raknovel Chapter 88 Trap
Chapter 88 Trap
Chapter 88 Trap
"Hi Holly, do you still have your dance rehearsal notes from back in the YMCA?"
"Great! In the rent-controlled apartment your grandmother left behind? Please, you absolutely have to find it; it's related to my royalties."
"When are you going back to the US? The day after tomorrow? Yes, you should get a good rest for a couple of days, you're all exhausted."
"I've had the company prepare a batch of Domino masks for you; you can pick them up anytime. Haha~ It's a small company, managed by my father; it's called Rossi Brothers Trading Company."
"Okay, then I'll have Herbert come to see you the day after tomorrow. Just give him the notes."
"Thanks, Holly. See you in a few days. I'll also be involved in the domestic publicity."
After hanging up, Zik called the company mailroom and found Marco.
"Marco, has Can'tStop Manufacturing Company sent any documents recently?"
"Help me check if there are any letters, faxes, or telegrams requesting simultaneous authorization to film the 'YMCA' music video."
"For Larry Harris? Good heavens, tell him to bring this document back for me to sign."
After hanging up the receiver, Zeke stretched comfortably.
In the United States, choreography is a completely independent copyright, and he never transferred this right to Jacques Morali from beginning to end.
What he needs to do now is remain calm and discreet, without alerting the enemy. He needs to lull Jacques into a false sense of security, making him think he's not suspicious, and thus luring him into the trap.
It's not difficult to do this. Herbert hasn't officially sent a lawyer's letter yet. As long as Victor from the Village Band doesn't leak the news, Jacques will have a hard time finding out in advance. Besides, Larry has already spoken to Victor.
If the village band copies the dance moves and makes a music video, it's a blatant infringement of performance rights and copyright.
Zeke poured himself a glass of water and began to think about Apocalypse's new song, "Wicked Game."
He couldn't help but marvel at the strangeness of life; he never expected that his one-night stand with Stacy would yield such unexpected gains. The word "wicked" has multiple meanings, both positive and negative. In its worst sense, it can mean evil, but in its best sense, it can mean wonderful! It can also mean mischievous, naughty, or wicked.
The meaning of the words is highly dynamic and inclusive.
The song has excellent quality and is undoubtedly suitable for him to sing. However, a problem is looming: Casablanca Records' recent promotional schedule is already fully booked, leaving no room for his new song.
Just from what he knows, there's the "Friday Night Fever" soundtrack that's going all out in May, and the already wildly popular Spiders are also releasing their debut album soon. The second half of the year is even more intense: all four members of KISS are releasing solo albums, and Donna Summer is preparing a new album. All of these are major projects, not to mention the hundreds of other artists the company has.
This is just the problem of limited promotional resources; the more pressing issue is the overall shortage of tablet compression capacity in the industry.
Outside, there's also the monster "Saturday Night Fever" that's frantically grabbing production capacity from the entire industry. This soundtrack has reportedly sold tens of millions of copies worldwide in less than six months, and several major manufacturers are already in line for three months in advance, which is simply outrageous.
Even though Casablanca is expanding rapidly, it still can't keep up with the pace of the industry's explosive growth and is far from filling the resource gap.
SweetDreams was able to be released smoothly only by seizing a window of opportunity during the factory's production capacity.
The so-called "window of opportunity" was simply an empty production slot: originally reserved for a second batch of additional stock for Angeli's new album "Sinfui". However, after the first batch of this rock album was distributed, the feedback from Top 40 radio stations was lukewarm, and the distributors directly canceled the reorders and even returned some items;
After clearing the first batch of settlement orders at the factory, they stopped looking at the molds. The production line was still operational, and the label paper and printing materials were ready. Neil simply temporarily reassigned that production line to *SweetDreams*.
That's how ruthless the record industry is; results speak for themselves. Even if Casablanca is treating Angels like the next Kiss, poor sales will still lead to cancellations.
Even so, they are in a relatively good position. In the entire record industry, there are countless artists and bands who have recorded albums, signed contracts, and ultimately failed to release them successfully.
99% of those who aspire to enter this field remain nameless dreamers for life.
In such an environment, no matter how high the quality of a new song is, without exposure, production capacity, and promotion, it will ultimately sink without a trace.
However, Qi Ke is not in a hurry. He has only put together one song for his album so far, and it is still a long way from a complete album.
These days, the number of tracks on an album is limited by the vinyl record's capacity. Each side of an LP record is about 18 to 22 minutes, which is the range where sound quality and dynamics can still be maintained well. If it exceeds that, the grooves have to be cut more tightly, resulting in more noise and muddy low frequencies.
A typical pop or rock single is 3 to 5 minutes long. Therefore, a decent full album requires at least ten tracks.
