Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 37: Implications]

After about half an hour of filming, the NYU version of Harlem Shake had wrapped up. "As for the editing..." Ryan approached Elizabeth.

"This is best left to us," Elizabeth replied.

"And the release..."

"That's our responsibility too," Elizabeth continued.

"That complicates things," Ryan nodded hurriedly.

In the end, Ryan gave her his phone number, and they parted ways in the park. He headed back to the nightclub.

Ryan's performances in New York were scheduled over three days. Due to a day lost in Harlem, he wouldn't return to school until Wednesday.

...

In the green room, Ryan only saw Marvin.

"Running into you two was quite the surprise..." Marvin still had issues with what had happened earlier, then shifted the topic. "But compared to that fool, I have higher hopes for you, even though you've caused me quite a bit of trouble."

"Check out Beatport; you'll be surprised," Marvin said, sitting on a couch with one foot resting on the other knee, his shiny dress shoes shaking slightly.

Ryan followed his suggestion and found his track Tremor on Beatport's 24-hour sales chart. Although it only ranked in the fifties, the backend showed over three thousand copies sold just yesterday. Clearly, good word-of-mouth was spreading.

At $1.29 per copy, that meant Ryan earned over four thousand dollars from Beatport alone yesterday. Even after deducting a thirty percent distribution fee, he still pocketed a cool three thousand dollars.

"Do you need me to hook you up with an accountant? They're really professional. You'll have to start filing for the second quarter in June," Marvin reminded him.

Ryan shook his head; Trey already had that covered. She would have the production company's finance team handle it for him.

"Look at you, Mr. Professional. Yesterday's new song didn't sound half bad. I have a feeling you'll surpass Dead Mouse," Marvin squinted, eyeing Ryan. He had seen the live performance the previous night and sensed that this young man was different from other DJs. While his stage presence was a bit stiff, the music he produced was impressive enough.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Marvin Zimmerman, currently overseeing the global electronic music division at WME. Same last name as Deadmau5, but don't worry; he's definitely not my love child," Marvin laughed.

"A big company?" Ryan asked.

Marvin shrugged, "Electronic music is still somewhat niche, but it's growing rapidly. Honestly, I'm the only one in this entire division."

Ryan nodded. He logged into the backends of other paid music download platforms, but aside from Beatport, his music was still largely going unnoticed everywhere else. In other words, only the core electronic music audience seemed to enjoy Tremor, and that audience was almost entirely based in Europe.

"Who knows, electronic music might leap into the mainstream soon?" Ryan suggested optimistically.

Marvin nodded, "That might be true. The audience at the Ultra Music Festival keeps growing year after year. Nightclub revenue is soaring, and DJ fees are skyrocketing. This industry is on the rise; the general public just hasn't noticed yet. Think about it this way, we're far luckier than those rock musicians. Electronic music will definitely see the emergence of true superstars. Maybe it'll be someone else, or maybe it'll be you."

"Ryan, we can continue to work together, right?" Marvin suddenly said, seeing Ryan's potential far exceeding that of Deadmau5.

...

"Hey, when are you coming back?" Abigail's voice came from the phone.

It was late at night; after finishing his gig, Ryan was having a midnight snack with Joel.

"I'll get back to Nashville the night after tomorrow," Ryan replied.

"Awesome! You can catch up with my swimming competition," Abigail expressed her excitement.

"That's fantastic," Ryan responded casually.

Little did he know, Abigail quickly turned the conversation, "What's so fantastic about it? The meet's already over, and you didn't even know the exact time!"

"What was the outcome?" Ryan asked, momentarily taken aback as his mind had been preoccupied with the Harlem Shake events.

"I ended up snagging first place by sheer luck," Abigail beamed with pride. "This likely means I'll get a scholarship. But after the competition, my face was kind of purple; I hope that didn't affect anything," Abigail admitted somewhat sheepishly.

As it was a significant competition for scholarships, it had been about more than just physical prowess and skill; it was also about chemistry and technology.

"What about the others?"

"They ended up looking worse than me," Abigail laughed.

