New York 2006

Chapter 8 Williamsburg
The song Luo Ji was talking about was Viva la Vida.He had delved into this song since the last apocalypse.I have never heard the tune of this song. The lyrics are of a king telling the last moments of his life in a No. 1 way.

People couldn't believe what I'd become
The subjects can't believe that I have become like this

revolutionaries wait
Revolutionaries are waiting eagerly
For my head on a silver plate
Cut off my head and serve it on a silver platter
Just a puppet on a lonely string
I'm like a puppet hanging on a string

Oh who would ever want to be king?
Who would have wanted to be the king if they had known this?

In Western history, which kings were imprisoned and executed by revolutionaries?King Charles I of England, King Louis XVI of France, and Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.

The most famous one is undoubtedly the French King Louis XVI, who was pushed to the guillotine that year!

His death meant that the French Revolution finally stood on the opposite side of the European monarchy.The Napoleonic Wars that swept across Europe began. Bourgeois revolutions broke out all over the world. With the rise of Napoleon, the concept of feudal aristocracy was gradually replaced by new ideas such as natural human rights and separation of powers...

Therefore, Luo Ji regarded the lyrics of this song as Louis XVI describing the last days of his life.

After Jamie listened to Luo Ji's new song, he looked at Luo Ji up and down with surprised eyes, as if he had just met Luo Ji: "The lyrics are so well written! The melody of the song is also very beautiful, giving people a tragic feeling of vicissitudes of life. The feeling. I really didn’t realize that you actually have such ability.”

Indo-European languages ​​such as English are phonetic scripts, and each word has its own unique pronunciation.Phonetic writing makes them very sensitive to subtle differences in pronunciation, so their movie songs are all without subtitles and can basically be understood by just listening.So Jamie listened to the demo recorded by Luo Ji and knew the meaning of the lyrics.

Luo Ji replied: "I was inspired after watching Frida Kahlo's Viva la Vida. When I was taking a history class, I saw the experience of Louis XVI, and I wrote the lyrics because of my feelings. What do you think? How about it?"

After all, he didn't really create it. It was the first time he lied. When he said these words, Luo Ji blushed a little and moved his butt uneasily.

Jamie didn't notice Luo Ji's uneasiness: "Louis XVI, no wonder, the revolutionaries are eagerly waiting to chop off my head and serve it on a silver platter. You kid is really talented! You are a genius!"

Apocalypse's songs are believed to be related to his past life experiences.As a Chinese in Luo Ji's previous life, the English songs that could be heard in daily life must have gone through countless tests before being spread to China. The quality of the songs must be extremely excellent.It seems that the songs that passed the test in the previous life have conquered Jamie now.

"The accompaniment of this song has not been completed yet. I plan to use timpani, cello, acoustic guitar, violin, keyboard, and bells. I already have the basic idea, but it still needs to be experimented."

"Yes. I look forward to the day when you make the finished product." Jamie changed the topic after saying: "But your voice is a bit young. I feel that this song should be sung by someone with a strong and vicissitudes of life."

Luo Ji's voice is a bit like the male voice in the song We Don't Talk Anymore, which is younger.Jamie's judgment was not wrong. This song is of this style. Viva La Vida is indeed sung more convincingly by older people.

Luo Ji was embarrassed, feeling ashamed that his lie had been exposed, and he retorted loudly and excitedly: "I didn't even consider the problem of my voice when I was writing the song."

"What are you excited about, Felix? I didn't say you couldn't sing. So what are your plans next?"

Although he is only 16 years old, he will definitely not let others sing this song. That would be a big loss. Only by singing it himself can he maximize his benefits: "I want to make it and publish it!"

"Then you should register the copyright first." Jamie picked up the documents on the table and pointed them to Luo Ji: "Although when a songwriter writes a song, once the song is formed, such as a record, or printed into a sheet music, the copyright is automatically obtained. . However, in order to respond to copyright infringement, we generally turn to ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, BMI, the American Broadcast Music Association, SESAC, the European Society of Drama Writers and Composers, and the SOUNDEXCHANGE Sound Exchange Association. These four major music companies Copyright licensing and management organizations help register copyright management of lyrics and music. However, it is better for you to choose ASCAP or BMI. They are relatively strong in representing song copyrights, and you will receive more royalties later.”

"I have a demo and a music score now. Can I register the copyright directly?" Luo Ji asked.

"Yes," Jimmy said.

After several hours of communication, Luo Ji roughly understood the priorities of the matter.Jamie was still very responsible. The information he collected also gave Luo Ji a general understanding of the current record market: "I have no other questions. Thank you. How do I calculate the consultation fee for these few hours?"

"I'll charge you 500 meters of knife." Jamie said.

It’s so expensive, Luo Ji thought.I can't help but feel pain in my body.

Jamie picked up the information on the table and the Ipod and handed it to Luo Ji: "The main reason is that these information are more troublesome. You can take back the dozen or so pages of music industry information I collected. It's almost noon now. Let's go. I'll take it back." You go and eat.”

Luo Ji stuffed everything into his backpack, and the two of them walked out of the law firm and walked for more than ten minutes to Bedford Street in Brooklyn. Jamie pointed to the store sign: "This is this Williamsburg restaurant. He The Burger King and cupcakes at home are particularly delicious, and people from our law firm often come here to eat.”

