Chapter 733: First three days

The first morning after the release of Genesis was already busy at JD Records.

Alice had arrived earlier than usual, and several members of the marketing department were gathered around the large screens in the main conference room. Reports from the streaming platforms had been coming in throughout the night, but the team had agreed to wait until the first twenty-four hours were complete before preparing the official figures. They wanted the numbers to be accurate, especially with so much attention being paid to the album.

Valerie had already reviewed some of the early reports from her office. Ulrich was going through updates from the regional teams, while Wayne had spent part of the morning checking the performance of individual tracks. Everyone understood that the first few hours were only the beginning, but there was enough activity to make them optimistic.

Alice entered the conference room carrying her laptop and a folder containing the latest reports. She placed them on the table before taking her seat.

"How are we looking?" Valerie asked.

"Good so far," Alice replied. "The response has been steady across the platforms. Spotify is performing well, Apple Music is also showing strong numbers, and we’re getting a good response from the regional platforms. I don’t want to make any conclusions until the full twenty-four hours are complete, but there are no major concerns."

Ulrich looked through the summary on his tablet. "What about the regions? Are we seeing the kind of spread we expected?"

"Yes. Nigeria and the wider African market are doing well, as expected. South Korea and Japan are also performing strongly, and we’re seeing good activity in Europe and North America. The interesting part is that the album isn’t depending on one market to carry the numbers. We’re getting consistent activity from several regions."

Wayne leaned back in his chair, looking at the track performance report. "I’ve been checking the individual songs. Some of the tracks are getting more attention than I expected, especially the ones we didn’t focus on as heavily during the campaign. People are listening to the album as a complete project."

"That’s a good sign," Alice said. "It means the interest isn’t limited to the songs we used in the promotional material."

Valerie closed the report in front of her. "Let’s wait for the complete figures. We can discuss the campaign properly once we have the first-day breakdown."

Dayo was still at home when Sharon sent him the initial update. He had spent the morning with Luna and Jennifer, who had been playing on the living-room floor while Luna kept an eye on her. Jennifer had become interested in a small toy near the sofa and was making repeated attempts to reach it without moving far enough to get it.

Dayo picked it up and placed it closer to her. She immediately grabbed it, pleased with herself, before turning it around in her hands.

His phone vibrated on the table. He checked the message from Sharon and read the short update about the company’s monitoring process. Alice was preparing the first complete report, and the management team would meet once the figures had been confirmed.

He replied that he would review it when it was ready, then returned his attention to Jennifer.

Luna glanced at him from the sofa. "Is it work?"

"Just an update from Sharon. Alice is still putting the report together."

"How are things going?"

"Good, from what they’ve seen so far. They’ll have the full figures soon."

Luna looked down at Jennifer, who was now trying to fit the toy into the space between two cushions. "I know they’ve all been working hard. Hopefully, they can relax a little after this."

"They’ve done their part. I trust them to handle it."

He wasn’t interested in calling the office every hour or asking the team to send him every small change. Alice knew what she was doing, and Valerie had enough experience to manage the wider operation. He wanted the company to function properly without needing his attention at every stage.

By the time the first twenty-four hours were complete, Alice had the report ready.

The album had recorded 300 million streams worldwide.

At JD Records, the figure was displayed on the main screen while Alice went through the platform breakdown. The room was quiet as she explained how the total had been calculated and confirmed that the figures represented the first twenty-four hours of activity.

"Spotify recorded eighty-three million streams," she began. "YouTube and YouTube Music combined for sixty million, while Apple Music contributed fifty-two million. Boomplay recorded twenty-eight million, and Audiomack came in at twenty million."

She moved to the next part of the report. "The Korean platforms recorded sixteen million, Japanese platforms recorded twelve million, Deezer had eight million, and Amazon Music contributed seven million. The remaining regional platforms accounted for fourteen million."

Alice brought up the summary, where the total was displayed clearly.

"That brings the first-day total to three hundred million streams."

Wayne looked at the figure for a moment before turning towards her. "That’s a strong opening."

"It is," Alice agreed. "The distribution is also encouraging. We aren’t seeing an unusual concentration in one or two territories. The album has received a good response across the markets where we ran the campaign."

Valerie studied the report. "How does it compare with the projections we discussed before release?"

