Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 27: Job-Hopping]

In an instant, the three of them found themselves surrounded, with tourists, bikini-clad girls, party staff, and camera-wielding photographers all closing in. Taylor had turned down requests a few times, but couldn't resist the excitement of the crowd. Eventually, she opted to join the party as a private guest. She certainly wasn't going to dive into the greasy, garlic-sauce-drenched barbecue ribs, which made her more of a reluctant prop in the bustling event.

Ryan considered himself lucky to be caught up in Taylor's presence, enjoying a free barbecue along with Abigail, and the two of them were digging in happily.

"Try this," Abigail said, holding out a barbecue chicken leg slathered in ranch dressing toward Ryan.

Ryan reached out to take it, but Abigail insisted on feeding him instead. With no choice but to oblige, Ryan took a bite, and Abigail nonchalantly bit into the same chicken leg that he had just nibbled. Was it revenge for a previous encounter? She then requested Ryan to feed her some of the sliced steak, savoring each bite, and then exclaimed to Ryan, "This is so good! You have to try some!"

It was at that moment that Ryan turned around and realized Taylor was standing right behind him, and his expression became awkward in an instant.

Taylor wore a forced smile, still caught up in the party atmosphere, but it seemed she just grasped the situation. Even though there was an empty spot next to Ryan, she bypassed the table and sat next to Abigail.

"It's really good, but I can only eat this little bit. I've got to keep my figure!" Taylor said as she put her fork down.

Abigail seemed unfazed and didn't press the matter any further. Ryan felt a sense of relief, as Taylor appeared calm.

...

Soon, a curvy middle-aged woman approached the trio, first asking how they liked the food, then inquiring about their plans for getting back, if they needed a ride, and where they were staying for the next few days.

As the conversation progressed, she noticed that Taylor wasn't eating much of the greasy barbecue. Immediately, she called over a waiter and ordered a salad and some whole grain bread for Taylor, specifically asking for simple seasoning without any dressing.

As for Abigail and Ryan, she treated them with the same warmth she gave to Taylor.

Then, she subtly hinted that she'd love for Taylor to sing a few lines at the event. Eventually, she mentioned she would compensate Taylor, clarifying it wasn't for singing, but because her two daughters were big fans and had been inspired by Taylor's music. She followed up by mentioning her connections in the area and said if Taylor ever wanted to hold an event nearby, she should reach out.

With her gracious words, Taylor felt a bit shy but didn't want to turn her down. She hopped up on stage and sang a couple of songs without hesitation.

Ryan watched as the woman politely stopped the photographers from filming, understanding that Taylor was there as a guest.

This middle-aged lady buzzed around the tables like a social butterfly, ensuring everyone from the seven-year-olds to the elderly were taken care of.

As the party continued, she even called over two bikini-clad girls to sit beside a middle-aged man, implying who he might be.

Despite Taylor's repeated refusals, the woman arranged a car to take the three of them back to the hotel.

...

"Mary's Entertainment Marketing and Promotion Company... Mary Jane." In the car, Taylor looked over the business card that had just been handed to her.

"Sounds like a party promoter," Ryan replied from the front seat.

"This card is pretty special, too; it's trimmed with rhinestones, and their office turns out to be in Orlando," Abigail chimed in, fascinated.

"I should keep this card; it might come in handy later. My manager always says that to sell half a million albums, you have to meet half a million people," Taylor noted.

"This mud park isn't all that exciting; how about we head back to Orlando tomorrow? There's plenty more to do there," Abigail suggested.

"You guys go ahead. I've got work and need to head back to Nashville," Taylor yawned.

"Didn't you say you were staying for three days?" Abigail queried. Taylor turned her head toward the window, chuckling softly, "Plans changed."

"What about us?" Abigail asked Ryan again.

"Well, if that's the case, let's just go back to school," Ryan shrugged.

"Alright." Abigail leaned back and instinctively reached for Taylor's hand.

Taylor interlaced her fingers with Abigail's as they shared a smile, clearly unaffected by Ryan's presence.

...

"Hi, this is Taylor. What's up? Missing me already?" Taylor's upbeat voice came through on the phone. "But I'm sorry, I can't take your call right now. Maybe I'm recording a song, maybe I'm taking a nap, or maybe I just forgot to turn my ringer on. If you have something to say, leave a message after the beep... beep..."

It was just her voicemail. Ryan hung up, frowning as he had been planning to ask Taylor about MySpace, wanting to give his page a fresh look.

It had already been three days since returning from Florida, and Taylor had not picked up any of his calls.

"What's wrong? Did a girl dump you?" Joel, sitting beside him and sipping a Red Bull, quipped.

"Dumped? Please, I'm the one who does the dumping," Ryan smirked. "By the way, the contract for Canada has been signed. When will your remix be ready?"

Deadmau5 had sent a representative to Nashville, and after a lawyer reviewed the contract, Ryan formally signed on for the Canadian distribution of Tremor's single album.

The contract stated that the label founded by Deadmau5 would handle the single promotions in that region, essentially sending songs to radio stations. Given the size of the label, it couldn't offer much variety beyond that.

In the music industry, radio was still the most fundamental and straightforward promotional channel. For nearly half a century, people had been discovering new songs through the radio, and if they liked what they heard, they'd go out and buy the physical album. Even as technology evolved with TV and online promotions, the habit of listening to new music on the radio hadn't changed and continued to this day.

The record label would take care of the packaging and cover art for the single album, while Ryan had to finalize two other versions of the remix, which wasn't a tough task for him.

Additionally, the single would include two more DJ remixes: one from Deadmau5, which left Ryan the freedom to choose a better-known DJ for the other. But instead, he decided to give that spot to Joel, which would not only earn him some extra cash but would also mark Joel's entry into the DJ scene.

"Just a couple of days," Joel raised his Red Bull and, with his other hand over his heart, said earnestly, "Thank you, Ryan. You've helped me fulfill a dream."

"Dream? Isn't your dream to buy a big house on Ibiza? This is just a step toward that," Ryan chuckled, "Don't get so mushy, I can't handle that."

Aside from being grateful toward Joel, Ryan also thought of his own interests.

He didn't quite understand those complicated setups, and having Joel guide him would make everything easier.

Joel nodded, then suddenly leaned in and whispered, "You've at least been on the Ultra Music Festival stage; you deserve a much higher fee. This little club can't afford to pay you. I've been asking around through a buddy working at Blackbird Studio, and we should consider switching to a better venue..."

*****

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