[Chapter 207: The Sky-High New Contract]
Charlize was unusually excited after landing the role. She took the initiative to invite Linton to spend the night together. However, she still hadn't decided whether to join Linton's harem circle, or maybe she didn't plan to join at all.
Linton didn't push; after all, she had entrusted her first time to him, and he himself had a somewhat traditional mindset. He actually preferred women like her and Winnie, who were more conservative.
Considering there were four women at the estate, Linton instructed his assistant to book a business suite at the Hilton Hotel.
They discreetly arrived at the hotel separately to avoid the paparazzi.
...
Away from prying eyes in the hotel's enclosed space, Charlize shed her poised and modest public image and became passionately eager, taking on the role of a female knight and launching an assertive romantic advance.
Sweet and joyful laughter filled the room.
...
Two hours later, after taking a break from their intimate moments, they were enjoying dinner delivered to the hotel room. Charlize still couldn't hide her excitement.
"Darling, the movie The Rock is finally kicking off. I'm so happy! I'm finally making my way to the big screen."
"Baby, you've got to perform well. The director is very strict; don't let anyone think you got the role because of me."
"Don't worry, darling. I've been taking acting classes every day to improve my skills. The teacher has praised my progress many times. I'll definitely give a great performance and make the movie shine."
"That's right, our Sally is the best. As long as you perform well, more opportunities will come your way."
"You're so good to me, honey. I have to thank you properly." She said, taking a sip of red wine, then coyly slid under the dining table.
"Wow, baby, where did you learn that?"
"Like it?"
Soon, their passionate encounter resumed, accompanied again by joyful laughter.
---
After over ten days of tough negotiations, Linton's management team -- Mira, Ellie, and Carnes -- finally reached a preliminary agreement with Universal Music for the renewal of Linton's singer contract.
The new contract was for five years, with Universal paying Linton a $60 million signing bonus. This was the highest signing bonus ever paid to a singer in the recording industry, previously only matched by Madonna.
Within five years, Universal was obligated to release three albums for Linton, and Linton had to comply unconditionally.
In terms of royalty shares, Linton's songwriting share increased from 6% to 7%, and his lyricist share also rose from 6% to 7%. This was the highest royalty rate for songwriters in the music industry.
His singer royalty share jumped from 10% to 21%. Generally, top-tier singers maxed out at 20% royalties, with only Michael Jackson having ever reached 21%.
Of course, Universal's willingness to offer such a high deal was due to Linton's tremendous success. In just over two years, Linton had generated profits exceeding $300 million for Universal, not including his upcoming second album.
Linton's second album, Flying, received an A+ rating during internal evaluation at Universal. Expected sales exceeded 30 million copies, projected to bring at least $150 million in profit.
Mira and her team felt confident enough to push for such favorable terms because of Linton's proven track record. The results proved Linton was worth the price.
However, the breach of contract penalty clauses were also sky-high, set at $180 million.
...
Seeing this clause, Linton was very satisfied. This was already the best a singer could get. To go further, he would have to start his own record label.
Starting a label, though, meant many responsibilities. The record business was complex, involving thousands of record stores across the United States, plus many TV and radio stations, newspapers, and magazines for promotion.
If he didn't handle distribution and only produced music, he might not earn as much as he did now.
Nevertheless, with memories from his past life, it wasn't impossible that in a few years, when Britney Spears grew up, he might establish a music production company.
Signing her to his label and nurturing her could make her the next reigning diva. If trained well, her commercial and star power could rival Madonna's.
There was also Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift, promising stars who could be signed to his company and cultivated carefully.
...
During the negotiations, Warner Records, Columbia Records, PolyGram Records, and B.G. Records all made attractive offers. Even PolyGram's UK headquarters sent representatives to try to lure Linton away.
Because of this, Universal was determined not to lose Linton and quickly accepted Mira's proposal to shatter the singer's ceiling with a groundbreaking contract, which is how the two parties reached an agreement so swiftly.
At the Universal Pictures board meeting, Daniel convinced the other directors by saying, "Universal Music has finally cultivated a superstar like Linton. We can't afford to lose him, and he's worth every penny."
With lawyers witnessing, Linton signed a five-year renewal contract with Universal Music.
...
Afterward, Linton started promoting the album Flying according to Universal's marketing strategy. On the 24th and 25th, he gave over 30 media interviews and appeared on two NBC talk shows.
To ensure album sales, Universal invested $16 million in global marketing, flooding TV and radio stations with posters and advertisements for comprehensive coverage.
Starting the afternoon of the 25th, MTV and various local stations played the music videos for all ten tracks from Flying back to back. Radio DJs enthusiastically promoted them as well.
On the 26th, Flying went on sale simultaneously in music stores worldwide.
That same day, Linton, accompanied by his assistant, bodyguards, Bella, Molly, Ellie, and Duke, took a chartered business jet leased by Universal for a promotional tour across major U.S. cities.
...
Thanks to Flying's high quality, Linton's popularity, full-scale promotion, and nationwide appearances, the album exploded in sales.
In the first week, it sold 7.8 million copies in North America and 7.3 million overseas.
By September 7th, after completing the first phase of the promotional tour, Flying had sold 10.9 million copies in North America, 12.3 million overseas, totaling 23.2 million worldwide.
*****
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