"Every high school and college student in the country is on Spring Break. What's wrong with me taking a few days off? Why are you asking even more questions than Rick?" Taylor grumbled in the restaurant, wearing a baseball cap and dressed to conceal her identity. Rick Barter, her manager during her Big Machine days, was with WME.
"Everyone else was getting ready to head back to Nashville. Then Taylor suddenly said she wanted to come here, so I came with her to Miami to see your performance," Abigail added.
"I didn't come to see your performance. I just happened to be passing through. By the way, that dance track sounded pretty good. I have to admit, you're much more talented at this than at country music." Taylor raised an eyebrow and gave Ryan her honest opinion.
Ryan then told them about his negotiations with Deadmau5 earlier, making no secret of his dissatisfaction with the unfair split.
"Forty percent? Getting the record company to budge at all is already impressive. Deadmau5 wasn't wrong about one thing: this really is standard practice in the industry." Taylor confirmed what Deadmau5 had said.
"What about your record deal with Big Machine, then?" Ryan asked.
Taylor shook her head. "Sorry, I can't disclose the specific terms of my contract."
Ryan went on to say that the next day, he planned to attend a few of the Winter Music Conference's breakout sessions and talk with staff from record companies' A&R departments.
Those departments were responsible for discovering and developing singers and other artists, signing them, and finding suitable songwriters and producers for them. They served as the link between record companies and newcomers.
Still, given the so-called "industry standard," Ryan didn't have high hopes for the conversations the next day.
Abigail brought up their plans after that. "Taylor came to Miami last year, so this year she wants to go somewhere different."
"Why don't we head to Hillbilly Mud Park in Punta Gorda City? They're holding a Wild Trucks event there in two days," Ryan suggested.
Punta Gorda City was a small town in Florida. Every year, the Trucks Gone Wild event drew plenty of Southern rednecks, who tore around in souped-up monster trucks through the mud. Add in redneck girls in bikinis and the barbecue rednecks loved most, and it was the real deal.
The event might have appealed to guys, but there was no guarantee the girls would enjoy it.
Still, the two couldn't think of anywhere better to go, so they reluctantly agreed.
"As for me, I have to go back to school after the Winter Music Conference," Ryan said, explaining his plans. He still had to get back to class, or Trey would definitely be mad.
"Your classes are so easy. Do you really need to be so diligent? Just have Abigail tutor you later," Taylor said at once.
"Exactly, Ryan. If you're not there, are we supposed to drive those monster trucks ourselves?" Abigail also insisted that Ryan stay.
Unable to resist the two girls' pleas, Ryan eventually agreed.
"So, what are you two planning to do tomorrow?" Ryan asked.
Abigail said she wanted to spend time with Ryan. Taylor had been eager to explore Miami, but when she realized she'd be on her own, she decided to tag along with Ryan too.
That night, the three of them stayed at the Biscayne Bay Marriott Hotel beside Bayfront Park. Nothing happened.
The next morning, Ryan and the two girls used the invitation Deadmau5 had given him to enter the main venue. It was like an Electronic Music festival expo, with booths from all kinds of DJ equipment manufacturers, demonstrations of the latest VJ technology, and a host of independent European record companies from the EDM scene. Ryan hadn't even heard of many of them, but their A&R staff knew who he was.
After just one night, Ryan's performance on the main stage had caught the attention of people in the know.
But just as Ryan had expected, although a number of independent record companies seemed to offer attractive perks—such as various kinds of artist training for him—they were all just variations on an advance. The money still came out of the artist's pocket, and the terms covering core interests were harsh.
After spending the afternoon talking with A&R staff from all those companies, Ryan was becoming less and less hopeful about signing a deal.
"But you still have to choose one," Taylor said, holding a large cup of iced drink in the lounge area. She had on her hat, glasses, and mask, all three at once, for fear of being recognized. At this point, though, she was only somewhat famous, so she might have been overreacting.
"Didn't you choose not to sign with anyone, either?" Ryan said without thinking as he sat down.
Four years ago, Taylor had decided not to continue working with RCA.
