Ayshela Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Philip brow furrowed as he sat staring at the growing pile of charts, new releases, and projected releases. Small record labels were bound to have a smaller percentage of market share, but this was preposterous! He stalked down the hall and burst into the Sheila's office waving printouts angily. "One song in the Top 40? ONE?! I thought you were marketing our artists, or isn't that what the Marketing department does?" he snarled. Sheila looked up at her boss, wondering again if he'd left bodybuilding for the music business. The dark hair falling into his face didn't, however, disguise the flash in his brown eyes or angry flush darkening his deeply tanned face. She took a deep breath and calmly replied, "It would be easier to market artists if we had new music TO market. Three of our bands got better contracts elsewhere, so we couldn't re-sign them. One of our artists is in the hospital, and the others are either between albums or on tour. We don't HAVE anyone else to market right now. What else can I do?" Philip sneered at the slightly plump blonde behind the desk. "I know you're not as dumb as you look - or as you play at being, and I didn't THINK 28 was too old to party. Get on the phone to the agents. Mix at parties. Do whatever it is you do to find hopefuls and bring them in. If you can't market thin air, then I suggest you find something to fill it." He ignored her glare and stomped away, slamming the door behind him. Sheila considered throwing something at the door, but since she couldn't throw HIM, she decided against it. She thought, and thought, then slowly grew an evil smile. "You wanted a party? You'll GET a party," she purred. OOC: You are now at a huge party which has been billed as "Private" and "Exclusive" so that everyone will want to go. Most of the label's A&R staff are here, unusually willing to check out the plethora of hopefuls as well as circulate with agents they know and trust - more or less. You're in a small city, in a hotel ballroom, dress-code semi-formal. Meet and mingle, and if you need to invent NPCs feel free, just let me know. No PM alliances - any alliances must be formed in game via RP. If you need to PM to coordinate movements for any reason (or for any other game related reason) please CC the PM to me, so I know what's going on and don't cross you up in my posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayshela Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Sheila wove her way around the room, a drink in her left hand leaving her right hand free to flutter overly cheery waves to people she recognized or a brief touch on the arm of those she knew so that her presence would be generally recognized. The slightly dim lighting was nice, giving an air of intimacy to what was, essentially, a meet-and-greet. She stood back for a moment and looked over the gathering crowd. This should be a good chance to meet some potential clients. Now, where to start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Dragon Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Mr. Coolio strolled in late as usual, but without making a big scene. Neverless a group began to form around him. He let Charles, his right hand man, take care of them with the usual 'Don't call us, we'll call you' routine and made his way to the bar. He took off his hat and set it on the bar as he motioned to the bartender. Then, with a scotch in hand, he turned around and leaned against the bar as he scoped out the crowd, looking for the real musicians in the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynx Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Carrie sat with her back to the bar and looked out at the crowd, biting her lip nervously as she searched for a face she recognised. Eventually, she gave up with a small sigh and nursed her rum and coke. She still hadn't gotten the taste for alcohol but Vanessa insisted she keep up her image no matter where she went. At least she didn't get nearly as dizzy or sick anymore as she didn't the first time. Speaking of Nessa...Carrie checked her watch for the 15th time in five minutes. Her agent was meant to have met her at the party by now but still no sign of her. Feeling nervous and alone, Carrie noticed a guy at the bar looking over at her. She gave him a small smile that he returned with interest, before he let his eyes drop to her clevage, accentuated by the tight corset Vanessa had picked out for her. Recognising the leer now on his face, Carrie practically leapt away from the bar and went on a determined search for the rest room, practically feeling the guy's gaze follow her. Struggling with keeping the ludicrously short mini skirt from climbing further up her thighs, Carrie found the line to the bathroom and joined it, forcing a smile on her face as the girl in front of her smiled the brief greeting of strangers, before she turned her attention once more to the crowd in search of her agent and tried to ignore the homesickness that taunted her. Although that could have just been the alcohol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Seth drifted through the party, chatting... sometimes with friends, sometimes with people he'd done work for, sometimes they were one and the same. It was a fairly tame event so far though it had attracted an incredible range of people from the