Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 78: David Vs Goliath

<🎧 Song Recommendation: F.N by Lil Tjay>

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Although the news of Julian’s release date came as a massive shock to Von and Emily, it didn’t disrupt their flow. Emily simply stared at the glowing screen of her phone for a long, silent minute before she tossed the device onto the dashboard. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

It was clearly an underhand tactic. West World Records had eyes everywhere; someone at the distribution company had likely leaked their scheduled date to Rayan West.

It was a calculated move designed to make sure Von’s independent single didn’t blow up. They wanted to drown him out.

But there was absolutely nothing they could do about that now. The dates were already locked in with their distributor, the pre-save links were live, and backing down would signal defeat. They had no other choice but to proceed at the exact same pace.

"We don’t flinch," Emily said, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone as she started the van’s engine. "They want to bury us? Fine. We’ll make them sweat for it."

The next few days were incredibly stressful. If Von thought the first day of busking was hard, the rest of the week was a waking nightmare. He barely had a moment to rest between it all. It felt like Emily was determined to cover the whole of New York City on foot.

<The anxiety in this metal box is exquisite,> Loki would purr in his mind as she lounged on the dashboard. <But your exhaustion tastes bitter. Sing louder, human.>

"I can’t feel my face," Von mumbled on a Wednesday evening, collapsing onto his mattress after a five-hour stint in the freezing wind outside Madison Square Garden.

Emily, sitting at his desk and aggressively typing emails didn’t even look up. "Drink some water and go to sleep. And don’t complain cause this is just the start."

Von groaned before pulling a pillow over his head.

Despite the physical toll, the hype was undeniably building. All eyes in the pop-culture sphere were now firmly fixed on the 24th of May.

The internet had connected the dots. The two singles releasing on the exact same midnight was a narrative straight out of a Hollywood script, and the world was waiting for the day to come with bated breath.

The days went by too quickly and Friday arrived just like that.

Midnight struck, and the songs went live.

Merely three hours after the midnight release of the two singles, The Sonic Insider, one of the largest and most influential digital music publications in the country released a massive feature article. The push notification woke up thousands of fans across the country.

{THE REMATCH OF THE CENTURY: WEST VS. VARLEY AND THE BATTLE FOR May}

{This month has not been a quiet one for the music world. From surprise mixtape drops to massive stadium tour announcements, May has kept the charts in a literal chokehold.

Most notably, global popstar Jack Sherwin shook up the world at the top of the month by releasing a surprise single titled "For You."

The rock-driven love ballad debuted with record-breaking streaming numbers. Twenty days in, it still remains No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, refusing to budge. Other highly anticipated singles were released over the last two weeks, but all could only fade into the background, eclipsed by the massive hype and radio dominance that "For You" promised.

As it seemed that the hype for the month was finally about to die down and Sherwin would cruise to a historic four-week reign, the industry received a shock to the system. Just before the month could end, two new, but certainly not unheard-of, names in the music industry announced their debut singles.

On the exact same date. What many fans and industry insiders would term is absolutely not a coincidence.

Today, Von Varley, the controversial runner-up of Project: Star has finally released the highly anticipated studio version of the track he performed in the finale: "Masquerade."

It’s clear that his former competitor, Julian West, wouldn’t be too happy about that. Following their highly strained relationship and the PR nightmare Varley caused for the West family network, Julian hasn’t held back either.

Julian, who is now the flagship signee West World Records, has made sure his debut track arrived in imperial style.

"Always Love You" is a track with big expectations, and it wears its budget on its sleeve. The soaring, synth-heavy pop anthem was composed by none other than Rayan West himself.

Furthermore, among the writing credits, the legendary Pop Star, Gingerbread Man left his undeniable mark, ensuring the hook is as catchy as it is mathematically perfect.

If the audio wasn’t enough, Julian’s music video dropped simultaneously at midnight. Directed by a cinematic visionary, the video features Julian in a literal European castle, surrounded by a troupe of fifty professional dancers. According to many critics and leaked production sheets, it’s been estimated that almost one million dollars was invested in this single track’s launch alone.

In an earlier interview on The Morning Show, Rayan West spoke of his son’s talent. "Julian is the voice of this new generation," the billionaire mogul stated. "I have full confidence in Always Love You. It’s not just a song; it’s a statement of excellence."

With all of this heavy artillery backing the West World Records camp, Von Varley has a lot to worry about.

His independent release of "Masquerade", produced by the veteran producer, Patch might not get the attention many would argue it deserves.

While Varley has spent the last week going viral for busking in the freezing New York streets, one has to wonder if organic, grassroots street marketing can truly stand up to a million-dollar corporate machine.

Varley has no music video, no radio deals, and no billionaire father buying up Times Square billboards.

Many across social media have already termed this midnight drop as the rematch they always wished for but never got on the Project: Star stage.

It is the ultimate David versus Goliath story of the modern streaming era. Will the polished pop perfection of "Always Love You" bury the insurgent anger of "Masquerade"?

All eyes are on the real-time charts today. The masks are off, the crown is on the table, and the music industry is watching to see who really won the show.}

***

(Saturday — May 25th, 2019)

Von sat in a corner booth of a shop, and curled into a black fur on his lap was Loki, who was playing her role of domestic cat perfectly.

"You know," Von in a low tone. "Julian dropping on the exact same day might actually be doing us a favor."

Emily looked up from her laptop, taking a slow sip of her black espresso. "How do you figure?"

"The media is eating it up," Von reasoned, scratching Loki behind the ears. "Every blog is pushing this billion-dollar corporate machine versus the street busker narrative. They tied our names together. By trying to step on me, he’s basically giving me free press."

"Kind of," Emily conceded with a smirk. "But that’ll only get you through the front door. That underdog hype won’t matter for long if he completely crushes you where it counts."

"So... when do we actually find out the numbers? It’s almost been a day already."

Emily checked and saw the time before picking up her phone. "Well... It’s live now."

"I’m checking the US Top 50: New Releases chart. It tracks the daily streams of all singles dropped within the last thirty days, so it’s the most accurate measure of hype"

Von leaned forward with anxiety hearing it was finally available. Even Loki stirred up from his body to see, too.

Emily handled her phone for a while before raising her head and looking over at Von.

"Nineteen!Von... you debuted at Rank 19."

Von blinked. Out of all the major label songs released this month, an independent track had broken into the top twenty.

A massive, breathless grin broke across his face. "Nineteen? Emily, that’s incredible! We actually did it!"

He waited for her to celebrate but Emily just stared at the screen. Her lips were pressed into a thin line.

"What’s wrong? Isn’t nineteen huge for us? What about Julian... where did his song debut?"

Emily didn’t say a word. She simply reached across the small table and turned her phone screen around.

Von looked at the very top of the New Releases chart. Sitting at Rank 1 was Jack Sherwin’s inescapable ballad, For You. And right beneath it was none other than his rival, the golden prince himself.

Rank 2: Julian West – Always Love You.