With the collective efforts of the entire crew, the filming of all the music videos was completed 3 days ahead of schedule.
Of course, the music videos for the last two songs were still in the editing and Late Stage production, but the finished music videos for the first eight songs were already out, and Linton was very satisfied after watching them.
Meanwhile, Mira also brought good news from the UK, finally securing the film adaptation rights for "The Lord of the Rings" and "the hobbit" from the Tolkien Copyright Trust for $4 million plus a five percent share of the box office profits.
She also acquired the remaining film adaptation rights for "The Lord of the Rings" and "the hobbit" from the publisher for $1 million.
After the contract was signed, a 30% down payment was made, with the remaining balance to be paid in six months.
Thus, the complete film adaptation rights for "The Lord of the Rings" and "the hobbit" were secured by Linton.
Universal attached unprecedented importance to the release of Linton's debut album, allocating a promotion and distribution budget of up to $12 million.
Various tasks were progressing in an orderly fashion, and the official release date was set for Saturday, November 9th.
The newly filmed 10 music videos would be broadcast on TV in November, and this time, many local TV stations were proactively contacted and granted free authorization to air them.
The first batch of 10 million records had been pressed and was being shipped worldwide for distribution.
Of these, 5 million records were distributed to the North America market, ensuring they would be on shelves by the evening of November 8th and occupy the most prominent positions.
All posters were ready and would be displayed in every corner of every city by November 6th.
TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines had all prepared promotional articles, which would begin to air (publish) sequentially from November 6th.
Even more gratifying was that, thanks to Universal's diligent public relations efforts and Linton's genuine popularity and excellent personal image, Vogue magazine agreed to feature Linton on its cover in November.
For this, Linton even took half a day off during the music video filming to specifically cooperate with Vogue magazine for the cover shoot. Vogue magazine is released on the 10th of each month, which perfectly coincided with the promotion of his debut album.
On October 28th, with 10 days remaining until the album's release, Universal also arranged numerous exposure opportunities for Linton.
These included various TV talk shows, media interviews, magazine cover features, and appearances at NFL (National Football Alliance) games and NBA games.
In short, all available resources were utilized, keeping him incredibly busy every day.
In November, the three songs "Beautiful," "Natural," and "FreeLoop" were first played on MTV, immediately causing a huge sensation.
That same evening, almost all radio stations were playing these three songs by request, as the album had not yet gone on sale, so listeners could only enjoy them through radio requests.
Subsequently, on November 7th and 8th, the music videos for the remaining 7 songs were broadcast sequentially. Each song received an enthusiastic response from the audience, and many local TV stations immediately followed suit with their broadcasts.
At the same time, Universal's affiliated media, as well as the TV, radio, newspaper, and magazine outlets that Universal had previously secured through public relations, also followed up simultaneously.
Suddenly, various news and press releases about Linton himself and his album were everywhere, immediately igniting the fans' enthusiasm.
Since the official sales began on November 9th, this also meant that the radio stations in these few days almost became a special showcase for Linton's new album, greatly whetting the fans' appetite.
At the meeting on the evening of the 8th, the Director of Marketing happily announced:
"Even before the album went on sale, many channels requested urgent restocking. The initial stock for many stores has already been fully pre-ordered. We estimate that the first batch of 10 million copies will sell out quickly, and we recommend that the company promptly initiate production of the second batch of discs."
On November 9th, at the Los Angeles Rams' home game in the NFL (National Football Alliance), during halftime.
Linton excitedly rubbed his hands; it was about to be the first official live performance of his debut album. The song he chose was "Natural."
"Check your earpieces."
Upon reaching the player's tunnel, he instructed his companions, who would be entering the center of the stadium to perform with him, "Guys, everything okay?"
"Hey, don't worry about us."
Seeing that the Universal band members were all calm, Linton felt a little relieved.
"Remember what we discussed in the meeting earlier: don't be nervous, avoid unnecessary body movements, and don't be flippant," Duke loudly reminded from the side.
"Don't worry, it's fine," Linton patted his shoulder.
"First-week sales could exceed two million! We're going to make history!" Duke excitedly shouted.
"That's my debut album."
"Ready, 30, 20, 10, 9..."
The stadium lights extinguished in sequence, and a large spotlight shone on the exit of the player's tunnel.
When the countdown reached one, Linton strode forward. He felt the band members behind him, but he didn't turn to look. Instead, he raised one hand, pursed his lips into a cool smile, and greeted the audience.
After receiving an enthusiastic response from the live audience, the spotlight stopped in the center of the stadium. Linton stood still and looked down.
Only after the intro to "Natural" began did he raise his head and bring the microphone to his lips,
Will you hold the line
When everyone of them is giving up or giving in, tell me
In this house of mine
.......
The entire stadium of fans was ignited, and they all stood up, swaying their bodies to the rhythm.
After the exhilarating performance ended, he returned to his seat, where Duke, the head of publicity sitting next to him, cheered and hugged him.
"Linton, look, the entire audience was captivated by your singing. Today's effect was truly perfect."
The game then continued, with both teams closely matched in strength, making for an incredibly intense match.
"No one can stop you now. Just wait and see the sales results."
"Let's go back."
Linton waited for the game to end and immediately led everyone away. Universal Records' promotional activities for the past few weeks had been so packed that there was no time for delay. The publicity team had to rush to New York next.
While waiting at a red light on a city street, Linton, sitting in the car, could clearly see a record store on the roadside. His promotional posters, along with those of Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Mariah Carey, were the most prominent, occupying the best positions inside the store.
He rolled down the car window and heard the music playing inside the store was "FreeLoop." A long queue had formed at the checkout counter, and most people held his debut album, "Grow Up."
"It's completely sold out! Universal Records has already instructed the factory to start production of the second batch of discs," Duke said excitedly after taking a call.
"What are the reactions from various parties so far?" Linton casually asked.
"The situation is excellent, all positive reviews. However, you need to be mentally prepared; in a few days, smear campaigns and slandering from competitors will begin.
This is unavoidable. Look, since November 6th, requests for other songs on the radio have been very few; most are your songs. Think about how many people's paths you've blocked. Will these people simply remain silent? Even if they don't speak up, what about the record companies and stakeholders behind them?" Duke chuckled.
After the last public opinion battle, Linton had become much more composed. Indeed, this is the norm in business; isn't there a saying, "Business is like war"? But it's nothing; just adapt to the situation.
This North America promotional tour still covered the same 50 cities, planned to be completed in one month. Starting next month, Universal Records arranged for Linton to begin overseas promotions.
To enhance effectiveness, this promotion would proceed city by city based on market size, with New York as the first stop.
