Los Angeles, June 25th, 1973
Reynolds Mansion – Study Room
The date for promoting the Little Monsters music video was fast approaching, and Liam felt the pressure building. Balancing schoolwork with preparations for the album was no easy feat, and today he was deep in calculations, trying to figure out how many sales were needed to break even.
He stared at the numbers. They were daunting.
The songs they'd chosen were definitely hits back in their time, but times were different now. Success wasn't guaranteed.
As Liam leaned back, rubbing his temples, his mother Marie entered the study. She set a glass of juice on the table beside him and sat down.
"Liam, take a break and drink the juice," she said softly.
Liam sighed, putting the pen down. "Yeah, I'm done with the documents for now."
Marie glanced at the papers. "What's got you so worried? Everything seems on track."
Taking a sip of juice, Liam set the glass back down and exhaled. "It's the sales. We need at least two hundred thousand just to break even. Universal only needs about one hundred and twenty thousand to recoup their costs."
He flipped through the contract. "The upfront production commitment with Universal is fifty thousand records sold at $5 each. Worst-case scenario, Universal loses $75,000. But for us... we're risking $500,000. That's our investment on the line."
Marie looked at her stressed son for a moment before smacking him lightly on the head. "Liam, don't be ridiculous."
Liam blinked. "Mom?"
"You're usually smart. Why are you being so foolish now? Do you think I haven't considered all of this? Do you think our accountant hasn't crunched the numbers?"
She hugged him, gently resting her chin on his head. "Enjoy this process, kid. Leave the heavy stuff to us adults."
Liam smiled, the weight easing off his shoulders. "Thanks, Mom. I guess I was overthinking it."
Across the United States – June 27th, 1973
Posters of kids dressed in custom outfits, holding microphones, with the band name Little Monsters splashed across the top, began popping up everywhere. Each poster had a time slot for an upcoming TV special. The billboards followed, creating a ripple of curiosity across the country.
Magazines started featuring the band's photos, fueling the growing buzz.
This continued until the 4th of July, and by then, people were intrigued. Whether by chance or intention, millions tuned in to see what would happen during the designated TV slot.
In a small suburban living room,
A family of four gathered around the TV after dinner.
The father, flipping through the channels, suddenly paused.
"Hey, what's this?"
His young daughter sitting next to him replied.
"I don't know, But it's cool, that boy is so cute."
Father, "A song?"
In a busy café in New York City, patrons sat around sipping their coffees.
The TV mounted on the wall usually displayed the news, but today, a music video started playing.
"Is that... new?" a barista asked, turning up the volume.
At a college dormitory, a group of students were lounging on the worn out couches.
One of them, flipping through the channels, stopped when something caught his eye.
"Hey, check this out."
In a cozy apartment in Los Angeles, a young woman and her friends were having a casual sleepover. When a music video came on, one of them groaned. "Ugh, Ads again." but then they all stopped and watched.
Simultaneously, in homes, cafes, dormitories, and apartments across the country, TVs lit up with the opening notes of "High Hopes."
Back at the Light & Magic Club hideout, everyone were huddled around our TV.
"It's happening, We are on TV."
In the suburban living room, the father leaned forward, intrigued by the catchy tune and vibrant visuals. "Who are these kids?"
His teenage daughter, eyes glued to the screen, responded, "I don't know, but they're amazing!"
In the busy café, conversations hushed as the patrons focused on the screen. The barista, tapping his foot to the beat, commented, "This is actually really good."
A regular customer nodded, impressed."These kids have talent."
At the college dormitory, the students were initially skeptical.
"What's so special about this?"
one of them asked.
By the chorus, Everyone was singing along. "High High Hopes for living."
In the cozy apartment, the young woman and her friends were instantly hooked.
"This is awesome! Who are they?."
As the music video ended, a subtitle appeared on the screen: "Little Monsters New Album 'Hope' available for sale on [12'th July 1973].
Back at the Light & Magic Club, Everyone was grinning from ear to ear.
Sarah was practically bouncing with excitement.
Tommy high-fived Max. "We did it, guys! We're actually on TV!"
Rita couldn't stop smiling. "This is just the beginning. Imagine what they'll think of our next two music videos."
Liam crossed his arms to hold back his excitement.
"Next up is sarah."
In a small town diner, customers were engrossed in their meals when suddenly, a vibrant music video lit up the TV.
"Baby, you're a firework," Sarah's voice rang out clear and powerful.
In a bustling barbershop, the usual chatter fell silent as the barbers and clients alike turned their attention to the screen.
"Come on, show 'em what you're worth," the catchy tune had everyone nodding their heads in sync.
One barber hummed along, "Oh, Oh, Oh."
In a cozy suburban home, a mother and her daughter paused their chores to watch the video.
"Mom, who is this? She's amazing!" the daughter exclaimed.
Similar scenes were happening all across USA, Many young teneage girls just found their idol.
At the Light & Magic Club hideout, we were glued to our TV again.
