boxer to hollywood

"Damn it! Thirty bucks for an album—are they trying to rob us?" 

In New York, in the office of SB Entertainment's president, Scott grabbed the newly purchased album *The Woman I Love* from his assistant. Despite digital albums being cheaper online, as a semi-musician, he preferred listening to physical records.

"Elliot, how are the sales at the record stores on Fifth Avenue?" Scott asked.

"Extremely busy!" replied his assistant, Alex.

As he arrived, he noticed long lines in front of record stores around Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Some stores had sold out their copies almost as soon as they opened.

Alex had to wait in line for over forty minutes just to get his hands on a copy.

Scott's brow furrowed deeply. For a singer, selling out an album as soon as it's released was exhilarating—more so than winning a Grammy. But for his competitors, it was terrible news.

"Boss, Link is on fire this year. First, he made a splash at the Grammys, then he released the hit song 'Legends Never Die' at the Super Bowl halftime show, boosting his fame. Next, he dazzled at the Oscars. His news hasn't stopped for the first three months of this year.

And I just listened to the album. The quality of the songs is incredibly high, almost no mediocre tracks. Given Justin's current situation, it'll be tough to compete with Link," Alex said.

Scott's mood darkened even more. He waved Alex out and opened the album packaging, placing the record on the player and pressing play.

You're sitting in the bedroom playing the guitar

You are like a snowflake melting in my hand

With a melodious prelude, Link's clear, slightly magnetic voice filled the room—gentle and heartfelt with a touch of a warm male charm.

Scott's frown deepened.

Having heard Link's previous songs like "Give Me Reason" and "Legends Never Die," he thought Link's raspy, high-pitched voice suited rock music.

When he heard Link's third album was a love album, Scott privately rejoiced, thinking it was a wrong move that could cost him dearly.

But hearing Link's voice now, he realized he might have been wrong.

This guy's voice was tender, magnetic, and infectious, and seemed perfect for love songs.

"Damn it, isn't this guy a boxer?" 

Scott listened to "Everything You Need," then moved on to "The Woman I Love," followed by "Girls Like You" and "Here With You."

After finishing all eighteen tracks, he lay back on the sofa, his brown curls damp and his expression dark.

His notes had eighteen letters, with eight A+ grades, six A grades, and four A- grades. All ratings were above A-.

Even with his strict grading, many songs were above A+.

If he couldn't spot any flaws after listening once, how excited would Link's fans be after hearing this album?

How high would the album's sales soar?

With Link being such a formidable benchmark, when would Justin Bieber ever become the number one in pop music?

In the music industry, the most profitable individuals are usually the number one in their genre, while second, third, and fourth place often combined don't earn as much as the top one.

This is the winner-takes-all principle, applicable in both business and the music industry.

Scott's frown deepened, and his mood was very low.

Over the past two years, SB Entertainment invested tens of millions of dollars and a lot of connections to promote Justin's two albums, spending millions more on marketing.

Despite all this effort, it seemed they were still falling short compared to Link.

Scott cursed, opened his computer, and reviewed a leaked video again, slowly calming down.

He stroked his chin and smirked coldly.

He then picked up the phone and called the head of the PR department.

He instructed them to vigorously promote Link and Taylor's love story, claiming that Link wrote all the songs in this album for Taylor, portraying him as a romantic and devoted man, and the most loving and compatible couple in the music industry.

The PR head was confused by the purpose but complied without further questions.

Scott sneered and hung up, turning on the music player to listen to Link's voice again.

To all my friends

The night is young

The music's loud

They're playing our song

"Damn it! First country pop, now it's electro-pop. Does this guy think he's a versatile singer or something?" 

In Brooklyn, New York, at the Golden Metal Bar, 50 Cent cursed as he clicked the mouse to switch to another song.

"Wait a minute! This track's rhythm is great. Let's hear it again."

Rihanna, lounging on the sofa, shouted.

"Rihanna, it's Link's song. No need to listen so many times."

Lil Wayne said.

"This song is awesome. I think this style might become popular. Don't you want to check it out?" 

Rihanna chewed gum as she spoke.

Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, and Usher looked serious but couldn't deny that every song on this album was a masterpiece.

Each song's artistic quality was higher than Justin's "Baby" and was more enjoyable—less noisy and allowed listeners to relax and listen closely.

If an album featured one or two such songs, it would be considered a great album, like Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," which sold nearly two million copies with just one hit single.

But Link had eighteen tracks of such quality on this album.

Eighteen A-grade tracks!

One album could equal ten others.

This album was too powerful, making it hard for Justin's *My World 2.0* to compete, relying only on hype and data manipulation.

If Justin lost, it would be a huge embarrassment, and Link would be smug.

"Damn it! Damn it!" 

