Chapter 735: Spotlight Magic

JD Records had settled into its usual routine that morning. The marketing department was still monitoring the performance of Genesis, reviewing engagement reports and checking how the album was holding up across different platforms. Although the first three days had produced an impressive 990 million streams, the team had already spent time discussing the results in their previous meeting. There were still targets to watch and reports to review, but nobody had called an emergency meeting or expected anything unusual to happen.

Alice was in her office when one of the analysts from the streaming department literally ran to her with a report. He had been reviewing Spotify’s latest figures when he noticed an increase that seemed unusually large for the period being measured. At first, he assumed he had selected the wrong time range, so he returned to the dashboard and checked the figures again. The numbers were correct, but he wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

"Can you come and have a look at something?" he asked when Alice answered his call.

She was going through a campaign update, but the tone of his voice made her put it aside. "What is it?"

"There’s been a sudden increase in the streams for Genesis. I thought it might be a reporting error, but I’ve checked it twice."

"How large is the increase?"

"That’s what I’m trying to confirm. The figure keeps changing."

Alice asked him to send the report to her screen. When it appeared, she studied the time range and compared it with the previous update. The increase was far above what the team had been recording during the previous hours, and she immediately asked him to check whether the same activity was appearing on other platforms.

"I’m checking Apple Music now," he replied. "YouTube Music is showing an increase too."

"How much?"

"I’m waiting for the updated report."

Before Alice could ask anything else, another notification arrived from the analytics department. This time, the report covered several platforms and showed that the increase was not limited to Spotify. Apple Music, YouTube Music and the regional services were all recording unusually high activity. The figures were moving too quickly for the department’s normal reporting schedule, so the analysts had started running additional checks to make sure they weren’t counting delayed data twice.

Alice opened the latest report and compared the figures herself. Within fifteen minutes, Genesis had gained another 18 million streams. She checked the time again, then looked at the report that had arrived only a few minutes earlier. The difference was already noticeable.

"Are these figures correct?" she asked.

"We’re checking them," the analyst replied. "The platform reports are coming from separate sources, and we’re comparing them with our own monitoring data. So far, the increase is appearing across all of them."

"Keep checking. I don’t want us presenting anything until we’re certain."

He returned to his department, while Alice remained at her desk looking through the numbers. The album had already accumulated 990 million streams in its first 72 hours. That was a strong opening, and the team had spent considerable time reviewing the performance. Now, in a fraction of that time, the album was gaining streams at a rate they hadn’t expected.

She couldn’t help but take a stroll down memory line when they released beautiful things this was exactly how the album was increasing her mind lingered could it be.....

Another update arrived before she could finish comparing the reports. The additional streams had reached 42 million within thirty minutes of the sudden increase being noticed. Alice called the analyst again and asked him to confirm the figure.

"Forty-two million?" she repeated after he answered.

"Yes. That’s the latest cumulative increase since the first report."

"And it’s still going up?"

"Yes. Spotify has moved again, and Apple Music is following the same pattern. We’re seeing it on YouTube Music as well."

Alice leaned back in her chair, trying to work out what could have caused such a sudden change. The marketing department had been running its campaigns, but nothing in the schedule explained an increase of that size within thirty minutes. She asked whether there had been a new announcement, a major promotional event or some external development that might have brought so many listeners to the album at once.

The analyst told her that they hadn’t identified anything like that. The activity was coming from different regions, and the reports suggested that listeners were reaching the album through several platforms rather than arriving from one particular campaign.

By the time the first hour had passed, the additional streams had reached 85 million. Alice no longer considered it something she could simply monitor from her office. She picked up her phone and contacted Valerie.

"Valerie, I need you to see something."

"Is there a problem?"

"I don’t know yet. The numbers for Genesis have started increasing at an unusual rate. It’s happening across multiple platforms, and the analytics team is checking the reports now."

Valerie was quiet for a moment. "How unusual are we talking?"

"Eighty-five million additional streams within an hour."

"Are you sure?" Valerie’s voice sounded low.

"That’s the latest figure. We’re verifying everything, but the increase is appearing across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and the regional platforms."

Valerie asked her to send the reports immediately. After looking through them, she told Alice to bring the analytics team back together and asked Ulrich and Wayne to join them. Whatever was happening, she wanted everyone who could help assess the situation in the same room.

Within a short time, messages went out to the relevant members of the marketing and analytics departments. Some of them had already noticed the increase through their own monitoring systems, while others were still working through the reports from earlier that morning. The conference room that had been used for the previous management meeting was prepared again, and the latest figures were displayed on the main screen.

When Alice entered, Valerie was already there, reading through the first set of reports. Ulrich arrived shortly afterwards, followed by Wayne, who had been in the production department when he received the message. The analysts took their places around the table and connected their reports to the main display.