After being comforted for a while, Abigail was satisfied and hung up.

...

Just as he ended the call, another number dialed in.

"Hmm... You're still awake, right?" a relatively unfamiliar voice came through.

"I'm just having a late-night snack."

"Pity you," the voice commented.

"And you're any different?"

"I'm busy working on your video. You know how it goes; when it comes to fun gatherings, everyone's eager to join, but tasks like these make everyone scatter. But I've finished your video; give me your email, and I'll send it for you to check?" Elizabeth asked on the other end.

"Sure thing."

Ryan finally hung up.

...

Meanwhile, Joel had gotten up, scrolling through Ryan's Facebook. By 2004, Facebook had already started to spread among college students, crossing the one million users mark by the end of that year. It wasn't until 2006 that it officially opened up registration to users older than thirteen, and now the registered user count had surpassed one hundred million.

In other words, if something became popular among college students, it was likely to spread throughout the entire society.

"This girl is really pretty," Joel commented while looking at one of Ryan's selfies.

Ryan walked over and began telling him how they met.

"Then why don't you introduce us?" Joel asked with a bit of a silly grin.

"She's studying in Australia; there's a fourteen-hour time difference. Are you sure?" Ryan countered.

"Eh, forget it. But how did you two become Facebook friends?" Joel noticed the key point.

"She asked me if I had Facebook, and I just told her my account. It was that simple."

"Shit! You commented on her photo asking, 'What's up? Check out those legs.' You're really shameless," Joel scoffed.

"Everyone has their pursuits of beauty," Ryan smiled.

"Did she send you a message?"

Ryan shook his head repeatedly.

It wasn't that he wanted to hog it all to himself; he was genuinely worried about Joel would fall into it; it was all for his own good.

Just then, Ryan's phone rang again.

"How many women call you every day?" Joel grumbled as he continued searching for attractive fans on Ryan's MySpace.

...

"Hello..." Ryan answered as he connected the call.

"Still awake? Who are you flirting with now?" a voice on the other end teased.

"How could I sleep without your call?" Ryan responded.

"Is New York fun? Are there pretty girls?" Taylor followed up with her questions.

"Are you talking about the ones with beards longer than mine?" Ryan joked.

"Hmph, I bet there's one lying next to you right now," Taylor didn't seem to buy it.

"Joel, shout a couple of things and let's see," Ryan held his phone toward Joel.

"Ah, Ryan, you're amazing; oh, oh, come on, baby!" Joel called out without looking back.

"I've already reported the big news to Abigail," Taylor laughed lightly.

"Then make sure to tell her about us too!" Ryan added.

"What? I don't recall anything." Taylor sounded evasive.

"Should I remind you, or maybe just post it online? I could use some attention!" Ryan continued teasing.

"Threatening me, huh? Upload it and go to hell!" Taylor seemed to provoke Ryan on purpose.

"Forget it. I have a new song; it's got a unique style. Maybe I can use it to draw some attention," Ryan mentioned the new track.

"Wake up; it's time to rise."

"It's time to sleep. You're not upset about what happened with me and Abigail, are you?" Ryan tested the waters.

"Why would I be? I owe you thanks; I appreciate the new song you gave me. Everyone thinks it's amazing," Taylor said, referring to Ryan but disguising it as a compliment for the new song.

"That's good to hear," Ryan said before hanging up.

...

Meanwhile, in Nashville,

Taylor hung up the phone and flipped through Billboard magazine. In the pre-internet days, the magazine represented a huge slice of revenue, with its charts maintaining sales for decades.

It was clear from the magazine that Taylor's Should've Said No had dropped to fourth place on the country charts, with Kelly Clarkson's All-American Girl currently sitting at the top. This situation put Taylor on high alert.

She decided that soon, she would activate the bomb she had set up earlier -- the song she gave Ryan. But that was only if Ryan cooperated.

Yet now, Ryan had a new track! This became the biggest obstacle in her carefully laid-out plan.

"How do you gain fame without me? Just go and dream about your dreams!" Taylor scoffed as she covered herself up and closed her eyes to sleep.

*****

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