The Greatest Showman - Trophy Effect

The number of trophies a singer wins often depends on the number of awards in their category. For example, the comprehensive category only offers four trophies, one of which is "Newcomer of the Year," meaning that even if a singer sweeps this category, they'll win no more than three trophies. Whether it's Michael Jackson's eight wins or Beyoncé's six, the number of awards a singer earns in their specific genre plays a key role in making history.

However, for Renly, this key is lost. In the folk division, only one trophy was awarded to the Civil War band. As for the alternative category that Renly dominated, it saw competition from jazz, folk, rock, bluegrass, and soul, among others. After breaking through these barriers, Renly won the lone trophy in this genre.

This resulted in Renly winning three trophies and two comprehensive awards, an achievement on par with Adele. It was an impressive performance from Renly.

Naturally, people reflected on Renly's three acceptance speeches. This made them recall the album Don Quixote's development over the past six months, and the stark contrast between the British pop singles chart and the Billboard chart.

The Grammy Awards and the album Don Quixote left a profound mark. Though 21 remains irreplaceable in its popularity and mass appeal, Don Quixote re-entered the public eye in a way that 21 never did. The album's presence wasn't just due to its Grammy nominations or the media buzz from the awards—it was the substance of Renly's speeches and the deeper reflection on the album that attracted a more niche, professional music crowd.

A comment left on the Grammy's official message board by a user named "Brando Fanatic" captured this sentiment perfectly: "Don Quixote — this is the Grammy we are familiar with, and what we are looking forward to from the Grammys."

This simple line became an iconic comment of the 54th Grammy Awards, quickly gaining traction among fans.

When it comes to popularity, Adele leads. But for musical depth and texture, Renly stands out. The Grammys managed to balance commercial appeal with artistic integrity, earning the respect of both critics and audiences.

Once the Grammys concluded, the applause was unanimous, with experts, reporters, and audiences praising the ceremony. This helped elevate the 43 million viewers who tuned in, making it one of the most successful Grammy broadcasts in history.

The Grammy effect is real. Much like Oscar-winning films boost box office revenue, Grammy-winning albums see surges in sales.

For example, when Norah Jones' Flying Away won, its sales skyrocketed more than twenty times, eventually selling over 10 million copies in North America alone.

This year, the Grammy-winning works were popular: Adele, Kanye West, and Spitfire dominated, while Schreck brought its own flavor to the table. However, it was Don Quixote that stood out as the most unexpected hit.

Before the Grammys, Don Quixote's sales were sluggish, with its highest week of sales coming in December. However, after the Grammy nominations and Renly's wins, the album's sales experienced a sudden surge.

In the third week of February 2012, Don Quixote saw an extraordinary spike in sales, reaching 450,000 copies in a single week. This was an unbelievable increase, especially considering the overall stagnation in the global music market.

In history, one of the most remarkable post-Grammy sales surges was Norah Jones' Go Away, which sold just 6,000 copies the week before the awards, but 370,000 the week after—a 66-fold increase. Similarly, Don Quixote saw a 56-fold surge in sales, from 8,000 copies the week before the Grammys to 450,000 the week after.

With this performance, Don Quixote easily topped the Billboard Albums Chart for the first time since its release, surpassing even Adele's 21, which sold 130,000 copies that week and ranked second.

The Grammy effect was clear, but this was just the beginning. Don Quixote had officially become a hit.

In February's fourth week, Don Quixote continued to soar, with another 370,000 copies sold, maintaining the momentum from the Grammys.

This was a far cry from the usual fleeting success of folk albums. Many albums experience a brief surge in sales, only to quickly fade away from the charts. Don Quixote, however, maintained its popularity due to a perfect storm of factors: three Grammy wins, Renly's continued promotion, the success of Me Against Cancer in theaters, and more.

By March, Don Quixote had secured six consecutive weeks atop the Billboard chart, beating Adele's 21. This is an incredible achievement, especially for a folk album in the 21st century, and it was an unprecedented feat given the market's conditions.

The album's quality also shone through in its continued success, with weekly sales consistently exceeding 200,000 copies. This was no longer just a Grammy effect; Don Quixote had earned its place among the great albums of the time.

By the fifth week of March, Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, ending Don Quixote's reign at the top.

But Renly had already proven something that few others could: a Grammy win can be more than just a fleeting moment; it can be the start of an enduring career.