"My situation wasn't the same as yours... My dad spent that time negotiating with RCA and asking lots of friends for advice. In the end, it was my manager at the time who got in touch with Scott," Taylor explained.
Contrary to the widely circulated story that Scott had found Taylor performing at the Bluebird Cafe and been instantly blown away, the truth was that Taylor's team had been in contact with Scott before her performance that day.
From the way Taylor talked, her dad seemed to have quite a bit of clout.
"Besides, I felt I couldn't keep waiting. I believed in myself and knew I could write songs that would catch people's attention," Taylor said, recalling what she'd thought at the time.
"Exactly. I believe in myself too," Ryan said slowly.
It wasn't so much confidence as reliance on déjà vu. For Ryan, the key to fame lay in déjà vu. If it only happened once, it wouldn't matter what company he signed with. On the other hand, if déjà vu kept giving him hit songs, he wouldn't need to care what the record companies thought.
It was an ordinary remark, but Taylor suddenly froze beside him and looked up without thinking. From where she sat, she could see Ryan's profile.
She suddenly felt that Ryan was just like she had been a few years ago, and she had an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Just then, Abigail returned carrying two messy hot dogs.
"What are you two talking about over here?" Abigail asked, eyeing her friend warily.
"Record companies that'd eat you alive!" Taylor took the hot dog and immediately wiped away all the colorful sauces that had made it so "messy."
"This thing's going to turn me into a fat cow." Taylor pulled her mask aside. To keep her lipstick from getting on the food, she took a small bite of the huge sausage, its surface browned and glistening with grease, while making a comically grimacing face.
"This is delicious!" Taylor bounced with excitement, but still picked the sausage out with her fingers and placed it on Ryan's hot dog.
"But I really can't enjoy it," she said with a miserable shake of her head.
Abigail frowned at the sight. "You're practically a Slender Man already."
Then she saw Ryan happily devouring the sausage Taylor had bitten into. Her mood soured even more, and she squeezed herself between Ryan and Taylor.
After leaving the Winter Music Conference, the three returned to the main stage that evening. The ULTRA Music Festival ran for two days and had eight stages, with more than 140 DJs in attendance. A DJ from the United Kingdom named Calvin Harris was performing on the main stage at that moment.
There were even fewer people around than the day before, and the atmosphere wasn't particularly lively. The three of them then headed to the indoor "Carl Cox & Friends" stage to catch French DJ David Guetta's live set.
Neither DJ left much of an impression on Ryan. Taylor, on the other hand, was having a great time, dancing until she was drenched in sweat.
Then Ryan could clearly feel the crowd moving toward the main stage. He learned from someone nearby that Armin Van Buuren was about to perform. Known as Armin, he was from the Netherlands, like Tiesto, and had topped the previous year's DJ poll.
Since his debut, Armin had been known for his signature Trance music. Trance combined Techno's driving beat with House music's catchy melodies, making it a genre that drew on the best of electronic music.
And from the name, Trance music even sounded like it might have hallucinogenic effects.
Not long after they reached the main stage, the sky had grown completely dark. Ryan and the two girls noticed people around them taking out Molly and tossing it straight into their mouths, then immediately losing themselves in the music. Others burst into laughter after using inhalants, while farther away someone suddenly stood there like a log, looking like a zombie... Clearly, as the music grew more and more intense, the crowd was letting loose one by one.
Ryan felt a pang of worry for Armin up on stage. He led the two girls away, but as soon as they left the crowd, they ran into a group of eccentrically dressed weirdos. Only then did Ryan realize they'd gone the wrong way and wandered into the Tent Area.
Not far away, a brown-skinned person wearing a woman's bikini but sporting a thick gray beard hurried toward them. The person picked up a drink from the table.
"Try this Happy Water. You'll have an extraordinary night!" The person handed a cup to Ryan and another to Taylor.
Ryan shook his head repeatedly and took two steps back.
"Burp!" Taylor set down her cup and let out a loud burp. She really had been thirsty.
"This soda really packs a punch." When she saw Ryan and Abigail staring at her as if they'd seen a ghost, she grinned sheepishly.
Before you continue