Kanye West, frowning, kicked the coffee table in the center of the room.

He regretted criticizing Link early last year. Had he not criticized Link, that rookie's debut album wouldn't have exploded, selling over two million copies.

If Link's debut album hadn't been a hit, he wouldn't have gained so much fame, and his subsequent albums wouldn't have done so well, sparing Kanye and his team this embarrassment.

Kanye cursed angrily.

"Kanye, don't lose your temper. The album was just released today. Data isn't out yet. Don't be too anxious. Maybe the high price will deter fans from buying," Lil Wayne said, trying to calm him.

"Lil Wayne's right."

Usher added, "Don't forget Scott promised he had a secret weapon to deal with Link. We should trust him."

Hearing Usher's words, Kanye slowly calmed down.

A few days ago, Scott had privately discussed a secret weapon with them, claiming it would ruin Link's reputation. Though Scott didn't reveal what it was, Kanye believed he wouldn't lie.

"Secret weapon? What's that? I don't know about it," Rihanna asked curiously.

Drake and 50 Cent looked at Usher and Kanye with curiosity, obviously unaware of the secret.

"Keep it confidential for now. You'll know soon enough," Usher said mysteriously.

"Confidential? What secret?" 

At that moment, Eminem walked in. Having had some issues with this circle before, he hadn't hung out with them much. But with Link's new album release, he came to check on Kanye and the others' reactions.

Seeing Eminem enter, everyone fell silent, listening to the music.

Girls like you

Love fun

And yeah me too

What I want

When I come through

I need a girl like you

The song blended pop, rock, and rap seamlessly, with a fresh and unique style, and a relaxed melody.

It sounded even better than the previous two tracks, though Kanye and the others looked even more dismayed.

Eminem reached the seating area and looked at everyone curiously.

"Are you all listening to a digital album together? You're all millionaires—can't you be less stingy?"

"I was going to buy it, but they wouldn't let me," Rihanna said, swinging her legs.

"Hmph! It's Link's new album. If we each buy a copy, it would only increase the album's sales by ten or more copies. We're not that dumb," 50 Cent said.

Eminem shook his head, lifting his hoodie to reveal his waistband stuffed with Link's albums, resembling a bootlegger.

50 Cent and the others stared in shock.

"Damn, why did you buy so many of Link's albums?" 

"Ha, I knew you'd be too stingy to spend money, so I bought a few extra copies to give you as gifts. How's that?" 

Eminem handed out the albums like playing cards, one by one.

He continued, "Do you know how hot Link's albums are? Today, in New York, every record store limited purchases to two copies per person. My assistant and I ran through three streets and five stores just to get ten copies. Link's album is selling like crazy."

Kanye and the others looked even more dismayed.

Every artist dreams of selling out their albums upon release, but with the rise of online music stores, digital albums are more convenient and cheaper.

Limited purchase restrictions had not occurred for years. Not even when MJ passed away last year. Yet it happened with a rookie singer like Link, who had only been in the industry for two years.

This was infuriating.

"Kanye, don't want it?" Eminem asked, handing an album towards Kanye.

Kanye rolled his eyes. Since Eminem had bought it, the album's sales had already increased. He might as

 well take it.

"Eminem, has Link's music side revealed who the woman on the album cover is?" Rihanna asked, pointing to the album cover.

The cover was very sensual. Link's looks and physique were top-notch, and the woman in his arms was also very alluring. With her fair skin, she resembled Nicole Kidman, though Nicole was in her forties and couldn't maintain such a great condition.

"Check the back of the album. Maybe you can recognize her," Eminem said.

Rihanna flipped the album over to reveal another photo.

It featured a woman with a golden mask, tightly embracing Link. The intricately designed mask covered half her face, revealing only violet eyes, a delicate nose, and rose-colored lips.

The woman's white skin starkly contrasted with Link's tanned skin. Her delicate, soft face and pretty fingers contrasted with Link's strong, solid back muscles.

She was beautiful and artistic.

Rihanna looked for a while but couldn't recognize the woman.

"Online says the deluxe edition cover has a 3D effect, allowing you to feel Link's muscle contours and the woman's skin and hair. It also comes with a golden mask for only $39.90. Too good to miss, but I couldn't get it the other day. Amazon resellers have marked it up to $299 each—almost ten times the original price. It's crazy," Eminem praised.

"Hmph! Album sales depend on the songs, not on these gimmicks. What's the use?" Lil Wayne said disdainfully.

"Are the songs on this album not good?" Eminem pointed to the speakers.

Lil Wayne opened his mouth to criticize but couldn't find any flaws, so he only snorted and continued listening.

I'm holding steady

My heart's at home

With my hand behind you

(End of Chapter)