"Not finished yet," John Foster said. At this moment, saying anything more in front of the volcano-like Alan Duke was pointless—everything would sound like an excuse. Alan Duke only cared about results; as for anything else, whether your work was stolen or not, that was outside his responsibilities.

Alan Duke stared wide-eyed in disbelief, taking a deep breath. The bulging eyes on the light screen locked onto John Foster, as if he was about to explode the next second.

In the end, Alan Duke held back—not because he didn't want to curse, but because he didn't want to waste time doing it.

Alan Duke emphasized almost word by word, "Ten days! In ten days, if you have a finished work, I'll arrange for you to enter the competition immediately, and reserve you a spot in the rookie contest! If you can't deliver, you're out!!" With that, he didn't wait for John Foster to respond and cut off the communication link.

John Foster didn't feel any resentment because of Alan Duke's attitude. Alan Duke was furious this time because he hadn't seen John Foster submit anything for so long, and couldn't reach him by phone. But it was his duty—he couldn't just ignore it. Now that he finally got in touch, but still had nothing to show, of course Alan Duke couldn't be pleasant.

However, even though Alan Duke's words were harsh, from what John Foster remembered, he knew Alan Duke was already helping him. The ten days were the last bit of time Alan Duke managed to secure for him. If it were another agent, forget ten days—even five would be hard to get, and he might have been kicked out already.

The rookie competition Alan Duke mentioned referred to the "New Edge Chart," the most important event for newcomers in the music industry.

Not just anyone could release a song on this chart. To get on it, you had to be officially signed and qualified to release music. The vast majority were students about to graduate or who had just graduated, with a few outstanding talents signed early.

Many companies that hadn't signed new talent yet also kept an eye on this chart, hoping to pick up a promising newcomer or poach someone from another company.

Speaking of the New Edge Chart, one thing had to be mentioned: the rise of virtual idols was a boon for creators!

Singers? Virtual idol companies could autotune themselves—a skilled technician could turn a frog's croak into a heavenly voice. So, compared to traditional companies, those focusing on virtual idols valued behind-the-scenes tech staff and creative talent even more. Naturally, more attention on the rookie chart was given to composers.

This was the first big opportunity for all new composers entering the music industry!

It was a battle for newcomers, and also a contest between companies!

John Foster checked the network on his wristband. Just as Alan Duke said, among the composer interns who signed with Silver Wing at the same time as him, six had already entered the competition and made it into the top fifty. As long as the company kept pushing them, their popularity would keep rising, and by the end of the season, their rankings would definitely improve.

Chapter 6: Creation

This time, Silver Wing Media directly signed ten interns, three of whom were classmates of the original owner, all very strong—competition was fierce.

Not looking any further, John Foster began to consider his next steps.

Less than ten days left—what to do?

After repeated setbacks, the original owner, already exhausted, couldn't come up with a good solution under the dual pressure of the upcoming rookie contest and the company.

Should he just cobble something together and hand it in? He'd definitely be eliminated.

If he really did that, not only would the original owner's pride not allow it, but Silver Wing Media would show no mercy in kicking him out. His internship would be over.

Getting kicked out early by Silver Wing Media would be a black mark on his career, making his future in music even harder.

"Rookie contest..."

John Foster searched his memory for everything about the music industry's rookie competitions. The way things worked here was very different from before the apocalypse. John Foster had to adapt to the new situation and consider current audience preferences when composing.

"Pop" also had a generation gap. After the apocalypse and hundreds of years of development, there were now so many new instruments and electronic synthesized sounds that it was dizzying. People's mindsets were different, and the styles they liked were very different from those in John Foster's old world.

Although John Foster wanted to ignore everything and just follow his old habits and tastes, in his current situation, if he failed, he'd end up on the streets.

Artists are people too—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are all real problems.

Sharpening the axe won't delay the job. John Foster sat in the corner of the room where he worked, closed his eyes, and thought quietly.

When something came to mind, John Foster opened a nearby drawer and took out a notebook.

While most people liked to use their wristbands to record things, the original owner preferred to write important things down on paper.

This was all the original owner's notes from the past six months. The front contained key points he recorded while interning at Silver Wing, and the back was his preparations for the rookie contest. Judging by the dates, the original owner had started preparing for the contest a long time ago.