"It’s within a very good range. We had prepared for different outcomes, and the result has given us a strong start. The important thing now is to watch how the numbers develop over the next two days."

Ulrich rested his tablet on the table. "What about the physical distribution and the other parts of the campaign?"

"The relevant teams are still compiling those reports. I’ve kept this presentation focused on the streaming figures so we don’t mix different measurements. I’ll send the other updates separately once they’re ready."

Valerie agreed with that approach. She wanted the figures presented clearly, without combining streams, sales and other forms of activity into one number.

Dayo joined the meeting remotely a short while later. Alice repeated the breakdown for him, explaining the results and the early patterns her team had identified.

He listened as she went through the figures, occasionally looking at the report displayed on his screen. Three hundred million streams in the first twenty-four hours was a strong result, particularly for an album released without the additional exposure he could have provided through the system.

"Good work," he said when Alice finished. "I know how much preparation went into this campaign, and the result is a good reflection of that effort. Keep monitoring the performance, especially across the regional markets. I want us to understand where we’re doing well and where we can improve."

"We’ll keep working on it," Alice replied.

Dayo thanked the team before ending the call. He was satisfied with the opening, but the first day wasn’t enough to tell him everything he wanted to know. The company still had two more days to complete the assessment.

The second day brought another increase.

At JD Records, Alice’s team continued monitoring the reports as the album maintained its activity across the platforms. By the time the next twenty-four-hour period ended, Genesis had recorded 330 million streams for the day, taking its cumulative total to 630 million.

Alice prepared another report and presented the figures to Valerie and the others.

"Spotify recorded ninety-one million streams today," she explained. "YouTube and YouTube Music contributed sixty-six million, while Apple Music recorded fifty-seven million. Boomplay had thirty million, and Audiomack recorded twenty-two million."

She continued through the regional figures, confirming eighteen million from Korean platforms, thirteen million from Japanese platforms, nine million from Deezer, eight million from Amazon Music and sixteen million from the other regional services.

"The second-day total is three hundred and thirty million. Combined with yesterday’s result, we’re now at six hundred and thirty million streams."

Wayne looked at the figures again. "So we’re still moving upwards."

"Yes," Alice said. "The daily total has increased, and the activity remains spread across the different markets. We haven’t seen a major drop after the opening day."

Ulrich was particularly interested in the regional performance. The acquisition of MK Records had given JD Records access to a much wider network, and the company had spent months working to bring those operations together. He wanted to see how much of that expansion was translating into actual results.

"Are the regional teams keeping up with the campaign?" he asked.

"They are. We’ve had regular updates from them, and the coordination has been good. Some markets are performing better than we initially expected, while others are still developing. The teams are adjusting their local activities where necessary."

Valerie looked at Alice. "Are there any problems that need management attention?"

"Nothing serious at the moment. There are a few areas where we can improve our timing and distribution of promotional material, but the teams are already working on those adjustments."

"Good. Keep the communication open with them. We don’t need every department making separate decisions when the campaign is running across several regions."

Alice assured her that the arrangements were already in place.

Wayne was pleased with the figures, although he knew the third day would be important. He had been following the album’s performance closely, and he was happy that the songs were receiving attention beyond the tracks that had been used in the promotional campaign.

"I’ve been listening to some of the feedback from the internal music team," he said. "They’re seeing a lot of interest in different songs. It’s not just one track carrying the album."

"That’s what we wanted," Alice replied. "The campaign introduced the project, but the music has to keep people listening."

The second day’s report was sent to Dayo shortly afterwards. He reviewed the figures and sent a message to Alice, thanking her and the team for their continued work. He was particularly pleased that the daily numbers had increased, although he reminded himself that the final assessment would come after the third day.

At home, Luna noticed him reading the report while Jennifer sat beside her with a soft toy in her lap.

"Another update?" she asked.

"Yes. Three hundred and thirty million today."

"That’s good."

"It takes the total to six hundred and thirty million."

Luna smiled. "They must be happy at the office."

"They are. They’ve been working hard, and I think they’re enjoying seeing the results."

She looked at him for a moment. "You seem pleased too."

"I am. I wanted to see what the company could do with the resources it has now. They’re giving me a good answer."

Luna didn’t ask him to explain further. She knew how much work had gone into bringing the two organisations together, and she understood why he wanted the expanded company to prove itself.

