A/N: Ok, so I know that a new artist probably wouldn't get all of these demands from a major label, but it's my story so deal with it ;)
Just a heads up, there's a side of Chaubrey starting in this chapter.
Disclaimer: Still don't own PP or PP2 (except for maybe on February 29 of every other odd year).
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It turned out that they were able to kill two birds with one stone when they contacted Aubrey. She agreed to look over the contract when it came and when Beca mentioned Emily's lack of a manager, Aubrey agreed to act as her manager as long as she could do all the work from Atlanta. They settled on a rough amount for her salary, but the final result would depend on the actual contract.
Beca went back to Michael the next day and let him know that Emily was interested in signing with the label. He thanked her and then picked up the phone. As he dialed, he waved her out of the room. As she closed the door to his office behind her, she leaned back against it and smiled. Her demo was going to become an actual song.
The label sent a standard first offer to Aubrey's office a few days later. After work that day, Aubrey drove over to the Bellas house and sat down with Emily to go over the contract and make their edits to the contract. Aubrey explained that this was a negotiation and they may get some, all, or none of their requests. If they went too overboard with things, the label may just pull their offer completely so they had to be careful with their requests. The label had come with a 12% contract with the artist responsible for production costs, including studio time. The label would provide an advance to cover the studio costs. They also included some language on standard recoup costs (which included some that the studio would normally cover), tour costs and profit sharing, etc.
Emily looked at it all confused, "Does it look alright?"
Aubrey shrugged, "It's not terrible but the percentage is a little low from what I was told to expect on a standard contract."
Emily looked at her, "What would be a normal percentage?"
Aubrey shrugged, "For a first contract, around 16 percent."
Emily sighed, "What about if I write my own songs, do I get paid for that?"
Aubrey looked over the contract and didn't see anything about that, "I don't see anything here on that. I'll make sure to add the typical writer clause to the contract."
Emily nodded, "Good. I would like to try and negotiate keeping the rights to my songs, or at least have them revert back to me after a few years. Now I have some very specific requests. These are non-negotiable so you should probably let them know that. First, I want Beca to produce all of my songs. Second, if Beca leaves or is fired, I go with her. She's the only one I trust with my music."
Aubrey frowned, "I don't know if they will go for that."
Emily nodded at her, "I know, but I'm willing to take a smaller percentage of both sales and the writing in order to get it."
Aubrey took some more notes and when she thought she had everything, she packed her stuff up and walked to the door. She turned and gave the younger girl a hug, "I think I've got everything. Give me a couple of days to put something together. I'll give you a call when it's done and I can come back over and go over it before I send it back to the label."
Emily hugged her back, "Sounds good Aubrey, and thank you so much."
Aubrey smiled as waved goodbye, "You're welcome Emily."
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Aubrey sent in the revised contract a week later. They had decided to go on the high side for the percentages and let the label make a counter-offer. The negotiations with the label weren't as bad as Aubrey thought they might be. As Emily said, she was willing to give up some royalties to get the things she wanted. The label fought a little on Beca being the producer, as she had no experience, but in the end they compromised that Beca would be the lead producer (it didn't hurt that Michael had reminded them that Beca was the one that put together Emily's demo track, which was essentially radio ready) but everything had to be approved by a senior producer.
So, that's how Beca found herself walking into Michael's office two weeks later to find Emily sitting there, barely containing her excitement. She looked at the girl quizzically as she sat in the chair next to her, addressing her boss, "You wanted to see me?"
He motioned for her to sit and she gave him a confused look from her seat and then he looked at Emily before turning back to Beca, "Ok Reggie, here's the deal. Elizabeth here.." Beca mouthed Emily at him and he just shook his head as he continued, "Elizabeth here just signed a deal with the label. Apparently I'm going to be the senior producer for the album."
Beca shrugged, "Ok, that's great, but why am I here."
Michael gave Emily a small nod and she turned in her seat to face Beca, "What he means to say is that as senior producer he just has to approve your work." By the time she was finished Emily was practically bouncing in her chair watching Beca's response.
It took a moment for what Emily said to sink in, then she reached out and took Emily's hand in hers, squeezing it, "No way. You mean.." she pointed back and forth between the two of them. Emily just nodded like a bobble head doll. Beca gasped, "I'm going to produce your album?"
She looked at Michael who was smiling at her. He took a semi-serious look, "As long as you do what you did with Elizabeth's first demo, this will work out just fine. Don't let me down Reggie."
Beca stood up and shook her head, "Don't worry sir, I won't." Then she looked back at Emily, barely resisting the urge to hug the taller girl and squeal (which would have completely ruined her badass image in front of her boss).
Beca walked out of the room and then collapsed back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. She was actually going to produce an album. Emily came walking out of the office a minute later. Seeing Beca leaning against the wall just outside the office she stepped over to her, grinning from ear to ear, "So, it looks like we'll be working together."
Beca smiled back, "Looks like it. I wonder why they picked me though?"
Emily took her hand, "Because I only agreed to make an album if you produced it. I don't trust anyone else to work with me and make the music I want."
Beca looked at her in awe then pulled her into a hug, "Seriously Ems, thank you so much. You won't regret this I promise."
Emily hugged the smaller girl back, "I know Becs, that's why I did it." Then she pushed back to arm's length, "Besides, I needed an excuse to see you more often. You never come to the Bella house anymore."
Beca laughed at that, "Well let's see if you say that in a couple of months when I'm ragging at you to get your pitch right."