"What’s going on?" Wayne asked as he settled into his seat. "Alice’s message made it sound like something serious had happened."

"We’re still trying to establish exactly what’s happening," Alice replied. "But the increase is too large to ignore."

She brought up the first report and explained that the album had gained 18 million additional streams in fifteen minutes, followed by 42 million within thirty minutes. The first-hour figure was now 85 million. As she spoke, another analyst checked the latest platform data and informed her that the numbers had increased again.

Ulrich looked at the screen. "Wait, are you telling me these numbers have increased again since you sent the last report?"

"Yes," Alice answered. "And they’re still increasing."

"How much?"

She checked the updated report before giving him the figure. "We’ve passed 100 million additional streams since the first increase was recorded. The latest figure is still being confirmed, but we’re already above the 85 million we had at the one-hour mark."

Wayne looked at the platform breakdown. Spotify was showing the largest individual increase, but Apple Music and YouTube Music were also reporting major growth. The regional platforms were contributing figures that would have been impressive on their own, yet they were only part of the larger increase.

"Oh my God," he said, looking from one report to another. "It’s happening again."

Valerie understood immediately what he meant. She had been part of the team when Beautiful Things experienced its extraordinary streaming performance, and she remembered the confusion that surrounded the first reports. Back then, the figures had risen so quickly that the executives questioned whether the data was accurate. They had checked the reports repeatedly, compared information from different platforms and waited for confirmation before accepting what they were seeing.

"This is exactly what happened with Beautiful Things," she said. "I remember how we kept checking the reports because we couldn’t understand how quickly the numbers were moving."

Wayne turned towards her. "I was thinking about that the moment Alice showed us the first figures. I remember sitting in this company and asking whether the reports were even real."

Ulrich was still studying the screen. "But Genesis already had 990 million streams in its first three days. We discussed those numbers in the last meeting. How much has it gained since then?"

"That’s what we’re calculating now," Alice replied. "The first reports show that the increase is happening across several markets at the same time. We’re separating the new activity from the original 990 million so that we don’t mix the figures."

One of the analysts explained that the team was tracking the additional streams from the point the sudden increase began. The first updates were being recorded in fifteen-minute and thirty-minute intervals, while the platform teams were comparing the cumulative figures. This would allow them to establish how much Genesis had gained after the initial 72-hour period without altering the earlier results.

Valerie asked them to continue. She wanted the team to know exactly what they were looking at before they began discussing the possible reasons behind it.

As the analysts worked, another update appeared on the main screen. The additional streams had reached 170 million within two hours. The number was higher than the team had expected even after seeing the first-hour report, and the increase was still continuing.

Wayne moved closer to the screen to examine the platform figures. "Spotify alone is getting hundreds of millions at this rate?"

"Not yet," Alice answered. "That’s the combined increase across the platforms. Spotify has the largest share, but the other services are recording significant activity too."

"That’s still a lot of people listening in such a short period."

"Yes, it is."

Ulrich asked whether the figures were coming from genuine listening activity or whether there was a possibility that the platforms were reporting delayed streams in one large batch. The analysts explained that they were comparing the updates against their earlier records and checking the activity across different services. The increase wasn’t confined to one reporting system, and the regional teams were seeing the same movement in their own markets.

That was when the first country reports began arriving.

Alice received an update from the Nigerian team. The album had returned to the top of the country’s album rankings, while several individual songs from Genesis were appearing near the top of the daily streaming charts. Ghana and Togo were reporting similar positions, and South Africa had also placed the album at number one.

"All four of these markets have Genesis at number one?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," Alice replied. "Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and South Africa. Kenya is currently showing it at number one as well."

Wayne looked at the figures. "So the increase isn’t just coming from one country."

"No. That’s what we’re seeing in the reports. The activity is spread across different regions."

The next update came from the North American team. In the United States, Genesis had climbed to number two on the country’s album streaming chart, with several individual tracks entering high positions on the song rankings. Canada had also moved the album to number two. The team had not expected the increase to be concentrated in Dayo’s strongest markets, but the American report suggested that the album was reaching listeners well beyond its existing audience.

Alice added the figures to the regional summary. The United Kingdom had placed Genesis at number one on its album chart, while France had it at number three, Germany at number four and Spain at number three. The European reports were still being updated, but the positions were already strong enough to attract the team’s attention.

Brazil was another number-one market. Argentina had the album at number two, while Mexico had it at number two as well. In Asia, South Korea was reporting number two, Japan number four, China number five and India number three. Australia had also placed the album at number two.

Ulrich studied the list as Alice read through the positions. "That’s a lot of countries. Are we sure these are the album rankings and not individual song charts?"

