Chapter 196: Sales Soar

After Ethan finished filming his scenes, they began shooting the final shots.

Taylor Swift stood in a lake, wearing a woven flower crown on her head, letting her dress flow with the water, while the background featured a forest. She looked like an enchanting elf, radiating beauty.

"Click!" Ethan captured this scene, intending to use it for the album cover.

Once filming wrapped, Taylor walked over to her family, and Scott approached Ethan.

"Ethan, do you think Taylor's album will sell well?" While Scott had confidence in his daughter, seeing the album about to be released, he was still uneasy.

Ethan smiled reassuringly, "Of course, there's no doubt. I believe Taylor will become America's top country music female artist. The album will sell very well."

"Thank God for that," Scott said, feeling relieved.

"Ethan, I'll need you to keep looking out for Taylor. She's got such a strong will; she doesn't even listen to us sometimes. Thankfully, she still listens to you."

"Don't worry, she's like a little sister to me. But I think Taylor will mature over time."

After speaking with Ethan, Scott returned to his car.

Watching Taylor and Austin shoot their photos from afar, Taylor's mother, Andrea, put away her usual smile and expressed concern, "I think Taylor might have developed feelings for Ethan."

Scott shrugged it off, "It's not just a feeling… she likes him."

"Well, that's true," Andrea sighed, "Ethan is tall, handsome, young, rich, and famous. What woman wouldn't like him?"

"You shouldn't worry too much. Maybe it's just a phase," Scott patted his wife on the shoulder.

"Alright, did you talk to him like you said?" Andrea asked, concerned.

"I did, and I told him to stay away from my little girl. Even if he's her boss, he can't be too close!" Scott said, trying to sound serious, making Andrea laugh and nudge him playfully.

"Please, Scott, I know you. You've never upset anyone in your life."

"Alright," Scott said, shrugging, "I only hinted at our concerns about Taylor dating him. He understands. Someone like him must have a girlfriend, and Taylor's so young. There's no chance for them."

"Let's hope so," Andrea said, though she liked Ethan, she didn't want her daughter to fall for a Hollywood type. She hoped for a simple, loving boy for her.

Scott, on the other hand, didn't quite share her view, or he wouldn't have had that conversation with Ethan.

Both of them cared for Taylor, though their concerns were different.

Days later, Giorgio from United Records and Angel Declaration signed a new revenue-sharing contract: Angel Declaration would take 74%, while United Records would take 26%.

It was the lowest rate Giorgio had ever agreed to, with many restrictions attached.

If global sales didn't exceed 1.5 million in the first year, the split would return to normal.

If sales fell short of 1.2 million, Angel Declaration would have to give United Records an additional 10% of the revenue.

Giorgio didn't expect Taylor's album to reach those numbers. Honestly, if it reached platinum, it would already be an impressive debut.

But, unfortunately, things never go as planned.

Ethan made sure that every advertising channel within reach promoted the album. The ad was simple—a short clip of Taylor singing with her album cover.

The effect was incredible because the song was fresh and captivating. Within just a few days, it sparked a discussion in music forums in New York and California.

Taking advantage of the lull in album releases by major artists that month, Ethan quickly released Taylor Swift, the album.

The first-week sales? 80,000!

When Giorgio saw the sales figure, it felt like his head had been struck with a hammer.

Because, unless something unexpected happened, the album would reach 300,000 sales by the end of the month.

While the sales would eventually taper off, based on previous trends, the album would definitely reach a million. This meant United Records would likely be stuck with a minimal share of the revenue.

"Dammit! Ah!" In Giorgio's office, several golf clubs were broken in frustration.

Meanwhile, music lovers across the country were discussing Taylor Swift's work.

"Dingling."

The bald black man, Madden, and the bespectacled Puchi returned to Deval's music shop after a long time.

"Hey, I thought you guys had been arrested for owing money," Deval teased from behind the counter as he adjusted his vinyl record player.

"Of course not!" Puchi retorted. "We were just lost on the path of photography."

"Not me," Madden raised his hand in surrender. "I was studying for exams."

"Hey, you're still my buddy! How can you say such cold words about such a warm body?" Puchi shot Madden a sharp look.

"Alright, alright, you do you." Madden walked into the store.

"Boss, any good new songs?" Madden glanced around, noticing how different the shelves looked from a few months ago.

There were so many new releases, it was overwhelming.

"Yeah, look over there." Deval pointed toward a group of people sitting around a TV, waiting for something.

"What are they doing sitting so neatly?" Puchi adjusted his glasses. "Are they having an illegal meeting?"

"Watch what you say, Four-Eyes!" someone near them scolded. "We're just waiting to see Taylor's music video."

The CD had sold out quickly last week, so everyone had to wait for more copies, passing the time by watching the MV in-store.

"What MV could have such power?" Puchi pulled on Madden's sleeve and went over to take a spot.

"Where do I sit?" Madden noticed all the seats were taken, so he stood.

"Sit on my lap," Puchi patted his thigh.

Madden quickly refused, "I'd rather not. I don't have that kind of weird interest."

"Then you sit down, I'll sit on your lap."

"FXXK! I'm not gay!"