She nodded towards the office door as Michael's voice rang out calling, "Elizabeth, we need to finish this."
Emily shook her head looking at the smaller brunette confused, "Why does he call me Elizabeth?"
Beca just laughed and pushed her towards the door, "It means he likes you." She pointed at herself, "Reggie, remember. Just go with it."
Emily shrugged and opened the door, looking back at Beca with fondness, "This is going to be awesome, I just know it."
Beca just leaned back against the wall looking at the ceiling again, thinking to herself, "Yes this really is going to be awesome."
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Beca was running late getting home that evening. She decided to finish up a few things so they would be off her plate before she started working with Emily. So when she walked through the door she found Chloe leaning back against Aubrey and their wine glasses half empty on the coffee table in front of them. Aubrey's fingers stopped moving through Chloe's hair when Beca stopped in the doorway and growled at her, "You bitch!"
Aubrey looked confused at the alt girl, "Ummm…what did I do to piss you off now Mitchell."
Beca couldn't hold the serious expression completely, the smile peeking through even though she was trying hard to hold her scowl, "Why didn't you tell me I was going to be producing Emily's album?"
Aubrey laughed and stuck her tongue out at the smaller girl, "Emily promised me not to tell you."
Chloe looked back and forth between the two women confused, "What are you two talking about?"
Beca looked at Chloe, "Your girlfriend didn't tell me that Emily's contract included a stipulation that I was the only one she'd let produce her album."
Chloe looked back at Aubrey with a hurt look, "And you didn't tell me?"
Aubrey looked abashed as she kissed Chloe's cheek, "You would have told her Chloe. I know how you get when it comes to good news and Beca. I promise I'll make it up to you later, baby."
That seemed to pacify Chloe but Beca just gave the two girls a disgusted look, "Ewww, TMI Posen, TMI."
The two girls laughed at Beca and then Chloe wiggled down into Aubrey's embrace again, the two of them returning to their conversation. As she walked by the two women on the couch on her way to the kitchen to grab the plate she knew Chloe had left for her, she looked fondly at the two women and wished she had that special someone to share her life with like Chloe had Aubrey.
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Because Emily was still the only one in the Bella house for a few more weeks, Beca thought it might be best to work there while they determined the song list and brainstormed ideas on the songs. She let Michael know her plan and when he gave his ok to it, she texted Emily and let her know what was going on.
So Monday morning, Beca stood on the Bellas' house doorstep with two coffees in hand, using her elbow to press the doorbell. She waited about half a minute before Emily opened the door in just a towel. Beca couldn't help but stare at the taller girl, "Sorry Ems, am I early?"
Emily laughed, "No silly, I promised you last time that I'd answer the door in just my towel if it meant that you would come over more often."
Beca smiled, "Well I'm glad you remembered because you look good in a towel."
Emily giggled and turned back inside leaving Beca to follow. Beca swallowed hard as her eyes wandered down the taller girl's body, the towel just covering her ass and leaving all of her long legs bare for Beca to look at. Beca shook herself out of it and snapped her eyes back up before following Emily into the house, mentally berating herself, "This is Emily, your friend. You have to work with her, keep your mind out of the gutter Mitchell."
Beca plopped down on the couch to wait for Emily to get dressed. She shouted towards the stairs, "Where do you want to work Ems?"
She heard Emily call back down, "I've got some stuff already set out in the kitchen. I'll be right down."
Beca slid to the edge of the couch cushion and stood up, heading into the kitchen with the two coffees and her bag. She set Emily's down in front of one chair and she took the other, sipping her coffee as she shuffled through the papers on the table. She pulled out a stack of 12 staff manuscript paper and a pencil when she ran across a piece she found interesting. She pushed the other pages to the side and spread Emily's lyrics and basic melody structure out across the table in front of her, leaving enough space for two pages of manuscript paper directly in front of her. Emily stopped in the doorway and just took in the sight of Beca sitting at the table, tapping out a beat with her pencil and humming. She'd stop and write a few bars down or erase something and put new notes in, pausing every once and awhile to take a sip of coffee.
After watching for a few minutes, Emily cleared her throat from the doorway as she walked to the table, "Whatcha working on?"
Beca continued to stare at the music she was working on but reached out and pushed the main lyrics sheet towards Emily. Emily recognized the song immediately but knew it wasn't one that she had nearly completed like some of the others. She watched Beca work for a bit longer before she asked, "Why this one, it isn't as finished as some of the others."
Beca put a few more notes down before she looked up at Emily, "No, it wasn't as finished as some of the others. But we aren't here to just whip out songs you have done. We need a solid album and you had some intriguing ideas with the melody line on this one. I think we can work this into a pretty solid song."
Emily sighed, "I liked what I started with on this one, I just couldn't figure out how to compliment that main line."
Beca reached over and patted her hand, "That's why you have me Ems, so we can brainstorm together. I think between the two of us, we can work with what you started to make this a great song."
So Emily pulled her chair next to Beca's and looked at what she had put together so far. She listened as Beca tapped out the beat she had been working on and hummed the phrase she had just written out. Emily looked at the notes and pointed to a section, "What if we did this here?" She sung a little riff.
Beca smiled as she wrote it in, "Perfect, then we can run it in to this," and she sung a few bars.
They worked the rest of the morning on the song. Beca was pretty impressed with how well she and Emily worked together and even though the two girls got into a rhythm working on the song, Beca couldn't help but notice every time that Emily's leg brushed against hers.