"These are the album positions," Alice clarified. "The song rankings are being reported separately. Some of the individual tracks are performing even better in certain countries."

"Then we need both reports," Valerie said. "I want to see the album positions and the songs. We shouldn’t combine them."

Alice agreed and asked the regional teams to keep the two sets of rankings separate. The analysts began arranging the incoming information so that the management team could compare the album’s performance with the individual tracks.

The scale of the increase was becoming clearer. Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, South Africa and Kenya were familiar markets for Dayo, but the reports from the United States, Europe, South America and Asia were just as significant. Some of those countries already had large groups of JD listeners, while others had audiences that were smaller or less active during the album’s opening days. Now Genesis was climbing in all of them.

One of the analysts explained that the data suggested many listeners were encountering the album through platform recommendations. The reports did not point to a single country or one promotional source responsible for the increase. People were finding the album in different places, and the activity was appearing across services.

Wayne looked at the country list again. "People who weren’t even following JD are listening now?"

"That’s what the regional reports suggest," Alice said. "We’re seeing activity from listeners outside the usual audience. We still need more data to understand the exact breakdown, but the reach is clearly expanding."

Valerie returned her attention to the main report. "Keep the updates coming. I want us to know how far this has gone before the day is over."

By the time the six-hour report arrived, Genesis had gained another 520 million streams since the sudden increase began. The analysts confirmed that the figure represented additional streams across the monitored platforms, not a replacement for the album’s original numbers. Alice displayed the revised platform breakdown, and the room became quieter as everyone took in the scale of the increase.

Spotify had gained 629 million additional streams by the end of the first 24-hour period, while YouTube and YouTube Music had contributed another 370 million. Apple Music had added 315 million, Boomplay 148 million and Audiomack 111 million. The Korean platforms had recorded 74 million additional streams, Japanese platforms 56 million, Deezer 46 million, Amazon Music 37 million and the other regional services 64 million.

The figures were still being updated, but the team had enough information to see that the increase was not dependent on one platform. Each service was contributing a substantial number of streams, and the country reports showed that the activity was spread across several continents.

Wayne returned to his seat and looked at the latest total. "I remember when we were celebrating the first three days. We were talking about 990 million, and now we’re looking at another 520 million in six hours."

"That’s why I wanted everyone here," Valerie replied. "We need to understand the reports, but we also need to make sure we’re recording everything correctly."

Ulrich agreed. He asked the analytics department to preserve the earlier reports and maintain a separate record of the new streams. The team would need a clear comparison between the first 72 hours and the period after the sudden increase began.

While JD Records was examining the streaming data, the marketing department received another set of reports from Spotify. The Global Top 50 had begun showing several Genesis tracks in prominent positions. One song had reached number one, another was at number two, while others occupied numbers four, seven, eleven and fifteen. Four more tracks had entered the chart further down, at numbers nineteen, twenty-four, thirty-one and thirty-eight.

Alice brought the chart onto the main screen. "These are individual song positions, not the album ranking. Ten tracks are now appearing in the Global Top 50."

Wayne looked through the list. "Ten?"

"Yes. And the country charts are showing similar activity. We’re checking the latest positions from each market now."

The Spotify reports showed that the strongest individual songs had reached number one in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, South Africa and Kenya. Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, India and Australia also had Genesis tracks at number one on their respective country song charts. In the United States, the highest-performing track had reached number two, while France had a song at number two, Germany at number three, Spain at number two, South Korea at number two, Japan at number three and China at number four.

Apple Music was showing a similar pattern. Its Top Albums charts placed Genesis at number one in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea. The album was at number two in Kenya, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, India and Australia. The United States and Germany had it at number three, France at number two, Japan at number three and China at number four.

The song charts were also receiving updates, with several Genesis tracks entering the top ten in major markets. Alice pointed out that the Spotify and Apple Music rankings were separate measurements, and the team should not assume that a song holding the same position on one service would occupy that position on another.

Valerie listened as the analysts explained the differences. "Keep the platform rankings separate in the report. I want the numbers to be clear enough that nobody mistakes an album position for a song position."

"Understood," Alice replied.

Another analyst then brought up the developing international chart projections. These were not live rankings in the same way as Spotify’s and Apple Music’s charts, but the streaming activity was already feeding into the team’s estimates of where Genesis and its songs could place when the next official chart updates were published.

The Billboard 200 projection had moved Genesis towards the top of the album chart, with the latest estimate placing it at number one. The Billboard Global 200 projections showed eight songs from the album entering the top twenty. On the Billboard Global Excl. US projection, nine songs were expected to enter the top twenty, with the strongest track at number one.