industry. Seth noticed Mr Coolio enter, late as usual and let the party carry him close enough to hear what was going on as his man Charles removed the crowd of hopefuls who gathered then moved quietly off to exchange amusing anecdotes with some other friends. Hopefully the night will pick up a bit soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonqueen Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Charmaine slipped into the party a bit late. She preferred it that way; an unnoticed entrance. Moving off through the crowd, she scanned the room and found very little in the way of familiar faces. Minutes later, Charmaine was ensconced in a spot against the wall, leaning back and coolly sipping a drink. A small inner voice protested that she ought to be circulating, making contacts, trying to save her band, but she silenced it, thinking Later. I'll do it later, I promise. After I get my courage up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Dragon Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 (edited) Mr. Coolio's eyes rolled for the fifth time in the past three minute conversation. Some guy was trying to get him to agree to be his agent. The guy was trying to pass off as punk rocker, but looked the same age he did, if not older. The guy kept telling Mr. Coolio he was sure his band could make it big with Mr. Coolio's support, you know, once he'd formed one. Mr. Coolio's eyes rolled for the sixth time in the past five minute conversation. This expression usually expressed boredom, but this time it served a better purpose of alerting Mr. Coolio of the entrance of a young girl through the door, even later than he was. Mr. Coolio saw her leaning against the wall, trying to work up the courage to go out and talk to some one. He'd seen that before, she was definitely new to the scene. He wondered how she got the invite... Mr. Coolio dismissed the man across from him, handing him a card with a number on it that belonged to a different agent. He then braved the crowd in an attempt to go talk to this girl. He was soon lost in the mass of people at the center of the room and he lost her. He was trying to make his way to where he'd last seen her when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Mr. Coolio turned around and was surprised to see... Edited October 18, 2006 by Savage Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayshela Posted October 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Philip watched the party from his suite upstairs, monitoring several cameras as his sneer battled with a growing worried frown. He had to be here. The invitation had been sent and everyone who'd been able to catch a hint of Stealth's plans said he would be - Ah, there he was! Philip looked twice to verify that the "gentleman" tapping Mr. Coolio on the shoulder was Stealth himself. "There he is," he snarled and headed for the elevator. He was followed by two middle-aged men who tried very hard to look like they belonged at the party. By the time Philip neared Mr. Coolio, Stealth had reached a fever pitch of anger and frustration. "No! You have to tell me," he shouted, grabbing at Mr. Coolio's lapels to keep him from backing away. "MY agent dumped me. No one else in town will talk to me - they all hang up as soon as they know it's me! I'm getting flamed up and down the 'net for stuff that isn't on the album THAT HASN'T EVEN BEEN RELEASED YET, and no one will tell me what's -" "What's going on here?" Philip smoothly interrupted the shrill rant. "It's very simple, and I'll be glad to explain once you let go of the gentleman." Philip nodded to his companions who moved around behind Mr. Coolio and Stealth as the two separated. "You see, Stealth, all the illegal copies of songs from your album - poor quality that they were - as well as several tracks from Lily's new album... they were all traced back to one account here at the studio. Yours." Several people gasped and stepped back from Philip and Stealth. Stealth paled and began to stutter confusedly, but Philip overrode him again. "Oh yes, it's been checked quite thorougly. The account you asked for in our system, so you could do some of your production at home and upload it, so you "wouldn't risk losing a CD on the way" and nonsense of that kind? That account accessed Lily's recent work and uploaded both her recordings and yours to several music trading hotspots." Stealth continued stuttering denials and requests for explanations until Philip motioned to his companions and said, "Oh, and Stealth? Our legal department would like to... talk with you about it." Stealth was led away. No one moved or said a word until his stunned silence broke with a frantic shriek. "No!!! I didn't -" The door closed. Those assembled for the party grabbed their drinks and burst into conversation, seemingly seeking normality in an excess of party atmosphere. OOC: Stealth's contract is likely to be severed, but whether or not he still has a contract by the time he's done with the legal department's questions, he and his album will be so tied up in red tape that it's unlikely to EVER be released - legally. WE know that Stealth is as innocent as he says - so who uploaded the files and tipped Philip off to their premature release? Discuss, debate, accuse, defend - you have 48 hours to vote. No OOC reason is necessary for your vote, but please clearly state IN your