[Chapter 11: Smear Campaign]
As everyone continued to advance amidst the exhaustion and joy of publicity, their competitors finally took action.
Initially, a tabloid reported that Linton was a student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and had not been seen on campus for the past three months.
The article suggested that not focusing on his studies and instead spending time singing and promoting his work was misguided, expressing concern that his talent might be overextended and that his path to stardom might be short-lived.
At the end of the article, it advised him to return to school, finish his studies, and then pursue singing after graduation.
...
Mira showed the newspaper to Linton and called together the accompanying public relations team to discuss a strategy. After reading the article, Linton remarked nonchalantly, "This is definitely a move by competitors trying to take me down. However, this article isn't a significant issue. Let Universal counter it through their own media.
I have two points to make: First, I have already completed my credits at USC, and working now doesn't affect my graduation. You can verify this with the school. Second, in general, especially in Hollywood, talent and ability are what matter most -- formal education isn't a requirement. Take Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, for instance; neither had high degrees. Even Madonna dropped out of college in her sophomore year, yet that didn't stop them from becoming superstars. I've always admired them."
"I'll contact the company right away. This article is just a warm-up; more will follow. Everyone, stay alert," said Duke, the PR manager.
Universal largely agreed with Linton's PR strategy but suggested enhancing it to also promote Linton's musical talent. They acted quickly, and that same day, several papers under Universal published rebuttals against the article. They cited Linton's credits from USC and emphasized that America is an open and inclusive country where talent can flourish and succeed. They argued that Linton was proving himself with his talent and that such a genius deserved support, encouragement, and a platform to grow.
...
With the publication of these two articles, more audiences noticed that Linton not only sang well but also was handsome and incredibly talented, prompting many to become his fans. Soon, the radio play of his two singles increased, and sales improved substantially.
The competitors couldn't sit tight; within a couple of days, several newspapers published more negative information about Linton. This time, the claim was that while it was understandable for Linton, at just 20 years old, to write a love song like Baby" creating an inspiring song like Numb required rich life experiences.
They argued that because Linton had spent all his time in school, he could not possibly have acquired the life experiences needed to write such a deep song, insinuating it must have been borrowed from someone else.
A senior music critic even publicly stated in a newspaper that Numb was ghostwritten by someone Universal hired to deliberately hype Linton's genius persona. Since the song was too good to slander directly, they would attack Linton himself.
...
Linton thought to himself, 'Strangely enough, they hit the nail on the head. Both these songs were borrowed, but from the future. But who can know? Now that I've written them, it's original and undeniable.'
However, he wasn't sure how to rebut that claim and asked his PR team, "What do you guys think?"
Duke replied, "Don't be tense; this is standard procedure for competitors. Linton, you need to realize how many markets you've taken over with your rapid rise and how many people you've blocked. Naturally, some will try to smear, vilify, and maliciously review you; that's a norm in our industry.
Your record is clean -- no drugs, no promiscuity, no bad habits. It's a good thing you recently sparked dating rumors with Cameron Diaz; or else they might have questioned your sexual orientation.
Since they can't find dirt on you, they resort to unfounded speculations to tarnish your image. However, we have robust copyright laws, and both your songs were registered with BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) before you joined Universal. Just by revealing this information, the public will clearly understand, and it will further showcase your talent. In fact, they're doing us a favor. Hahaha!"
...
As expected, that day, multiple papers under Universal released information about the copyright registration of Baby and Numb with BMI, clarifying the origins of both songs and the timeline of Linton's contract with Universal. They clearly laid out the copyright details and sternly reprimanded irresponsible media, emphasizing that America is a country governed by law. They warned that any further irresponsible speculation and malicious smear campaigns would result in legal action.
...
That evening, Universal arranged for Linton to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC's flagship program with significant national influence and high ratings. On the show, Linton performed Baby and Numb.
According to the pre-arranged script, Leno asked, "Linton, according to the information, you're a senior at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts?"
After Linton confirmed, Leno continued, "Recently, some media claimed you aren't focusing on your studies but are out singing and promoting instead. They are worried that your talent might get overexerted, and that your path to stardom might be short-lived; they suggested you return to school. What do you think?"
"First, I've already completed my college credits, and I'm just waiting to receive my diploma in late May; you can verify this with the school.
Second, I want to say that while education is essential, the purpose of learning is to enhance your abilities, enabling you to realize your dreams. When you have the capacity to chase your dreams, you should go for it without hesitation.
For example, there's Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Steve Jobs -- familiar names for everyone, right?"
Laughter erupted from the audience. "You can check; all three of them started their businesses while in college and achieved tremendous success. Compared to them, my journey is trivial."
The audience applauded.
"Furthermore, particularly in the entertaiment industry, talent and ability are what truly matter; educational credentials are not a necessity. Take Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson -- both lacked extensive education. Madonna left college in her sophomore year, yet that did not hinder their rise to stardom. I've always admired them too."
The audience's applause grew even more enthusiastic. Leno continued, "That's excellently said! If you have a dream, you have to pursue it! I also read an article stating you lack enough life experience and therefore couldn't have written a deep song like Numb. They even doubted if it was plagiarism or if Universal had someone ghostwrite for you. What do you have to say about that?"
"All I can say is, they just don't understand the world of genius. I indeed lack life experience; after all, I'm only 20 years old," Linton said, eliciting more applause and laughter from the audience.
"Art comes from life and transcends it. I have always valued observation, paying close attention to everything around me. Don't you think the stories described in Numb mirror experiences you've encountered?
Determining these observations is merely the foundation; the key to art lies in finding inspiration and connection within those observations. Once you have the inspiration, combined with a musical foundation, the song comes together.
Moreover, I actually finished writing this song before February, and I registered its copyright with BMI before joining Universal. The copyright information is clear, and the logical timeline is straightforward."
The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause. Linton's undeniable talent and the label of a genius singer couldn't be held back. Leno's talk show had an enormous impact, and as expected, the competitors backed off.
With this round of disputes, more people learned about Linton's genius, and his reputation as a genius singer spread widely, increasing his fan base.
Due to this surge in popularity, many students became Linton's fans, accelerating the spread and sales of his singles, which resulting in unstoppable momentum.
*****
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