This restaurant is a traditional small restaurant commonly seen on the streets of the United States: "You are so rich and you come to eat in a place like this? Don't elites like you all go to high-end restaurants to eat?"

"Life can't be so particular, and being too particular doesn't make you exhausted. Coming here is mainly convenient and fast. It's only more than ten minutes away from our law firm. Besides, we have no time at all when we are busy with work." The two of them talked while talking. Go into the restaurant.

When you walk in, you will see the restaurant's cashier on the left. An old black man is sitting inside. He looks very old.Further inside, there are orange tables and chairs commonly seen in American movies, used to entertain guests. The restaurant is not big and can only seat 30 people at most.The innermost part of the restaurant is the kitchen, with a window in the middle for waiters to serve dishes.As soon as the two of them sat down at the table, a waitress about 20 years old came up to them: "Jamie, how about lunch."

Jamie replied: "Hello, your cupcakes are so delicious, of course I have to come often."

Then the waitress looked at Luo Ji: "Welcome to Williamsburg Restaurant, my name is MAX, because the hospital doesn't allow my mother to call me Oops."

"Haha, you are very humorous. My name is Felix Luo, hello Max!" Luo Ji responded with a kind smile.

After chatting for a while, Max took out the order book and began to record: "So, you two, what do you want to eat?"

"A salad, a beef and vegetable burger, a cupcake, and a cup of coffee." Jamie ordered the food with ease, then looked at Luo Ji.

"I'll have the same thing." Luo Ji came to this restaurant for the first time and didn't know what to eat, so he might as well be like Jamie.

After Max finished recording, he went to the kitchen to deliver the meal book.Before leaving, she covered her eyes with her palms so that Jamie could not see her, and secretly winked at Luo Ji. Looking at Max's leaving back, Luo Ji was in a daze.

Jamie saw Luo Ji's reaction: "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Luo Ji answered honestly: "Yes, she is very beautiful."

Max is really pretty, with brown hair, blue eyes, and she has a great figure.But she is not the tall and thin beauty of the popular Victoria's Secret models, but a plump beauty that looks very comfortable. She has plenty of material on her chest, is slightly chubby, and the overall look is very coordinated and has a unique sense of beauty.

Luo Ji said, "I seem to have seen her somewhere before, and I feel like I'm seeing her right now."

Jamie misunderstood Luo Ji: "Haha, your kid's methods are really old-fashioned."

"Haha." Luo Ji responded with an awkward smile. It always felt weird to discuss beautiful women with a middle-aged man who was more than ten years older than him. Luo Ji didn't want to change the subject by talking more: "I'll register the copyright after dinner later. , do you know where the nearest music copyright licensing and management organization is?”

"I will use my Palm PDA to check for you later. Today's personal digital assistant computers are really convenient. You can access the Internet anytime and anywhere. In the past, finding an address was troublesome. You have not experienced that era. I remember looking for it when I was a child. I inquired about the hospital for a long time, and then..."

Luo Ji stopped mid-sentence and looked at Jamie in confusion: "What's wrong?"

"It's okay, I just remembered some things from the past." Jamie then said: "By the way, do you have your SSN or driver's license?"

SSN, social security number, similar to the Chinese ID card: "I carry it with me! Is it okay for minors to register copyright? Do I need to be accompanied by a parent?"

"No, a person has copyright from birth to death. But later on, if you sign with an agent or record company, you need to be accompanied by your parents, and of course I am a lawyer. Haha."

"If I need anything, I'll definitely come to you!" Luo Ji stared at Jamie's eyes and said sincerely: "You've helped me a lot. Although the media always says that all lawyers are bad, you are definitely not one of them. Haha. , Jamie, you’re a nice guy.”

"Thank you for the compliment!" Jamie seemed to be very impressed.

The speed of Williamsburg is still good. The waiter Max is holding several trays in his left hand and right hand, and serves the dishes very skillfully.She smiled happily: "My speed is not bad, and it is guaranteed to be delicious. This is a cupcake I made myself. You are welcome to try it." After speaking, she took out another cupcake and put it in front of Luo Ji: "Fei Lix, it’s your first time coming to our restaurant, and this is a gift to you.”

"Thank you Max."

Jamie quit immediately: "Why didn't I get this kind of treatment when I first came here?"

"This is a new rule in the restaurant, and it applies to all new customers!" Max replied without blushing, and left after answering.

Luo Ji was getting older and got hungry easily, so he immediately picked up the red velvet cake that Max had just given and ate it.After one bite, my taste buds were instantly conquered: "Yeah, yeah, it's really delicious. This cake is so delicious!"

Jamie lowered his head to eat and said while eating: "The business of this small cake is Max's own. How can the restaurant have such a rule? She must be interested in you so she gave you the cake. But you are not yet under age, she They are both 23, the age difference is too big, and the Romeo and Juliet Act does not allow it.”

Jamie noticed that Luo Ji had stopped talking. When he looked up, he realized that Luo Ji was looking directly at Max and exclaimed: "You kid, you are not really going to pick her up!"

(End of this chapter)