OOC line who your accusation vote is for. It's now just after 10pm Pacific Time on Wednesday night. Voting will be closed at midnight Friday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Dragon Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Mr. Coolio was pissed. He grumbled as he tried to straighten out his jacket, Stealth's hands had been dirty too, the dark brown showed up starkly on his canary yellow suit. He took off the jacket and threw into the arms of Charles, who showed up long after the commotion was over, muttering, "Remind me to dock your pay later." Charles nodded and folded the jacket, not too worried seeing as Mr. Coolio didn't actually pay him. Mr. Coolio headed back to the bar, the girl from before forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightFae Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Alexia Lee nearly ran in waaaaay late. But hey, she liked these kind of enterences. Spotlight, anyone? Making only a small scene, she made her enterence known. If nobody had heard of her and her band YET, they would by the end of tonight. She shoved her way through the crowd to boldly go where...Someone had obviously attempted to go that night. "Mr. Coolie? I mean...Coolio."She held back a snicker. "I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment." She had positioned herself exactly in his way, as to not be ignored. "You are aware as to what I'm going to ask, so it would really be pointless to ask, don'tcha think? So...Let's just get straight to the point, here." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Seth watched with no small amount of suprise as Stealth was hauled off. What was up with that? Did they really think he'd be stupid enough to cripple his own chances at an album by bootlegging his own recordings... His musings would have continued but about then Seth noticed Alexia Lee chatting to Mr Coolio and his thoughts whirlled away into chaos. really got to do something about putting some tracks down so that he takes some notice of me for a change!> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynx Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Carrie watched the entire interaction from the line leading to the bathroom, nervously worrying at the nail on her little finger as she watched Stealth being dragged from the room. Why would anyone put their contract in danger by doing such a thing? Vanessa had repeatedly lectured Carrie on the value of a contract, and how if (when, Vanessa would always say. When) she got a contract, she'd better not cause any trouble. If you lose one contract, you've lost them all. Carrie shook her head in confusion. It just didn't make sense. Stealth didn't look like he'd be stupid enough to put everything at such risk. Maybe he'd been set up? Or perhaps working with someone... She watched as Mr. Coolio walked to the bar and ordered a drink, a small line creasing her forehead as she wondered... Why was Stealth so desperate to talk to Mr. Coolio before he got arrested? OOC: Vote for Mr. Coolio/Savage Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Dragon Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Mr. Coolio was trying his best not to lose his cool a this new young girl came up to him. This night had brought him nothing but aggrivation. The girl, she said her name was Alexi, was obviously trying to impress him by being bold and taking charge of the situation. It didn't impress him very much, he was usually the person in charge and he didn't like letting someone else take it from him. Mr. Coolio's attention wandered to a nearby by group of people discussing the recent event. He heard them express confusion as to why Stealth would release his own album. He knew, of course, that many artists released their own music on the internet in order to create hype for the album, as a way of free advertising. It'd been done before by one of his own clients, they lost their contract too. Mr. Coolio realized his mind had been wandering and that the girl was still talking to him. Finally he interrupted her saying, "Look honey, you can say all you want about your band, but i don't sign anybody until i hear some music, alright?" OOC: Vote for Mynx/ Carrie... voting so quickly is rather suspicous... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuchan Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Carrie was so lost in her own thoughts that she never heard Vanessa, and so she nearly shrieked when a hand grabbed her wrist. "What have I been telling you about your nails?" Carrie closed her eyes and gulped down, the husky voice of her agent doing nothing to calm her. On the contrary, she tried hard not to shudder as Vanessa continued. "Stop pushing your skirt down. It's perfect where it sits, people will think that you're ashamed of your curves!" "But it rides up when I walk! People can see my underwear!" "Of course they can! That'll feed their dreams and add mystery to you. How many times do I need to remind you that you need glamour? That you need to keep the minds of people on you?" Saying that, Vanessa slapped Carrie's hand away from the skirt, and pulled some of Carrie's hair over her eyes. Under her breath Carrie muttered, "They're only on me because I look like 'hired help'", then added in a louder, meek voice, "Yes, Vanessa". Vanessa glowered and, grabbing the girl's hand, just cut the line to the