The third day passed with the same level of attention from the team. Alice and the marketing department continued monitoring the platforms, while the regional offices supplied their final reports for the seventy-two-hour assessment.

By the end of the day, Genesis had recorded another 360 million streams.

The cumulative total had reached 990 million streams.

Alice checked the figures with her team before preparing the final breakdown. She wanted to make sure every platform report had been accounted for and that the cumulative totals matched the daily records.

The final report showed one hundred million streams from Spotify, seventy-two million from YouTube and YouTube Music, and sixty-one million from Apple Music. Boomplay recorded thirty-three million, while Audiomack contributed twenty-four million.

Korean platforms accounted for nineteen million streams, Japanese platforms recorded fourteen million, Deezer had ten million, Amazon Music recorded eight million, and the remaining regional platforms contributed nineteen million.

Once everything had been checked, Alice sent the report to Valerie and arranged the meeting with Dayo.

The conference room was already occupied when Dayo arrived. Valerie sat near the head of the table, with Ulrich beside her. Wayne had taken a seat across from Alice, who had her laptop open and the complete report ready.

Dayo greeted everyone before taking his seat.

"How are we doing?"

Alice turned her laptop towards the main screen. "We’ve completed the seventy-two-hour review. The album recorded three hundred million streams on the first day, three hundred and thirty million on the second, and three hundred and sixty million on the third."

She displayed the cumulative figure beneath the daily breakdown.

"That gives us a total of nine hundred and ninety million streams in the first three days."

Dayo looked at the figure. "All right. Let’s go through the platform breakdown."

Alice moved to the next slide. "Spotify contributed two hundred and seventy-four million streams across the three days. YouTube and YouTube Music recorded one hundred and ninety-eight million, while Apple Music contributed one hundred and seventy million."

She continued with the remaining platforms, explaining that Boomplay had recorded ninety-one million streams and Audiomack sixty-six million. Korean platforms contributed fifty-three million, Japanese platforms thirty-nine million, Deezer twenty-seven million, Amazon Music twenty-three million and other regional platforms forty-nine million.

"Everything has been reconciled against the daily reports," she added. "The total is nine hundred and ninety million."

Dayo looked over the breakdown before turning towards Alice. "How has the campaign performed overall?"

"Very well. The album has maintained strong activity across the three days, and the daily figures increased throughout the period. The regional teams have also worked well together. We had good coordination between the departments, and the expanded network helped us reach markets where we previously had less direct influence."

Valerie picked up the discussion. "The result is encouraging. The company has grown considerably, and this is one of the first major releases where we’ve had the opportunity to use the combined resources on this scale. The teams have handled the pressure well."

Ulrich agreed with her assessment. "The integration work has made a difference. We have more established connections in several markets now, and the regional departments are communicating better than they were before. There are still areas we need to improve, but the structure is beginning to work as intended."

Wayne had been looking at the figures for the individual platforms. "I’m happy with the result. The album has done well, and the music is getting a good response. Still, I think we can push further next time."

Alice turned towards him. "I agree that there’s room to improve, but what part do you think we could have handled better?"

"Some of the markets where we already have strong connections. With the resources we have now, I expected a little more from a few of them. I’m not saying the result is bad. Far from it. I just think we can do better."

One of the senior members of the marketing team shared a similar opinion. The company had acquired the largest label in the industry, gained access to its network and expanded its reach across several territories. In his view, the team should have been able to break more records with those advantages.

He made it clear that he considered the album a success, but he had expected the expanded company to produce an even bigger opening.

Valerie listened before responding. "I understand the expectation. We have more resources now, and we should make good use of them. But having more resources doesn’t automatically mean every campaign will break every existing record. We still have to study each market, understand the audience and make sure our decisions are effective."

Alice agreed. "There are things we can improve. Some of the regional campaigns could have been timed differently, and we can review how we distribute our promotional resources. But the overall campaign has performed well. We shouldn’t overlook that."

Ulrich added that the company was still learning how to operate as one organisation. Although the acquisition had brought a much larger network under JD Records, the work of integrating departments and regional offices was ongoing. Some processes had improved quickly, while others would require more time.