The Billboard Hot 100 projection was also drawing attention. Five Genesis tracks were estimated to enter the top twenty, with the highest at number two. The UK Official Albums Chart projection placed the album at number one, while four individual songs were projected to enter the top ten of the UK Official Singles Chart.

Alice made sure to explain that these were developing projections based on the current activity, not official published chart positions. Billboard and the UK Official Charts would release their rankings according to their usual schedules, and the team would have to wait for those publications before calling the positions official.

Ulrich looked at the projections, then at the Spotify and Apple Music reports. "So we’re seeing the album climb on the album charts, while the individual songs are entering the song charts."

"Exactly," Alice said. "The album is performing as a complete project, and several tracks are gaining enough individual attention to compete on their own."

Wayne was still looking at the list of projected positions. "Five songs in the Billboard Hot 100, eight on the Global 200 and nine on the Global Excl. US. And this is happening after the first three days?"

"These are the current projections," Alice reminded him. "We’ll have to wait for the official updates."

"I know. I’m just trying to take it in."

Valerie asked the analysts to keep monitoring the charts and to send another update as soon as the positions changed. She also wanted the marketing department to prepare a detailed report covering the countries, platforms and individual songs. There was no reason to rush out a statement before they had the full picture, especially when the figures were still moving.

By the twelve-hour mark, the additional streams had reached 1.05 billion. The team had already verified the earlier figures, but the latest report made it clear that the album’s growth had not slowed down. The analysts continued comparing the platform totals, while the regional teams sent updates from their respective markets.

Some employees outside the conference room had begun hearing about the reports. A few stopped by the analytics department to ask whether the figures they had seen were correct. Others gathered around the internal screens when the latest update appeared. People who had worked through the Beautiful Things launch remembered the same confusion, and some of them had already started saying that the company was witnessing another version of that experience.

The newer employees had no such memory. They had joined JD Records after the earlier album’s biggest launch period, so they were seeing this kind of growth for the first time. One analyst who had been checking the reports from the beginning admitted that he had initially thought the first increase was a mistake. He now understood why the older members of the team had reacted so strongly when they heard the name Beautiful Things mentioned.

Even outside the company, new listeners were beginning to encounter Genesis through recommendations. Some had not followed JD closely and had only heard a few of his older songs. Others had not listened to the album when it was released because they had been occupied with other music. Now they were seeing it appear repeatedly across their platforms and were beginning to understand why people had questioned the numbers during the Beautiful Things era. Watching the activity spread across different countries and services made the situation even harder for them to believe.

The next report arrived before the team had finished reviewing the previous one. It showed that Genesis had gained 1.85 billion additional streams within the first 24 hours after the sudden increase began.

Alice brought up the final summary and checked the figures once more. The original 990 million from the first 72 hours had not been changed. The new streams had been recorded separately, and the platform totals added up to the additional 1.85 billion.

She turned the main screen towards the others and began reading the revised figures. Spotify now stood at 903 million cumulative streams, YouTube and YouTube Music had reached 568 million, and Apple Music had recorded 485 million. Boomplay stood at 239 million, Audiomack at 177 million, the Korean platforms at 127 million and the Japanese platforms at 95 million. Deezer had reached 73 million, Amazon Music 60 million and the other regional platforms 113 million.

The combined total was 2.84 billion streams within four days..

For a moment, nobody spoke. They had watched the numbers climb throughout the day, but seeing the complete report made the scale of the increase harder to dismiss. Only a few days earlier, the team had been discussing whether the album’s 990 million opening was enough to meet the expectations surrounding JD Records. Now Genesis had gained almost twice that amount again in a single day.

Wayne looked at the total and then at the earlier report still displayed beside it. "We went from 990 million to 2.84 billion."

"That’s the verified cumulative total across the platforms we’re monitoring," Alice replied. "The additional 1.85 billion came after the sudden increase began."

Ulrich checked the platform breakdown one last time. "And every platform has been accounted for?"

"Yes. We’ve compared the figures and separated the new streams from the original 72-hour report."

Valerie remained focused on the screen. She was pleased with what the team had achieved, but the speed of the increase was still difficult to process, especially after everything they had already experienced with Beautiful Things. The company had entered the day expecting to monitor an album that was performing well. Instead, they had spent hours watching its numbers climb across the world, with streaming platforms and chart projections changing alongside them.

"Keep the monitoring active," she told Alice. "I want the detailed country reports and the next chart updates as soon as they’re available. We need to know exactly where the album is standing in every market."

Alice assured her that the teams were already working on it. The analysts returned to their reports, and the regional departments continued sending updates. On the main screen, the latest cumulative figure remained visible beside the platform breakdown, while the chart projections waited for their next scheduled updates.

Nobody in the room needed to ask whether the album was still growing. The reports were already showing another increase.