"Well, I think I can help you there."
"You mean you can sponsor us? But even then, it won't be enough. Unless we shell out enough money, none of those guys will make an appearance. And we have enquired. Even a simple appearance fee is exorbitant. Let alone a performance fee," the latina woman shook her head.
"No, no, I don't plan on sponsoring your music festival. Frankly, your music festival is too low on the totem pole for our company to sponsor. What I have is a proposal," Liam said mysteriously.
Upon hearing Liam's words, the black man frowned, Weber looked confused, but the latina woman looked a bit intrigued.
"What do you mean?" the latina woman asked before the black man could open his mouth.
"What I am offering is to join your music festival as a broadcast partner. I will sign a broadcast agreement on behalf of our channel. You can use this to your advantage," Liam explained.
The latina woman frowned slightly trying to understand the significance of Liam's words. Weber still looked confused. However, the black man cut in sharply.
"You think our music festival is too low, but now you want to join us? Do you take us for fools? We have all worked hard to set up this music festival. You think you can just walk in and join us," the black man asked a bit angrily.
Liam felt a bit helpless. He exchanged a look with Rosa and spoke.
"Look man, no offense. Don't take this personally. Alright? Your music festival is indeed too low level for us to sponsor. Our channel maybe small, but it belongs to a national network. Even if I want to sponsor, the headquarters will reject it. Things like sponsorship is not that simple for companies."
"Think of it like asking George Motors to sponsor your music festival. You know they won't agree to it, right? They are on a different level. Likewise, as a national television network, our channel is on a different level. There's no way to do it."
"However, I personally like your idea and your idea aligns with our channel's music focused programming. So, I want to broker a broadcasting partnership with your event team. As the Channel Head, I have the right to approve broadcasting partnerships and other such things. I am trying to help you within my means."
"Do you all know what a broadcast partner is? If not, I can ask Rosa to explain it clearly," Liam spoke eloquently and reduced the tension.
"I would be better if you guys explain. We aren't very clear about it," the latina woman openly admitted.
Liam motioned for Rosa to explain. It was a power move. It was to let these guys understand that they weren't on the same level. His relaxed handling had led the other party to misunderstand that they were on the same level. If not, that black man wouldn't have spoken in such a manner.
"A broadcasting partner in simple terms is an entity you have a broadcast agreement with. Think of NBF, you guys are similar to NBF and we are the sports channel that telecasts your games. I hope that makes things clear, right?" Rosa asked in a lively manner, causing everyone to nod.
"Now that is clear, I will tell you what a broadcast agreement can do to your event. With a broadcast agreement you can approach both artists and sponsors. Both of them consider broadcast agreements very highly."
"First artists. What do artists care about most? More people listening to their music. Becoming more famous. Increasing sales of their songs. It is these things right. So, when your event is telecasted nationwide by our channel, many new people who haven't heard about them or their songs will hear them for the first time. It can increase their fame, fans, and even album sales revenue. Sometimes, an executive from a record label will see them and sign them as well. So, you understand how important it is to them, right?"
"Next sponsors. Sponsors don't get anything out of the event apart from getting some exposure and doing some charity, right? But, with broadcast agreement things change drastically. For sponsors, having a broadcast agreement and not having it will make a big difference."
"The exposure rate of sponsors will be quite high. As ours is a national channel, when your event is telecasted in our channel, everyone around the nation will see or hear about the sponsors. That means everyone who watches the event will remember their name. For listed companies, it will increase share price. For small businesses, it will increase people's awareness of their business and so on."
"So, with this broadcast agreement in hand, you can walk into any place and have a conversation with a person who can make decisions. Until now, you had to go and beg for their support. With this, you can go in and talk business. That's the difference."
"I don't need to tell which is better, do I? This agreement doesn't bring you monetary benefits. But, it increases your soft power. If you plan right and meet with the right people, you can make this music festival a big hit with this agreement. You already have the key to success, you just need to find the right lock and unlock the door."
Rosa finished smugly and looked at Liam as if asking for praise. Liam rolled his eyes at her antics.
"I couldn't have said it better," Liam amended. "Like Rosa said, with this you can walk in and talk business. So, are you interested in our MusixZ becoming your broadcast partner?"
While the latina woman and black man were stunned hearing Rosa's explanation on how beneficial the broadcasting agreement is to their event, Weber recovered quickly.
"Can this help the independent artists?" Weber asked directly.
Liam felt his lips twitch. People like Weber might come off as simple, but they looked directly at the heart of the matter. Pure guys like Weber were a type that Liam liked. They are very easy to make use of once you understand their needs.
The latina woman might be the most learned and brightest of their bunch, however there is a reason Weber was the leader of the group. People trusted him to make the right decision. Even now, Weber's focus was only on helping independent artists. That's why people listened to guys like Weber.
"When this event is broadcast nationally, many new people who haven't heard about those independent artists will hear their songs and know their names. Among them, there may be record company people or people related to them. If those artists luck is good and they have enough talent, a record company might sign them," Liam said solemnly.
"Even if they don't get a record company deal, their experience of performing in front of a national audience will open many doors that have been closed to them. You should know how important fame is to an artist."
Weber nodded back solemnly as well.
"Then I agree to your channel being our broadcasting partner. What do you need from our side?" Weber agreed immediately.
"Nothing much. I will arrange for a camera crew to cover the event. Facilitate their needs, that is enough. Like I said, I like your goal. So, I am helping it in the way I can. I can even go the extra mile. I can arrange for interview spots in between performances. Your team can show their face. Sponsors and some artists can as well," Liam said candidly.
"All you need to provide me is the location of the event, so that our camera crew can scout ahead. We might need some promotional posters and other materials to heat up the event on the channel. I will let Rosa co-ordinate with you."
"You will need to come to our office and sign an agreement. Leave me your phone number, I will call you guys once I have the company's legal team prepares the contract. We will meet up and sign the agreement," Liam added.
"That's great. I will owe you one for this man. Let me know if you need my help anytime," Weber shook Liam's hands enthusiastically.
"Happy cooperation guys," Liam smiled as well.
The group parted with happy smiles on everyone's face. Weber and his gang went back excitedly to relay the news back to their friends. Liam and Rosa began to walk back to the place where Liam had parked his car.
"So Rosa, how did you like your first bonfire party," Liam asked.
"It was great. Had a lot of fun tonight. But, Liam, are you sure about this music festival? Do we even have enough manpower to cover it?" Rosa asked a bit worriedly.
"If we don't have enough manpower, can't we temporarily hire them? Also, the headquarters has film crews experienced in handling such large scenes. I will ask my old man to send over a junior member temporarily," Liam spoke nonchalantly.
"Rosa, don't underestimate the power of a TV empire. You have only been to our small office, the main building of Hastings TV Network is big. And we can find all kinds of talents there. Pretty soon, our channel will also become as big as the headquarters."
Liam educated his silly secretary solemnly. It was high time she realized whom she hitched her life to.