Dayo had listened to the discussion without interrupting. He understood why a few people had expected higher figures. The company had gained considerable resources, and with that growth came expectations. He didn’t want the team to become satisfied with every result simply because it was good, but he also didn’t want them to treat a successful release as a disappointment because it hadn’t broken every record.

"There’s nothing wrong with expecting more from ourselves," he said. "We should always look at what we can improve, especially now that we have a much wider network. But we also need to recognise the work that has gone into this release."

He looked towards Alice and the others.

"Nine hundred and ninety million streams in three days is a very good result. The daily numbers increased, the campaign reached different markets, and the team managed to coordinate the work across the company. That’s something we should be pleased with."

Alice gave a small smile. "Thank you. The team will appreciate hearing that."

"I know how much pressure everyone has been under. People expected us to break the records set by Beautiful Things, and I know that expectation didn’t make the work any easier. But we shouldn’t make every future album a competition with the last one. Each release has its own circumstances, and we need to understand what works for each project."

Wayne leaned forward slightly. "So we’re celebrating this one?"

Dayo smiled. "Yes, Wayne. We’re allowed to be happy with a successful album."

That drew a little laughter from the room.

"Good," Wayne replied. "Because I’ve been waiting for someone to say that."

Valerie brought the discussion back to the company’s next steps. She wanted Alice to prepare a review of the campaign, including the areas that had performed well and the ones that needed attention. The regional teams would also submit their observations so that the company could use the information when planning its next major release.

Dayo supported the idea. He didn’t expect the team to change everything because of a few areas that could have performed better. He wanted them to take what they had learned and apply it where it made sense.

The meeting continued for a while longer as Alice answered questions about the figures and the campaign. By the time they finished, everyone had a clear understanding of the results and the areas that required further review.

Dayo thanked them for their work before leaving the conference room. He was pleased with what they had accomplished, and he could see that the team was generally happy with the outcome. Even those who had expected more understood that the album had performed well.

For him, the result answered an important question.

He had deliberately allowed Genesis to launch without using the Global Spotlight Card. The card could have given the album a level of exposure that ordinary marketing campaigns could not easily reproduce, but he wanted to see what JD Records could achieve through its own work. The company had delivered 990 million streams in seventy-two hours, and he was satisfied with that result.

The success also meant something else to him. The team had worked under the pressure of expectations without knowing that he was testing the company’s independent marketing strength. They believed he wanted JD Records to become more capable and self-sufficient, which was exactly what he had allowed them to see.

He had no intention of explaining the real reason behind his decision. The system was his responsibility, and keeping it private was necessary for everyone’s safety. Nobody at the company needed to know about the abilities he possessed or the additional advantages he could access.

Later that evening, after returning home, Dayo found Luna in the living room with Jennifer. The little girl was sitting on the floor, playing with a few toys while Luna watched her. He greeted them before settling into the nearby chair.

"You’re back," Luna said. "How did the meeting go?"

"It went well. Alice presented the full breakdown, and everyone was happy with the results. A few people thought we should have done more, considering the resources we have now, but the general feeling was positive."

"How many did you end up with?"

"Nine hundred and ninety million in three days."

Luna looked at him with surprise. "That’s a lot."

"It is. The first day was three hundred million, the second was three hundred and thirty, and today was three hundred and sixty."

"Then they did well."

"They did. I told them that."

Jennifer had moved closer to the chair and was holding one of her toys towards him. Dayo leaned down and accepted it, then returned it to her. She took it back and began playing again.

Luna watched them before asking, "Are you satisfied with the result?"

"Yes. There’s always room for improvement, but I’m satisfied. I wanted to see what the company could do with its own resources, and the team has done well."

He didn’t say anything more about the decision behind the test. Luna had no reason to suspect that there was another part of the story, and he intended to keep it that way.

After spending some time with them, Dayo went upstairs to his private study. He had a few messages to review, but before he could settle down, the familiar system interface appeared before him.

A notification had been triggered.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

World’s Number One Record Label

You have established ownership of the world’s leading record label through the acquisition and integration of a dominant industry organisation.

JD Records has secured the position of the world’s number-one record label.

Dayo read the notification carefully. He had expected the achievement to arrive after the company had completed the acquisition and established its position, but seeing it confirmed by the system was still satisfying.

A second notification appeared beneath it.

REWARD RECEIVED

New Skill: Industry Architect

Potential: SSS+

The skill information opened, displaying three abilities.

