19 Chapter 18: Teaching a Ghost_1
Translator: 549690339
The next day, Carrie Thomas boarded the plane to Beiduo Music Academy with the hundred thousand they had scraped together by selling everything they had.
After all, she had studied at Beiduo Music Academy, and her shallow connections in the music circle were mostly concentrated there, so it was easier to get things done there.
Although the sheet music was ready-made, there were still many steps to transform it into a complete accompaniment.
Rich tyrants could afford to invite various excellent instrumentalists to form a complete orchestra and record slowly in high-fidelity top recording studios.
Instrumentalist’s skill level was crucial. Anyone with a little understanding could easily hear the difference and make a quick judgment.
Unfortunately, with Carrie and Harrison’s budget, recording live instruments was unfeasible and could only be done through electronic synthesis.
The advantage was the stable level of the accompaniment, definitely better than randomly hiring low-end performers.
The disadvantage was that the synthesized accompaniment lacked the spark of real performers, no variables, and less spirituality.
Carrie felt regretful in her heart, but she had no choice.
Making a big production required spending a lot of money, and one hundred thousand was far from enough. They needed at least three or four times that to have a chance.
Upon arriving at Beiduo Music Academy, Carrie Thomas suggested to Harrison Clark that they take out a loan to raise the budget to two hundred thousand.
She didn’t even ask for additional shares, just wanted the song to be done well.
However, Harrison firmly refused.
In another timeline, Carrie’s independently produced “Boring” was pure electronic arrangement.
Harrison had changed a lot of history and didn’t want to overproduce the song. He wanted it to be authentic.
In the original history, Carrie had created the prototype of “Boring” about two or three years later, and it should have been completed four years later.
The quality of the song remained the same, but the timeline had advanced significantly.
Before everything settled, Harrison wasn’t sure if history could continue to develop along its original trajectory.
Although he had tried to be cautious, what if there were too many variables and the song was rejected once it was sung?
Time flew, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Carrie Thomas brought back the finished product, which she had personally supervised and worked overtime to produce, to Oxfordshire.
Harrison didn’t go to pick her up and chose to wait at home instead.
Carrie wanted to send the master tape to him online, but he stopped her, saying there was no need and it would only increase the risk.
Having not seen her for ten days, Carrie looked a bit weary.
Her whole demeanor had changed in a peculiar way.
Although Carrie had a temper, there was an indelible gloom and depression on her persona previously.
But now, although seemingly unchanged on the surface, her eyes were full of vigor and vitality.
It felt as if the night was about to end, and the dawn was upon them.
Indeed, she knew her destiny was about to change.
Just looking at the music wasn’t enough, but after the song had been produced, she only needed to listen to it once to understand a fact.
She thought the level of the song was beyond her imagination. Harrison’s accompaniment sheet was not just icing on the cake; it was the finishing touch.
Even though she had been taking his abilities seriously, Carrie’s perception of Harrison had been refreshed time and time again.
Every time she thought she understood his talent, she would quickly see something new in this treasure-like man.
What was even stranger was that he never boasted or showed off.
Everything had to be discovered on its own.
Was this the legendary concept of great music being hidden and blending in with the world?
Carrie Thomas handed the USB drive to Harrison Clark as she entered, “Now can you listen to it?”
Harrison nodded, disconnected the laptop from the internet, and prepared to listen with the USB drive plugged in.
In the small apartment room, Harrison listened to the song with cheap headphones, while Carrie stood behind him, not daring to breathe.
Finally, he put down the headphones and closed his eyes to contemplate.
Carrie thought he was appreciating the details with a high degree of realm, but little did she know that Harrison was merely comparing the differences between this “new” version and the one he heard in his dreams.
Thanks to his previous forced memorization, his comparison was slow but meticulous.
About fifteen minutes later, Harrison opened his eyes and looked at Carrie with admiration, albeit concealed on the surface.
He gave a thumbs up, “Not bad, very impressive. Perfect.”
He was convinced.
Carrie Thomas possessed true skill.
Her becoming a historically great figure was no accident.
