Half-Finished

Ryan continued asking Nathan Chapman about music, but the producer could only shake his head.

"You've come to the wrong person. I don't know much about this kind of music. Young men in the US only listen to R&B and hip-hop, while Europeans are especially fond of it," Nathan said.

"I know who you should talk to," a voice came from behind him.

Ryan turned around, and Taylor and Abigail looked toward the voice as well. It was the recording assistant who had been in the studio the whole time.

He wore thick glasses and was short and stout, looking just like an oversized penguin. He introduced himself as Joel.

Under the three of their gazes, he seemed a little nervous. "You could try contacting established DJs like Diplo, Deadmau5, or Steve Aoki, or go to Los Angeles or Miami in person. In any case, your target isn't in Nashville."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Ryan said tentatively.

Joel explained, "I occasionally discuss electronic music production with people online. There's a discussion group on IRC (Internet Relay Chat, an online chat room) with lots of electronic music fans. Anyway, I think your demo is really great—absolutely amazing. The prominent bass, the simple chords... It's a fantastic Big Room track."

Seeing Ryan's confused expression, Joel elaborated. "Big Room is a style of electronic music that emphasizes an extremely powerful beat. It's perfect for dancing."

Ryan felt much more reassured. Getting validation from a knowledgeable fan proved that the song had hit potential, and right now the most important thing was to produce a complete track.

Joel offered similar advice. "But you'd better not take this demo to anyone. If someone else gets involved, you might not only fail to become the primary songwriter, but even lose your credit."

"So my final advice is to at least make a complete version, then upload it to the major paid music download platforms: iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, and Zune Marketplace. Oh, and don't forget Beatport. Club DJs all over the world dig up tracks there. Once you've done all that, you'll need to promote a preview online, starting with social media."

"And register the copyright. You need to file with the US Copyright Office as soon as possible," Ryan added. He knew the process well; the original Ryan had registered copyrights by mail.

Ryan looked at Joel again. "Have you ever used Ableton Live?"

Joel nodded and invited Ryan to his home. Taylor had finished gathering her things and was ready to leave with Abigail. They said goodbye outside Blackbird Studio.

"Everyone gets lucky sometimes. You just happened to catch me at the right moment," Taylor said with a shrug, her confidence restored. Then she turned and headed for the parking lot.

But her friend Abigail didn't leave with Taylor right away. Instead, she turned and walked over to Ryan.

"Thank you. You're Ryan, right?" she asked, blushing. Naturally, she was thanking him for speaking up for her earlier.

"Maybe we'll get another chance to see each other." She turned to leave, but kept glancing back at him before hurrying to catch up with Taylor.

Would they really get another chance to meet? Ryan shook his head. After what had happened yesterday, Taylor couldn't wait to distance herself from him.

"The room's a little messy. Watch your step..." Joel grabbed his pet dog by the scruff and tossed it outside, then slammed the door shut.

Ryan nearly tripped over a tangle of cables as soon as he stepped inside. The whole room looked like a cyberpunk exhibition hall. Old, broken Trinitron TVs, keyboards, guitars, synthesizers, samplers, turntables, and all kinds of equipment were piled together in a jumble. At the center of it all sat a computer.

This was Joel's "study." After agreeing to help Ryan produce a complete version of the song, he had gladly invited him over.

"I usually make music here. I also collect all kinds of music equipment, although most of it isn't much use anymore," Joel explained as he turned on the computer.

Then Joel showed Ryan a Roland TR-808 Drum Machine he had just picked up at a secondhand store.

"What do you think? It's in pretty good shape, isn't it? This is the foundation of hip-hop music." Joel stroked it as if it were a prized work of art.

Joel usually worked with Steinberg Cubase as his DAW. He said it offered better support for expansions, but Ryan couldn't see any difference between the two programs.

Ryan began describing the chord tones he imagined, then started another round of production with Joel guiding him step by step.

Though Joel was very patient, he struggled to understand what kind of synthesizer effect Ryan meant when he described a sound as "both piercing and thick," "both rough and sharp," and "a little distorted and saturated."

"Maybe there just isn't an effect like that on the market," Joel said with a shake of his head. "Or maybe you'll have to wait for someone to make more powerful effect plugins. Then you'll be able to create any sound you can imagine."

Clearly, the music software available at the time couldn't meet all of Ryan's needs.

Ryan had to settle for the Sound Effect Plugin Joel recommended. It didn't hit as hard as the version in his head, but it was enough to make Joel shout with excitement.

"That's incredible, man!" Joel raised his arms and bobbed his head to the beat, then turned the speakers all the way up. He had never heard electronic music like it. It was as if it came from the future, a whole generation ahead of its time.

"Are you trying to scare me into having a heart attack? Turn it down!" Joel's mother shouted from outside the room.

Joel reluctantly did as he was told, then talked about his past. "I wasn't this fat when I was studying at UF. I was a DJ back then. After graduating, I stayed in Florida. My roommate Lawrence and I worked during the day and made music together at night, hoping we could make a living from music someday. I kept at it for seven years, but all I got was failure after failure. Then my roommate went to Los Angeles to keep chasing his musical dreams, and I came back to Nashville."

Judging by his age, Joel was already well into his thirties. His voice carried the deep disappointment unique to middle-aged men.

"How many people like Taylor are there? Her father has a consulting firm on Wall Street, and her mother stays by her side and supports her every step of the way. On top of that, she has a real talent for songwriting, a good voice, and the right looks. If someone like her appeared in an inspirational movie, the audience would think the screenwriter was an idiot with no grasp of logic. But sometimes God really does favor someone in particular." Joel brought up Taylor, his voice growing heavier.

Ryan had heard Trey mention that Taylor's father had moved his company to Nashville just to support his daughter's musical dreams. Her mother had stayed by her side the whole way. When Taylor released her new album two years earlier, her mother had driven her around on a radio tour with a trunk full of physical CDs. Mother and daughter had gone door to door, personally delivering albums to radio stations across the country. That was how the country singer got her first exposure.

"Want to know why I'm helping you, kid? I see the person I was back then in you. I keep thinking that if someone had guided me step by step, I could've avoided a lot of detours." Joel shared what was on his mind. "The audience's reaction is the only real test of a song. I have a part-time gig at a nightclub. Want to try doing a guest DJ set?"