Behind The Spotlight Chapter 146
This time, since the record labels could not make Collin budge with his decision, Princess Chantal's debut was smooth sailing.
Moonrise Music's opponents were the record labels, not the radio stations. Besides, Vivian had wide connections to radio stations, so she easily convinced them to let Princess Chantal's song be played on their stations. Her confident tone and persuasiveness over the phone made even the most stubborn DJs agree. She convinced two major radio stations and three local radio stations. As for Music Television, it was much easier, they agreed without hesitation, perhaps drawn by the name "Princess Chantal" itself.
However, these radio stations and Music Television only agreed to play the song once. If the song didn't attract attention and listeners didn't request replays, Moonrise Music had to pay these platforms to promote the single. The risk was high, but Vivian believed in Chantal's voice enough to take it. By the way, it was illegal to pay DJs to play a song, but it was a common thing in the 90s. Bribes always found their way...
Much to Vivian and the employees of Moonrise Music's delight, they didn't have to spend much on paying the DJs because they loved the single that Moonrise Music sent them. Some DJs even confessed over the phone that the melody had been stuck in their heads all day. Not only the DJs, even the listeners fell in love with Love Everywhere.
Since then, whenever listeners called the radio stations, they would ask the DJs to play Love Everywhere.
So far, only five radio stations had a disk or copy of the song, which was a disaster for other stations. They were in trouble because they couldn't provide the song their listeners were requesting.
Within the first and second week of January, listeners kept calling radio stations to play Love Everywhere, but the DJs could only say sorry, they didn't have a copy of the song. The Internet wasn't even a major thing in 1999, and it was almost impossible to pirate songs around this time. If someone wanted to hear a song, they had to wait for it to play again or buy it themselves.
Within those two weeks, the radio stations themselves contacted Moonrise Music. Of course, the record label happily obliged and sent them copies of the song for free. Boxes of cassettes, CDs, and vinyls were shipped overnight, the label's small office buzzing with excitement. Record labels usually sent vinyl copies of songs to radio stations for free because it was a win-win situation. As long as the song was played on the radio, it was automatically a promotion or advertisement.
Since then, almost every radio station in the country played Princess Chantal's debut single, Love Everywhere. The melody echoed in taxis, convenience stores, and cafes.
Furthermore, her music video, which Music Television replayed countless times, was loved by fans. Her radiant smile and graceful piano playing under different backgrounds, from the sea to scenic rooftops, made fans fall deeper in love. Her charisma as she played the piano in various locations charmed everyone.
Around the same time, Moonrise Music distributed CD, cassette, and vinyl copies of Princess Chantal's debut single to record stores, music sections of department stores, and even movie stores such as Blockbuster. Store shelves gleamed with her cover photo, Chantal in a flowing white dress, sitting before a grand piano bathed in soft light.
In the month of January, many people contracted a "disease" called Last Song Syndrome. It wasn't technically a disease, it was a term used when someone kept singing the last song they had heard. But this time was a bit different, almost everyone had Last Song Syndrome from a certain song. From young girls humming in hallways to old men whistling the tune while fixing their cars, the whole country seemed to sing one rhythm.
Princess Chantal didn't expect that she would become famous so quickly. Sometimes, she would stare at her reflection in the mirror, still unable to believe that the face she saw was the new darling of pop music. Just last month, she was a simple person. But when her debut single was released, her life turned around for the better.
But she also had to work hard. Moonrise Music managed her career, as Collin and Vivian had agreed. Collin and his team were only responsible for negotiating contracts, but Moonrise Music handled almost everything else.
Suddenly, Princess Chantal found herself performing on a famous talk show. The studio lights were blinding, and the audience's murmurs crashed against her nerves. It was fortunate that she knew how to play her song on the piano, so she didn't mess up.
Furthermore, Moonrise Music received calls from small venues that wanted Chantal to perform. From cozy lounges to small bars, her name was suddenly on everyone's booking list. Princess Chantal became so busy in January that she was almost overwhelmed.
Fortunately, Isabella was there to take care of her. Isabella prepared food and drinks and made sure she was present as always. That eased Princess Chantal a lot.
It was an overwhelming experience, but Princess Chantal didn't find it bad. In fact, she was so happy. She owed a lot to Collin, Isabella, Vivian, and even Niko. She was thankful for everything they did for her.
When February arrived, Moonrise Music tallied the sales of the single.
The single, Love Everywhere, sold 300,000 copies, with a huge portion from cassette tapes, followed by CDs and vinyls. The retail price of the single averaged four dollars. Posters of her album were seen everywhere, music shops, billboards, and even small record stands in the streets.
The retail sales totaled $1.7 million, and Moonrise Music earned $1.3 million from that.
Since Princess Chantal had already received a $1 million advance payment, she didn't get a share of that $1.3 million. She signed a 20% royalty contract, so she was supposed to earn $260,000.
Instead, her "loan" balance went down to $740,000. Once she paid all her balance, she could then earn her royalties.
By the way, Princess Chantal immediately paid her debt to Collin the moment she received the $1 million from the record label. Collin didn't expect her to be that prompt, but he accepted the money anyway.
Her success didn't stop there. Princess Chantal's debut single, Love Everywhere, reached the top 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January. That news shocked both her and the record label. When Vivian read the numbers out loud in the office, the room erupted into cheers and applause. They hadn't expected their standing on the Billboard chart to be that high.
On top of that, Love Everywhere also gained recognition in other countries. Her song even reached number one in France.
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"Collin, are you sure you want to take all of your money? Think about it, how about you invest in other stocks instead?" Stan's brows furrowed, his tone carrying both concern and frustration.
Stan Gavin was disappointed when he heard that Collin didn't want to reinvest his money. For Gavin to earn commission, he had to convince his clients to invest their money in stocks. That was where his income came from. He tapped his pen against the desk, clearly agitated.
This year, Collin didn't plan to invest in any stocks. In fact, it was the opposite, he wanted to pull his investment.
"I heard that the internet bubble might burst, and I don't want my money to disappear. I don't want to be greedy. I think it's the best time to take all of my earnings and invest them differently instead. I'm thinking of buying a house in Beverly Hills," Collin replied. His tone was calm but firm.
He had been earning quite a huge amount of money, and he felt like it was time to buy something for himself. This time, he wanted to buy a house with a nice pool, a place where he could relax whenever he wanted to. A place where his mother and sister could swim if they felt bored.
The apartment complex his family lived in had a rooftop pool, but other people could also use it. This time, Collin wanted a pool just for his family.