Even though he had helped her grow faster and the conditions were very simple and rushed, she still managed to deliver a perfect result.
How awe-inspiring would the realm be when Carrie truly became proficient and entered the inner circle?
As a limited level plagiarist, Harrison sincerely couldn’t imagine.Carrie Thomas blushed slightly at the praise, “Thank you, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint.”
Harrison Clark watched Carrie, who was modest and humble at the moment, and reminded himself to cherish these moments.
For once she realized her incredible talent, this humble side of her might not appear again.
“Right, these are the general conditions and contact information for several domestic platforms I’ve sorted out. Let’s discuss which platform to sell the song to.”
These days, Carrie was in charge of recording the song, but her partner Harrison wasn’t idle either.
Yet Carrie didn’t look at his list, she said, “I think Spotify Top is not bad.”
Harrison looked down at the list.
There were five or six large-scale music platforms in the country, with Spotify Top ranking second, currently trying to acquire copyrights to overtake No. 1 Fly, which is ranked first.
As a result, the platform’s policy towards singers and copyright holders was quite generous, making many concessions.
Overall, Spotify Top seemed like a good choice.
Of course, another important factor contributing to the decision was the location.
The headquarters of the other platforms were located in cities such as Nottingham, London, Leeds, and Carlisle.
Only Spotify Top’s headquarters was in Oxfordshire, meaning that they wouldn’t have to travel around and could save money.
Harrison nodded, “Alright, let’s settle on this one.”
Carrie said, “You still have to work, I’ll go negotiate. After reaching an agreement, you can come sign.”
Since both of them signed private contracts, business authorization required both signatures to be legally binding.
Harrison wasn’t worried that Carrie would strand him.
After sorting everything out, they went their separate ways.
Before going upstairs, Carrie said something that seemed both true and false, scaring Harrison.
First, she thanked Harrison for his trust in her.
Harrison replied it was his pleasure to help.
Then, she seemed to be testing Harrison’s background, really wanting to know why he understood her so well.
Every lyric and melody perfectly hit the softest spot in her heart.
Harrison could only bluff his way through.
Next, she actually expressed a desire to become Harrison’s apprentice!
Although she spoke shyly and subtly, she was earnest about learning creative ideas from Harrison, which was the general idea.
Harrison’s face went stiff.
He had no ideas to teach her!
He could only memorize her songs, and had no creative talent or musical ideas!
There was no way he could take an apprentice in this lifetime. He could only be a porter, doing odd jobs and waiting to die.
Carrie’s attempt failed as Harrison evaded with his defense, temporarily resolving the situation.
Harrison thought about it afterward, while “Boring” was already settled, he definitely couldn’t let Carrie sing “Deep in the Night” later.
If someone else sang it, Carrie might not feel as deeply and not realize that Harrison knew her so well.
But if she sang it, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t fall for the trick.
For the next few days, Carrie constantly went back and forth to the Spotify Top headquarters, negotiating and preparing for the contract signing.
Although Spotify Top was currently a bit desperate for music copyrights, Carrie and Harrison’s backgrounds in the industry were too weak to easily get ideal terms, so there was a lot of negotiation needed.
Meanwhile, Harrison spent most of his time working at Chesterton Apartment.
Lately, he had neglected his work due to his side business, slacking off whenever he could.
Many people in the company already had complaints about him, and Harrison couldn’t afford to lose this job, so he had to put in more effort.
One evening, Harrison overheard two employees from other companies chatting as he rode the elevator down from a meeting.
“Did you hear? Jenny Hart is holding a fan meeting at Solemnis Club on Margaret Road tonight.”
“Really? Such a big star is hosting a fan meeting in a nightclub?”
“Why not? She’s almost a first-tier singer.”
“Are you going?”
“Of course!”
“But there’s no need to rush. I heard that Solemnis Club spent a lot of money to invite her, and since Jenny has other business in Oxfordshire, she’ll be there for three days. One hour each time, singing at least five songs a day.”
Harrison suddenly became interested. Should he try his luck?