Chapter 972 972 Difficult Choices

"If the signing fee is the lowest... Does Henry have an estimate?" It was Alfonso who spoke, his expression was a bit complicated, the surprise and ecstasy that had just risen had not had time to dissipate, and now it was replaced by entanglement and confusion.

Can't blame Alfonso for that, it's hard for anyone to say "I don't care" when they hear "$20 million". If it's a $20 million signing bonus, that means Glory to Death gets everyone $4 million -- plus taxes, of course, and Henry's rake, but even so, it's a sum of money A generous income is especially important to everyone who is honored to death.

Hugo shrugged and said helplessly, "No, it's more difficult, because our conditions seem a little too harsh."

Giving a rock band absolute freedom is a tough decision for any record label, including independent labels, because it means they need to hand over most of the control, there's no way to keep the situation In their own hands, it naturally means that they cannot make a profit. Even independent labels, after they make an album, they want to be able to market it, not only to promote the music, but also to make money and keep the company going.

Not to mention an overlord like EMI.

EMI does need Glory to Die to expand into the US market, and the fact proves that this decision is correct; but EMI is a well-deserved leader in the global market, how could they allow Glory to die to do whatever they want? It seems that this time, although Henry insisted repeatedly, "Bath in the Morning" was released before the end of August, which was also carried out according to the expected trajectory of EMI Records.

On the other hand, if Glory to Death wants to continue to create glory, they not only need the support of EMI, but also the resources of EMI, so that it is possible to leave the US market and enter the world stage.

Therefore, it is definitely difficult for EMI to easily compromise. All record companies have a bottom line, and EMI's bottom line is relatively high.

That's what worries Hugo, who is eager to enjoy more freedom but isn't sure what choices his teammates will make. A simple example, 10 million signed gold for two albums, guaranteeing the absolute freedom of the band, this is an acceptable condition for Hugo, but what about the other members of the Glory to Death? Would they be willing to make such a deal after they learned of the $20 million - or even $30 million possibility?

"But I discussed it with Joe and asked about David, and they said 10 million should be absolutely no problem." Hugo could only tell the information he knew. In fact, 10 million is only the bottom line of the bottom line. David Geffen said that if Glory is willing to agree to this price, it is estimated that major record companies will fight, so there will be at least 15 million US dollars in signing gold level. . However, Hugo did not say these things, just said the minimum bottom line.

The light in Alfonso's eyes dimmed, and Hugo could tell that he was struggling. From 20 million to 10 million directly, such a huge gap is just for an illusory "initiative", is this really cost-effective?

Pedro was also shocked, "What? It's only 50% left now? Why?" Pedro didn't know much about these situations, so he didn't quite understand, "We and EMI Wasn't it a pleasure to work with the record? They didn't interfere with our albums, and they didn't force us to do those laugh-out-loud jobs, wasn't it all good? Why would we sacrifice 50 percent of our signing fee for more Active?"

Pedro's words are actually the paradoxical heart of the whole thing.

Due to Henry's excellent work, the conflict between To die for Glory and EMI was manageable and didn't really break out, and in the eyes of many, their collaboration was a match made in heaven. But Hugo knew clearly that this time the signing was for at least two albums or more, and the time was bound to be more than three years. This was also a long-term cooperation, and conflicts would continue to accumulate in the future, and sooner or later they would break out. And if it really broke out this time, Glory would not be able to resist until he died - that's why Henry made even more excessive demands on the terms of the contract.

Hugo understands this, Henry and Joseph understand this, so can the rest of the Glory to Death understand this? Or to be more precise, they understand this, and are they willing to use the signing fee in exchange for the initiative? Do they understand how important this deal is to the band for the next three or five years?

Hearing Pedro's question, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't quite know how to explain it to Pedro, because these questions were actually similar when they went around. Faced with such a problem: the conflict between financial interests and the band's music - this is a problem that almost all musicians need to face. All along, Glory has unswervingly chosen music to the death, and it has come to this day, so in the face of greater financial interests, can they continue to persevere?

