Republic Records

While Badman was negotiating with other record companies, Andrew also went to look for his father's former lawyer, Kirk Ramsey.

In the capitalist land of America, as Jimmy said, he needed a professional lawyer to deal with various legal issues to avoid being cheated by those miscellaneous terms and taxes.

The reason why he wanted to find this lawyer Kirk was because he was very ethical when he was a lawyer for Cheap Daddy, and even a little old-fashioned.

Basically, he would warn his client of any illegal activities and ask him to stop such operations in time, just like when Cheap Daddy emptied his family's assets to invest, he also stopped it many times.

But Cheap Daddy was determined at the time and couldn't stop it.

After he died, Lawyer Kirk also did his best to help Andrew's family get part of the compensation.

He didn't even charge a handling fee and gave it directly to Carmela.

There are many people with conscience, but there are really not many lawyers with conscience here.

So Andrew trusts him.

Lawyer Kirk's office is located on the edge of Manhattan, New York. Andrew drove all the way and soon arrived at the destination. He met the old man with black and white hair that was neatly combed back.

After listening to Andrew's purpose, Lawyer Kirk put down the stack of documents in his hand and took off his glasses.

"Actually, what you lack most now is an agent, which is more important than a lawyer."

"But as you said, you want to contact CAA after the results of the MV come out. You are right. As long as you have the work, you have already taken the most difficult step. The next step is to negotiate a reasonable price with CAA."

At this point, Lawyer Kirk took a sip of water: "But there is another key point, that is, what identity do you plan to join CAA?"

"How about director?"

"Oh, then I think this is a bad decision." Lawyer Kirk raised a finger: "Because you are not famous now, you just shot a song MV for an 18th-tier hip-hop singer, and you don't know if it will be popular. Even if it is successful, CAA will not sign a contract with the specifications of a movie director."

"That's right." Andrew also knew this. There are too many directors in the market who can shoot MVs.

"So you mean I should start with photography?"

"Yes, isn't this your specialty? You have works and skills. This MV also proves that you have directorial thinking and extraordinary aesthetics. This is great, um, cough cough."

Lawyer Kirk wiped the corner of his mouth: "And photographers have more opportunities at work, whether it is film, television, advertising, or MV. This is different from being a director. Directors in many industries are independent. Just like no matter how good you are at shooting commercials, movies will not ask you to be a director.

"When you have real representative works in film and television, you can join ASC (American Cinematographers Association). If you shoot a lot of flat pictures, you can also join AIPA (American International Photographers Association) or PPA (American Professional Photographers Association).

Andrew nodded. It was indeed as Lawyer Kirk said, his identity as a photographer was the best choice.

"As for the rest, it's a normal cooperation issue. By the way, don't accept cash to pay for the contract. Black people in the north like to pay in cash because they can evade taxes. But remember, he will only face prosecution for breach of contract, while you will face the IRS!"

"Don't worry." In addition to the album cover, the filming of the MV was contracted.

Although Badman still wanted to pay in cash, Andrew, who accepted Kirk's advice, naturally would not agree.

After that, the two talked about various precautions. It must be said that Kirk was very experienced. He mentioned many cases where there might be traps. After Andrew wrote them down, he immediately had a clear understanding of the subsequent agency terms. After

the chat, Andrew paid Kirk a consultation fee and walked out of the law firm.

However, just when he was about to go home, he received an unknown call on his mobile phone.

"Hello, I'm Andrew, what's the matter?"

"Hello, I'm Giorgio, the vice president of Republic Records. I'm calling to meet you about the MV you shot. I'm near the Bronx now."

"Okay." Andrew agreed. Although he didn't know how the vice president knew about the MV he shot for Raymond, since he was interested, it meant the possibility of cooperation. Is

n't this the most troublesome thing for Badman now?

Not long after, Andrew met the vice president of Republic Records in a Hooters.

But it was different from what he had imagined. When Andrew approached, he found that he was struggling with a steak with a knife and fork.

His suit was placed on the side of the sofa, and his white shirt was neat and tidy. It was obvious that he insisted on ironing it every day. From this point, it can be seen that he should have been married and had a virtuous wife.

"Sit down, what do you want to eat?" Giorgio rolled up his sleeves and handed the menu to Andrew.

"Waiter, give me some fried chicken wings." Andrew looked around. He had not been to this restaurant yet, but he had heard about it a long time ago, because it was known as the sexiest restaurant in the United States.

Some communities even took the initiative to ask Hooters to open a branch.

But after seeing the waitresses, Andrew could understand this idea.

These girls with different skin colors were all wearing low-cut T-shirts with owls printed on them, and their pants were so short that half of their buttocks were exposed.

Walking on the road, you can see their swaying figures every moment, and just looking at them makes you feel that it is worth the meal.

