Daniel Luman, the Vice President of Universal Records responsible for Linton's business, was very optimistic about Linton and confident in all three songs, believing they all had the potential to hit the Billboard charts.
After signing the contract, his advice to Linton was for the company to arrange a production team to complete the arrangements for the three songs as soon as possible and prepare for recording.
At the same time, considering Linton's relatively poor singing technique, a professional teacher was arranged to provide him with 10 days of intensive training to help Linton improve his skills in vocal runs, rhyming, pronunciation methods, and the transition between chest and head voice.
It was February 19th; the three songs would be recorded in March, and one single would be released each month to maintain maximum popularity, generate better sales, and minimize mutual interference when aiming for the Billboard charts.
Linton, of course, listened to the advice of professionals, and the MV for 'Baby' still needed to be filmed before the official release.
The company's distribution department suggested releasing 'Baby' in April and 'Numb' in May.
The reason for this arrangement was that once a single began to be released, the singer had to cooperate with promotions in major cities across the United States.
Linton, who had studied directing and was a legitimate TV drama director before Transmigration, initially thought about directing the MV himself.
However, after some thought, he realized that as a newcomer, Universal wouldn't fully trust him, and besides, recording three songs and filming an MV in one month was a considerable workload for a novice; if he also directed the MV, the progress would surely not be enough, so he decided against it for now and would consider it for the next two songs.
Next, Daniel arranged the producers for the three songs.
"Come on, let me introduce you, this is Lisa, she is our senior music producer at Universal, and she will be responsible for the production of the three songs from now on."
"Lisa, this is Linton, the work from now on is entrusted to you."
Lisa was a middle-aged Caucasian woman, of above-average appearance, dressed in a standard white-collar female suit, holding a folder.
She nodded and smiled at Linton, "Hi, Linton, I'm Lisa, and I'll be in charge of all arrangements, recording, and coordination during the single's production.
You'll undergo training these next few days while I prepare, and we'll officially start recording on March 1st."
The subsequent work had nothing to do with Mira, so Linton asked her to go back first and quickly rent a small villa.
Before the villa was rented, he simply found a hotel near Universal Records to stay in, and of course, all these arrangements were left to Mira.
At this point, Mira was ecstatic; a newly signed client had instantly brought her $50,000 in income, and Universal was about to arrange for Linton to release singles, so the future looked bright, and she was full of drive.
She stated that she would do her best to resolve the housing matter for Linton as quickly as possible, and at the same time reminded Linton to remember to pay taxes, as the tax season in April was approaching.
However, income for the first four months of this year would be settled in next year's tax season, so if he had any taxes to pay last year, he should not forget.
The vocal training teacher Universal arranged for Linton was named Tina Nicole, from the company's training department, and she created a 10-day short-term improvement training plan for Linton's vocal shortcomings.
After seeing it, Linton himself was surprised, realizing he still had so many minor issues, and he fully agreed with the training plan.
After 10 days of improvement training, Linton felt a significant improvement in his singing technique, and Teacher Tina was also very satisfied, telling him to persist in training, and he would definitely become a top singer.
On March 1st, Linton found Lisa, who handed him a file, saying, "This is the arrangement I made for 'Baby.' Take a look and see if you have any suggestions for modification."
After reading it, Linton felt that Lisa was indeed a professional senior producer; the arrangement perfectly met his expectations and was basically the same as he remembered, so he told Lisa to proceed with it.
Then Lisa took Linton to the recording studio.
"This is Al..."
A young Caucasian man with a rock star vibe sat in front of the mixing console.
He tossed his long hair, walked coolly up to Linton, and extended his hand expressionlessly.
"Hello," Linton said with a smile, shaking his hand.
"The one inside is the keyboardist, Dick..."
The Caucasian man in the recording booth, wearing headphones and playing the accompaniment to 'Baby,' smiled kindly at Linton.
As expected of a major record company, the entire recording studio was very large and decorated with a great sense of musicality.
The whole Room, on the side facing the recording booth, was filled with various equipment, mostly top brands.
"You know you love me, I know you care, Just shout whenever, and I'll be there."
...
Soon, he discovered his shortcomings; his voice was good, but he had neglected singing practice for many years.
Fortunately, after entering the first layer of Qi cultivation, his physical quality greatly improved, and although his singing skills had significantly improved after 10 days of intensive training, there was still a large gap between him and a true master.
The original singer was a top vocalist, he could now confirm, and even though the song didn't seem very difficult at first glance, for him right now, it was indeed a bit challenging.
Perhaps when his cultivation improved, his body would be comprehensively enhanced, and his singing technique would further advance, he would certainly be able to become a top singer.
Lisa, Dick, and Al also noticed Linton's issues.
After discussion, they suggested recording line by line, and any imperfections would be resolved through Late Stage audio correction, effectively making him a studio singer first.
