NABC Chapter 52 The Scam Exposed
Chapter 52 The Scam Exposed
Neil's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Zeke's head.
Seeing his shocked expression, Joyce revealed the truth.
"Neil and I had already spoken with Amanda and the others from Spiders and knew that your lawyer had negotiated royalty-sharing terms for you. At the time, we suspected that these seemingly generous terms would also appear in your contract with Jacques Morali."
"But what you don't know is that the six members of Village People were never signed artists with Casablanca. They were just paid employees of Jacques Morali's Can't Stop production company, receiving a fixed weekly salary, and they didn't even have the qualifications to sign artist contracts directly."
"In other words, all the royalties from the artists settled in Casablanca will be paid in full to Morali's company, which he will control completely. Not a single penny will be given to the six members! Their so-called 'artist status' is just a facade that Jacques uses to package the group and deceive the outside world."
Neil added, his tone full of disdain for Jacques's methods.
"Then my royalties..." Zeke's voice trembled, his heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
He recalled how readily Jacques had agreed to the profit-sharing terms, and how he had secretly rejoiced at having met such a generous tycoon. It turned out that all that so-called "generosity" was a carefully designed scam.
Joyce's voice was calm and cruel:
"There's no royalty sharing with you, Zeke Morali. He takes all the royalties from Casablanca and won't give you a single penny according to the contract. Everything he promised you was just empty promises."
"Damn it!" Zeke clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, his voice filled with anger and resentment. "Then...then can I sue him for fraud? I have the contract we signed; I can get my money back through legal channels!"
"How are you going to sue?" Joyce shook his head helplessly. "I've seen your contract with Amanda and the others. The 'artist royalty sharing' clause in your contract fundamentally lacks any distributable tax revenue. Because Village People aren't independent artists, they're not entitled to artist royalties. That contract is essentially a worthless piece of paper without legal validity."
"I..." Zike opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. He hated Jacques Morali, that Frenchman, with a passion that made his teeth itch.
He even managed to swindle the 3% producer royalties that were rightfully his!
The scam was so deceptive that he, Herbert, Tino, and everyone else were completely unaware of it.
These days, whether you're an ordinary person or someone in the record industry, everyone assumes the same logic: there's a band → the band signs a contract with a record company → there are normal artist royalties → the revenue sharing is legally implemented.
No one could have predicted that a popular disco band would actually be nothing more than a puppet in the hands of a producer, without even the right to sign an independent contract.
Zick carefully recalled the scene when he met Jacques. Jacques deliberately only talked to him about the profit-sharing ratio and readily agreed to all his conditions, but never showed him the artist contract between Village People and Casablanca, nor did he mention the members' employee status.
With his enthusiasm, tycoon-like aura, the potential blockbuster status of "YMCA," and his silver tongue, he accurately manipulated Herbert, a newcomer to the industry and a lawyer who was inexperienced and lacked practical experience.
Jacques probably already had it all figured out: it wouldn't matter if things got out, since the band didn't have independent royalties anyway, and the record company's total royalties were all in his hands. If he wanted to delay, withhold, or default on his payments, neither he nor Herbert could find out about his company's accounts, and they would be powerless to do anything about it.
Thinking of this, Zik's anger intensified, and he wished he could find Jacques immediately and confront him face to face.
Just as Zeke was burning with anger, Joyce suddenly changed the subject, her tone softening somewhat: "Zike, you've been in Los Angeles for a while now, what are your impressions of the city?"
Zeke chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It's not good. Everything here is too complicated, full of scheming and deception. It's even less safe than Brooklyn."
"You're right, but you also need to understand one thing." Joyce's tone became serious. "In Los Angeles, the film industry is the absolute king, and the music industry doesn't even rank in the top ten."
"Even if music revenue is two or three times that of movies, the status is still far behind, and we can never catch up."
"That's why Neil chose to locate Casablanca's headquarters here, merged with Peter Cooper's company, and kept investing in film production—all in an effort to break into Hollywood, to let Casablanca shed its label as just a record company, and to establish a foothold in the entertainment industry."
"No one but Neil could stand the flamboyance of Hollywood, but we had no choice but to endure it because it's a place that all dreamers have to go through."
"But what does all this have to do with me?"
Zeke frowned, not understanding why Joyce was telling him all this. He just wanted to get his royalties back and didn't care about Hollywood rules.