1. Competitive Assessment

This ability allowed him to assess businesses, record labels and entire regional industries. It could examine financial positions, market shares, influence, management structures, business strategies, strengths, weaknesses, distribution networks, partnerships and expansion opportunities.

Unlike Talent Vision, which focused on individuals, Competitive Assessment was designed for organisations and industries. Dayo could use it to examine JD Records, compare competing labels or study an entire regional music market. He could also assess the position of different organisations within that market and identify where opportunities existed.

2. Industry Positioning

This ability focused on an organisation’s place within its industry. It could analyse competitors, changes in the market, regional demand and opportunities for growth. It could also help identify areas where a company was losing ground and suggest ways to improve its position or expand into new territories.

3. Organisational Optimisation

This ability focused on the internal structure of a company. It could assess departments, responsibilities, reporting systems, regional branches and the way resources were distributed throughout an organisation.

It could identify duplicated responsibilities, poor coordination, unclear management structures and areas where departments needed better communication. For a company like JD Records, with operations across Nigeria, South Korea, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and other territories, the ability could help him understand how the different branches were functioning and where changes might improve their operations.

The system could provide recommendations, but it would not make decisions for him or automatically manage the company. Dayo would still have to examine the information and decide what needed to be done.

He spent several minutes reviewing the descriptions. The new skill was different from the abilities he had received before. It wasn’t focused on his music, his personal talents or his position as an artist. It was designed for the business side of his life, and that made it particularly useful.

JD Records was now a much larger organisation than it had been before the acquisition. Managing it would require a better understanding of its structure, the markets it operated in and the companies it competed against. The information provided by Industry Architect could help him make decisions with a clearer picture of the business.

He was especially interested in Competitive Assessment. Being able to examine an entire regional industry would give him a better understanding of the markets JD Records wanted to enter or strengthen. He could study the Nigerian music industry, examine the South Korean entertainment market or assess the British music business without relying entirely on reports prepared by other organisations.

Industry Positioning and Organisational Optimisation would be just as useful. The company had expanded quickly, and there would be a point when its existing structure needed to be reviewed. He wanted the regional offices to function properly, with capable people handling their responsibilities while remaining connected to the wider organisation.

Dayo closed the skill information after reviewing all three abilities. He didn’t need to use them immediately. The company had just completed a major campaign, and the team had already begun preparing its review. He could examine the new skill more closely when he had time.

For now, he was satisfied with what had happened.

Genesis had achieved a strong opening without the additional exposure he could have provided. JD Records had demonstrated that its expanded resources could support a major international release, and the system had recognised the company’s position with a new achievement and skill.

He decide to check his stats as it has been a while

Dayo’s stats

Attribute Rank

Name Jason Dayo

Artist name JD

Age 22

Status Transnational Artist (Level 7)

System Level 4

Singing SS+

Writing SS-

Acting S

Visual SS+

Guitar SS+

Flute S?

Piano SS

Violin S

Movie Production S

Scriptwriting S

Swimming SS+

Cooking SS+

Computer SS

Music Production SSS+

Video Editing A

System skills

1. Prodigy’s Instinct

2. Talent Vision

3. Perfect Match

4. Market Resonance → Strategic Forecast Engine

5. Archive Vault

6. Skill Integration Protocol

7. Emotional Transduction

8. Hypersonic Synthesis

9. Director’s Instinct

10. Global Spotlight Card — 1 Month

11. Global Spotlight — Controlled Access Mode

12. Industry Architect — SSS+

Industry Architect abilities

1. Competitive Assessment

2. Industry Positioning

3. Organizational Optimization

Global Spotlight — Controlled Access Mode

Monthly Allocation: 5 Uses

Duration per Activation: 24 Hours

Cooldown: 5 Days

Potential: SSS+

Effects:

Accelerated Trending Velocity

Enhanced Media Pickup Probability

Extended Attention Half-Life

He activated the Global spotlight now the real numbers would soon pour out.

He returned to the main screen of his computer, leaving the system interface closed. Downstairs, he could hear Luna speaking to Jennifer, who responded with the little sounds she often made when she wanted her mother’s attention.

Dayo remained in the study for a few more minutes before getting up. The work could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he wanted to spend the rest of the evening with his family.