bathroom. "And you don't wait in lines, Carrie. You walk in and act as if it was the most natural thing in the world that common people defer to you!" she hissed, planting her in front of one of the stalls and nearly pushing her in as soon as the woman inside left. After sending Carrie in and hoping the girl wouldn't make a mess of her makeup next, Vanessa started to think about the scene she had seen. Stealth wouldn't be so stupid... would he? Even Carrie wouldn't dare to bootleg her own recordings... Now, who has easy access to those stuff... Carrie came out just in time to hear her soft words, "Maybe a sound technician?" ~~~~ OOC: voting for Seth/Gryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Seth was heading to the bar for another drink as Carrie came out of the bathrooms and he nearly tripped over her, catching himself on her arms and giving her a big smile... "Hey, didn't see you here before, want to come grab a drink?" This meant he was also close enough to hear Vanessa muttering about him being the one to release bootleg songs... Seth shot Vanessa a black look and while leading Carrie away said, loud enough for Vanessa to hear: "I mix in the sound booth, I don't store the songs afterwards... and I'd never release substandard music." ~~~ OOC: Yeah, voting for Vanessa / Tanuchan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightFae Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 "I don't care how big you are in this industry...DON'T call me honey." Alexia glared just a bit. "And if you want some music, fine. You'll have some music in a few days or so. Gotta talk to the band, y'know." She shrugged a bit"And for the record, I don't like you and I don't want to work with you...But they told me to talk to you since none of those pansies wanted to. I will tell you here and now this is purely business. And never call me honey again." She turned on her heels and walked away. Probably shouldn't have said any of that, but the word honey was one word she never wanted to hear again. OOC: Vote for Seth/Gryphon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayshela Posted October 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Seth stopped short as Philip's hand dropped onto his shoulder. "That's very interesting," Philip said coldly. "I'm sure our legal department will be VERY intrigued by that information - just one of many things they want to talk to you about." He nodded to two gentlemen in dark suits who had been standing behind the bartender, and they started toward Seth and Philip as Carrie backed away looking confused and frightened. Seth looked around, trying to look casual about it. There was no point in trying to break free, even if they hadn't had his address on file. There were too many people between him and any of the exits. "If you heard me talking to her then you heard that I'm only a technician. I mix music, I don't store it, and I definitely don't release it." Philip gave his characteristic sneer and shook his head. "You really don't expect me to believe that, do you? What do you do when you're done mixing the songs? You don't really go to all that work to make them sound good only to delete them when you're done, do you? Of course not, you're a professional and you'd never waste your masterpiece. You saved them, of course. Twice. One to keep for your "portfolio" of all the songs you'd worked on, both before and after. Once everyone heard what you started with - which they did, because you carefully uploaded each one just after they'd been put together but before you had "worked your magic" with them - you could work with anyone you wanted when they heard what you could do with such rough tracks. Right? Anyone you wanted, and as much money as you demanded." Seth was shaken, but held his denial. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. I LOVE music! I'd never do that!" One of the men Philip had signalled spoke from behind Seth. "We found your CD from this afternoon's session. You forgot it in your booth when you left for the party. We also have logs of uploads from the same IP which accessed your e-mail. And now, you'll come with us." Seth raged at Philip as they pulled him to the door. "You're the one who kills talent! You only sign people you control - you won't even listen to people with half a brain! I've got more talent than anyone in this room and you keep me locked in the booth making THEM sound good, when I could..." The door closed, muffling the rest of Seth's raging. Sheila hissed at one of her assistants, and music started playing almost instantly. Philip shook Carrie's hand. "Thank you, my dear. I appreciate your stalling him, though I don't think that was your intent." He smiled as Carrie shook her head. Vanessa strode up and began to introduce Carrie, but Philip cut her off. "Yes, that's nice. Please bring her in next week. However," he said as he looked Carrie over from head to toe, "please make sure she finds the rest of her skirt first." Vanessa sputtered before choking out a reluctant "Yes, sir." Philip winked at Carrie as she stifled her giggles. "Thank you. I will see you next week." * * * * * OOC: Congratulations! In what may be the fastest WW game ever, you've caught the wolf! Please see the OOC thread for a breakdown of the roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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