Julio answered, “Yeah, it really does. Especially when you’re still in your business clothes. But anyway, I talked to my cousin Mike last night, and he basically said that it all depends, man. Sometimes they’ll just show up at a party for nothing. But if you invite them there and put them on a flyer, first you have to make sure they get there. So, like, you have to pay them for travel, and for the hotel rooms. And they don’t usually travel alone, man. So you can expect to pay for three or four tickets and rooms for their boys. And the hotels they stay in are usually nice, you know. Then they get the limos, groupies, good weed…”

Julio stopped and said, “Now, I can get you the good weed.” Then he looked around at their apartment complex. He said, “But you’re not living like that for all the rest of the things they want. So, unless you give them cash money up front to show them you’re serious…I mean, it’s nothing personal, man, but they get asked to show up for parties and stuff like that all across the country. So, unless they just happen to be in this area…I mean, you gotta understand that my cousin’s down with Eminem, D12, Xzibit, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, 50 Cent, the G-Unit. And those are not, like, regular people there, man. They’re, like, superstars.”

Ivan took all of the information in with poise. He nodded and said, “I understand. So what was the price?”

Julio looked embarrassed to even tell him. “My cousin said they can get up to fifty thousand dollars. And that’s just to show up.”

Ivan didn’t blink. The football players made forty thousand. However, they used their own money for the setup.

“Well, what’s the starting price if they’re already in the area? I mean, if those guys are already recording right in L.A….”

Julio shrugged. “I guess thirty thousand or so would do. I mean, its, like, easy money for one night, right? Just to guest-DJ? That’s what I told him.” Then he asked Ivan, “How much did that Chargers party cost you?”

“About the same, or ten thousand less,” Ivan answered casually.

“Yeah, but the Chargers are local. These guys are not.”

Ivan asked him, “What about Scott Storch? I mean, I know he’s not local, but he could use a little attention to his name. What would he cost?”

Ivan was already thinking about a pitch to spotlight the Jewish hip-hop producer on his website. He fit more of the crossover demographics of San Diego.

Julio said, “I can’t see him costing more than any of the others right now. I mean, people are starting to get to know him right now, but—”

“Ten, fifteen thousand, right? And we blow up his name as a producer,” Ivan suggested.