After some playful banter, Madden ended up sitting on the floor.

Soon, the screen displayed Taylor Swift's new song, "Tim McGraw."

As the guitar intro played, the screen showed a pink sky and vast reed fields.

Taylor, dressed in a pink dress, lay by the lake, holding a recorder, her eyes reflecting the drifting clouds.

Next came Ethan, and when he appeared, the women near Puchi immediately gasped.

"He's so handsome!"

"Yeah, he's even more handsome than Tom Cruise!"

"Who is he? Why isn't he on the list?"

Puchi rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Women only care about handsome guys and big chests."

Madden grinned, "You should've said that louder."

"Shut up, bald head!" Puchi glared at him before being caught by the sweet melody.

"His blue eyes are sparkling, making the stars of Georgia fade," Taylor sang.

"Beautiful!" Puchi's eyes widened, and he quickly turned back to watch the video, completely forgetting the previous banter.

The video showed Taylor in various beautiful scenes—sitting in flower beds, beside the lake, or playing her guitar while drifting on the water.

The most memorable scene was when she lay in the lake, drifting with the water, playing and singing.

"How do they do that?" Puchi wondered aloud, though he couldn't deny the beauty of the scenes and Taylor herself.

"His blue eyes sparkled, making Georgia's stars dim, and I smiled, saying: 'It's a lie.'"

The song ended, and the audience was left to reflect on what they'd just seen.

"Hey, can we replay it? I haven't had enough!" Puchi jumped up, protesting to Deval.

Deval shook his head. "If you want to buy the album, sure. Otherwise, wait another half hour. And stop stepping on my chair."

"Half an hour? Dammit!" Puchi muttered but soon gave up and turned to Madden, "Let's go to another store. If we time it right, we can watch the MV on repeat."

But Madden refused, "Forget it. I'm buying the album. My idol has changed from Avril to Taylor Swift!"

"OMG, you switched sides that fast?"

Puchi scowled, "You're such a fickle man."

"You're one to talk. You used to be all about Cindy, now you're into Hot Angels' photoshoots."

Puchi blushed, "Shut up, bald head!"

After the playful exchange, Madden went up to the counter.

"Boss, give me a copy of Taylor Swift!"

"Sorry, we're sold out. Try again tomorrow at 8 AM," Deval said, as he had repeated many times that day.

"Fine." Madden frowned.

"I told you, let's go to another store and watch the MV," Puchi suggested.

But Madden shook his head. "Only one more day, and I'll get the album."

The next day, when Madden arrived early at Deval's shop to buy the album, he saw a long line.

"What's going on?" Madden wondered. He sneaked in through another door and saw the line was for Taylor Swift's album.

"What the hell! So many people!" Madden was shocked.

He rushed outside to join the line, waiting impatiently.

An hour and a half later, Madden finally entered the shop.

But Deval pulled out a sign and placed it on the counter: "Today's Taylor Swift album has sold out. We will resume sales at 8 AM tomorrow."

"Oh my God! I've been waiting this long!" Madden clutched his head, feeling helpless.

The expressions of the others were just as helpless. Even so, there were no extra copies of the album, and they had no choice but to disperse and try to buy it at other stores.

Of course, some smart ones, after grabbing the album, immediately began reselling it outside the store.

Madden, who was about to leave, was stopped by someone. This person opened his coat to reveal several copies of the album. "Bro, just got these. $15 each."

"F**K! So expensive!" Madden quickly shook his head. Although he liked the album, he wasn't going to let himself get ripped off.

But there were people willing to pay the price to avoid having to wait in line again.

The shortage of the 'Taylor Swift' album wasn't just happening in New York.

In fact, it was happening in major cities all over the United States.

At the office of Republic Records, Giorgio was asking Ethan about the purpose of this strategy.

"It's just scarcity marketing," Ethan said, sitting back in the sofa with his legs crossed.

"But won't this make the fans angry?"

"I release the album every day. What's there to be angry about?" Ethan smiled.

Although he was playing the scarcity marketing game, it didn't mean the album would be unavailable for long; it just made people need to fight for it.

This strategy helped with the album's promotion. The more people who couldn't get it, the more others learned about it from their complaints.

"So when will we increase the supply?" Giorgio asked.

"Wait for the scalpers..." Ethan tapped his knee. "Once there are more of them on the market, we'll release a large supply."

"Tch..." Giorgio squinted at Ethan. "You're really devious."

"Thanks for the compliment."

One week later, the supply of the 'Taylor Swift' album was increased, and 90% of the fans who wanted it were able to buy a copy.

This caused many scalpers to be stuck with albums they couldn't sell, forcing them to lower their prices.

At the same time, due to the scarcity marketing, the album's sales surged after the supply returned.

In just one month, its sales reached 450,000, and it quickly shot to number one on the Billboard charts!

When Taylor's family heard the news, they couldn't believe it.

"Am I really famous now? Mom?" Taylor looked at the music magazines on the table, all praising her album. Just after flipping through two, she was so overwhelmed with happiness, she could barely handle it.

"Yes, baby!" Andrea said, equally excited. She hugged her daughter and said, "Our Taylor is about to become America's most famous country music female singer!"