Behind The Spotlight Chapter 243
"Let me get this straight, you didn't play the music they requested three times? And what music is it, 'Selena'?" The producer of 'Music You Want' glared at the DJ, his expression cold and disappointed.
"Sir, I can explain."
"You're fired. I don't need an explanation. It's obvious why you did that. We have a copy of the music video of 'Selena,' yet you acted like it didn't exist." The producer waved his hand, cutting him off.
He could understand if the issue had simply passed unnoticed, but they had received multiple complaints that the DJ was not playing the songs the audience requested.
Thus, the producer had no choice but to do what needed to be done. He had to protect the program.
The DJ was speechless. He thought that this simple act of sabotage would be overlooked, as he had done similar things many times before. Yet this time was different. The situation escalated quickly. He realized that the money he received was nothing compared to his livelihood. His career was ruined.
"T- The reason why I did it is because of Velvet Harmony's—"
"As I said, you don't have to explain yourself. You're fired."
"..."
The DJ left MTB, and his career took a downward spiral. He never found success in any career he pursued afterward. On top of that, he exposed the truth out of bitterness, revealing that Velvet Harmony had been intentionally sabotaging other musicians. A few years later, he became a burger steak in a prestigious party...
The producer sighed as the DJ left. He actually knew what was going on, he wasn't naive. He had been in MTB for decades and had produced many kinds of shows. He was Vivian's coworker, but their relationship wasn't strong, they were merely acquaintances.
Vivian had asked him for a favor to play Pulse Static's song on his program, but he made no promises. He remained neutral, just like he did back when Princess Chantal debuted.
However, this situation was almost identical to what happened back then.
'It's as if people are being hypnotized into playing a single song over and over again.'
Back then, when Princess Chantal released her debut album, MTB only aired it once before it exploded in popularity.
'I only experienced this kind of fame during the debuts of Jackson Mike and Madunna.'
He had also heard about the massive sensations of Elves Prisley and The Beatle, but he had been too young at the time.
The producer defined it as star factor, an intangible quality. These artists possessed strong charisma and talent that fans instantly fell in love with.
It seemed that he was witnessing it again. As a veteran in the industry, he could distinguish between those with genuine star factor and those with mediocre talent boosted by their record labels.
'My question is: how can Moonrise Music discover artists with such impactful talent twice?'
Niko was a co-owner of Moonrise Music, so it wasn't surprising that their songs were good. But having charismatic performers was a different matter.
Pulse Static was very fortunate because their songs were composed by someone with golden talent.
Mikael Wagner plus Niko Walkman, their combined golden talents intensified the star factor. Because of this, the song became an instant success.
...
...
...
July, 2000.
A month after Pulse Static's debut single.
"... How much money did we spend on this entire operation?" Jeff Stain asked his secretary, his tone heavy.
"Sir, it's 50 million." The female secretary swallowed hard.
"So you're telling me that we spent $50 million trying to prevent Pulse Static from becoming successful, yet we still failed!?" His voice rose hoarsely.
What happened with Princess Chantal had been a mistake, a failure they deeply regretted. Back then, Velvet Harmony hadn't taken her seriously. They had done the bare minimum to sabotage her. By the time they realized how quickly she was gaining fans, it was already too late. She had already risen to the top.
They even tried to dig up anything that could destroy her, crimes, scandals, anything humiliating, but found nothing. She was clean. Even her parents refused their offers despite the money. Princess Chantal's parents weren't foolish. They understood that if she lost her fame, they would lose their luxurious lifestyle as well. They were also wary of Collin.
Velvet Harmony even attempted to fabricate a scandal, but Isabella always made sure Princess Chantal stayed out of trouble. On top of that, for some reason, they had also offended someone from the Wallmart family.
"... Fuck!" Jeff Stain threw his wineglass to the ground, causing it to shatter loudly. The secretary flinched in fear.
"Then what about Arnold and Jolyne? I offered that agent a better deal, but he didn't take it seriously. We even threatened him. What happened? Why didn't it work?"
"Sir, the news about Arnold and Jolyne Robs being married spread all over the media."
"Good. Are they suffering because of it?"
"No, sir... The fans congratulated them."
"So all of our efforts were useless, is that it?" He was livid. His face darkened as he contacted his friend, Papa Daddy.
"This is Jeff. Yeah, don't worry, you're always invited, you know that. Anyway, I have a favor to ask. Why don't you invite these people to your party? Maybe they'll be interested in something fun. Tempt them. Are you good with that? Nice, I'll send you the list."
Jeff Stain and Papa Daddy operated in the same line of business, blackmailing high-profile individuals. They would invite them to parties and secretly record them committing "crimes." Because of this, they had become nearly untouchable in the industry. Although many people despised them, and their reputations were rotten.
This time, they planned to create a scandal involving Arnold's and Collin's clients. Yes, Collin was included, since Princess Chantal was his client.
....
....
...
"William, I didn't expect to see you here. It's been a while."
Collin greeted the young man with a polite smile. William had matured. He was no longer the naive person who easily believed everything.
William grinned and shook Collin's hand.
"Collin, I've been waiting to meet you. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine."
"Haha, I shouldn't have asked. Of course you're doing fine, your clients are all successful." William let out a businesslike laugh.
After graduating, William decided to explore the world to gain life experience. He wanted to understand different perspectives and ways of living.
What he learned was simple:
Money makes life easier.
[Sorry for not updating these past few days, I'm very depressed and lack the motivation to do anything productive. I'll try to be better.]