HLM – Chapter 1043 Full of Sincerity

The market director of ACT Records in New Zealand was named Schroder Saravan. He was an energetic and polite middle-aged white man. Upon arriving in Sunset Town, he immediately contacted Reddy and invited him for a talk.

Reddy, of course, had long been familiar with this record company. When he received the call, he was initially delighted but then hesitated a little: “Hello, Mr. Saravan, I’m very glad to receive your call, but recently it’s not very convenient for me to travel…”

He knew why ACT was reaching out—this was an opportunity. But the thought of leaving Sunset Town and Volcano Bar made him hesitate.

Schroder smiled. “No need to travel far, Reddy, my star. I’ve already come to Sunset Town. I’m in Room No. 2 at Little Gardenia Café and hope to have the honor of meeting you.”

Hearing that the other party had already arrived, Reddy felt a surge of excitement. This showed ACT Records’ attention toward them. For someone like him, who had long lacked recognition on his musical journey, this was thrilling.

“Well, I should go meet them, or it would seem very rude otherwise,” he thought. Hanging up the phone, he quickly went to find the three others—Lane and the others—and told them what had happened.

When they learned that a director from ACT had come in person, the three were proud as well. Budman happily said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go check it out.”

Lane, being older and more level-headed, quickly calmed them and gestured for the three younger members to sit down. “Don’t rush, Reddy. Call Mr. Saravan and tell him we’ll be over shortly—we’re not presentable with our makeup on right now. Then, let’s have an internal meeting to align our opinions first.”

The first topic to discuss was whether to leave Sunset Town for ACT Records.

Tutu looked at the three and said, “Maybe we don’t need to rush this. Who’s to say they’re definitely interested in us?”

Budman shook his head. “Come on, guys, don’t deceive yourselves. Auckland isn’t exactly close from here. He must have driven all morning to get here. After a full day of driving, do you think he’s coming just to casually meet us?”

Reddy said, “Yes, he definitely wants to sign us. But guys, I don’t want to leave Sunset Town so soon. Yesterday the boss just ended our contract—are we leaving today?”

“Yes, I think that wouldn’t be good,” Tutu agreed. “I mean, we’re really happy here. What do we want? Money? Fans? Spotlights? We already have them now, don’t we?”

Budman sighed. “You’re not wrong, but is that all we want? I want to win the New Zealand Music Gold Microphone Award. I want to walk on the Grammy stage in the U.S. I want to go anywhere—even the wilds of Africa—and have someone point at me and say, ‘Hey man, I’ve heard your song. I like your song!’”

This was the dream of every musician, especially for street performers like them.

Reddy was moved by Budman’s words. He looked at Lane and asked, “Brother, what do you think we should do?”

Lane thought carefully for a moment. “ACT is a good choice, and so is Sunset Town. Let’s set a baseline—if they can meet this baseline, we go to ACT; if not, we stay in Sunset Town.”

Tutu immediately grinned. “Good idea, boss. Offensive if needed, defensive if necessary. I like this strategy.”

They then discussed a few other matters of concern before preparing to meet Schroder.

“Call the boss and update him on the situation. Whatever the outcome, he needs to know we—the Sunset Group—are not opportunistic,” Lane instructed.

“OK.”

Little Gardenia Café was located in the eastern part of the center of Sunset Town. It was visible as soon as one entered the town. The café was opened by a barista from Christchurch. Thanks to Sunset Town’s many tourists and the scale of the Qin Café, his business was doing well.

When the four of them appeared at the café entrance, they drew some attention. Someone shouted, “Hey, Sunset Group! Hey, Reddy kid!”

Reddy, walking in front, smiled brightly, reflecting his mood.

Over a dozen people came forward for photos with them. They had gained considerable recognition, though they weren’t big stars yet, so their appearance didn’t cause a huge commotion. But the feeling of being a minor celebrity was gratifying—a sentiment shared by all four.

Schroder saw this from the window and smiled at his assistant. “Well done.”

In fact, these people weren’t true fans—they were hired, essentially paid shills. Admittedly, the Sunset Group’s songs were already popular, even going viral overnight. But in town, locals who saw them regularly wouldn’t normally ask for autographs or photos—these could be obtained at the bar anyway.

ACT Records’ New Zealand branch had someone specifically monitoring the New Zealand Music Network. Their album was heard immediately, feedback sent up immediately, and the company’s leadership held a meeting at once, deciding to acquire them.

Before coming, Schroder had researched the Sunset Group and prepared a plan designed to impress them. The first step was to let the four experience what it felt like to be stars. Doing this convincingly was tricky. Too few people wouldn’t make an impact; too many would arouse suspicion. They finally settled on fifteen people.

By the time the four entered the private room, Schroder was already waiting politely, inviting them to sit.

Starting from the discussion of their album Voice Roar, he skillfully steered the conversation, continuously talking about CDs, music, and albums—yet never mentioning that ACT wanted to sign them.

Schroder’s communication skills were excellent. Noticing the four were hesitant, he used a trump card: placing a disc on the table, he said, “Oh, I almost forgot. Before coming, our general manager asked me to bring you a gift—this is the Collaborative-LP album. I hope you like it.”

Collaborative-LP was ACT Records’ first fully etched LP. Its release was a milestone for the company, marking the start of more diverse productions. For ACT, the album held unique significance.

This gift was no trivial matter. The Collaborative-LP album had existed for nearly forty years and was long out of print. A first edition sold to collectors could fetch at least NZ$100,000!

This clearly demonstrated that ACT Records held the four in very high regard.