[TBBT] Ch: 25 [A Lawyer Named Priya] (Patreon)

[Two Days Later]

[First Person POV]

The law firm was in a massive building in Los Angeles, taking up several floors. I'd been to places like it before, so I knew what to expect. The hallways were quiet, the furniture was fancy, there were framed pictures on the walls, and the receptionists always seemed busy but never hurried.

The receptionist showed me to Martin Klein's office, walking past awards and pictures on the wall.

Just three months before, my biggest work worries were about research money, labs, and professors fighting over grants.

Now, record labels wanted to sign me.

Things had really changed, and I was loving it.

Martin's office door was open when I got there. I tapped the frame gently and then walked in.

"Come in, Karl," Martin said from his desk.

As I walked in, I noticed the woman sitting in a chair opposite him.

'Priya Koothrappali.'

I recognized her immediately. Priya Koothrappali had been a pretty important part of Leonard's life for a while, although things between them eventually fell apart. From what I remembered, she could be controlling when it came to their relationship, especially whenever Penny was involved, but that didn't mean I had to judge her based on a television show I'd watched in another life.

Besides, sitting a few feet away from me, she was considerably more attractive than my memories had prepared me for.

I just kept walking further into the room.

Martin stood up and pointed to her. "Karl, before we begin, I'd like you to meet Priya Koothrappali. She works with our corporate and international transactions team. I've asked her to help with some of your international licensing, publishing deals, and the business offers we've been getting."

Priya stood up and smiled a little as she offered me her hand. "It's good to finally meet you. Raj gave me your message."

I shook her hand and tried to seem a little surprised. "You're Raj's sister?"

"Yes, I am."

"It's nice to finally meet you," I said.

This made it easy to pretend I was just realizing who she was. I nodded, acting as if the connection had just clicked.

"He told me about you, but he never said you were this..." I stopped myself before saying something foolish to a lawyer during our first meeting. "...I mean, he always avoids talking about you. Now I get why."

Priya sat back down, smiling, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "He's mentioned you too."

"Hopefully, it wasn't anything too bad," I replied.

"Mostly good things," she answered.

She seemed a little amused, but didn't say more.

Martin gestured to the empty chair next to her. "Now that we all know each other, let's talk about your career."

I sat down as Martin moved some folders closer.

"We've had serious offers from Sony BMG, Warner Bros. Records, Atlantic, and two divisions of Universal," he explained. "Some smaller companies are interested too, but these are the ones that matter right now."

He opened the first folder and showed it to me. The page was full of numbers, percentages, recording terms, options, royalty details, and legal jargon that made even scientific papers seem easy to read.

One number immediately caught my eye.

"Three million dollars?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's the advance," Martin clarified. "Remember, they're giving you that money upfront, and they'll take it back from your future royalties before you start earning much from record sales."

I kept reading. "Four albums, with options for more." Then I saw, "And they own the master recordings."

"Yes, with this offer," Martin confirmed.

I looked up at him. "I don't like this deal."

Martin nodded slightly. "Me neither."

Priya opened the folder on her lap and looked at the marked pages. "The big number is meant to grab your attention, which is what they want. The rest of the contract gives them a lot more control."

I moved on to the next offer.

"This one is for less money."

"Warner's offer is more interesting," Martin said. "They started with a standard recording contract, but after we pushed back, they said they're open to licensing your masters instead of buying them completely."

That sounded much better.

I looked at the different offers on Martin's desk. "So, what's the plan?"

"We wait. We won't sign any major deal right now," Martin stated, folding his hands on the desk. "For at least another month."

"A month?" I questioned.

"At least," he replied. "I don't want you to decide anything yet. Every week your songs sell more, the radio interest grows, and more companies see they have competition. This makes your position stronger."

I leaned back a little.

Martin continued, "Right now, we're just getting initial offers. I want to see the final offers before we make any decisions. If these companies know they're seriously competing for you, I expect some of them to offer more money, better terms, or both."

"So, you want to let the bidding war continue?" I asked.

"Exactly. There's no advantage in ending it early."

It made more sense to choose a company after careful consideration rather than just picking the one with the biggest upfront payment. I had spent too much of my past worrying about money to ignore how tempting a large sum could be when you really needed it.

Now, I don't really need that much money.

This changed everything.

I closed the first folder. "Okay, we'll wait."

Martin nodded. "Let them compete, and we'll see what numbers they offer. I'll keep talking to them in the meantime."

