It's worth mentioning that Bella's work efficiency was outstanding; she had already established fan clubs in most cities across North America, not missing a single one of the top 50 cities.
Linton's promotional tour was also a test of Bella's work, with Bella, Molly, Mira, and Danny accompanying him throughout, along with the two bodyguards provided by Universal.
Each city had a fan meet-and-greet (or autograph session), which not only enhanced fan cohesion but also served as the best occasion to stimulate fan purchasing power.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving in each city, as soon as they disembarked the plane, a large group of fans would be there to greet them, dressed in uniform attire and holding up support banners that read, "Linton, fly bravely; stars will always follow."
This greatly surprised Duke, the head of the promotion team, who wondered if the company hadn't purchased airport pick-up services (at this time, there were already professional PR companies offering such services).
When he realized these were Linton's genuine fans, who had come voluntarily out of true affection, he found it even more incredible. This was the kind of treatment reserved for superstars; was Linton that popular?
What he didn't know was that the fan club Linton had personally established was unleashing immense energy, and its role would only grow in the future.
The subsequent promotional activities in New York were entirely surrounded by enthusiastic fans. While he was interviewed by the media at the hotel, the hotel was swarming with fans. When he interacted with the audience on the radio, the radio station's phones were overwhelmed by fan calls.
Especially during the fan meet-and-greet, held at the Madison Square Garden Theater, all 5,600 seats were filled, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
Besides singing and performing, Linton invited several fans on stage to perform with him and prepared 200 signed posters for a live lucky draw.
The fan meet-and-greet (autograph session) was exceptionally successful, setting aside the performance segment.
During the autograph session that followed, almost every fan present supported him by buying an album, with some purchasing several, and one person even bought 50 albums directly.
According to post-event statistics, nearly 10,000 albums were sold at this autograph session alone.
However, this was just a small part. Besides autograph sales, the most important aspect of holding a fan meet-and-greet, especially one with many performance segments like this semi-fan club event, was its promotional nature.
For this autograph session, Duke arranged for a local New York TV station to broadcast the promotion.
On the 10th, the latest issue of Vogue was released, featuring Linton on the cover, which drew more mainstream attention to him, further expanding his influence and boosting album sales.
Even Winona Ryder in Los Angeles specifically called.
"I saw the latest Vogue. Your cover is so handsome, so sexy! Did you give the photographer a bribe? Why did he make you look so good?"
Indeed, Linton on the cover looked truly handsome: an Armani suit + white shirt, a tall and straight posture, a dignified sitting position, deep and soulful eyes, a high nose bridge, sensual lips—strikingly attractive...
"Mainly because I'm handsome!" Linton knew she was impulsive, so he played it cool.
"...Hmm, that's true!"
Linton was a little surprised: "Oh, you think so too?"
"Nonsense. If you weren't handsome, would I have gone to a hotel with you the first time we met? Can't say any more, when are you coming back to Los Angeles? I can't hold back anymore."
"Wait for it. I should be back around December 8th."
"It's a deal. Notify me first when you're back in Los Angeles, I'm going to exploit you thoroughly."
Immediately after, Cameron Diaz and Naomi Watts also called to congratulate him on his album's massive success and his successful appearance on the cover of Vogue.
Mira also had a new perspective when congratulating him: "Linton, high-end luxury brands should be looking for you to endorse them soon. At the very least, Armani will come to us. Just wait and see."
This indirectly showed that Vogue's influence was indeed extraordinary.
They then immediately rushed to San Francisco, repeating the same promotional activities.
In every city, Linton felt the explosive energy of his fan club, making him immensely satisfied with Bella's work and deciding to give her a bonus and a raise upon their return.
This also greatly surprised the entire promotion team, who all elevated Linton to superstar status in their minds.
Thus, traveling from place to place, the promotion team continued its journey. The hardship was undeniable, but the results were surprisingly good.
A week passed, and Linton's debut album sales in North America reached an astonishing 2.3 million copies (Overseas Market statistics are more difficult and not as timely). This had already matched Madonna's best first-week performance and was second only to Michael Jackson's sales miracle.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Weekly Album Chart, with three new songs also debuting in the top 5 of the Weekly Singles Chart.
These were "You're Beautiful" at number one, "Natural" at number three, and "That's the Way Love Goes" at number four, with the other seven new songs all entering the top 30.
Additionally, sales on the 9th and 10th reached 1.05 million copies (Billboard's tracking period is Monday to Sunday), bringing the album's North American sales to 3.35 million copies in nine days, truly shocking the industry.
Linton himself also clearly felt his popularity rapidly increasing, and his Cultivate speed also greatly improved. On November 28th, Linton smoothly Breakthrough to the 7th level of Qi Cultivation.
On December 8th, Linton and his team completed their tour of 50 North American cities and returned to Los Angeles. The entire team, except for Linton, was exhausted.
However, the results were also very encouraging, with album sales steadily climbing: after breaking 2.3 million in the first week, it sold 1.8 million in the second week, and 1.45 million in the third week, consistently holding the top spot on the Billboard Weekly Album Chart.
Universal's album production lines were running at full capacity, the second batch of 10 million albums had long been delivered and distributed worldwide, and the third batch of 10 million discs was already being pressed.
As of yesterday, Universal Records' own statistics showed North American sales alone had exceeded 7 million.
Overseas Market estimates were slightly lower but would not be less than 5 million copies.
Universal had raised its sales target to 30 million copies, challenging Madonna's highest record of 27.7 million for "True Blue" (the second-highest-selling album globally).
Of course, it still couldn't compare to Michael Jackson, whose "Thriller" album sold a staggering 60 million copies worldwide, with North American sales alone exceeding 20 million copies.
The explosive sales performance immersed the entire Universal Records in a sea of joy.
Even more astonishing, all songs on the album entered the top 50 of the Billboard Weekly Singles Chart, all 10 new songs entered the top 30, and "You're Beautiful" had achieved three consecutive weeks at number one.
Back at Universal, after a brief summary, Daniel concluded:
"The North America promotion has concluded. You will rest for 3 days. Starting on the 12th, we will begin Overseas Market promotion to further boost sales in the Overseas Market.
Based on the single and album sales of our country's top-tier artists, Overseas Market sales should be greater than North America's.
The higher the star's status, the larger this proportion becomes. For superstars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Whitney Houston, their album sales in the Overseas Market far exceed the North America Market.
Linton, you've developed too quickly. Although you're already a top-tier singer in North America, your fame is even catching up to that of a superstar.
However, your fame in the Overseas Market is still far from enough. We need to intensify promotion in the Overseas Market to accelerate the spread of your fame. The best way is for you to personally go overseas for promotion.
The promotion department has already drafted the promotion plan, which includes 7 cities: London in the United Kingdom, Paris in France, Berlin in Germany, Rome in Italy, Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, and São Paulo in Brazil.
Each city will be 3-4 days, plus flight time, for a total of 27 days.
All seven of these cities have our branch offices, and they have prepared your specific promotional itinerary. You will rest for 3 days, depart on the 12th, with London as the first stop.
Additionally, there's good news: next year's AMA (United States Music Awards) will be held on January 18th, and you should receive a nomination for Best R&B/Soul New Artist.
We are also communicating with the organizing committee to try and get you to perform live. You'll have time to prepare for the performance after you return from overseas."
Daniel also gave Linton another piece of good news: Universal was preparing to settle the second installment of royalties for three singles, asking Linton to arrange for an economist to follow up on the audit confirmation.
