Actor in Hollywood Chapter 448: A Long Road Ahead

Bla bla bla, they sang in harmony, moving effortlessly, seamlessly, and with perfect coordination.

Mike was very pleased with the presentation. He believed they could impress Anson. Warner Records' brand, combined with the sincerity of a personal visit, carried significant weight.

However, Dustin noticed Anson's "silence." Listening carefully was good as it allowed them to fully express their intentions according to plan, but Anson's complete silence and lack of interruption throughout the entire process felt unsettling—especially since it was Anson.

Dustin, a producer, always believed that music carried a person's essence, whether they were a creator or perforr, giving music a unique texture—a color of the soul, in a sense.

Of course, this excludes formulaic pop songs.

Dustin admired Anson mainly because of the freedom and rebellious spirit conveyed through his lodies and performances, which reminded him of Kurt Cobain.

The most fascinating aspect was that, unlike Kurt Cobain, whose rebellious, dark, and broken nature hid a destructive instinct, Anson's music had a golden transparency and lightness, a clarity and wisdom.

Of course, it might just be Dustin's imagination; illusions are free. But Dustin trusted his judgnt, which is why he insisted they should sign the band.

If Dustin's judgnt was correct, then Anson's reaction was abnormal.

But Dustin didn't rush to speak; he wanted to observe Anson's response and verify his judgnt.

Then—

Anson spoke.

He had maintained patience and focus all along. Only after Dustin and Mike finished their presentation, ensuring both representatives had fully expressed themselves, did Anson slightly raise his chin and seriously look at them.

"So, let summarize the situation."

"Warner Records believes our band's performance indeed brings sothing new, different from the mainstream music in the current market, which is very interesting."

"But at the sa ti, this also ans independent music might struggle to enter the mainstream market, with a bleak sales outlook."

"Of course, the buzz from 'The Tonight Show' is a positive factor, but how much that traffic will convert into sales and how long it will last are all unknowns."

"You think it's worth trying. Warner Records didn't outright reject the idea but expressed significant concerns and limited interest, giving you so authority to personally visit and test the waters."

"So, after eting, you refuse to discuss numbers and instead try to move emotionally, hoping I, like other struggling artists, would be overjoyed and accept Warner Records' appreciation and respect without hesitation."

"But once the album production begins, we wouldn't have the final say because you can't guarantee our creative control in black and white. It's likely Warner Records would take the lion's share of the royalties, leaving us as guinea pigs for the record company. Our music's essence could be lost, and we might still end up broke, going in circles only to return to square one."

"Possibly even worse."

"As for your careers, they probably wouldn't suffer much. You'd move on to find the next singer, discover the next genius. After all, the entertainnt industry is never short of drears, right?"

"Isn't that why you personally ca to see ?"

Warner Records was interested, but the interest was limited, with concerns and objections outweighing enthusiasm—

A cello and rock? An instrunt-centered band? An actor moonlighting in a band? A musician rising from a talk show?

All of this seed gimmicky on the surface, but at the turn of the millennium, it was filled with uncertainties, with the current music market showing a slow decline, and record sales dropping across the board.

Early last year, Virgin Records, a subsidiary of EMI, one of the world's five major record companies, ended its contract with Mariah Carey after just one year, paying a $28 million settlent, reflecting the sluggishness of the entire music market.

Even giants like Warner Records had to be more cautious.

Perhaps Dustin and Mike were genuinely interested, which is why they broke protocol and visited personally. This unusual move clearly indicated more underlying concerns.

And Anson had just made a small, speculative deduction.

Mike: Jaw dropped.

Although Mike tried to refute, argue, and interrupt Anson, the words were too accurate, directly hitting the soft spot. Several tis he prepared to speak, but the words invariably got stuck on his tongue—

A dry mouth and parched tongue.

It seed Mike was an honest person. He likely hadn't reached his current position through scheming but purely by personal competence, or maybe he was the departnt's scapegoat, always cleaning up others' sses, with his only interest being the music itself.

Finally, Mike found his voice, ready to defend himself.

This ti, Dustin interrupted him, "Haha, hahaha."

Laughter!

Dustin gave Mike no face, holding his stomach and laughing, "Caught red-handed, no underwear left, haha, you should really see your face."

Mike: …

Dustin said, "What did I just tell you? We shouldn't play tricks; we should tell the truth. That's the only way to build trust."

"Besides, we've already broken protocol to visit personally, so why worry about saving face? Being sincere, with fewer tricks, isn't that better?"

Rapid-fire words, like a storm.

Dustin completely exposed Mike's hand, leaving Mike utterly defeated.

The frustration was suffocating, but in the end, Mike let out a long breath. He and Dustin had been old friends, knowing each other for a long ti. Having chosen to co along with Dustin for this business negotiation, he should have been ntally prepared for this.

Now, it was fine.

Mike quickly adjusted his mindset and looked at Anson, but couldn't help his curiosity, "…God, how did you figure it out?"

"I an, our acting wasn't that clumsy, right?"

"I really should reassess my negotiation skills."

Sincerity makes one endearing.

Anson chuckled silently. The re act of Warner Records visiting in person was unusual. He didn't believe a record company needed to make a personal visit—

Connor and the others would have rushed to Los Angeles as soon as they got a call from "The Tonight Show." So, imagine Warner Records needing only one phone call, and they would have eagerly flown in.

Even if Warner Records was sincere, it wasn't necessary. It really wasn't.

But seeing through it without exposing it keeps the friendship afloat.

Anson smiled and gave an honest and reasonable answer, "You're not the first record company to call. Clearly, we've already gained a basic understanding of our situation."

So that's how it was!