Free More Than Anything by R.E. Blake Page B

most of the trendy shops. Within an hour we’re new best friends, and she’s telling me insider gossip about everyone I’m going to be seated with tonight.
    “Tell me about Saul. He seems kind of scary on the phone,” I say, a little anxious about meeting my new boss at the awards ceremony.
    “He’s a big teddy bear, unless you cross him. But he’s fair, if kind of gruff. He loves your act, though, so that’s a big plus. You’re all he’s been talking about lately. That’s a good sign.”
    “Really?”
    Ruby nods. “You want him on your side, Sage. He can make magic happen.”
    She tells me all about what to expect at the dinner, and by the time she’s finished, I’m way more relaxed about it. Sounds like a few minutes on the carpet so the photographers can take pictures, and then two hours of dinner and show, maybe three.
    “You’ll get used to these, Sage. In this town there’s usually one every week for something – a charity, an event, a magazine, an award. Which means a lot more shopping. You don’t want to wear the same thing twice. Which reminds me – I’ll hook you up with a friend of mine who does virtual personal assistant work.”
    “I don’t need an assistant,” I say. The idea is absurd.
    “You will. Just keeping track of your schedule will get overwhelming. You’ll see. And she knows all the designers, so she can get you outfits on loan for the publicity value of being seen in them. Best of all, she works cheap. I’ll see if I can talk Saul into putting her on the payroll for you for maybe ten hours a week.”
    “That would be great.” I ask her about the management companies, and she frowns when she hears the first name. “They’re kind of scumbags. They’ll promise the world, but once you’re under contract, they’re late on everything. You can do better.” She’s more upbeat about the second and third. “Both quality outfits. I’d be happy with either one. It depends on how you hit it off with the person who’ll be your interface. You’re buying the person, not the company, at that point. They can both do the same things, and they’re both as good as they get. Tough choice.”
    “But they’ll all take the same cut?”
    “Yes. The irony is that if you are a breakout hit, there’s so much money coming in from so many different fronts it will seem like a fortune – but remember that everyone takes a bite. Your booking agent, your manager, the record company. What you’ll be left with can be either a lot or very little, depending on how you negotiate your deal. Either of the two companies we’re talking about are up on all the industry norms, so they’ll make sure you don’t get screwed, which happens a lot with new artists.” Ruby pauses. “There’s nothing to negotiate with Saul – the prize is a recording contract with the standard terms. But even in a non-negotiable deal, there’s wiggle room in the details, and frankly, these days you’ll make a lot more off live tours and merchandising than you will off your music, so think of the recording and videos as an expense to sell concert tickets and T-shirts, not as a big income source.”
    I don’t understand much of what she just said, and I realize how unprepared I am for the steps I’m taking. But it’s too late now, and I’m committed.
    “The management company will know all that, right?”
    Ruby nods. “They will. That’s why it’s important to get a great one. They’ll want you to make money so they make money.”
    “What about Sebastian? His cut, and the recording? And the videos?”
    “That all comes out of your royalties, paid back as you earn income. Saul advances the money to pay for everything, and you pay him back out of your slice of the profits. Sebastian gets a piece of his own for being the producer, so you don’t have to worry about him. He’d normally get a big chunk of front money, too, but he waived it to work with you.”
    “He did?”
    “Yes. And frankly, you should be