The bass was so thunderously loud that it poured energy into the park from dozens of subwoofers arranged in rows. By sunset, Bayfront Park had become a sea of revelry.
Deadmau5, wearing his plush mascot head, jumped straight onto the DJ booth and bounced on his toes to the beat.
Below the stage, the audience moved along with Deadmau5, as if they were all taking part in some kind of group workout, dancing in perfect unison to the beat.
Taylor and Abigail, caught in the crowd, were swept up in the atmosphere too. Taylor raised both hands and started bouncing around wildly. She was really getting into it, but with her stiff movements and lack of dancing skills, her moves were hard to call coordinated. The way she danced looked like a zombie shuffling around and someone stirring a pot. Abigail, by comparison, looked much more natural. Taylor clearly had no talent for dancing.
Onstage, Ryan finally saw the "wild dancing" scene from the Tremor MV. In the first few rows, several girls in nothing but underwear were dancing wildly on their boyfriends' shoulders, while others waved flags from different countries.
The lighting at the venue, however, was still far inferior to what he had seen in the video. And that was before even considering the smoke machines, flame machines, foam machines, and confetti used in the MV to amp up the atmosphere.
It seemed that, much like Electronic music itself, live performances still had plenty of room to improve... Ryan thought.
By now, Tremor had reached its outro. Normally, Deadmau5 would start playing another track in sync and use the mixer to "splice" the two together. But Ryan noticed that Deadmau5 wasn't moving at all—he was just standing there.
Ryan hesitated, unsure whether he should give him a nudge as a reminder. Then he saw Deadmau5 suddenly turn around and head backstage.
Ryan's scalp prickled. After a moment's hesitation, he decisively started working the turntables himself. He'd DJed at several clubs in Nashville, so it wasn't difficult for him.
Meanwhile, as soon as Deadmau5 reached backstage, his legs gave out and he collapsed. The staff rushed over. Someone removed his plush mascot head, revealing a face flushed bright red and short hair completely soaked with sweat. He'd always been a bit frail, and the temperature inside the mascot head was far too high. After all that bouncing around, he'd suffered heatstroke.
Russell, one of the music festival's cofounders, had already left the backstage area. Deadmau5 was rushed to a local hospital, while the burly man who'd spoken with the festival founder was making his final preparations before going onstage. Though he was concerned about Deadmau5, he evidently hadn't realized that the distinctive sound had been created by the high schooler currently performing onstage.
Ryan had managed to save the set without a hitch. He left to the cheers and applause of the audience, and as soon as he returned backstage, he saw a man about as tall and broad as himself preparing to take his place.
The man noticed that Ryan and Deadmau5 were wearing the same red suit and looked a little surprised. They brushed past each other.
Ryan then spotted the VJ from Deadmau5's crew and learned that Deadmau5 had suffered heatstroke. He hadn't expected Marvin to be right after all.
"By the way, who was that guy just now?" Ryan asked.
"Tiesto. You don't know him?" The VJ looked astonished.
"Am I supposed to?"
"Of course. He's a leading figure in the DJ world. He was playing new beat and acid house in nightclubs before you were even born. He's won plenty of European music awards. He topped the Top 100 DJs list three years in a row, from 2002 to 2004, and even performed at the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympics!" the VJ explained earnestly.
There was no need to explain how prestigious an Olympic opening ceremony was. The "Top 100" he'd mentioned was an annual ranking organized by British DJ Magazine, based on votes from the magazine's readers. It was one of the DJ world's most prestigious honors at the time.
Ryan and the VJ then headed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, near Bayfront Park. Deadmau5 was receiving treatment there. By the time Ryan arrived, Deadmau5 had regained consciousness, and the first thing he asked was how the performance had gone.
"The crowd's reaction was even stronger than it was when Justice was onstage," Ryan replied.
Deadmau5 breathed a sigh of relief.