"Sarah, you killed it!" Tommy said.
Sarah beamed, "I just can't believe it."
Sarah then patted rita on the back and said."It's your time to shine next."
in Nashville, Tennessee, country musicians were tuning their guitars and preparing for their next performance at a local bar.
As they set up, the music video for "The Climb" came on the TV.
"The struggles I'm facing, the chances I'm taking," Rita's soulful voice filled the bar.
A seasoned country singer paused, his hand on the tuning peg, and listened intently.
"This girls got nice voice."
His bandmate nodded, strumming a chord. "It's a Climb" he sang along, a smile spreading across his face.
In a quaint café in Austin, Texas, patrons were tapping their feet to the rhythm of "The Climb" as they sipped their coffees.
"She's going to be a big name in country music," one customer commented to her friend.
"That voice is something special," her friend agreed, swaying to the music.
At the end of each music video, a subtitle appeared: "Little Monsters New Album 'Hope' available for sale on [12'th July 1973]."
Back at the hideout
"Rita, you were incredible!"
Rita smiled."Thanks guys."
Two more of their songs, "Happy" sung by Tommy, and "Best Day of My Life" by Max, were broadcasted on radio stations across the country, capturing even more listeners.
In a small café, the usual morning chatter was interrupted by the upbeat notes of "Happy" playing on the radio.
A man at the counter tapped his foot to the beat.
"This song is so catchy. Who's the band again?" he asked the barista.
"It's a new band, I don't know the name, it's been on radio since yesterday." the barista replied, humming along.
Man chuckled."Maybe I'll check them out."
In a busy office, employees perked up as "Happy" filled the airwaves from a nearby radio.
"Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like a room without a roof,"
sang a secretary at her desk, smiling as she worked.
A coworker popped his head over the cubicle. "Catchy, right?"
"Yep, I am loving the vibe."
"Who is the singer?"
Secretary smiled."It's a kids band called little monster."
In a packed gym, the energy was high as people worked out to the upbeat tune.
"This is gonna be the best day of my li-i-ife,"
a group of friends sang in unison as they lifted weights.
One of them laughed, "This song just makes you want to move!"
In a family car on a road trip, the parents and kids joined in singing along to
"Best Day of My Life."
"Dad, can we get their album?" A young boy asked eagerly.
"Sure thing, champ. We'll pick it up on our way home,"
The father said, grinning as he tapped the steering wheel to the beat.
The following week, Little Monsters became the talk of the town.
Their posters were plastered everywhere, and their music videos kept replaying on television. The T.V. and billboard campaign had done its job, and people were asking, "Who are these kids?"
Newspapers and magazines featured articles about the Little Monsters, highlighting their story about the band name and upcoming album.
TV stations received numerous calls from excited viewers wanting to know more about the band Little Monsters and it's members.
The promotion and marketing blitz did their job, and anticipation for the Little Monsters
debut album, "Hope," reached fever pitch.
On the morning of the first album sale
A long line of eager fans stretched around the block.
Inside, the store owner couldn't believe his eyes.
"I've never seen a crowd like this for a debut album."
As the doors opened and the albums flew off the shelves, the impact of the Little Monsters' hard work was clear.
Fans eagerly clutched their copies of "Hope,"
excited to finally listen to the songs they had fallen in love with.
Universal Studio 17th July 1973
Charles Fries burst into Sidney Sheinberg's office, holding a stack of papers.
"Sidney, you need to see this," he said, excitement evident in his voice.
Sidney looked up from his desk, taking the papers from Charles.
His eyes widened as he scanned the figures.
"Incredible. The album 'Hope' sold 1.5 million copies in the just six days."
Robert Rhyme, who had just entered the room, overheard the conversation.
"1.5 million copies? That's insane for a debut album.
"Sidney nodded, a grin spreading across his face.
"We need to keep up with this demand. Ramp up production immediately."
Charles leaned against the desk, still amazed.
"These kids have done something remarkable. We need to make sure we don't run out of stock."
Sidney turned to Robert, "Get the marketing team on this. I will personally inform liam,
We need to capitalize on this momentum."
Robert nodded, already heading out the door to make the necessary calls.
"On it, Sidney."
Sidney sat down and collected the document of sales and current profits.
Revenue of 7.5 million dollars, with 50/50 Split it's 3.75 million each.
Removing the cost of producing the record we still made 1.5 million dollars in pure profit just in six days.
This 50/50 split, These kids they are really lucky. 3.2 million in pure profit.
That's half the budget of jaws.
At Light & Magic Club Everyone was nervously doing something.
Liam picked up the demo record tape.
Side A Tape
Main song was High hopes lead Liam
Second Song was Climb lead Rita
Third Song was Happy lead Tommy
Side B Tape
Fourth Song was Firework lead Sarah
Fifth Song was Best day of my life lead Max
Sixth Song was Count on me sung by everyone.
This is as far as we can do till we get intial result from universal.