In My Life

Chapter 5: The decision

John stood from his desk and walked out holding his arms open for a warm hug. He was kind enough to meet them at 7:30 in the morning so that Camila could get to work on time. Camila was so excited that she was wide awake but Sofi looked like she was dragging herself every step of the way.

"Sofi, I didn't know you'd be here too," John said, hugging his goddaughter tightly and then moving to give Camila a warm embrace as well.

"Can't let my little sister make the biggest choice of her life without some support," Sofi said, grinning as they all sat down.

"Well, Camila, I have to say I'm thrilled to see your music career moving forward," John said, organizing the paperwork on the table before him. "You have a big decision to make."

"I can't thank you enough for helping me, John," Camila said, "And I promise I'll pay you as soon as I have the money."

"Camila, your money is no good with me," John said, "But I do want the promise of backstage passes when you're a big star."

"Whenever you want," Camila said laughing.

"So let's get to it," John said.

He took the next twenty minutes explaining in detail the contracts offered to Camila. The one from Syco was much more complicated and took the bulk of the time. The contract truly encompassed every corner of Camila's career. On the negative side she would lose almost all control. On the positive side, their ability to market her to the masses was a big plus, along with their ability to front a substantial amount of money. LJM contract only guaranteed the producing and marketing of one album and the money upfront was much less, however Camila remained autonomous and had the final say in almost everything.

"In the end, Camila," John said, "we're comparing apples and oranges. With the big guys you can pay off your credit cards and get some money in the bank and you are pretty much guaranteed airtime for your initial songs, but after that the contract is not in your favor. With LJM the risk is bigger up front but it's more of an artistic collaboration. You'll have to negotiate again for touring and merchandising but the backend has much better potential."

"Wow, this is really hard," Camila said, deep in thought, "Sofi what would you do?"

"No way, I wanna hear what you have to say first," Sofi said, "what are you thinking?"

"My brain is telling me to take the money," Camila said quietly, "But my heart is telling me to go with LJM."

"Well I think you have the biggest heart of anyone I know," Sofi said earnestly, "And you've never gone wrong following it."

"So you don't think I'm a fool to pass up the money?" Camila asked.

"No one has asked my opinion," John said, making the women chuckle, "I'm ready to offer one and it has nothing to do with heart. It is my legal opinion that the LJM contract is the way to go. These 360 deals are all the rage with the big labels now because they own everything. They are awful for artists. It's hard to find a successful independent label like LJM that is still able to offer artists good deals. That's the deal I'd recommend."

"Oh, thank goodness," Camila breathed out, "I thought you'd tell me to go with Syco and now I'm more sure of it than ever – I want to sign with Lauren."

"We can try to negotiate better terms for you with LJM, Camila," John said, "But, honestly this is the best deal I've seen in the past couple of years. The contract is fair and you risk them pulling the offer if you try to counter."

"Then I'll sign it as it," Camila said, "If that's your advice."

"It is," John said.

Sofi stood and pulled Camila into her arms again. Camila was smiling from ear to ear as she felt moisture on her cheek and pulled back.