“I’m making a combined statement for myself and on behalf of Jersey Matthews. It is imperative that people know that the song recently released by Meghan Connelly, produced by Silver Shadows, was taken without consent from Jersey Matthews’s private song bank. Callum Strong, the manager for both singers, enlisted me to help him steal from Ms. Matthews, planning to use what he stole to promote Ms. Connelly’s career without consent from Ms. Matthews. I am committed to ensuring that Mr. Strong and Silver Shadowsare held accountable for this abuse of power within their industry.”
I breathe a heavy sigh and look at Kelsey. She’s wringing her hands in her lap. “Thank you.”
“Is it enough?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.” I nod my head and hand Bethany her tablet back. “I didn’t even know Meghan had signed with Silver Shadows.”
“I didn’t either, but do you remember when Cal took her call that day you were in studio?” Bethany asks me. I vaguely remember what she’s talking about and nod. “I wonder if he was brokering that deal with her then.”
“They really didn’t waste any time then.” Hayes muses next to me.
I agree. “They must’ve signed her and had her recording pretty quickly.”
“Callum always has multiple things going on at once. He even had a big role to play in your relationship with Corey,” Kelsey adds, seemingly oblivious to the bomb she just dropped.
I blink a few times and my brain steers in a different direction, intrigued with what this might mean. “How so?”
“Well, he set you two up, and then eventually told Corey to break it off with you,” Kelsey says, dismally. “Not that Corey put up much of a fight. It was almost like he was relieved Cal advised him to end things.”
“Really?” I ask. I can feel Hayes’s eyes on me, watching my reaction to this news. If anything, this drives home how lucky I am that things with Corey didn’t work out. “If he was so deep in Cal’s pocket, that was destined to crash and burn at some point. I’m just glad I got out of that situation when I did.” I look to Hayes and can’t fight the smile off my lips. “And I’m much better off for it. Cal’s utter disdain for my relationship with Hayes hasmuch more clarity now. He couldn’t control the narrative how he wanted, and hehatedthat.”
He winks at me and leans forward, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“None of those details matter now,” Carla interrupts, redirecting us to the task at hand. “We need to focus on what our goals will be moving forward, and how we’re going to get you there.”
Hayes’s hand tightens around my hip, but he doesn’t say anything. “What do we need to do first?” I ask her, leaning my elbows on my knees.
“We’ll need to discuss your terms,” Carla says, peering at me over the rims of her glasses. “In my professional opinion, I believe the best course of action would be to move toward termination of the contract. It is going to be difficult to prove that Callum stole from you, especially with you not having a registered copyright of the lyrics.”
“But it’s my song. Don’t I own any type of copyright?”
“You always own intellectual copyright privileges of anything you personally create,” she explains. “However, it will be difficult to prove if we proceed that route and this ends up going to court. There is no digital time stamp on a handwritten notebook. There is no way to convince a judge or a jury that you wrote those lyrics first.”
I bite my lip but nod. “I understand.”
“It would be best to come to an agreement with Silver Shadows that moves toward terminating your contract with them. The only problem is that you have a clause in your contract stating that upon termination, Silver Shadows will maintain the rights and privileges to anything you’ve created under their label.”
My stomach tightens like I got sucker punched, and I draw in a sharp breath. I was hoping there would be a better outcome onthat front. Bethany looks at me in concern. “So, they’ll still own me.”
“Well, not necessarily,” Carla says. “They’ll own your catalog. You’ll still be listed as the artist, but Silver Shadows will retain the rights, so you’ll have to have their approval to use any of the songs moving forward. But you’ll be free to continue your career as you see fit without the oversight of the label for future albums or tours.”
I swallow thickly, and let that really sink in.
Though the thought that all my work will stay behind me when I leave is heartbreaking, it’s comforting knowing that even if I stayed with Silver Shadows, Istillwouldn’t have the control over it as I want. That fact alone puts everything into perspective for me. Ultimately, leaving the past me behind so future me can have the freedom to do what I want with my career is a fair trade. I had hoped for something different, but this is the reality, and I’ll have to make peace with that.
Bethany told me once that I shouldn’t have to settle for anything in my life, but on the flip side of that, there are times where compromise is necessary. Settling would be for me to allow Callum to steal from me and walk away from the transgression scot-free. But I’m not allowing that. I’m going forward and making sure they can never use me to their advantage again. I’m compromising the backlist so I can move forward and reach for the stars and moon myself.
“Okay,” I say. Bethany’s focus is still on me, watching for any hint of distress, but she won’t find any. “Let’s move forward with searching for a path to terminate. They can keep everything; I don’t care. I just want to be free.”
“We’ll do that.” Carla scribbles something on a notepad and then looks to me with an eyebrow raised. “Callum Strong’s lawyer is saying he’s requesting a meeting with you present.Would you be comfortable meeting with him face-to-face or would you like me to handle this for you?”
I don’t need long to decide. “I want to be there. Cal and I have had a rocky relationship, but he took it too far this time. I want him to look me in the eye and explain to me why he stole from me.”
Hayes gives me such a look of pride that makes my heart melt, and Bethany nods her head, her lips curving up a bit.
My lawyer types out a response. “I’ll make sure that happens then.”
FORTY-FOUR