The brown-haired waiter called by Andrew came over, bent down directly, showing off her advantages to the two men, and then smiled and said: "Handsome, what would you like to order?"

"One fried chicken wing and a Coke." This chicken wing is famous for its deliciousness. Steak and pasta are just ordinary dishes to fill the menu. "Okay, no problem." The waitress smiled impeccably, and gently stroked Andrew's hand with her fingers before leaving.

Seeing this, Giorgio smiled: "Young people are always more popular."

Andrew also laughed: "If you hadn't put your wallet on the table, I'm sure the invitation notes would have piled up on the floor from the table."

"Hahaha." Giorgio laughed heartily and picked up his wallet. A woman's name was printed on the leather.

Obviously, this was the reason why the waitress gave up.

"This is my wife's birthday gift to me, I have always cherished it."

"You are such a good husband."

"Maybe, I also have some shortcomings." Giorgio said and then changed the subject: "You should be curious about why I suddenly found you?"

"Of course, I don't seem to have released any records." Andrew made a joke.

"Yes, but you shot an amazing MV." Giorgio put down his knife and fork, took out his mobile phone, pressed a few buttons and handed it to Andrew.

Andrew took it and found that there were several photos in his mobile phone, which were the shooting scene of the song "Eight Hours Later". In addition, there was a recording, which was a clip of the song.

"I see." Andrew remembered that someone came to watch when he was scolding others, but he didn't expect that someone would take a photo to Giorgio.

Handing the phone back, Giorgio explained: "Actually, I wanted to find this singer directly, but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be famous."

This is true. Raymond just released a flop single, of course no one recognized him.

On the contrary, Andrew and Jimmy often hang out on the set, so at least he could ask his name.

"So you want to meet singers through me and sign them,

right?" "Yes." Giorgio said that was true, and added: "I have inquired, SBK Records and this agent have talked, but they parted ways unhappily. So I would like to ask you to introduce me to him."

"Then did you know that Raymond had a failed song before this song?" Andrew mentioned Raymond's song "Beast Star" that was ridiculed by all the New York radio stations.

There is no way to hide this kind of thing. Republic Records is a label under Universal, and its connections and funds are at the top of the industry. It is simply a fantasy to want to hide this kind of thing from them.

So it is better to tell them and let them think about it carefully.

"Well, this is the first time I know about this." But Giorgio didn't seem to feel embarrassed after hearing it. He just put a piece of beef into his mouth and chewed it gently with his chin shaking.

"I know you're worried that Raymond's first song's failure will delay the release of the album, but there are ways to avoid it." Giorgio swallowed his beef: "As long as we use a fake name during the promotion, it's like wearing a mask. When the word of mouth and sales are good, we can reveal his identity. This is more interesting, isn't it?"

Seeing Andrew pondering, Giorgio said again: "Don't worry, as long as you introduce me to... Raymond, I will give you an introduction fee, and... I will also recommend you to other singers. I think you are very talented. To be honest, you are far more worthy of my attention than Raymond."

This is Giorgio's real purpose. In his opinion, the song just barely reached the passing line, but Andrew, a MV director with a unique aesthetic, is a talent he urgently needs.

After all, many singers under Republic Records need to shoot MVs. Now the music market is getting hotter and hotter, and a large number of songs appear every day. A good MV often becomes a sales booster.

Andrew just figured this out, and the brown-haired waiter swayed over, put the plate in front of Andrew, turned his back to Giorgio, and blew him a kiss with his finger on his lips.

Andrew waited for her to leave before picking up his Coke. Giorgio picked up his coffee in sync.

"Ding!" The crisp sound echoed in the ears of the two.

"Then I wish us a happy cooperation?" Giorgio said to Andrew with a smile.

"Happy cooperation." Andrew took a big sip of Coke. The stimulation of the carbonated drink also activated his appetite.

After finishing the meal, Giorgio left first. He will meet Badman tomorrow under Andrew's arrangement.

He paid the bill when he left, but did not pay a tip.

"Waiter." Andrew stretched out his hand, and the waitress with brown wavy hair and fair skin came over immediately.

"This is for you..." Andrew took out twenty dollars from his wallet and handed it to her. She immediately bent down, as if on purpose. She lowered her body especially low, showing most of her fair chest to Andrew.

Andrew looked at her and understood her thoughts from her charming eyes, so he rolled up the dollar and stuffed it into the gap between her chest.

In the process, the fingertips could still feel the slight tremor and delicate feeling.

After collecting the tip, the brown-haired waiter bit his lips and leaned closer to his ear: "I'm off work at 5:30... What about you?"

"I'm busy." Andrew was telling the truth. He was going to buy a lawn mower.

"Then..." The brown-haired waiter took out a note from his pocket and stuffed it into his chest pocket: "My name is Bo Le, don't forget to look for me when you have time."

(End of this chapter)