Behind The Spotlight Chapter 197
"Yow, how long have you been waiting for us?"
"I just arrived."
Mikael greeted the band members of Pulse Static, which were Jericho (guitarist), Rosales (bassist), and Tonio (drummer). They were the band Mikael worked with when performing in front of a live audience.
Mikael Wagner greeted the three warmly. After having conversations, food trips, and performing together, they became friends. In fact, the four of them had been performing at the rock bar for about a month now, long enough to understand each other.
At first, the three members of Pulse Static was hesitant about the offer Arnold gave them. They knew their own capabilities, and they had also heard about predatory contracts that had happened to many artists.
Some agents would even convince their clients to sleep with people. Yes, this was a real thing.
Pulse Static also had a bad impression of record deals because their last vocalist abandoned them because of one. However, lately, they had been discussing the "what if."
"How about we practice again? The bar is closed around this time, and I can convince the owner to let us use it for free." Tonio grinned.
"Alright," Mikael Wagner agreed excitedly.
When Mikael learned that Arnold was interested in a band instead of just him, he was a bit disappointed, but he decided to take the opportunity. He even contacted his former bandmates from college and invited them to reform the band. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't good, his old band had already found a vocalist and signed a record deal without him.
Knowing this was a rare chance at stardom, Mikael sincerely befriended Pulse Static. So far, their relationship had been going well, and trust slowly formed. The band members were also recent college graduates who didn't know what to do with their lives, caught between adulthood and dreams. All they truly had was their passion for music.
The four went into the bar where they had been playing every weekend. When Mikael joined as the vocalist, the audience started to love them and cheer enthusiastically.
The three members of Pulse Static checked their instruments while Mikael grabbed the microphone. They had prepared four songs to practice that day. Tonio handed the bassist and guitarist their music sheets. Yes, even playing an instrument required sheet music, especially when performing a piece for the first time.
With that, the band played in an empty bar. The more Pulse Static performed with Mikael, the stronger their synergy became. They also realized that Mikael Wagner had incredible charisma whenever he held the mic and sang. It was insane.
After an hour of practice, the four men ended the session drenched in sweat but filled with satisfaction.
"Mikael, we're interested in forming a band with you."
"We're also interested in signing a contract with Arnold."
"You said he could introduce us to a record label, right? Then let's do it."
All of them dreamed of having successful music careers. Since they had received an offer, they decided to take the risk and embrace the opportunity. For some reason, they felt they would regret it if they declined.
Was it called fear of missing out?
The agent who invited them wasn't just anyone, he was an executive at ANT and definitely had strong influence within the company. Furthermore, Arnold seemed like a nice guy, even if he showed shameless behavior from time to time. He was also notoriously cheap and had trouble spending money. The last time Arnold treated them to a meal, he brought them to McDonaldo, and his face fell when he spent thirty dollars. Aside from that, they trusted him.
Besides, who didn't want to be rich and famous? Arnold also promised equal profit sharing among the four band members.
"I'll contact him." Since Mikael was closest to Arnold, it was decided that he would make the call.
The four men found a phone booth, and Mikael pulled out Arnold's business card.
"Hello, yes, this is Mikael Wagner. I'm looking for Arnold Johnson. I see, I see. We'll prepare tomorrow morning. Alright, at the Apex Network Talent headquarter building? Yes, we'll be there."
Mikael hung up and exhaled slowly.
"It was Arnold's secretary. She said Arnold will meet us tomorrow to formalize the contract," he explained.
...
...
...
"So you're here because...?" Collin asked the agent sitting in front of him, Arnold Johnson.
"It's about Mikael and the band, or should I say Pulse Static." Arnold felt it was more appropriate to refer to them as a group.
"Did they sign the contract?"
"Yes. They'll be paid equally."
"I guess you're here because you want me to introduce you to Moonrise Music."
"That's why I'm here. But I have a favor. This is my first time handling music artists, and I want some advice from you. If possible, I'd like you to introduce me to the owner of Moonrise Music. If that's not possible, one of the shareholders would do."
'Bro, you're already talking to one. I'm a shareholder of Moonrise Music,' Collin thought dryly.
"Let's set the schedule. When are you free?"
"I'm free tomorrow. The faster this record label hunt ends, the better."
"You trust me that much? What if Moonrise Music has bad intentions toward Pulse Static?"
"Of course I trust you. You know how to read people's character. Besides, the worst a record label can do is refuse to promote an album. Unless..."
Arnold didn't finish his sentence, but both men understood the implication. There were rumors that the first winner of Singing Voice had a fallout with his label after being invited to a certain freaky party. His singing career never took off afterward.
"I have no problem then. I'll introduce you to Vivian tomorrow," Collin said, changing the topic. It was pointless to dwell on speculation without evidence, at least, for now.
"By the way, you went to the high school reunion two days ago, right? What happened?" Collin asked.
Arnold had invited Collin to attend, but Collin declined. He had no interest in seeing his old classmates. Coincidentally, that was also the day Mikael called Arnold's secretary. Since Arnold was absent, the contract signing was postponed the next day.
"The reunion?"
Arnold's expression darkened, and he slammed his fist onto the table as memories resurfaced.
"Those fucking bastards!"
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[Author's Note:]
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