(special thank for my new patron)
{Drone footage} and (cesar montemayor)
Upon receiving the invitation to perform with MJ, Link was initially very excited and thrilled.
MJ was the King of Pop, the most accomplished and influential singer in the history of pop music, with over a billion fans worldwide. Even at the peak of their careers, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Jay Chou couldn't compare to him.
Being invited by him to sing at his concert was even more praiseworthy than winning a Grammy Award.
However, after the call, he gradually calmed down.
MJ's main purpose in inviting him to the concert was definitely to quell the impact of the incident and mend the rift between his and Kanye's fan bases, not because he sang well.
Additionally, he remembered that MJ seemed to have passed away this year. He didn't know the exact time or cause, and even if he did, there was nothing he could do. He wasn't a doctor and couldn't help him with his illness.
If MJ passed away before the concert started, the invitation would be an empty promise, and there was no need to get too excited.
Link opened Twitter and posted three words: "Let it go."
After posting, fans' comments came in quickly, asking if there were any new songs.
Some urged him to release new songs quickly, as it had been two months since his last album, and they wanted more new songs like "Give Me Reason."
Before he could reply, Selena Gomez jumped in and replied: "There are songs, written by Link, a great song. I'm practicing it and will release it as a single in June, remember to support it."
After starring in several Disney movies, Selena had also become a rising star in the film industry, very popular among teenagers.
Her fans asked her to follow Link's example and also make a singing video to post on YouTube so everyone could hear how the song was.
After a while, Selena posted a video link.
Link clicked on it and saw Selena sitting on a sofa, playing guitar and singing, only singing two lines of the chorus: "Let it go, let it go, I don't care what they're going to say, let the storm rage on."
It sounded pretty good, matching her voice well.
Link left a comment praising her singing.
Selena sent a heart emoji and asked him online how his SAT preparation was going. If he needed other materials, she would mail them to him immediately.
After Selena asked this question, their comment section exploded.
Big star Link was taking the college entrance exam?
The world boxing champion was also taking the SAT?
Many people were asking if it was true.
Someone even claimed to have a perfect SAT score and offered to be his tutor for free.
Link wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, wanting to hit Selena a few times. He signed up for the SAT to experience the feeling of the college entrance exam and see how high his current cognitive level was.
To avoid failing, he kept a low profile, only telling a few close people around him.
Now that Selena had exposed it, it would definitely be in the news tomorrow and known by everyone.
If he failed, he would lose face.
Ding dong~ Ding dong~
Selena sent several text messages apologizing, saying that she had accidentally sent it on Twitter instead of MSN.
Link sent a few emojis of knocking on the head, saying he would beat her up when he went to New York.
Selena sent three cheering emojis, saying she believed he would definitely get a good score.
Link knew this girl must be laughing while texting.
Since things had come to this, there was no other way.
He could only spend more time on textbooks, read more books, and do more practice tests.
Yes, to prevent any accidents, he bought several sets of SAT practice tests from a Chinese tutoring center, implementing the tactic of practicing with a sea of questions.
He didn't believe he couldn't get a good score.
Ding dong dong!
There were too many things happening. Just as he put down his phone, Miss Eva called.
"The internet says you're preparing for the SAT? Is it true?"
"Yes!"
Link said resignedly.
"Unbelievable! You, an Olympic champion, a world boxing champion, a big star, are actually preparing for the SAT like a middle school student? Many young people online say you're super cool and want to learn from you. Congratulations, you've gained a group of teenage fans."
Miss Eva joked.
Link wasn't interested in teenage fans, "I'm doing SAT practice tests. Did you call just to tease me?"
"You're doing practice tests?!"
There was a scoff from Miss Eva's side, followed by a moment of silence. Then Miss Eva coughed twice and said seriously, "Of course, I called you for a reason. Guess how many copies of 'The Fighter' were sold last week?"
"30,000?"
After entering March, album sales showed a downward trend.
He remembered that it was 48,000 copies the week before last, with cumulative sales in the US reaching 1.652 million copies.
"It's 218,000 copies! The northern states didn't see much increase, only about 15%, but more than ten states in the central and southern regions saw the biggest increase, exceeding 210%, quadrupling. According to Boston Data Consulting, through this incident, your fame in the US has increased by nearly 25%, and many fans and boxing fans have directly become loyal fans."
Miss Eva said excitedly.
Link didn't quite understand the meaning of these two figures.
"But Kanye and the others slandered me, calling me a racist, which will also make me lose some black fans."
"You don't have to worry about that. Every singer has their own market positioning, and accurate positioning is the key to making money.
Before this incident, most of the people who bought your album were under 30 years old, mainly white and Latino women. They liked your looks and figure, and then your songs.
After this incident, the number of adult male fans increased sharply, also mainly white and Latino, so there's no need to worry too much about the lost part. No one can make everyone like them, not even MJ."
Miss Eva said.
Link had never been a singer before and didn't know much about these things. After listening to Eva's explanation, he realized that fans could also be divided into different types.
"Sounds good."
"Of course it's good. There's one more thing. The first month's domestic and overseas royalties will be coming in soon, about over 28 million dollars. 20 million will be used for dividends, and I plan to keep about 8 million to acquire a recording studio and sign a few new singers. Do you have any objections?"
"I agree!"
To build up the Link Music label and make it a large music company, relying on just one singer wasn't enough. It was best to select a few more promising newcomers.
Link thought he could spend more time in bars, maybe he could find one or two future superstars.
"Well, lastly, student Link, how are you doing with the practice tests? Do you want me to explain any questions to you? I took this exam back in the day."
Miss Eva teased.
"Really? What was your score? Send me a picture of your transcript."
Beep beep beep! The call was hung up.
Link smiled slightly. The media reported that Miss Eva's SAT score seemed to be 1080.
With a perfect score of 1600, this score could only be considered average.
(End of Chapter)