"Pepe," it was Neil who spoke, his expression had calmed down at this time, as expected of the captain who was honored to the death, and always kept calm enough, "Think about it, Roger and the others have been urging 'bath' "Morning Light' production, we quarreled with him a few times about this, the last time Fookkin got angry in the studio, did you forget? This is still under the circumstances that Henry tried his best to block it."

"But isn't the matter resolved smoothly?" Pedro asked inexplicably. In fact, Pedro just asked questions. He was not a person who likes to complicate things. But Hugo found out that Alfonso, who was sitting next to him, hesitated, the struggle in his expression was very clear. Hugo sighed lightly.

Neil shook his head, "This time we were able to solve it because we compromised. We still released the album as they planned, although it was delayed by a month. But you see, we said that the promotion period is only three weeks away, and now One more week. It's not unacceptable, it's just a publicity itinerary after all, but after that? Then they may ask us to go on a talk show to cooperate with the host and tell some jokes, except Hugo and Alfonso between us Besides, other people are not eloquent people, would you like to?"

"After that, they will interfere more and more, and eventually directly interfere with our music, hoping that we can make more commercial and popular music. What should we do then?" Neil can see clearly, his thoughts have been It's very clear, which is why he and Hugo have always cooperated tacitly. If Hugo is the soul of glory to death, then Neil is the eye of glory to death, the eye that identifies the direction for the band, and glory to death can walk Today, the connection between the two of them is a necessary factor.

If Hugo said this, it would not be convincing enough, because Hugo didn't care about money, he had earned enough as an actor, and Hugo was wholeheartedly focused on music. Now It is also the most watched core in the band, so for him, it's like standing and talking without back pain.

But Neil is different, not only because Neil is in a similar situation with other players, but also because he is the captain, "Pepe, in the future, such things will only increase. A record company, what they need is profit, and they want to extract more residual value from us. Therefore, Henry will think about sacrificing a little signing fee in exchange for more initiative. Signing fee is a small profit in front of us. , and the initiative is the long-term plan that our band supports."

After Neil finished speaking, the five members of the band fell into silence.

Hugo glanced at Neil and expressed his gratitude. After all, the band is a matter of five people. It is impossible for everything to develop according to Hugo's will. He is not alone. ruling. However, as the captain, Neil can have the same idea as Hugo, which is too important for Hugo.

Neil noticed Hugo's eyes, lightly sketched the corner of his mouth, and a smile flashed in his eyes. The tacit understanding between the two does not require too many words.

Then Hugo looked at Alfonso. Hugo knew that the situation at Alfonso's house was not very good, but he didn't know the specific situation, but he could sense Alfonso's struggle. At first, Alfonso gave up the car. The sales work has entered the glory of death. In the first half year, they had no income at all. After "almost famous" and achieved good results, their first payment did not come in until March. It can be said that Alfonso almost It took a year of hard work, and it was only now that I was able to achieve success.

Therefore, although Hugo hoped that Alfonso would be able to communicate with him, he could not force it.

Alfonso raised his head and saw Hugo's peaceful eyes. There was no urgency, no coercion, and no irritability, just a warm smile, which made Alfonso let out a sigh of relief. He would not lie: He was moved, and the 20 million signing bonus was too important for him. But Alfonso knew that Neil was right, he couldn't give up long-term development just because of the small profit in front of him.

Most importantly, Alfonso suddenly thought of Joseph just now. Alfonso knew that Hugo was someone he could trust, and Alfonso knew that Glory to Death was the band he loved.

So, Alfonso gave Hugo a smile, and then patted Pedro on the shoulder, "We should trust Henry, shouldn't we? He's doing everything he can to fight for our interests, you know, the loss of the signing money is bad for him. The blow is even bigger, but he is still working hard for us, so we should give him more support."

Alfonso pointed out another important point. Henry's efforts actually sacrificed his own interests.

Pedro suddenly realized, and said proudly with a simple and honest smile, "Yes, then do as Henry said, we should believe Henry, shouldn't we?" As if he was the first to see through the truth.