America's Top Player

Chapter 5 Contract Tug-of-war
The conditions offered by T-Ray were indeed very generous, and Li Ang was well aware of this.

In the real entertainment industry, Grammy Award winners and trend darlings can easily take away 30% of the record sales revenue or even more!
But this is Brownsville, and it is already a favor from Mr. Huang that an unknown amateur can get 10% of the record's share. After all, T-Ray has to spend real money to scratch Li Ang's lottery ticket.

But even so, Leon was still not satisfied. He knew that a smart businessman would never reveal his bottom line at the beginning. T-Ray was an old fox who had been in this industry for more than 20 years.

Li Ang drank the liquor in his glass in one gulp. "I'm not very satisfied with the share. Although I created this song impromptu on the toilet, I believe in its potential."

T-Ray was not surprised by the tug-of-war over the profit sharing. He had already prepared himself mentally and a small concession was completely acceptable to him.

What he needs now is fame. It has been too long since he discovered any influential newcomers in this poor community, and this will seriously affect his status!

If he can't create enough benefits for the gang, in the eyes of Blood Gang leader George, T-Ray is no different from those black guys on the street who take drugs and look like zombies.

"Then how much do you want? We can discuss it."

"Fifty percent, not including the royalties from the song."

"What?"

This answer made T-Ray lose his grip on the cigar, and the red-burning butt fell directly onto his crotch.

"fxxk!"

T-Ray screamed, and the girls beside him didn't know what to do for a moment. They shook their butts in panic and screamed along with him.

If it weren't for T-Ray's thick fat that provided good protection for his lower body, he would probably have to say goodbye forever to this good brother who had been with him for more than 40 years.

"Fuck you, kid, you're talking in your sleep! Who do you think you are? Eminem or Beyoncé?"

Just as Leon thought, he slashed the opponent's aorta with his knife. In order to suppress his smile, he quickly poured himself another glass of wine.

"Don't worry, we can talk slowly."

"Go back to the subway station and continue begging, you idiot!"

"There's no need to be so angry, buddy. I can make some concessions. Just name me a price, a sincere one."

T-Ray frowned. If he hadn't really seen the potential of "Take Me to Church", he would have kicked Li Ang out long ago and slapped him twice.

But as a veteran musician, his sense of smell is too sharp. With the quality of this song, it is a sure thing that it will enter the Billboard top 100.

He gritted his teeth and said, "15 percent, this is my limit."

"If you agree, you will have everything, including these two girls. You can choose between them. You can have them both if you want, as long as you can bear it."

"I'll make you live like a king in Brownsville!"

As soon as the words fell, the two black girls turned their backs and started dancing electric hip dance towards Li Ang, trying to use this magic to bewitch his mind.

But Leon remained silent and didn't react at all. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in women, but this kind of stuff that cost $50 a night on Manhattan Beach really didn't interest him at all.

Seeing that Leon still didn't respond directly, T-Ray continued to pressure him: "If this doesn't satisfy you, you greedy bastard, then get the hell out of my office!"

"I will think about it"

Hearing what Leon said, T-Ray finally smiled again. When a person says "I'll think about it", it means that he has already accepted the idea in his heart.

After thinking for a long time, Li Ang said, "I can accept 15%, but I have one condition."

"Bro, you can name any conditions. Even if you want to be a debauched king at the biggest strip club in Brooks, I can arrange it right away!"

"I refuse all bundled contracts. Simply put, I won't sign any contract with your record company or your agent."

T-Ray was stunned at the time.

In the normal artist signing process, there is not only a record company contract to prevent job hopping, but also an agent contract.

The agent can take 10% of the singer's commercial performance income without doing anything. This part of the money was originally easy to get in his design.

If he doesn't sign these two contracts, what's the difference between him and just a tool to help release albums?
Recording, MV shooting, printing and promotion.
All of these require real money support.

"You look like you're kidding me, little white boy!" T-Ray, completely drunk, ignored the choking smoke from the cigar and lunged hard, trying to put pressure on the other party in this way.

"Listen man, I have enough confidence in my work that you will make a lot of money from it and get the fame you want."

“But risks and rewards go hand in hand… Even if this song makes money, it doesn’t mean I can write something like this again in the future.”

T-ray squinted his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. In the Internet age, too many amateur internet singers have emerged.

Once their works become hits and sweep the Internet, those powerful and established record companies will immediately rush in to buy them with money in hand.

The result is often a mess.

Most online singers are unable to create equivalent commercial value after getting a lucrative contract.

Li Ang is not an internet singer, but he is indeed a real grassroots amateur.

"Keep talking."

Li Ang spread his hands and said, "There's nothing much to say. Not signing the contract is a win-win for both of us. You like to make quick money, and so do I."

“If you can’t figure that out, then I don’t think we should sit here and waste our time.

The air froze instantly, and T-ray kept staring at Li Ang, his face full of confusion.

I don't know if he's thinking or pretending to think.

After about two minutes, T-Ray finally lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "You defeated the cunning white trash. Just like your ancestors, you were so eloquent that you easily deceived the honest and simple Niger."

"You can enjoy everything here. There are many girls in the club downstairs. Maybe you will be interested in Latin girls."

The two black girls here are really too plump, and Leon really has no interest in heavy tanks.

He leaned back on the sofa, his eyes darting around the room.

"As you please? Including your whiskey and cigars?"

"As you wish, you greedy scum!"

Li Ang stayed in T-Ray's office until two in the morning. He was not polite to the other party at all. Before leaving, he took away a few of the other party's collection of Cohiba cigars and two bottles of whiskey.

If he had a pickup truck, he would have cleared out the place without hesitation.

The two parties agreed to start recording the DEMO in the recording studio on Chester Street three days later and formally signed a written agreement.

After returning to the shared house, Li Ang was already a little drunk and happened to run into Bonnie who was getting off work.

Bonnie, who was wearing a crotchless T-pants, immediately went all out and started to criticize Leon.

But this time, Leon did not choose to continue to dodge and retreat. Instead, he took the initiative to attack and slapped Bonnie on the butt.

"Ah! You bastard, you're at it again! Don't try to bribe me with your dick tonight!"

"Bribe? No. I have a surprise for you soon."

"Not only will I pay you back, I'll also make you the most famous stripper in Brooklyn~"

Bonnie was stunned by these words, but she quickly came to her senses and sighed with a smile in her eyes, "Liar. You've always been like this."

(End of this chapter)