[Chapter 5: Baby Promotion Takes Off]
On March 27, Linton called Mira and learned that he had no work scheduled for the day. Mira suggested throwing a housewarming party to celebrate his recent move and to help relieve some of the work pressure he had been feeling for over a month.
However, Linton thought it was unnecessary. In fact, he had already managed to relieve his work stress over the past few days. Since this was a rented house, he didn't feel there was any reason to celebrate a move. He declined Mira's kind offer and told her to cancel the reservation at the Hilton.
According to Universal's plan, his single was set to officially be released on April 3. They were in the midst of preparations, which included radio and TV interviews, newspaper and magazine features, putting up promotional posters, drafting press releases, having established artists hype him up, getting critics to write reviews, arranging offline events, and planning the publicity team's itinerary. They also had to send the final music video to MTV to be played at the scheduled times.
Starting tomorrow, Linton would have to follow the promotion team's requests to do interviews with newspapers and magazines. Universal had already prepared the scripts for him, so he just had to read them off.
...
Beginning on the 28th, Linton started to take part in numerous interviews, primarily discussing his creative philosophy and the emotional impact of his music.
Since the song was about young love -- ranging from romance to heartbreak -- he was also expected to talk about his views on relationships and dig into his romantic history. Some interviews even inquired about his sales expectations for the single and future outlook. Thankfully, he could simply recite the answers that Universal had prepared; they were all standard responses.
Additionally, some media that had prepared questions for him asked, "Didn't you study film and television production at USC? Why the switch to music?"
Linton responded, "Art is interconnected, and it all serves to meet people's spiritual and cultural needs. Right now, I'm writing and singing songs, hoping to bring some warmth and emotion to everyone. Who knows, maybe next year I'll be making movies and bringing joy through films instead!"
The reporters chuckled, amused by his confident remarks. The headlines were set: "Newcomer Debuts with Dual Talents in Singing and Filmmaking. Are You a Superhuman?"
Over the next six days, he had eight to ten interviews daily. Some required filming promotional photos, leaving him no time to rest. He even had to time his meals, making it far more exhausting than recording songs.
The promotion staff reminded him that this was just the beginning; after the single launched, his schedule would become even more hectic with a month-long tour across major North American cities. He would essentially spend every day on a plane or in a car, with interviews on TV and radio, fan meet-and-greets, and signing events, all while managing to eat and sleep in transit.
But for someone like Linton, with his resilience, it felt like a breeze. As long as it boosted his fame, it was all worth it. To him, the sales numbers were just a side effect of his success.
...
On April 2, at 5:30 PM New York time, the renowned DJ Philip on New Blue Radio was chatting with the host about gossip surrounding Steven Spielberg and Julia Roberts. During the busy evening rush hour, their radio show had a high audience rating, filled with light-hearted gossip that listeners loved.
"Did you hear? Julia Roberts got into a spat with Spielberg while filming Hook!" the host asked.
"Of course! I have a buddy working on set for Hook," Philip replied with calm confidence.
The host pressed for details, "What exactly happened?"
"Well, it turns out Julia has a bit of a leaf addiction. When she lights up, she can't act, and it often delays filming. Spielberg finally lost his patience and they had a huge blowup!"
The host inquired further, "How argumental did it get?"
"Not your typical argument! They were reportedly exchanging quite personal insults with some unpleasantries about each other's families. If it weren't for the crew stepping in, it might have turned physical, potentially jeopardizing the entire film!"
The host smirked before interrupting, "Alright, we'll pause the Spielberg and Roberts gossip for now and take a quick commercial break."
In the radio studio, during the ad break, Philip asked, "What's coming up next?"
"Linton's new song," the host replied, pulling out a CD from its case and handing it to Philip. "Make sure to say good things about it, you know what I mean!" He tapped the CD box.
"Who's this Linton guy? I've never heard of him, and he's a white guy," Philip commented.
"Universal's behind this one. It's a big company with big investments."
Philip opened the CD case, pulling out a $100 bill and slipping it into his pocket. "Now that's some real money! What's in it for you?"
"Countdown to the end of the commercial, 10, 9..."
"Just like you, remember to be positive about it!"
"Don't worry," Philip assured him, patting his pocket, "you know I take care of my business!"
As the show resumed, the host said, "Welcome back everyone! Now let's dive into the song from newcomer Linton! Here's Baby!"
"Linton's new single Baby was written and performed by him, receiving high praise from New York music critics. The song will hit major music stores tomorrow, so listeners who want it can..." With that, the beautiful melody began to play, prompting the host to go silent.
As the three-minute song played, it quickly wrapped up.
"Philip, what do you think? How would you rate this song?" the host asked.
"Linton is incredible; this song is fantastic!" Philip replied with professional enthusiasm.
...
Meanwhile, at 5:30 PM Pacific time on the same day in Los Angeles, DJ Glass was indulging in gossip about Madonna and NBA stars Pippen and Jordan.
"As you all know, the Bulls recently secured a 109-98 victory at home against the Hawks. Rumor has it Madonna was on-site supporting her rumored boyfriend Pippen, who had an outstanding game with points, rebounds, and assists.
Madonna couldn't help herself and had her assistant prepare a hot bath in her RV outside the arena. Once the game ended, she whisked Pippen away into the RV, leaving the other Bulls players in shock. Afterward, Pippen bragged to his teammates that his prowess had wooed Madonna, igniting jealousy among them. Jordan even reportedly offered to take a shot with Madonna the next day, confident in his own abilities. But guess what?"
The host eagerly probed, "What happened?"
"Haha! She rejected him flat out, questioning his capabilities!"
The chatter continued until they took a commercial break. Just like the other station, Glass asked the host, "What's next?"
"Linton's new song," came the response, along with the same arrangement to promote the CD, generating similar excitement across major stations in North America.
...
At 6 PM New York time, MTV premiered the music video for Baby. Everyone gathered at Universal to watch it and collect audience feedback. After viewing the three-minute MV, the room erupted in cheers: the singing was mesmerizing, the dancing was enticing, and Linton looked handsome while his co-star was stunning. It was clear that the audience would love it. Most attendees were watching the complete MV for the first time and were overwhelmed with excitement, shouting, "Linton! You're going to be a superstar!"
Sure enough, half an hour later, MTV reported that the audience had flooded the phone lines requesting a re-airing and inquired about purchasing it. Concurrently, many radio stations also began receiving requests to play Baby.
That afternoon, posters had already been plastered everywhere, and the promotional campaign had kicked off with full force. One million singles had been distributed to all channels, and they would be displayed prominently on the shelves the following day, with a second batch of one million already in production.
"Alright everyone, get some rest. Tomorrow at 9 AM, the promotion team gathers for departure," the promotion manager Duke reminded everyone.
Linton took the promotional plan from Duke's hands, glancing at the tightly packed schedule that made his head spin. They had 28 days to visit 50 cities across North America, including Vancouver and Toronto. The main promotional strategy would be to do local media interviews, engage with audiences through radio, and perform at city squares or parks while interacting with fans.
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