"That sounds good," I said.

He moved the label contracts aside and picked up another folder.

"It's not just record companies calling," he said. "Management companies want meetings. Booking agents have contacted us. Publicists, radio promotion companies, two late-night shows, and several TV productions have also reached out."

"TV productions?"

Priya opened her folder again. "Most of those are requests to use music you've already released. They want permission to use specific songs in their shows."

That seemed much simpler than a four-album deal.

"I've already emailed the details to you. Pick the ones you like and send them to me," Martin said. He took out another paper and handed it to me. "Also, Warner Bros. Television wants 'Somebody That I Used to Know' for an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl."

I looked at the agreement.

I knew the show, of course. I might have watched a few episodes, but that was it.

"How much are they offering?" I asked.

"Forty thousand dollars," Martin replied. "Twenty thousand for the synchronization license and another twenty thousand for the master."

I stared at the number again.

Forty thousand dollars.

In my previous life, I'd played bars, birthday parties, weddings, private events, and whatever other gigs I could find because every bit of money mattered. There had been nights when a few hundred dollars felt like a really good payday.

Now someone wanted to give me forty thousand dollars just to put one of my songs in a television episode.

"Seriously?" I asked.

Martin smiled slightly. "Seriously."

I looked back down at the agreement. "And I still own the song?"

"Completely," Priya said. "They're licensing the composition and your recording for the episode. You're giving them permission to use both. You aren't transferring ownership."

That made the number even more ridiculous.

Forty thousand dollars, I kept my music, and millions of people potentially heard the song.

I could definitely get used to this version of the music business. Although, considering how little I actually knew about this side of the industry, I probably needed to start doing some serious research.

"Okay, I like this one," I said.

Martin nodded. "I figured you would."

"I want to do it if the final contract is acceptable to us."

Priya turned a page. "Before you sign, I'd change two things. The part about digital sharing is too broad, and I'd like to limit how long they can use your work for promotion. This way, they'll have to get a new license, and you'll earn more."

"Go ahead and change them," I said.

"I'll send the updated versions back," Priya replied.

Martin collected the TV papers and put them next to Priya's file.

"That takes care of the immediate licensing. Now, I want you to start thinking about a manager."

I frowned a little. "Do I really need a manager yet?"

"You need someone who knows the business and will help your career grow without taking ownership of your work," Martin explained. "You're getting noticed enough that talking to everyone yourself will soon be too much. And you also have your science side too. So, instead of juggling everything yourself, get a manager. It'll take a load off you and will give you enough breathing room to focus on your two careers."

I thought for a moment, and it was hard to disagree with him. 

Martin continued, "I'm not saying hire the first manager you meet. I'm saying meet people and figure out what they can do for you. We'll set up some meetings for next week."

I nodded. "Sure. But don't expect me to choose anyone on the first day."

"I wouldn't suggest you do that on the first meeting," Martin advised.

The meeting ended after we went over a few more details. I signed two of the smaller radio agreements while I was there since there wasn't much reason to take them home and deal with them again later. The record labels would keep their offers open for another month while Martin continued negotiating and let the companies compete with each other. Priya would handle the television licensing agreement, while Martin started arranging meetings with potential managers for the following week.

I stood up and shook Martin's hand. Priya picked up her folder, and we left together.

We walked down the hall to the elevators. Once we were away from Martin's office, Priya looked at me. "By the way, Raj told me everything you asked him to."

I pushed the elevator button. "Everything?"

"Yes, from your profile picture to your natural charm."

I looked at the elevator doors for a moment, then back at her. "So, what's the verdict?"

She looked me up and down, then at my face. "At least you weren't lying about your profile picture. The rest? We'll see as time goes on."

I gave a little nod. "Fair enough."

The elevator arrived, and we got in.

I pushed the button for the lobby. Priya stood next to me, holding her folder. "He also said you promised not to do anything Howard would do."

"That must have really helped my image."

Priya gave a small smile. "It helped a little."

The elevator began to go down.

I looked at her. "Raj also told me about Howard trying to read palms."

Her expression changed slightly, answering my question before she spoke.

"He told you about that?"

"Yes."

Priya shook her head slowly. "I really need to talk to my brother about how much he tells people."

I smiled as the floor numbers above the doors changed.

"Probably a long talk."

"Knowing Raj, I expect we'll have several talks."

Next Ch: An offer from Caltech