"What a silly boy." Joyce couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to gently pat his shoulder. "Los Angeles is the heart of the entertainment industry. It has the best studios, the biggest stars and directors, and likewise, only here can you find the best lawyers in the entertainment industry, and of course..." She stared into Zeke's eyes, "and the best agents."
Zick suddenly realized that Joyce was implying that Herbert, the lawyer he had hired at great expense in New York, was completely useless, and that Tino was just a fool who hadn't even seen through Jacques's scam.
Joyce wanted more than just a management contract with the Villagers; she also wanted to ditch Herbert and Tino and become their manager herself.
Once you understand this, everything that's unusual today makes sense: no wonder Tino was precisely excluded, no wonder Susan took the initiative to befriend him, introduced him to Peter Chris, and said he needed allies. It seems that all of this was at Joyce's behest.
Although Zeke didn't quite agree with Joyce's method of scheming and manipulating others, he had to admit that what she said made sense.
Herbert was completely outmaneuvered by Jacques Morali, failing to demonstrate the same competence he displayed when negotiating with the Sirens.
Tino is practically useless; aside from connecting him with Amanda and the others, he hasn't brought any help to his career lately. He's been running around with Dinoble and TJ doing all the promotion for *YMCA*, with almost zero involvement from the entire process.
If he continues to rely on these two people, he will probably never get his royalties back, and his future career will be unlikely to develop significantly.
Joyce noticed his wavering and pressed her advantage, speaking sincerely: "Zick, I have high hopes for you. Your creative talent and your ability to handle things far surpass those of your peers. My agency can pay Tino to buy out your remaining agency contract, and I can also help you with your royalties."
Zeke's heart skipped a beat, but he really didn't know what Joyce could do to solve this thorny problem. He subconsciously looked at Neil, wanting to seek his opinion.
Neil nodded slightly: "Joyce keeps her word. She can help you contact some of the most feared lawyers in the music industry to help you with the contract termination case. Not only can she terminate the unreasonable contract with Jacques, but she can also get the royalties you deserve."
Joyce looked at Zeke with a firm gaze and a confident tone: "Trust me, Zeke, I can protect your rights one hundred percent. Jacques Morali is a cunning and greedy fox, but I can take care of him for you. No one around you has the ability or the connections to do that."
Zik fell silent, his mind in turmoil.
He wasn't without other ideas; he was considering whether to ask the "dentist" and his team to scare the Frenchman. Maybe they wouldn't need to go to court; just making Jacques feel threatened would make him behave and obediently hand over his share of the profits.
After all, he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Having been in Brooklyn for so long, he'd seen plenty of debt collection scenes before.
Moreover, Jacques is truly despicable. He betrayed my trust and squandered the royalties that should have been his. Even knocking out a few of his teeth would be a relief.
Once the thought popped into his head, it grew wildly in his mind like a vine.
Neil seemed to read his mind and said in a gentle tone, "Zick, I have high hopes for you. You have been performing exceptionally well at school, at the company, and at the radio station recently. You are calm and measured."
Most importantly, you possess amazing creative talent. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, I must say you are far more outstanding than I was at sixteen. Your future is limitless; don't let your background limit your development.
He sighed, his tone no longer that of a boss to a subordinate, but like an elder to a younger person.
"I know you have ties to gangs; Amanda told me everything. But remember my words: be wary of them, especially when it comes to money. Once you get involved with the Mafia at that level, you'll never get rid of them. Your talent, your future, will all be dragged down by them, and you'll end up achieving nothing."
In his mind, Zeke was furious: Amanda really has a big mouth, she told you everything... And I didn't have a choice, I was already a member of the gang after I transmigrated, what could I do?
But he also knew that Neil was telling the truth; gangs were like a quagmire, and once you got too deep, you could never get out.
Joyce looked at his conflicted expression and affectionately pinched his cheek. This gesture made Zeke feel a little disgusted, but he couldn't show it.
"This is a big deal, Zeke, no need to rush into a decision," she said with a smile. "Enjoy the party tonight and relax. Talk to your family about it these next few days, or think it over carefully on your own. I'll wait for your answer, and whatever decision you make, I'll respect it."
Suppressing his complex emotions, Zeke nodded: "Yes, Mrs. Bogart, I will consider it carefully."