Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 56: Additional Effects

When Renly saw "Cleopatra" ranked forty-eighth on the iTunes instant download chart, he was genuinely surprised. A niche folk song by an unknown independent artist had no sales gimmick whatsoever. In the midst of thousands of digital singles, the chances of being discovered by listeners were almost close to zero.

Although iTunes had a feature to recommend singles based on users' playlists and preferences, the recommended songs were carefully chosen. Even if they recommended independent artists, they tended to favor artists signed to their label as it aligned with their interests. Recommending an obscure unknown artist? Apple wasn't in the charity business.

In other words, the idea of "Cleopatra" climbing the download chart was nothing short of a pipe dream.

But now, a miracle unfolded before Renly's eyes. He couldn't help but slightly open his mouth in astonishment. For a moment, he couldn't find the right words to describe his feelings. But upon hearing Neil's excited words, Renly burst into laughter. "Billboard? I don't think so."

As the most representative, authoritative, and popular music charts in the world, Billboard might not represent the preferences of all listeners, and it might lack professionalism. However, as a reflection of the commercial and popular aspects of the music market, it was unparalleled. Even Japan's Oricon chart and the UK's Official Charts couldn't compare.

Billboard's charts could be broken down into every music genre, but the most important were undoubtedly the comprehensive chart, the Top 200 albums chart, and the Hot 100 singles chart. Any artist who topped these charts, even if just for a week, would be the most direct reflection of their popularity.

Billboard's charts didn't merely calculate sales; they continuously adjusted their ranking system to reflect radio airplay, digital downloads, physical sales, and streaming data from platforms like YouTube, VEVO, and Spotify. This data was then calculated according to the official formula, and rankings were determined by points.

In other words, the iTunes instant download chart was just a part of Billboard's weekly ranking calculation. Without radio and streaming data, even if a single temporarily topped the iTunes chart, it would struggle to rank high on the Billboard chart.

So, the media often mentioned things like, "This single hasn't been sent to radio stations temporarily, so the points are low," or "Without a music video, streaming data is very low, so it can't climb up the ranks." And so on.

This single, "Cleopatra," had no radio promotion, no music video, and no physical single. Relying solely on iTunes instant download data, it was impossible to break into the top 100 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Moreover, the current download data for "Cleopatra" hadn't reached astonishing levels; it was only ranked forty-eighth, with downloads likely around one to two thousand. Of course, for a single without any promotion, this achievement was indeed remarkable, which was why Renly was surprised. However, as for Billboard, that was another story.

"Why not?" Neil became even more excited. "Let me tell you, the bars around Greenwich Village all love this song. The download numbers aren't just for show. Last month, Stanley even went to Manhattan's radio stations to promote this song. We heard it twice last week alone."

As a country on wheels, radio stations in the United States hadn't declined despite the advancement of television and the internet. They still thrived. Every state, every city had its own radio stations, too numerous to count. Just on Manhattan Island alone, there were hundreds of radio stations.

Most commercial radio stations had agreements with the five major record companies, and the daily music playlists were mostly determined within a certain range. However, Pioneer Village, as a well-known music bar near Greenwich Village, even recommended in the official tourism handbook of New York City, had some connections in the local radio stations.

Renly couldn't help but show his surprise again. Although he had recorded "Cleopatra" as a gift for Stanley due to his dedication and passion, he didn't expect Stanley to take it seriously and actively promote the song.

Seeing Renly's expression, Neil became triumphant. "And that's not all," he said, throwing out another bombshell. Renly remained calm this time, which made Neil anxious. He brought his laptop over, eagerly opened the YouTube page, and clicked randomly. "Look, look, here's another achievement!"

After watching the video for a while, Renly's brows furrowed slightly. "What's this?"

Neil's heart sank slightly as he realized he had inadvertently exposed himself. It was evident from Renly's expression that it was his first time seeing this video. "Heh heh, just a hobby. I recorded your performance at the bar last time. I thought such an excellent performance shouldn't be just for us to watch; it should be shared with everyone."

The video playing on YouTube was none other than Renly's performance of "Cleopatra." He had no idea Neil had recorded it, let alone uploaded it to YouTube. Judging from the upload date, it was from last summer. As the person involved, he only found out about it now. It felt absurd.

Neil carefully observed Renly, unsure of his current mood. He quickly preempted, "Everyone loves it, really! This video was officially recommended on YouTube last Thursday, and now it has over two million views and the likes have reached..." Under Renly's gaze, Neil's voice gradually trailed off, almost inaudible.

"My eyes still work," Renly said in a deep voice. The number of likes on the video had exceeded fifty thousand, which was truly astonishing.

Although there were many YouTube stars now, anyone picked at random would likely surpass Renly in terms of statistics. However, the fact that a video uploaded nearly nine months ago, under the radar, had accumulated to this extent was quite astonishing.

Upon careful consideration, the reason wasn't difficult to discern— "The Pacific." The buzz generated by this work online had brought Renly significant exposure. As search indices rose, so did the views on his YouTube videos. Consequently, the increase in iTunes downloads had a reasonable explanation.

This was the first time Renly had personally felt his rising popularity. He wasn't just an unknown anymore. "Renly Hall" was becoming increasingly known to more people, and the extensive coverage in the news finally felt real. However, he didn't expect it to happen in this manner, a testament to the uniqueness of the internet age in the 21st century.

Suddenly, Renly realized why the truck driver had reacted that way earlier! It wasn't because of "The Pacific" but because he had watched the performance video on YouTube. He found it strange. Why did the reactions not match up with "The Pacific"?

"Don't blame Neil. I'm involved in this too." Stanley's familiar voice came from behind, and Renly turned to see Stanley walking over with a look of apology and guilt. "I just felt that beautiful music should be shared with everyone. Your performance shouldn't be limited to just us old folks at Pioneer Village. I hope you don't mind."

Renly had never been particularly interested in music. Revealing his creations and performances behind his back was a form of disrespect to him.

Initially, he felt angry when he found out, but seeing Stanley's sincere apology, all negative emotions dissipated. Instead, he felt a slight warmth in his chest. He could sense Stanley's enthusiasm and dedication, pure enough to move anyone.

Moreover, Renly had recorded and uploaded the single himself without anyone's coercion, hadn't he?

"Shouldn't I thank you guys instead?" Renly said with a smile. Neil, who had been standing by with a penitent look, suddenly perked up. His eyes lit up with surprise. "This was my gift to you. How you use it is up to you. But now, it seems this gift is bringing me something in return. At least, I should be getting some royalties. I'll treat everyone to dinner one day."

Renly's banter elicited laughter from everyone. Neil started boasting again, "I knew it! I knew your music would be loved by countless people. Look, streaming data is continuously rising now. It's not just YouTube and iTuify's playback rates, but Spotify's on-demand rate has also been rising. Next, making it onto the Billboard Hot 100 isn't just talk."

Seeing Neil's demeanor, Renly chuckled. "So what's next? Should we start thinking about making it into the top ten or even winning?"

A niche folk song breaking into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100? That would be the most outstanding joke in the music market since the 21st century began.

"Why not!" Neil pounded his chest confidently.

Renly nodded seriously, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Then I'll be waiting for that day! When it happens, I'll take you for a ride on the Hudson River."

Neil and the others immediately started cheering again. Renly stood up and walked over to Stanley. He solemnly said, "Stanley, thank you. I mean it." This old man who had loved music all his life was realizing his dreams in his own way.

...

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