Chapter 6: The Rough Draft

[Chapter 6: The Rough Draft]

Ryan then turned to Nathan Chapman to ask about music, but the producer could only shake his head.

"You've got the wrong guy. I don't really know much about that genre. Young guys in America only like R&B and hip-hop. Europeans are the ones really into that stuff," Nathan replied.

"I know who you should talk to." A voice came from behind.

Ryan glanced back, and Taylor and Abigail followed his gaze. The speaker was the studio assistant who had been lurking around the recording studio.

He wore thick glasses, was short and pudgy, resembling a large penguin, and introduced himself as Joel.

Feeling the spotlight from the three of them, he appeared a bit awkward. "You might want to reach out to established DJs like Diplo, Deadmau5, or Steve Aoki, or head out to Los Angeles and Miami. Long story short, your target isn't Nashville," he suggested.

"You seem to know a lot about this?" Ryan probed.

Joel explained, "I sometimes discuss electronic music production online. There's a group on IRC where tons of electronic music enthusiasts hang out. Anyway, I really thought your demo was amazing; it has a killer bass, simple chord progressions, and it's a fantastic big room track."

Seeing Ryan's uncertain expression, Joel added, "Big room is an electronic music style that emphasizes strong beats and is perfect for clubbing."

Ryan felt much more reassured. Gaining the affirmation from a passionate expert proved that the song had pop potential. Now, the most important thing was to create a complete piece.

Joel offered similar advice, "But it's best not to go showing this demo to anyone just yet. If people get involved, you might not be the primary creator, and you could lose credit altogether.

So, my final recommendation is to at least produce a complete version first and then upload it to iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, and Zune Marketplace. Oh, don't forget Beatport; that's where all the club DJs get their tracks. Once you finish all that, you'll need to promote a listening version online, starting with social networks."

"And copyright registration; I should register it with the U.S. Copyright Office right away." Ryan added, as he found this familiar territory, having the original owner previously registered copyrights by mailing them in.

Ryan looked back at Joel, "Have you used Ableton Live?"

Joel nodded and spontaneously invited Ryan over to his home. Taylor had finished gathering her things and was getting ready to leave with Abigail, so they all parted ways at the entrance of Blackbird Studio.

"Everyone has their lucky moments; you just happened to catch me at yours," Taylor shrugged, regaining her confidence as she turned and headed to the parking lot.

However, her friend Abigail didn't leave with Taylor right away. Instead, she stepped up in front of Ryan. "Thank you, you're Ryan, right?" she asked shyly, obviously appreciating his earlier defense of her.

"Maybe we'll get another chance to meet," she said as she turned to leave, but glanced back three times before quickly catching up to Taylor.

Was there really going to be a chance to meet again? Ryan shook his head. After what happened yesterday, Taylor would likely be keen to distance herself from him.

...

The moment Ryan entered Joel's place, he nearly tripped over the tangled cables scattered on the floor. The room looked like a chaotic cyber display, filled with an old beaten-up TV, keyboards, guitars, synthesizers, samplers, and turntables, all piled together, with a computer at the center of it all. This was Joel's "studio," and after promising to help Ryan finish the song's production, he had gladly welcomed Ryan into his home.

"I usually produce music here. I also like to collect various music gear, though most of it is pretty outdated now," Joel explained as he powered up his computer.

He then showcased a Roland 808 drum machine he had just snagged from a thrift store. "What do you think? Looks good, right? This is a cornerstone of hip-hop music." Joel's hands glided over it like he was handling a work of art.

Joel's preferred DAW was Steinberg Cubase, and he mentioned that it had better extended support, but Ryan couldn't see the difference between the two software choices.

Ryan began describing the soundscapes filling his mind and, under Joel's patient guidance, started a new round of production.

Though Joel was very patient, he struggled to understand what Ryan meant by "harsh yet thick," "rough yet sharp," "with a bit of distortion and saturation."

"Maybe there isn't a synthesizer effect like that on the market," Joel said, shaking his head. "Or it's a matter of waiting for someone to create more powerful effect plugins so you can customize any sound you can think of."

Clearly, the current technology in music software couldn't fully meet Ryan's needs.

Ryan had to settle for one of Joel's recommended sound effect plugins. While it didn't hit as hard as what he'd envisioned, it was enough for Joel to let out an excited shout.

"Awesome! Man," Joel exclaimed, lifting his arm and nodding along with the beat. He then cranked the volume on his speakers. He hadn't heard electronic music quite like this. It felt like something from the future, ahead by a whole era.

"Do you want to give me a heart attack? Turn that down!" a voice yelled from outside the room; it was Joel's mom.

Reluctantly, Joel lowered the volume and then began sharing his story. "When I was in college at UF, I wasn't this heavy. Back then, I was a DJ. After graduation, I stayed in Florida, working during the day with my roommate Lawrence, while we produced music at night. I just wanted to be able to make a living off music one day. I did that for seven years, but it was a lot of failures. Eventually, my roommate headed for LA to chase that dream, while I came back to Nashville."

Considering his age, Joel was well into his thirties now, and there was a hint of deep-seated disappointment in his tone that only comes with middle age.

"How many people like Taylor are there? Her dad had a consulting firm on Wall Street, and her mom was always by her side supporting her. And let's be real, her talent for songwriting, her voice, and her looks? If someone like her were in an inspirational movie, the audience would think the writer was a clueless idiot. But sometimes, God just has favorites," Joel said, his tone growing heavier as he mentioned Taylor.

Ryan remembered what Trey had said before, how Taylor's dad had moved his whole company to Nashville to support his daughter's music dreams. Her mom had accompanied her every step of the way. When Taylor released her first album, her mother drove her around for radio promotions, delivering her physical CDs from station to station, getting the country artist her first wave of exposure.

"Want to know why I'm helping you, kid? I see a younger version of myself in you. I think if someone had provided me with hands-on guidance back then, I might've avoided a lot of detours," Joel expressed his thoughts. "Audience reactions are the only real test of a song. I work part-time at a nightclub; want to try a guest DJ spot?"

*****

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