Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 92: A Change in the Wind]

"WHAT?" Scott heard a reply that seemed utterly absurd.

"You heard me right, this is what I want to do right now."

"Do you have any idea how much this record company is worth?" Scott reminded Ryan, pointing out the sheer folly of thinking he could acquire it with just a few million in profit from investments.

"Of course, I know. A 13-year contract, 6 albums -- this isn't a small deal," Ryan replied slowly.

"But I'm not just putting this amount of money on the table. I've also invested in some CDS through the bank," Ryan continued.

"Fuck!" Scott couldn't help but let out a curse.

"How much have you made?" Scott pressed.

Ryan didn't respond immediately. Big Machine Records was no ordinary label, and Taylor had significant clout there, largely due to her parents' influence behind her.

In other words, to pull off this deal, Ryan needed her parents' approval.

However, that didn't mean Ryan would have to align completely with them. With Scott, the owner of Big Machine, this was a classic three-party negotiation scenario. Taylor's parents had initially partnered with Scott, and they could just as easily do it again now.

"Uncle, I can't know the details of your negotiations with the other Scott at the time, but you probably didn't hold a stake in Big Machine, or only held a minor one," Ryan asked.

Scott fell into deep thought. After a moment, he chose to speak the truth.

"Most of the shares in Big Machine are owned by Scott, who has absolute control. Universal Music Group acts only as a distributor."

"Then let's talk about the terms for a successful acquisition," Ryan prepared to court her parents' favor.

"Are you really ready to acquire Big Machine?" Scott still found it hard to believe.

"Am I joking?" Ryan countered.

...

About half an hour later, Ryan hung up the phone.

"What did Taylor's father say?" Trey immediately asked.

"He, of course, agreed," Ryan responded. Who wouldn't want to earn more money? A single, Love Story had already proven Taylor's rise to fame, and the owner of Big Machine could see that he was about to cash in big time. Who wouldn't want to get a piece of that pie?

Taylor's father had nodded, and he would fully cooperate with Ryan to complete the acquisition. In exchange, Taylor's parents would join the deal, thereby becoming shareholders of Big Machine.

"What about Taylor? Will this affect your relationship?" Trey wondered aloud.

"It will affect it, but in a good way," Ryan said as he dialed Taylor again.

...

"Oh my God, I can't believe this is real..." Taylor repeated, her reaction mirroring Trey's shock. When she heard about Ryan's substantial investment returns, she was utterly stunned, followed by a silly grin.

Ryan revealed his intentions to acquire Big Machine.

"Are you seriously investing in Big Machine? Is this going to benefit you? What if you lose money?" Taylor asked, a mix of surprise and fear crossing her voice. She felt responsible for possibly losing Ryan money, given that her contract was Big Machine's only "valuable asset."

"I'm doing this to fully support you. Your team needs to expand, your stylist really isn't up to par -- remember that stylist from the Love Story music video? I thought she did a great job. I'm also going to bring in better producers, like Max Martin, whom you mentioned before. Everything needs to be top-notch. I want to help you achieve your dream of becoming the most famous female star in the world!" Ryan stated. When speaking to women, talking about love and support meant more than profit, but with Taylor's father, it was all about business.

"Ryan..." Taylor responded emotionally on the other end of the line, almost moved to tears. The combination of financial backing and emotional appeal was something no 19-year-old girl could resist.

"Are you in Florida? I want to come see you right now. I'll have Erica book a flight for today. I miss you," Taylor said.

"We just saw each other this week. Finish your work before coming over. You wouldn't want my time to go to waste, right?" Ryan reminded her; he knew she was busy recording for ABC's Good Morning America, an important morning show that could significantly boost her exposure.

"Okay, I promise I'll work hard," Taylor said seriously over the phone. "But then again, let's wait until the acquisition is complete before diving in. I don't want you to overdo it." Ryan chuckled lightly.

"Wait... Ryan, you just reminded me, should we take some actions now to lower the valuation?" A light bulb went off in Taylor's head. She always had clever ideas and started plotting with Ryan to outsmart Scott.

"Scott isn't stupid. He'll see through your little tricks. Let's not act hastily; this is our ace up our sleeve," Ryan thought for a moment and realized the move was indeed a bit underhanded. To start off by doing this would definitely anger Scott.

"Fine, I'll trust you, my investment genius," Taylor replied.

They chatted for a bit longer before Taylor reluctantly hung up.

...

"Ryan, you have to see this..." Daddario flipped her laptop around.

It was the Billboard website. In the latest issue, Ryan and Leona Lewis's Unstoppable had snagged an Olympics boost, pushing T.I.'s Whatever You Like down to second place. R&B queen Rihanna's Disturbia was in third, while Pink's iconic So What moved up to fourth. Coldplay's Viva La Vida was still hanging out at seventh. Taylor's Love Story was currently in tenth place, though it hadn't peaked at number one, its highest point was fifth, but at least it was still holding strong, marking a significant step up from her last album.

As for the artist Taylor looked down upon, Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl was slipping to eleventh, with Jason Mraz's I'm Yours coming in at ninth, another widely popular hit. Ne-Yo, who was boosted by Jay-Z, came in at eighth with his single Closer.

Of course, the biggest news was that Ryan had his very first number one single! The only disappointment was that Wake Me Up was stuck at thirteen for three weeks, possibly due to Unstoppable stealing some of its popularity.

...

Ryan then scrolled through the charts and stumbled upon another electronic track sitting at number 79, Just Dance, performed by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis.

The 'featuring' denoted a guest performance.

Although Ryan's electronic music had been a hit, it hadn't inspired any copycat artists yet, or perhaps those imitating hadn't hit the market yet.

This oddly-named female artist was the first to "follow suit." From her release date, Ryan realized that this Lady Gaga had started experimenting with electronic music before Harlem Shake blew up; she had already released her debut album titled The Fame.

"Lady Gaga? Is that name inspired by a Queen song?" Trey remarked, intrigued.

More artists like Gaga were sure to emerge, Ryan thought. Marvin had said the era of electronic music was upon them, and it looked like he was right.

Here was the wind of change!

Ryan had Daddario search for information on Lady Gaga online, and then stumbled upon the music video for Just Dance on YouTube.

"What a bizarre look," Trey frowned, then commented, "It's too avant-garde."

"It's not about looking pretty or sexy; it's about being edgy," Ryan analyzed. The avant-garde approach was just a strategy to stand out.

Then Ryan surprisingly spotted something familiar in the music video -- a pair of red Beats by Dre headphones.

As he listened to the other tracks on her album, several of them left a profound impression on him. This was definitely no Jonathan Brothers garbage album.

"Daddario, find out who's behind her," Ryan said, his curiosity about Lady Gaga growing.

"The producer is RedOne. He's not well-known in the industry yet. The songwriter Cherry Cherry Boom Boom (pseudonym) is an established creator and former international marketing head at Interscope Records. She's signed with Akon's label, which has partnered with Interscope for a long time..."

Connecting the dots back to the headphones in her music video, it was clear she was part of Jimmy's and Interscope's crew.

Ryan rubbed his temples, then spoke slowly, "Daddario, post a music share on my social account, promoting this Lady Gaga's new song. Just say I really love her music, and that I hope to collaborate with her..."

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.