Linton calmly considered it; as long as his cultivation improved, his singing would only get better, and problems with live performances would surely be resolved.
"Then let's record line by line, and I'll practice more from now on."
Lisa also solemnly reminded Linton that he still needed to consistently undergo systematic vocal training to improve his singing level.
And so, after 8 days of Kung Fu, the finished product of 'Baby' was released.
"Wow, perfect..." Everyone exclaimed in admiration after listening.
"The effect is excellent.
Let's take a break today and celebrate at a bar tonight.
Tomorrow we'll start recording 'Numb,'" Lisa said.
As soon as he left the recording studio, Mira approached him, congratulating him on the completion of the first song's recording.
"It's 4 PM now, and we still have some time.
Let's go see the house I picked out for you; see if you like it.
If you do, we'll rent it so you don't have to stay in a hotel every day, which affects your rest."
These past few days, Mira had been treating Linton like an angel, because of Linton, she had not only quickly earned a large commission but her standing in the company had also rapidly risen.
In her eyes, Linton was sparkling all over; she would pick him up and drop him off between the hotel and Universal every day, taking care of his food, clothing, housing, and transportation to Linton's great satisfaction.
After agreeing on the location and time for the evening gathering with Lisa and the others, Mira and Linton drove off.
The car turned onto a quiet, tree-lined Dao and slowly stopped in front of a small, green villa.
The villa was on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, with excellent security and privacy.
The villa wasn't large, with a 400 square meter small courtyard in front, two floors, six Rooms, five bathrooms, a large living Room on both floors, and all kinds of living facilities.
Linton was very satisfied; of course, the price was also steep, $5,000 per month, but for Linton now, it was not a problem.
He immediately contacted the landlord and signed a one-year lease agreement, paying six months' rent upfront.
Tomorrow, Mira would help Linton move, transferring all his belongings from the hotel to his new home, and assisting with purchasing daily necessities.
In the evening, they arrived at the bar for the party arranged with Lisa and the others; it was just drinking and dancing, and nothing excessive happened.
Besides, Lisa and Mira were really not Linton's type.
However, Lisa, Dick, and Al did smoke cannabis during the party and strongly urged Linton and Mira to join, but both refused, which made Mira think highly of Linton; people with self-control always have a higher chance of success.
The next day, as soon as he arrived at Universal, Lisa took Linton to Daniel's office, where a young Caucasian man was also present.
"Linton, this is Zack Snyder, the director of the MV.
He's in charge of the 'Baby' MV.
You two will go over the script shortly.
Once the script is approved, Zack's preparatory work can proceed simultaneously with the recording of your next two songs, saving time."
"Zack, this is Linton, he wrote and performed 'Baby.'"
After they greeted each other, Linton took Zack's script, which basically featured song and dance, character close-ups, and scenery displays, without presenting a complete story.
He initially wanted to propose changes based on Justin's MV version from later generations, but then he reconsidered.
MVs of this era were about showcasing handsome men and beautiful women with hot dances to catch the eye of young people, and a sudden change to a narrative might not necessarily bring good results, so he didn't mention it, only asking,
"How will the female lead in the MV be chosen?
I must declare that she has to be a beauty, someone I approve of."
"Haha, don't worry, you'll definitely be satisfied with the female lead," Daniel said generously, while Zack's expression beside him changed, but he remained silent.
Daniel continued, "I have only one request: the MV must be beautifully shot and effective.
The company has a sufficient budget."
Indeed, Universal had allocated a $300,000 budget for the filming of the 'Baby' MV.
The finished product of 'Baby' was already out and even better than expected.
The distribution department's market estimate was over 2 million copies, with an initial pressing of 1 million single discs, mainly vinyl records and mini CDs, supplemented by a small number of cassettes.
The distribution and promotional strategies were comparable to those of A-list singers.
The entertainment industry of this era still retained many old customs; just as singers had agents, record companies also had a System for interacting with their signed artists.
A singer under a certain executive's wing, as the singer's manager, would receive a portion of the profits from the records released by that singer.
As the Vice President in charge of Linton, and Linton's manager, Daniel's income commission would certainly be substantial, and naturally, Linton's standing in Daniel's eyes also greatly increased.
Since the launch of MTV in 1981, its influence among young people had grown, becoming an important platform for song promotion; ambitious works absolutely could not forgo this promotional channel.
Moreover, once an MV was recorded, there were many channels for promotional Delivery, and MV discs could also be recorded and sold.
After reviewing the MV script, Lisa and Cardon returned to the recording studio to continue recording.
Since the next two songs were rock, the recording team was expanded to include guitarist Dali and bassist Tony.
With previous recording experience, Linton gradually found his groove and his condition improved.
Coupled with the fact that 'Numb' and 'Believer' were not difficult songs, both were recorded in 14 days, making Lisa exclaim "wonderful."