With this thought in mind, Zeke couldn't help but sigh, "When you think about it, disco is definitely more profitable!"
He couldn't help but fantasize that if he could create a masterpiece like "Love to Love You Baby"... a super long dance track of seventeen minutes, taking up an entire vinyl record, and then stuffing in five or six other tracks, he could easily piece together a complete album, saving time and effort.
At the very least, they could emulate the twelve-inch single format of "Sweet Dreams," lengthening the track and repeating sections to create a version suitable for the dance floor atmosphere. As long as it satisfies the public's mindless clubbing needs, its popularity and commercial value can be maximized.
However, Apocalypse didn't give him any disco songs he could sing, so he had to give up for now.
Judy quickly returned from New York. Although not getting the CBS record contract inevitably made her feel frustrated and down, Zeke's earlier promise to fight for her a formal record contract and to personally write songs for her quickly soothed her disappointment and helped her regain her confidence. She was filled with gratitude and became even more gentle and considerate. Zeke had a very good time these past two days.
Over the weekend, Judy enthusiastically took the lead and dragged Zeke out shopping. She also specially invited Christie and Stacy to help them dress up for the audience seats of the upcoming "The Murphy Griffin Show".
Although Zik thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill, the girls were adamant about looking their best when the cameras panned across the audience, so he had no choice but to go along with them.
To be honest, amidst the seemingly bustling shopping crowd, Zeke was extremely uneasy, while Stacy remained calm and composed throughout, showing no sign of anything amiss.
It was as if the secret entanglement between the two had never happened. But the calmer things seemed, the more unsettled Qi Ke became.
As Judy strolled along the boutique streets of Melrose Avenue, she clung affectionately to Stacy's arm, chattering away about her fashion ideas and occasionally turning to ask for Stacy's opinion. Her attention was entirely focused on her companion and the clothes, completely ignoring Zeke beside her.
The excitement belonged to them; he felt like an outsider, completely out of place.
Whenever Judy turns away to pick out those silly, cute little accessories and compares them repeatedly in front of the mirror, Stacy always glances back at Zeke without making a sound, a smile that only the two of them understands playing on his lips.
Zeke couldn't help but secretly stare at Judy, trying to find the "signs" Stacy had mentioned in her. The more he looked, the more guilty he felt, and the more he felt like an outsider.
The girls picked and chose, trying on and comparing repeatedly, and Zik quickly lost patience. The awkwardness in his heart made him not want to stay any longer.
He decided to slip away quietly and go to the shopping mall next door to kill time.
As he passed by, he noticed several currently popular arcade machines displayed in front of the mall entrance; these were none other than the wildly popular PONG arcade games.
He had seen billiards machines many times, whether at Neil's private estate or at company parties.
Several machines were already full, and there were still several people waiting in line.
Zik stood in the crowd, looking at the simple pixelated line bouncing back and forth on the screen. The monotonous image firmly attracted everyone's attention.
A moment later, the machine next to him became empty, and he quickly stepped forward to sit down. At the same time, a tall young man also took a step forward, and the two bumped into each other unexpectedly.
"I'm sorry," Zike said first, apologizing.
"It's nothing," the other person said with a slightly strange accent, more like a Canadian. He smiled, waved his hand, and casually asked, "Want to hang out?"
"Perfect."
Zik dropped in a coin, and the PONG machine emitted a crisp, cheerful electronic sound.
The two played a game in silence. The man lost, but casually slipped in another 25-cent coin.
"This thing is toxic. It's just a few pixels, but it can keep you standing here for ages."
Zik looked at the other person: "Are you waiting for someone too?"
"My wife, Sharon," the man smiled wryly, pointing towards the shopping mall next door, "She said she'd only look for five minutes, and it's been forty minutes now. I guess her 'five minutes' isn't the same as 'five minutes' in the real world."
These words struck a chord with Qi Ke, who couldn't help but chuckle, a sense of shared misfortune washing over him: "What a coincidence, me too."
After a while, the two played several more rounds, and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the direction of the boutique next door. The chaotic clicking of camera shutters and the hurried footsteps mingled together, followed by a few provocative and inflammatory remarks.
"Judy! After playing that twisted character in 'Taxi Driver,' did you have nightmares? Did anyone at school stop hanging out with you because you played a prostitute?"
"Judy! Judy! Did you just come out of 'Pretty Woman'? How did you feel? Do you feel like you missed out big time by not playing Violet? Brooke Shields dared to go nude when she was only 12 years old, would you dare?"
Zik's expression changed instantly; he realized it was the ever-present tabloid paparazzi!
He clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the game console, cursing under his breath, "Fuck! Man, I'm off!"
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