The silence after Dayo's question lasted longer than he expected. He'd asked them what they could offer him, and now five of the most powerful people in the music industry were sitting in a room trying to figure out if they had anything he actually wanted.
Helena Voss was the first to move. She didn't speak right away — she reached into her bag and pulled out a tablet, old school, the kind with a physical keyboard attachment. She typed something, then turned it around so Dayo could see the screen. A graph. His album release history plotted against market conditions, competitor drops, seasonal trends.
"Eight releases of both your album and artist in more than three and a half years," she said. "Zero misfires. Every single one landed in the optimal window. Not good timing, Jason — impossible timing. I've been in this business forty years. I've seen luck. I've seen instinct. This is neither."
