[Chapter 45: The Grammy Strategy]
As Linton got into the car, Danny said, "Boss, you finally came out. Mira has been going crazy these past few days, looking all over for you. You better give her a call."
Linton turned on his phone and just as he was about to dial, it rang. He answered and heard Mira on the line.
"Oh my dear, you finally picked up! Where have you been these last three days? Where are you now? I'm coming right over to see you."
Mira really wanted to shout at him. As his agent, having her artist go missing for three whole days during such a critical time was a disgrace. Normally, when something like this happened, it meant the agent-artist relationship was over. These past few days were extremely stressful for Mira.
Luckily, the information hadn't spread widely, but inevitably it reached Logan's ears. He had called her yesterday asking if there was a problem with their partnership, which she dodged.
But she knew she had to keep her role in perspective -- she was just an agent. Linton had made his own way without her crucial help, so all she could do was suppress her temper and speak softly to him on the phone.
"We'll meet at Universal's office in thirty minutes."
"Okay, see you in half an hour. Call Daniel too; he's been going crazy trying to reach you."
...
After hanging up, Linton called Daniel.
"Hello, Daniel, it's Linton."
"Linton, you bastard, you finally show up! Do you know we've been looking everywhere for you? Even your agent couldn't find you! If you didn't call me, I was going to call the police. Where are you? Hurry to the office -- or better yet, give me your location so I can send someone to pick you up."
Before Linton could speak, Daniel's urgent voice cut him off in a flood of words. Linton quickly replied, "I'm on my way to the office now. I'll be there within thirty minutes."
"Hurry up, I'm waiting for you!"
After ending the call, Linton told Danny they should head to Universal Music.
---
At the Universal office, Daniel and Mira were waiting. Seeing their worn-out faces, Linton asked, "What's going on? You both look exhausted."
"Because of you," Daniel replied. "The AMA Awards just finished, and you disappeared for three whole days without a trace. Mira didn't know where you were either.
Where were you? At the AMAs, you won an award and delivered a fantastic performance. It was the perfect time to ramp up promotion and expand your influence. I had lined up a lot of media contacts, but at the critical moment, you bastard vanished like that."
Daniel, usually so polite, let out rare profanity.
"Oh, I didn't know. You should have told me earlier. I've just been worn out lately. After the AMAs, I went to a ranch to completely relax for three days and decompress. Sorry for the inconvenience. I apologize," Linton said, though it was obvious he was lying and lacked sincerity.
Daniel and Mira gritted their teeth but could do nothing.
"Alright, no matter who asks about these few days, stick to that story," Mira said, putting out the fires.
"Yeah, exactly," Daniel agreed.
The tabloids would definitely be interested in Linton's disappearance. They couldn't afford any scandals now.
"Also, this is the last time. From now on, you must stay in touch with me at all times. This kind of situation can never happen again. Even if something unexpected does happen, you need to inform me immediately so I can activate crisis management."
"Okay, it won't happen again," Linton agreed, realizing his mistake.
...
After the lecture, Daniel got down to business.
"Let's talk about the Grammy award PR strategy. This year's Grammys are on March 12th. Based on their rules -- which consider works released from October the year before last to the end of last September -- you've already secured four nominations through our early PR efforts.
They are: Best New Artist, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Producer of the Year (single artist award), and Song of the Year (songwriter award).
We need to fully engage in PR now. Keep in mind, AMAs are audience-voted, so fans' votes get you awards there. But the Grammys have over 1,500 professional judges, so we need a solid PR plan.
Don't expect to win all four. I suggest focusing on Best New Artist -- that's a major award with high prestige and suits you best. Winning it will greatly boost your album sales.
Producer of the Year is also a big award, but you only had three songs before the September cutoff. All three are fan favorites but have fairly simple lyrics. Only Numb is nominated, which doesn't quite match Grammy judges' tastes. Winning is unlikely, so PR focus there is limited.
Actually, the song That's the Way Love Goes fits the Grammys' style better, but it was released too late to qualify.
Song of the Year is another big category, but you're just 21 and only perform songs you write yourself. Winning chances are slim.
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance has less weight, especially since you already won Favorite New Soul/R&B Artist at the AMAs, so it wouldn't add much.
So overall, my advice is to target Best New Artist. What do you think?"
Linton nodded in agreement with Daniel's professional analysis.
"Alright, we'll do it your way. What do you need me to do?"
"Next, Universal will mobilize resources to lobby Grammy judges, but that's not enough. I want the William Morris Agency (WMA) to join in. They can leverage their contacts to ensure you win."
"Okay, I'll report to the company immediately. I'm sure they'll agree," Mira said hesitantly.
"What about me? What do I do?" Linton asked.
"Two things: keep media exposure high during this period, maybe attend a charity event or two to elevate your image.
And in a few days, American Music Magazine will do a feature interview with you. Though its circulation isn't huge, many Grammy judges are loyal readers, so the interview can influence some votes."
Linton understood and Daniel left.
...
"Linton, I'll try to persuade WMA to put their contacts and resources into your Grammy campaign, but your contract is about to expire," Mira said honestly when alone with Linton.
"That's fine. You talk to WMA and get a contract offer that matches my market value. I'm ready to sign anytime," Linton replied. He had promised her already and didn't plan on firing her, so renegotiating the contract posed no problem.
"No problem then. WMA will put their full weight into this campaign," Mira said happily.
...
After contract talk, Mira handed Linton a file.
"After settling on three potential endorsements with you, I've been negotiating them recently. Mercedes-Benz has scheduled a meeting on the 28th -- a top executive from their headquarters will come to Los Angeles for a talk.
Here's the package about Mercedes-Benz's corporate culture and their G Series SUVs. Prepare well."
Linton took the file and nodded, "I'll prepare thoroughly."
"The other two -- Armani Men's Wear and Timex watches -- are keen to collaborate. We're negotiating prices, so deals should finalize soon."
"Good, let's follow that schedule."
"Also, keep an eye on upcoming Los Angeles charity events and pick one suitable for me to attend," Linton said, remembering Daniel's suggestion and the point system he'd mentioned. It made sense both to network and for tax reasons.
He called Henry Zhou to calculate how much he should donate for maximum benefit.
Finally, he told Mira, "Come with me to the estate. I wrote a new movie script. Get it registered with the Writers' Guild and the U.S. Copyright Office."
*****
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