The official birth of Echo Chamber Records was less a champagne-popping ceremony and more a series of meticulously executed administrative tasks. David Vance, leveraging his business contacts and the advice of his entertainment lawyer friend, handled the formal copyright registrations for "Thinking Out Loud" and "Photograph" under Alex Vance's name as the songwriter and Echo Chamber Records LLC as the publisher. The speed was surprising, even to Alex, who knew his dad was efficient but hadn't anticipated this level of proactive engagement. It seemed David was genuinely intrigued by this venture, perhaps seeing a spark of his own youthful ambition in his son's unusual project.
For distribution, they decided on TuneCore, which offered a straightforward path to iTunes, Amazon Music, and the nascent Spotify landscape of 2015. The concept of an "unknown 15-year-old" dropping tracks of this caliber was inherently risky, but Alex was betting on the sheer quality of the music.
The System chimed in with a subtle suggestion: [Strategic Consideration: Minimalist Artist Persona Initially. Focus on Music Quality. Mystery can generate intrigue.]
Alex agreed. No flashy photos, no elaborate bio. Just the name "Alex Vance" and the song titles. Let the music speak.
Simultaneously, David, drawing on a favor from a contact in local media, managed to get copies of the songs – professionally pressed onto a small run of promotional CDs with simple, elegant artwork designed by Alex (with the Codex offering aesthetic guidance on minimalist design principles popular in indie circles of the time) – to a couple of influential program directors at key Adult Contemporary (AC) radio stations in their region and, ambitiously, one in Los Angeles known for breaking new talent.
The hardest part was waiting.
Alex tried to distract himself with school, which felt increasingly like an absurdly low-stakes charade. He'd discreetly use the Codex during class to research historical music marketing campaigns or study the trajectories of artists from his original timeline who broke big pre-2015 in this world. He also started mentally mapping out future releases, both his own and considering the "discovery" timelines for artists like Billie and Olivia. The System indicated that Billie, around 13-14 in 2015, would likely be uploading her earliest raw tracks to SoundCloud soon, if she hadn't already. He made a mental note.
A week after the digital release and the radio promos went out, Alex was in his home studio, working on a delicate fingerpicked intro for what would become "Perfect," when his phone buzzed. It was an email notification from TuneCore: 'Your First Sales Report is In!'
His heart hammered. He clicked the link, his hand slightly trembling.
The numbers weren't staggering by 2025 superstar standards, but for an unknown indie artist in his first week in 2015… they were significant. Several hundred downloads on iTunes for both "Thinking Out Loud" and "Photograph." A smaller but noticeable number of streams on Spotify.
Then, another email. This one from his father, forwarded without comment. It was from the program director of WPLM, a prominent Los Angeles AC station.
Subject: Submission - Alex Vance
Mr. Vance,
Listened to the tracks. "Thinking Out Loud" especially. Kid's got something. Reminds me a bit of a young John Mayer meets… well, something new. Voice is surprisingly mature. Songwriting is top-notch. We're adding it to our evening rotation, see how it tests with the audience. Curious to hear more.
Regards,
Marcus Thorne
Program Director, WPLM Los Angeles
Alex read it three times. Evening rotation. Los Angeles. He leaped out of his chair, letting out a whoop that startled his mom, who was reading in the living room.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"They're playing it! WPLM… they're playing 'Thinking Out Loud'!" He felt a rush of exhilaration so pure it was almost dizzying. This wasn't just a theoretical success anymore. His music, these reborn songs, were reaching ears.
That night, Alex, his mom, and even his dad (who'd "coincidentally" finished work early) sat around the kitchen radio, tuned to an online stream of WPLM. They waited through commercials, other songs that felt strangely bland to Alex now, until finally, the DJ's smooth voice came on.
"...and here's a new voice we're really excited about. Just fifteen years old, from what we hear, but with a sound way beyond his years. This is Alex Vance, with 'Thinking Out Loud.'"
The opening G chord, played by Alex in his makeshift studio, filled their kitchen. His voice followed. Hearing it on the radio, broadcast to potentially thousands, was an out-of-body experience. His mom discreetly wiped a tear. His dad had a small, proud smile.
The song finished, and the DJ came back. "Wow. Just… wow. Getting a lot of instant reaction to that one. Alex Vance, remember that name. We'll definitely be playing more from him."
The next few days saw a subtle but definite uptick. More sales, more streams. Comments started appearing on the placeholder YouTube audio tracks Alex had uploaded:
"Who IS this kid? This song is incredible!"
"Heard this on the radio. Had to find it. Goosebumps."
"Thinking Out Loud is my new obsession. Voice like velvet, lyrics hit hard."
"Photograph is beautiful too! What an amazing new talent!"
The Codex provided analytics, tracking online sentiment and radio pick-up in other smaller markets that followed WPLM's lead. The ripple was expanding.
David, encouraged, authorized Alex to start planning a simple music video for "Thinking Out Loud." Alex, recalling the original Ed Sheeran video's charming simplicity (ballroom dancing), opted for something even more minimalist: a performance-based video in a well-lit, slightly rustic space (their converted attic studio could work with some creative staging), focusing on his genuine emotion as he played. The System offered shot list suggestions based on analyzing successful low-budget indie music videos of the era.
A local film student crew, eager for portfolio work, was hired for cheap. Alex, initially a little awkward in front of the camera (his 25-year-old self was used to being behind it), found his groove, channeling the song's feeling.
A week after the WPLM play, "Thinking Out Loud" debuted on a lower rung of one of the digital sales charts. Small, but significant. It was proof of concept. Echo Chamber Records, with its sole, teenage artist, had made its first mark.
Alex felt a complex mix of triumph, trepidation, and a strange sort of quiet responsibility. He had opened Pandora's Box, releasing these beloved songs back into a world that would embrace them as new. The Maestro's Codex offered a new notification:
[Phase 1: Successful Launch Achieved. Proceed to Artist Development and Strategic Talent Acquisition.]
The System was all business. But Alex allowed himself a small, genuine smile. He was no longer just a ghost from another timeline. He was Alex Vance, the kid who'd just dropped two of the most beautiful songs 2015 had ever heard. And he was just getting started.
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Is anyone actually reading this? 👀 If you are, please drop a comment — even a simple "hi" or your favorite emoji — so I know I'm not just rambling into the void. Seriously, your words keep me alive (and caffeinated). ☕
Oh, and fun fact: Webnovel gives me some behind-the-scenes data on this novel (not sure why more authors don't share it, but hey, I'm nosy and transparent). So far, we've got 2.36K views, but only 17 actual readers, and out of those, 9 are considered 'effective readers' — which I think means they've read more than just the synopsis. 😂
I also just noticed that we hit 20 collections! 🎉 But uh... does anyone know what that actually means? Is it like a digital "I'll read it someday" shelf? Either way, I'll take it. Feels nice.
For the stat nerds (or bored readers), my average chapter length is 1.22K words. And guess what? My readers are global! We've got folks from India (11.75%), and then Argentina, Philippines, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, and the US — all hovering around 5.87%. 🌎
Gender-wise: 47.06% male, 5.88% female, and a mysterious 47.06% unknown. Are you aliens? Ghosts? Bots? I'm not judging, just curious. 👽
Anyway, thank you for being here. Whether you're a silent reader, a collector, or part of the unknown species, I appreciate you. Stay awesome, and don't forget to say hi!