บท 21: Chapter 21: Fresh Out of the Oven
After Raymond's MV was completed, everyone gathered at the Faith Music Company to watch it on the TV.
Yesan, Raymond, Davis, Lil B, Big M, Jimmy, and other staff were all present.
Ethan was also there, sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the table, watching as they discussed the MV.
When the MV started playing, they immediately began to praise the color scheme.
"Wow! This is so cool! This blue is beyond imagination!" Raymond was the first to sing praises. As an actor, he hadn't seen the monitor, so he had no idea what the final result would be.
Seeing the screen start with a tranquil, deep blue from behind the door, he felt a thrill and whistled.
As the MV officially began, Raymond, dressed in a luxurious suit, sat at one side of a long table, facing someone in a black leather jacket. Next to them were huge floor-to-ceiling windows, with the outside being a deep blue, obscuring the surroundings, the only highlight being the splendid chandelier overhead.
During the confrontation between Raymond and the other person, the prelude music started. The camera then zoomed in on Raymond's close-up, but the next moment, someone suddenly covered his head with a plastic bag, and after a brief struggle, he fell to the ground, lifeless.
As the music transitioned into the main verse, the person who had killed Raymond, wearing the black leather jacket, removed the hood to reveal his true identity.
It turned out to be Raymond himself.
"Cool!"
"Awesome!"
"So explosive!"
Lil B, Big M, and the others all exclaimed, though they didn't fully understand the content of the footage, the unique colors and unexpected plot still captured their hearts.
Yesan nodded in agreement. He had never seen such an engaging MV, feeling that the beginning had the quality of a suspense film, far superior to the usual hip-hop videos featuring chaotic dance scenes.
He even wondered if audiences would understand the MV; it was so sophisticated!
However, the MV then settled into a more conventional rhythm, with Raymond holding a cross emitting a pink glow, singing and walking down a corridor, his face bathed in a ghostly blue light, most of his body covered in shadows.
At the same time, there were shots of him destroying luxurious decorations—chandeliers, wine racks, ornaments—using the cross, conveying subtle religious meanings.
The next segment shifted to a garage where a Porsche 911 was parked, with Raymond sitting in the car, driving and singing.
As the music reached its finale, the Porsche 911's taillights disappeared into the road, and the song came to an end.
"Wow!" Jimmy was the first to clap, exclaiming, "I can't believe I shot such an amazing MV!"
"Yeah! It's so freaking cool!" Davis also shouted. Although he disliked Ethan, he hoped Raymond's album would sell well. After Raymond's single flopped, he had been gloomy.
But now, seeing the MV and song so impressive, he felt hope rekindled.
"Arcadia has no idea what she missed out on!" Davis still resented Arcadia's departure.
Yet no one was paying attention to Davis's thoughts; everyone was discussing what kind of success the MV might achieve.
"I absolutely love the blue in it."
"That cross is so cool, in pink! It looks like something from an adult store…"
"Blockbuster, definitely a blockbuster!"
"But what does the MV actually mean? I don't get it."
"Dumbass, if you haven't been to college, of course, you wouldn't understand."
"Just because you have been, does that make you any smarter?"
"I haven't either, but it's cool, that's all that matters. Who cares about the plot!"
Listening to the lively discussion, yesan looked at Ethan and said, "It seems I didn't misjudge."
Ethan smiled and replied, "Of course."
"I'll contact SBK Records as soon as possible. I believe after seeing the MV, they will change their minds."
"Let's hope so."
Yesan quickly took the disc to the SBK office in New York, but the news Ethan and Raymond received the next day wasn't great.
"FXXK, greedy goblins! Damn SBK!" Yesan ranted in front of them until he coughed from the strain and finally sat down.
He then took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a few puffs.
Raymond, unable to contain his impatience, asked first, "What happened, Yesan? Did SBK not watch my MV?"
"…" Yesan was silent for a moment before wearily saying, "No, they did watch."
"Then what's the problem?" Ethan asked.
"They said that if they're going to distribute the song, they must have a concession on royalties, because that damned Beast Star has ruined Raymond's commercial value. Now, if they want to release Raymond's album, they'll need to spend a lot on promotion!"
Yesan's face was filled with displeasure. After showing SBK the MV, he saw their fleeting excitement in their expressions.
But SBK's serious attempt to lower the price made him even more infuriated.
"So how much?" Raymond asked.
Typically, after taxes, the royalty fee for distributors is about 30%. It doesn't seem like much, but each single averages around $5-6. If the sales are up to standard, selling hundreds of thousands of copies would result in millions of dollars for SBK Records.
But now, SBK's demands were even higher.
"They want 40% of the royalties, and they also want to reduce the mechanical reproduction royalties by 50!" Yesan slammed the table, seemingly furious at SBK's greed.
"Mechanical reproduction royalties?" Both Ethan and Raymond were puzzled, not understanding what this was.
After all, America's tax system is known for being the most developed globally, with various tax categories, and paying taxes properly is quite a study.
Let alone the fact that to collect taxes, America has institutions like the IRS (Internal Revenue Service).
The saying in America goes, "The only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes."
But privately, people prefer to say—don't mess with the IRS.
Because these people spare no effort to collect taxes. Ethan knew that the IRS was connected with various American gangs and gray industries. According to them, regardless of what you do, even criminal proceeds must be taxed.
And their communication channels bypass the FBI and judicial oversight entirely.
That's the tax-centric magical reality in America.
When Ethan asked, Yesan explained:
"Mechanical reproduction royalties refer to the royalties paid whenever a music company produces vinyl records, tapes, CDs, or MP3s. Although this money is small—only 9 cents per song—consider the long term. If this song sells only 500,000 copies now, what about in ten or twenty years?"
Undoubtedly, this is a colossal amount, especially in the age of the internet, when songs are uploaded to various music platforms.
A classic song could easily have tens of millions or even billions of downloads.
That's wealth that can never be fully enjoyed! How could it be easily given away?
Thus, Yesan's anger was understandable.
But even though he was furious, he couldn't outright refuse. He had another plan in mind.
Yesan put out his cigarette and said, "I'll go see other record companies and hope for a better outcome."
......
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