This is also an era of rapid development in the entertainment industry, which is why so many people want to squeeze into big companies. Many times, just having talent doesn’t guarantee you’ll stand out. There are so many creators, and the number of new songs uploaded every day is in the thousands. The ones who get public attention and heavy company promotion are definitely those seniors who have already fought their way to the top.

As for these little-known newcomers with no connections or background, the rookie season is their rare opportunity. If they miss it, it will be very difficult to get the company to invest heavily in promoting them again—maybe they’ll never encounter such a chance for the rest of their lives.

That’s why the original host valued this rookie competition so much, to the point that when he discovered his work had been stolen and he couldn’t participate, he fell into despair and committed suicide. He felt that his dream had been stolen along with those three songs.

After three days, once the song production is complete, there will be an internal review to check whether the song you’re about to submit is too similar to any previously released songs. If the similarity exceeds a certain threshold, it will be put on “pending” status. It could be a coincidence, plagiarism, or some other reason, but the company won’t allow it to be released online.

With the entertainment industry developing so rapidly, many rules are also different from what John Foster experienced before the apocalypse. However, things are more orderly now. Although absolute fairness is impossible, under the constraints of the rules, more people are given opportunities.

“Tomorrow morning at eight, entry!”

When Alan Duke finalized the release date, John Foster officially obtained a ticket to the Newcomer Season’s Fresh Talent Chart in the music industry. Although this rookie season is almost over, at least he made it in time.

Today is already June 10th, and the last month of this season’s rookie chart has already passed ten days. Although the rankings on the chart are still changing, the fluctuations are not significant. All the companies are focusing on the battle for the top ten. The first and second places are already a foregone conclusion—those two virtual idols are sure to dominate the top two spots. As for third to tenth place, that’s where the excitement is.

Artists and staff at Silver Wing Media are also paying close attention. After all, if they can achieve good results in the rookie season, the company boss will be happy, and these small fry can relax a bit—maybe even get a raise.

“This season, we have three people from our company in the top ten of the Fresh Talent Chart!”

“Wow, not bad! We used to have only one or two. This year’s rookies are impressive!”

It’s rare—having three artists from their own company in the top ten. With results like this, Silver Wing’s employees are already quite satisfied. Silver Wing is indeed one of the three major entertainment companies, but in recent years, its influence has waned, and it’s been rare to see such pleasing results in the rookie season. This year, though, they can finally hold their heads up.

Some companies that aren’t as big as Silver Wing are also discussing the situation.

“This season’s rookie competition, the entire top ten has been taken by the old three giants.”

The “old three giants” they’re referring to are the three major entertainment companies in Yanzhou: Silver Wing Media, Neon Light Culture, and Tongshan Shihua.

“Silver Wing is on a roll this year, breaking into the top ten with three artists. I heard they’re planning something big.”

“I heard that too. Silver Wing signed ten new composers this year—a big move.”

“Whoa! Recruiting ten newcomers at once? That’s a hefty investment.”

“Ten? Why have I only seen nine?”

“There are indeed only nine Silver Wing artists in the top fifty. Is the last one not good enough and stuck further down?”

“No, I checked the top two hundred—still nothing!”

“Then the tenth one must not have entered yet. Even though Silver Wing has weakened a lot in recent years, they still have their methods. There’s no way they can’t push at least one into the top hundred. The old three giants can’t afford to lose face.”

...

“Boss, the top ten are pulling further and further ahead of the rest. Should we still try to compete?” an employee at an entertainment company asked his boss. Their company had also promoted some newcomers this year, and one had even squeezed into the top twenty.

Watching the top ten pull away from the rest, the boss set his sights on the tenth spot, pointing at the current tenth place on the chart and saying to his subordinate, “That’s the one. Let’s put in some extra effort and knock him down!”

Tenth place on the chart: “Flying High,” singer Charles Kent, composer David Foster, produced by Neon Light Culture, with 1,502,461 downloads.

There’s no helping it—everyone else in the top ten has already broken the two-million-download mark, but the tenth place only has 1.5 million. Although everyone after eleventh place has less than 1.3 million, and there’s still a gap, people’s ambitions are burning, and everyone’s eyeing that piece of meat.

The difference between tenth and eleventh place is just one spot, but the status is worlds apart. There are still twenty days left in this season—if they work harder, maybe they can push their own artist into the top ten.

Other small bosses are thinking the same thing. Seeing that the chart isn’t changing much anymore and the top ten are pulling away, some have given up on competing, while others with strong cards in hand are focusing their efforts on the tenth spot.

It’s like a group of cats eyeing a fat mouse that’s still bouncing around.

Chapter 8: Awakened by Handsomeness

Students at music-related colleges are also paying attention to the changes in the chart.

Qi’an Music Academy.