money, but what could you do if it happened to you?
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