That settled the performance. The music festival would continue for the entire next day. Before Ryan could bring up the Winter Music Conference, Deadmau5, lying in his hospital bed, took the initiative and raised the issue of releasing Tremor's single album in Canada.
The reason Deadmau5 was only talking about Canada instead of all of North America was that his current distributor was an independent record company based in Australia. It didn't have the ability to release music in the U.S. market at all.
Deadmau5 could certainly have kept this from Ryan, but he chose to be honest with him.
"Ryan, this could be the start of us working together," Deadmau5 said. What he valued was the talent Ryan had shown.
Ryan had no reason to refuse. Canada wasn't among the world's top ten music markets and made up only a small share—2 to 3 percent—but it was still a proper first step.
"Next, let's talk about the split. Since the original Tremor track is already finished, we can ignore production costs and just discuss sales revenue. Industry standards dictate that record companies take a larger share of sales revenue from newcomers and unsigned artists, usually half. By sales revenue, I mean the net amount after deducting the distributor's cut and promotional costs," Deadmau5 said.
The math was simple. Suppose the single album sold for $3.99. After deducting the platform's share and promotional costs, then splitting the distributor's net revenue in half, Ryan would probably make no more than a dollar before taxes per copy sold—and that was under ideal circumstances. If Deadmau5's record company padded the promotional costs, the figure would be no more than fifty cents.
And the single album would also include remixes of Tremor by two DJs. Otherwise, it couldn't sell for $3.99. Once that was factored in, Ryan's cut would be even smaller.
"These aren't ordinary circumstances. We just performed together," Ryan immediately replied. He felt that these terms were worse than not signing at all.
"Young man, do you know what 'industry standards' means? It means nobody gets a pass. Not just me—everyone else, and that includes you. There's no room for negotiation."
"You think the split is too small, and of course it is. But this is just the beginning. We'll have other opportunities to work together. Business isn't a one-time thing. For the second or third release, the record company can take only 30 percent. If you become a hit, we can keep discussing the split."
Deadmau5 reiterated that business was business. It was true that he valued Ryan's talent, but that didn't mean he had to sacrifice his own interests.
"You might not understand my situation. I'm staying at someone else's house right now. I need the income!" Ryan brought Trey up as a shield again.
"Then come on tour with me. After Ultra Music Festival, Marvin has arranged for me to perform at more than a dozen nightclubs across North America. The first stop will be New York," Deadmau5 said, thinking of a compromise.
"How much would I make per show?"
"Five hundred to seven hundred dollars per show... If we get a particularly generous club, the pay could be higher." Deadmau5 thought for a moment before continuing. "You'll handle the warm-up and opening sets, which should take about an hour and a half. Then I'll go on. You'll also need to perform during the late-night sets in the early hours of the morning."
"What about travel expenses? I'm still in school in Nashville," Ryan said.
"You won't have to pay those." Deadmau5 made a rare concession, though travel expenses were paid by the event organizers anyway and weren't included in the performance fee.
At least it paid better than being stuck in a Nashville nightclub.
"Forty percent. That's the lowest I'll accept. Otherwise, there's no deal," Ryan finally said, stating his bottom line.
Deadmau5 looked helpless. This was the first time he'd found the high schooler so difficult to deal with.
"You can have either the gigs or the revenue split. Choose one." Deadmau5 took a deep breath.
"Come on, those two things don't conflict. I can put more effort into my performances. I really need this money to finish school. It's what I live on." Ryan's tone turned pleading again, changing as quickly as the pages of a book.
Before Deadmau5 could say anything, Ryan saw him hesitate and quickly added, "Okay, then it's settled."
Deadmau5 let out a long breath, looking mentally exhausted.
Ryan seemed to have gotten the terms he wanted, but he didn't look relieved. Deadmau5's record company was, at best, a small operation. Negotiations with other record companies would only be tougher.
As he left the hospital, Ryan picked up his phone and saw the text Abigail had sent him.
"Your performance just now was amazing! You have no idea how many people were cheering for you. Taylor and I just got to Miami this afternoon..."
Before you continue