4th September 1994
The fact that there was an entire movie theatre within the Bertelsmann Music Group was slightly surprising, but Ajay could understand the reason as well. BMG dealt not only with singles, albums, and mixtapes, but they also dealt with title tracks of various films and music licensing to various Hollywood movies, so it was understandable that they would have a theatre to review how their song was being used. But what caught him by surprise this time, and even made his mouth fall open, was the fact that Mr Heinz Shamits, the president of Bertelsmann Music Group North America, had actually shown up to look at the music video.
His presence did make Ajay feel good because that meant the song was valued by BMG, but sadly, he didn't get to talk to him. He only met him briefly as Mr Michael, an executive, introduced him as the songwriter, and he eventually sat down.
Soon, the lights dimmed to black, plunging the theatre into darkness. Ajay's focus locked instantly onto the screen as the faint whirl of the theatre hummed for a few brief seconds right before the canvas flashed to life, and the surrounding speakers suddenly blasted "Thrift Shop".
Ajay watched the music video with scrutiny. He focused on every single detail and every change that had been made. In the end, despite not being the exact same thing from his last life, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
For obvious reasons, the differences showcased so far were only in fashion and stylistic choices, which he could understand since the original video in his last life came out in 2012. Thankfully, the core was the same. It sent the same message, so even though he felt a little uncomfortable because of the mismatch between the video he had in his mind and what he was seeing in front of him, he got used to it and even felt that the 80s clothing had brought out a different flavour from the same song.
When the lights lit up, Ajay's attention was immediately placed on Mr Heinz Shamits. He wanted to know what Heinz thought. Unfortunately, the guy was like a cold ice sculpture, showing neither joy nor happiness. There wasn't even a look of disapproval or approval on his face. Instead, he simply nodded and said something to Michael, who was sitting next to him.
After Heinz left the theatre, Ajay noticed that Tjay and Reggie E followed Michael and Brad Grey to a lounge, while he was politely requested to leave.
Of course, he wasn't offended, since a songwriter doesn't have a say in what becomes of the song he has sold and in a music video for that song, but he was still invited because he sort of was the creative director behind the music video.
Anyway, since he had already seen the music video, there was actually no reason for him to be here, but still, he waited until Tjay was done with his meeting. He wanted to understand how BMG was planning to operate the video.
The wait lasted longer than expected, and Ajay had already been waiting for an entire hour. If it were not for the fact that he wanted to get involved in music production from start to finish and had to understand the entire operational chain, he would have already left.
Thankfully, half an hour later, Tjay finally showed up along with Reggie.
Reggie casually greeted him and left in a truck, while Ajay followed Tjay.
"You waited so long?" Tjay didn't even look at Ajay's face as he walked forward.
Ajay nodded and directly told him the reason. "I wanted to understand how the music video is going to be handled."
Tjay looked at him meaningfully, and Ajay knew that Tjay had understood some of his ambitions.
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"You want to get involved in the record industry? Do you have another song?" He jokingly put his arm across Ajay's shoulder. "Why don't you write another song for me?"
Ajay laughed bitterly in his heart, but he knew this moment was coming. Tjay was his guide into this industry, and if it were not for him, he wouldn't have reached this place, but that doesn't mean he wanted to stay under him forever.
"I do have an idea that matches your style, but I haven't completely written it yet."
Tjay suddenly let go of Ajay and looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"
He was just asking casually, but who would have thought that this guy indeed had another song?
"Yeah," Ajay responded with a nod. "However, what you said was not wrong. I do want to get involved in the record industry. I think I can work with singers, producers, and music directors to make a good song. I have a song for a female artist in mind, so I want to give it a try."
"Hmm," Tjay stroked his chin in thought and nodded. "You have a very good ear. You can arrange the song yourself, and the idea of your music video is pretty good as well. It's really possible for you to work with artists and handle the entire thing from beginning to end." He nodded and re-emphasised, "It's a good plan."
"Do you have an artist in mind for your new song?" he asked as he looked at Ajay with a smile.
Ajay felt embarrassed and shook his head. He hadn't gotten to that point yet. In fact, he would have collaborated with Lil Tjay again and would have given him another song, but he felt like it would associate him with Tjay as his underling even more. He didn't want that. Besides, he didn't want to tie himself to a single person. It wasn't a good thing, so he wanted to diversify a little. Naturally, he decided to make a song that Lil Tjay could not perform, a female song.
Ajay honestly shook his head.
Aj showed a look of "as I expected". However, Ajay was confused because the guy looked to have suddenly realised something and fell into deep thought, so much so that he stopped walking and stood in one place for an entire minute.
"What happened?" Ajay asked, his brows furrowed. However, nothing could have prepared him for the response he got.
"Jay! How about you form a label, and I invest in it?"
Ajay's eyes widened, and he immediately exclaimed, "WHAT!" However, realising that he might have yelled out too loudly, he closed his mouth and awkwardly apologised to the people who were staring at him.
Thankfully, Tjay came forward and explained. "Think about it, n*gga. You don't have any connections in the industry, but I do. I know a lot of people, and moreover," he lowered his voice and spoke in a soft tone. "My contract with the BMG is about to expire in four months, after which I can either be an independent artist or renew the contract."
"Originally, I was thinking about looking for another company. The people from Warner and Sony did contact me, but after hearing your idea, I now feel like it is best to simply invest in your company and do my own thing."
Ajay nodded in understanding, but at the same time, he felt like he didn't understand what the connection was between investing in his company and doing his own thing.
Tjay seemed to realise that Ajay did not completely understand him, so he called him for a drink and explained more clearly.
"Well, I'm currently contracted to Bertelsmann Music Group as an artist, but unlike the majority of other artists in the company, I do have some creative control, but at the end of the day, I'm still a contract worker. My company, TJay Holdings, simply holds my licenses and other stuff like that. It's basically a shell company."
"My original intention was to join another company on better terms."
"However, now after hearing what you said, it made me realise that creating a label is a better option."
"You don't want to handle the sales, touring, and other things, right? You only want to handle the songwriting, production, and music video."
Ajay thought about it and nodded. That was basically what he wanted.
"Then you simply do just that: form a label. I'll invest a little money in you, while I will form my own label, and I will handle all the rest: the touring, booking, the venue, events, and all of that."
Ajay's eyes widened. "You can do that?" he asked.
Tjay looked smug and nodded. "I have been in this industry for a long time, and I have met a lot of people. Didn't you pay attention, Jay? I have a lot of connections."
Ajay thought about it, and it was indeed a plan. His original intention was to work as an independent songwriter and producer, working with various artists from different companies, but Tjay's idea did sound enticing. He didn't have to worry about sales or events. He simply had to concentrate on producing the music and video.
"As long as he doesn't ask for too much, it can work," he thought to himself, and directly asked, "How much do you want, Tjay?"
Tjay was straightforward. "Give me 20%."
To be continued...