Chapter 104: Contracts

[Chapter 104: Contracts]

In a dimly lit lounge, the bass-heavy electronic music pulsed through the air. Twenty-two-year-old Ellie Goulding bobbed her head to the rhythm, a man's arm casually draped over her shoulder. That was her current boyfriend, known as Frankmusik, a DJ who had released a single on Island Records the previous year.

Since it was the annual DJ event, Frankmusik wasn't going to miss out, and he had brought his girlfriend along for the ride.

"Do you see those two guys over there? That's Calvin Harris, and next to him is Ryan Rivers," Frankmusik pointed out, leaning in slightly.

Ellie glanced in their direction, only catching a faint glimpse of their backs amidst the cheering crowd.

"You should go say hi, introduce yourself," she suggested, her enthusiasm evident.

Ellie was a young girl with dreams of making it in music. She had moved to London and captured a following on MySpace with her unique voice. One night, at a party, she stumbled upon Frankmusik's music on a friend's computer. His electronic sound excited her, prompting her to send him a demo in hopes of collaborating.

Their partnership took off quickly, leading them into a romantic relationship -- something that often happened in the music business. Frankmusik introduced her to producers around London, helping her work on her first single, and he actively sought out record labels for her, though things hadn't panned out as well as she had hoped. So far, no label had reached out with an offer.

Frankmusik wrapped his arm around her neck as they struggled through the crowd, making their way toward Ryan and Calvin. Just when they were about to reach them, they were blocked by two tall bodyguards -- Ryan's security.

...

"Can we get through? We're friends of Ryan's," Frankmusik said with a nervous chuckle.

The bodyguards ignored him until Ryan happened to catch sight of them.

Calvin Harris turned to look back; he had actually heard Ellie's music on MySpace before. Known as one of the biggest names in the industry, he was familiar with Ellie's previous relationship with another artist before meeting Taylor Swift. They had worked together on more than one hit single and mutually boosted each other's careers.

However, that was all a few years down the line; today marked their first encounter.

"That girl has a unique voice. If your new label is looking for fresh talent, she's definitely a good pick," Calvin quietly suggested to Ryan.

Ryan nodded and instructed his bodyguards to let them through.

"Hey! Welcome to London, I'm..." Frankmusik enthusiastically introduced himself to Ryan, but the latter seemed less interested and was more focused on Ellie.

Ellie chimed in, introducing herself as well.

"It's too loud in here. Let's move somewhere quieter," Ryan shouted over the music.

...

Later that night, in Ryan's hotel room, Ellie seemed a bit nervous.

"I'm interviewing a female singer, recommended by Calvin Harris... He's a DJ I just met, and I think I'm going to sign him. His contract is on the verge of expiring... I'll be heading back to the States soon, probably straight to Florida, and Diplo's already anxious to get things rolling. No problem, we'll meet in Orlando... I'm with someone else right now, okay, bye," Ryan said, blowing a kiss into the phone before hanging up.

"It must be Taylor Swift," Ellie said softly, immediately recognizing who was on the other end.

Next to her, Frankmusik raised an eyebrow, bemused by what she had just said.

"What were we talking about?" Ryan tossed his phone aside.

"You asked me to sing," Ellie reminded him.

"Okay, let's hear it."

Ellie began to sing one of Ryan's earlier hits, Unstoppable, which had previously been covered well by both Leona Lewis and others. Her rendition was a third version, reminiscent of an early demo Taylor had done. Her voice was distinctly sweet, reminiscent of a classic pop sound that was naturally hers. The year Ellie broke into the scene, the UK had been captivated by the hype around new pop stars, and she was nicknamed the "British sensation" by fans. While others faded, Ellie only grew in fame, eventually becoming one of the leading figures in British pop music.

By 2023, she held the title for the most number-one albums for a female artist in the UK, alongside Adele.

Once she finished singing, Ryan eagerly encouraged her to keep going and asked her to perform more tracks before finally letting her go.

"So, did I make the cut?" Ellie asked, hopeful.

Ryan nodded. "I've already set my sights on you."

He even had Daddario print out a temporary agreement, locking Ellie in. Ryan paid her a PS5,000 signing bonus, which would count as an advance against her album's earnings, ensuring that her new album profits would first repay this advance.

With that settled, Ellie and Frankmusik left in high spirits, knowing that Frankmusik would have to work for a couple of months to make up that PS5,000.

...

"How long are you planning to sign for?" Daddario asked, curious about the duration.

"Fifteen years, at least, for seven albums," Ryan casually replied.

Recently, others had been trying to take advantage of him in negotiations. Now it was time for him to turn the tables. Music contracts were typically short, the first one often lasting just a year.

Even though the agreement would stipulate the label's obligation to produce seven albums for her, album production could vary widely in budget and was easy to stretch thin.

...

Next on Ryan's list was Calvin Harris, who was somewhat of a known entity, making it far more challenging to sign him to a long contract.

Calvin was indeed focused on pursuing Ryan and had previously collaborated with major labels like Sony's Columbia, meaning their discussions even tonight were more substantial than expected, despite Calvin not bringing his manager along. He firmly insisted on only signing for two years with one album and would demand major concessions.

Ultimately, Ryan had to include a condition: if sales of Calvin's album exceeded a specific number, the contract would extend and include an additional album -- up to a maximum of eight years and four albums.

This arrangement seemed fairer to Calvin, and Ryan was willing to accept it as well. With the advance system in place, labels found it challenging to sustain significant losses. However, album sales were declining year after year, and the traditional music industry was slowly beginning to fade.

Thus, Ryan likely wasn't counting on his record label to make him rich; instead, he had prioritized his club business.

...

David Guetta had already advised Ryan about the business model, and he was in desperate need of professionals skilled in that area.

He personally reached out to Spinnin' Records, hoping they could introduce someone with experience running clubs in London, particularly someone who had worked in nightlife management at previous successful venues.

...

Two days later, once Ryan was back in Florida, he received a call from someone named Sean, who claimed to be the manager of the "Matter" nightclub in London, established by the owner of the famous club Fabric. However, the venue was currently undergoing renovations after three months of drug-related incidents.

Sean mentioned that the club might lose its license and that he'd have to find new employment soon.

Ryan couldn't help but feel lucky; he immediately invited Sean to come to Orlando.

*****

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