"Well, well, if it isn't the prodigal son of Hastings family in the flesh. Yo man, nice to see you here once again," Dave chuckled after identifying Liam.
"Ha, if my old man hadn't been afraid of the kind of shenanigans I would do and sent me packing to college, I wouldn't have left at all," Liam responded with a shrug and settled down opposite to Dave.
"So, you back for good now?" Dave asked, offering a cigarette to Liam.
"Yup, back for good. And I have now entered the family business as well. Things are looking up," Liam replied, lighting the cigarette Dave offered
"So, what position did the old man give to you?" Dave asked, his eyes already contained a calculating gleam in them.
"Channel Head," Liam replied smugly, while taking a long drag.
"No way! Don't tell me your old man went mad and gave such an important position to you," Dave said in shock, looking genuinely surprised.
"Surprised me as well. But, the channel is a dud. Needs major overhauling. It had potential though. I have some plans. You interested in making some money?" Liam asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Ha! When did you not have plans? We will discuss them later. We need to get you properly drunk first. Let's see if your drinking capacity had been reduced after going away to college," Dave spoke happily and ordered a drink for Liam.
Liam didn't refuse. He was quite upto the challenge as well. They discussed trivial matters while drinking for the next half an hour. While Liam boasted to Dave about some of his college antics, Dave boasted about some of his connections.
After several rounds of mutual boasting, the crowd around them were somewhat otherwise engaged. The initial scrutiny on Liam was absent now. A relative privacy was afforded to the duo now.
After a lull in their conversation, Dave broached the topic of Liam's initial offer.
"So, what exactly are you planning? What's the scale and how can it benefit me?" Dave asked casually.
"This might not be the right place to discuss things," Liam said after shooting a look at his surroundings. "How about we take a walk on the beach?"
Liam swirled his drink and took a deep drag off his cigarette, while waiting for Dave to bite the hook. Dave's eyes narrowed a bit upon hearing Liam's words. He cast a subtle look at the bar and nodded at him.
"Trust me, Liam, with you acting all mysterious, you have piqued my interest. But, I hope you have something worthwhile," Dave chuckled and shook his head.
The 'or else' wasn't said. However, it was heavily implied. But, Liam wasn't fazed. He wasn't operating on a low level currently. The range he operated in was quite high. At least, compared to the level of Dave's operations, his was quite high. So, he had confidence that he could hook Dave's interest.
"The question is not whether my plan is profitable for you. It is whether you have the connections to participate," Liam stated bluntly, causing Dave to be taken aback a little.
"And now, you have my undivided attention. Come, let's take a walk and discuss this business of yours," Dave said promptly and stood up.
Liam followed him and they both vacated the table under the curious eyes of onlookers. Dave led Liam through the crowd while chatting about trivial matters. Soon, they came outside and started to walk towards the beach.
After some time, Dave couldn't hold in his curiosity and spoke first.
"What kind of business are we talking about?" Dave asked.
"The profitable kind, for both you and me," Liam smirked. "As you know, my old man made me a Channel Head. The channel's name is MusixZ. You should have come across it in the last year. It was just established last year."
"Right now, the channel is not doing well. So, the old man handed it over to me as my training ground. I need to increase its revenue to climb higher in the company and enter the major channels in our family network."
"The channel is focused on music and nothing else. Right now, they are playing a bunch of old songs and using the standard music videos that music companies put out for their VHS version. I am not happy with it. I want to change things."
"Tell me, how much does it cost to make music videos in Starlight city?" Liam asked Dave.
"It depends, isn't it?" Dave shrugged. "You can shoot a film for 1000 Anks and you can also shoot a film for millions. Considering that this is a music video you are talking about, the range starts from 500 Anks to go anywhere. The camera rentals, extras, and all the other stuff doesn't cost much. The length of the film is just about five minutes or so. So, if a shoddy production is made, we can do it even for 500 Anks," Dave spoke eloquently.
"But, if you need quality, then it is different. The price will jump exponentially. From what I know, the music companies aren't keen on music videos. They just do it for the sake of VHS. Their quality is middling at best. If you need stuff at that range, it will cost you around 2500 Anks."
"No, I need better stuff. I am not satisfied with the current standard of music video quality. I want more vibrancy, proper story and emotion, some damn good choreography. I just don't want to see the singer's face for five minutes straight and watch her sing. I need something different," Liam expressed his needs clearly.
"Then it will cost you extra. You should know, ideas aren't cheap in this city. What you want will require proper professionals. And that will cost a lot. The price might go higher till 3500 Anks per music video. And that's only production. Broadcast rights are a different beast altogether," Dave said plainly and shrugged.
"I know. I heard you have some connections in the rap circle," Liam asked casually.
"I have connections everywhere, man. The question is what do you need?" Dave spoke, his eyes shining bright.
Liam didn't reply immediately. He took out a cigarette and offered one to Dave as well. He lit the cigarettes with his lighter and took in a long drag. Dave wasn't in a hurry either. He patiently waited as they both smoked together.
Liam broke the silence after half the cigarette was smoked away.
"I need thirty, no, forty music videos featuring rap music every month. I need hot girls, violent aesthetics, a gritty feel, and some eye popping visuals. You deal with the record labels as well. The newer the song, the better it is."
"I will buy the broadcast rights from the record labels for a premium price. It will be a proper agreement between the channel and the record label. So, you don't need to worry about it. This arrangement will continue till the end of this year. Can your connections guarantee the demand?"
"If it is only forty videos, I can guarantee. But, the volume you require is a bit large. For such a large volume, I need to discuss with record labels first, only then I can guarantee it," Dave said frankly.
Liam felt a bit happy hearing it. If Dave had blindly assured that he could guarantee the volume, Liam would have started to think if it had been a mistake to approach Dave. Now it was clear that while Dave had connections, he still knows to operate within his limits. Working with such people will always be reassuring.
The reason Liam approached Dave and didn't contact the record labels directly was two fold. First, Dave had the necessary connections to ease the relationship. And second, the rap circle was quite messy. The standards were varied and the relationships were quite chaotic in that circle. So, by using Dave as his representative, he will sidestep these messy things.
Also, Dave can act as a quality check to weed out some potentially bad productions. With such a big opportunity, Dave will proactively weed out some chaotic elements. He must understand that a TV station will have its own standards and will act appropriately.
Letting the people from the rap circle directly film a music video, Liam shuddered to imagine what kind of outrageous content they would include in it. Having Dave as a mediator would smooth things out if such an occasion rises up.
"So, what will I get out of this?" Dave asked after a few moments.
"This will be a three-party deal. You will provide the music videos to my standards. The record labels will provide the song and the artists. The production aspect can be discussed between you two parties. The TV channel will buy the finished product."
"As a convenience fee, I will forward you a sum of hundred thousand Anks to get things rolling. What you earn from the record label is yours to keep. Does this satisfy you?" Liam asked Dave with a small smile on his face.
"Ha, that's more than enough. You are really generous," Dave chuckled.
"My generosity has a purpose, Dave. I want the music videos to be upto my standard. Also, you need to understand that these videos will be telecasted publically. I don't need to tell you that some things these rapsters engage in can't be shown on screen, right? Also, make sure the visuals aren't very excessive either. You will be my quality check for these videos," Liam warned with a good natured smile.
"Naturally, I understand what can be done and what can't be done. I have that much discretion at least. You don't need to worry about it. Just give me the check and be ready to sign those licensing agreements. I will do everything else," Dave patted his chest and assured Liam.
"Then, happy cooperation," Liam took out another cigarette and saluted Dave with it.
"Happy cooperation, indeed," Dave saluted back with a cigarette of his own.