Leveraging Strength

Ryan didn't stay in Orlando. The day after his DJ set ended, he and Joel returned to Nashville.

Travel-worn, he walked into the living room and saw a man in a short-sleeved shirt sitting on the couch.

From the kitchen, Trey's cursing still rang out.

The man stood up, greeting warmly: "You must be Ryan?"

Ryan gave an embarrassed smile, feeling like he'd come back at a bad time and interrupted Trey's date.

Just then, Trey walked out of the kitchen: "I called you earlier, but your phone was off."

She pointed the spatula at the man: "He's from the Netherlands. Was lurking at the door just now, said he's looking for you."

Looking for me?

Ryan froze, then realized—someone from the Netherlands was most likely from an electronic music label.

Sure enough, the man introduced himself as an A&R department manager from Spinnin Records.

"Tiesto recommended you. He really likes your music and played it on his radio show, Club Life. I personally think you're incredibly talented in electronic music."

Spinnin Records—the label on the cover of the first Tremor single? Ryan had searched online before, but there was very little info about Spinnin.

Ryan quickly invited him to sit: "How did you find me here?"

"I asked Deadmau5. He told me. Sorry for the sudden visit," the man said with a smile, then pulled out a gift from his bag—a pricey pair of brand-name monitor headphones and a microphone.

When Ryan asked, the man was straightforward: Spinnin Records wanted to sign Ryan, and from his tone, the terms were much looser than those of American labels.

"Compared to the Big Four, we're just a small company. To stay competitive, we naturally relax some clauses. Besides that, your talent is enough for us to make reasonable concessions."

"Last but not least, electronic music relies on technological development and represents this new era. Traditional pop music is in a stagnant market, while electronic music is a growing one. So we won't fixate on certain terms—like contract length—like our peers do. We focus on the future," the man said, neither humble nor arrogant.

In a fast-growing market, the mindset is naturally different.

He added: "We could even set up a joint venture with you directly—provided you're ready to base most of your activities in Europe."

"In Europe?" Ryan was taken aback.

"Of course. Americans don't understand electronic music at all. Only when you come to Europe will you feel what real passion is," the man continued.

"Crash~" A plate hit the floor and shattered.

Ryan turned to see Trey had accidentally dropped the dish she was carrying.

"Keep talking," she said quickly, then started cleaning up.

Their discussion lasted nearly three hours. Through this conversation, Ryan gained a rough understanding of electronic music and the entire music market.

After the man ate, Ryan saw him to the door.

"Within three days, whatever the result, I'll give you an answer," Ryan said.

"As soon as possible." The man closed the door behind him.

Ryan turned back to the dining room. Trey was clearing the table, her brow furrowed.

"You're not going to Europe!" she said, a little angry.

"Why?"

Trey lifted her head, strands of hair falling by her face, expression displeased: "If you go to Europe, who's going to take care of me in my old age?"

"Isn't it a bit early to worry about that?" Ryan laughed.

"Not early at all. Anyway, you're not allowed to go."

Ryan went back to the study. After a long deliberation, he still called the man: "The U.S. accounts for nearly half of the global music market. I'm choosing to focus here."

"Totally understandable. Although Spinnin has no plans to operate in the U.S. in the short term, given how American pop music influences the world, that day will come. We'd even be happy to see someone pioneer the electronic music market there—it benefits us greatly too," the man replied.

"So, is it possible for me to sign with another label in the U.S. market while handing Europe over to you?" Ryan had a sudden idea.

"Absolutely not." The man dismissed the far-fetched notion.

"Then... how about doing me a favor?" Ryan stated his request.

"Well..." The man hesitated. "There's no precedent for this."

"Exactly. That's because electronic music still has a lot of market gaps. Like you said, you'd be happy to see someone open up the U.S. electronic music market. In other words, helping me is helping yourselves."

"If this gets out, the Atlantic Records office in Europe probably won't be too happy," the man mused, weighing the potential fallout.

"I haven't signed with Atlantic yet. This is just normal business negotiation," Ryan reminded him.

"Alright."

"See you soon." Ryan hung up.

·

"Hello, Khalid." At Nashville Airport, the young man Ryan had ignored earlier was on the phone.

"I'm in L.A. right now. You forgot—Young Arthur and I set up a joint venture. Right, Raymond Braun Media Group (Arthur's last name is Raymond, Scooter's is Braun). We've got a record label under it, and we're putting that boy in there. It's a three-way deal between his mother, Young Arthur, and me. Now I need a few old white guys from Universal Music Group and Republic Records to finalize the details."

"Dr. Ray? Forget him. Haven't you heard Atlantic already sent someone to negotiate? That guy's not happening for us. That's it." Scooter hung up.

He claimed the negotiations with Universal Music Group's top brass in L.A. had ended yesterday, and he'd rushed straight to Nashville—Ryan's location.

This was the complete opposite of his words.

·

"I told you, the revenue from online video views is not up for discussion this time." Speaking again with the A&R department representative from Atlantic Records over the phone, Ryan sounded full of confidence.

"Agreed, no need to get hung up on the details." The voice on the other end backed down.

A few days ago in Orlando, she hadn't said that.

"Wise choice." Ryan nodded with a smile and gave Trey, sitting across from him, a "we did it" look.

Night had already fallen. Ryan and Trey were in the dining room at home, and Ryan was negotiating with the record label.

"Now, let's talk about the core condition: the contract term." Ryan's fingers tapped the table repeatedly.

"I've already consulted with the head of the A&R department and Mr. Craig Kallman (Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records). We can reduce the record contract term to five years for three albums, including supplementary clauses, of course."

Finally giving in?

But this still didn't satisfy Ryan.

"Thank you for valuing me so highly. I'm truly grateful, but market trends shift fast. Five years is still a bit long for me. If we could do three years for two albums, I'd have more drive." Ryan laid out his bottom line.

"Ryan, don't be like this," the voice on the other end said.

"If it works, you can pack your bags and head to Nashville." Ryan hung up, then high-fived Trey.

"What did I tell you? Spinnin's appearance threw them off balance!" Ryan laughed.

Just this morning, he'd posted a photo on his social media with a Spinnin Records staff member, saying their negotiations were going smoothly. That had completely disrupted Atlantic Records' negotiation rhythm, forcing them to make concession after concession.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Who's knocking this late?" Trey wondered, then got up to open the door.

"Why are you here?" Ryan's excitement vanished the moment he saw who it was.

The woman who walked in hugged Trey on her own, then looked at Ryan, as if she'd come specifically for him.

"I've been recording until now, and honestly, I'm a little hungry." Taylor then noticed the untouched food on the table.