Capítulo 192: **Chapter 190: Distributing Gold Medals**
In the third week of *Forward Ever*, Link and his promotion team continued to hold signing events across various locations, participate in TV shows, and attend music events, staying incredibly busy every day.
However, Jay-Z put even more into his promotion, with a team led by himself, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and others, traveling around to promote. They even teamed up with Madonna and Mariah Carey on their respective tours, using every possible channel to push the new album.
In the third week, *The Blueprint 3* sold 416,000 copies, bringing its total sales to 1.36 million, and topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
*Forward Ever* had a total sales volume of 407,000 copies, with cumulative sales reaching 1.35 million, placing it as the runner-up on the Billboard Albums chart.
The new soul album *BLACKsummers'night* by Maxwell sold 85,000 copies in its first week, landing in third place.
The Black Eyed Peas' *The E.N.D*, in its seventh week, sold 71,000 copies this week, placing fourth.
On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, *Empire State of Mind* held the top spot for the second consecutive week, and *Believer* remained at third for the second week.
Link's second album featured nine singles in the Hot 100 top 100.
In comparison, *The Blueprint 3* had only six, including tracks like *What We Talkin' About*, *Run This Town*, and *Young Forever*.
The Black Eyed Peas' *The E.N.D* had five, including the two top singles and three notable hip-hop dance tracks: *Rock That Body*, *Meet Me Halfway*, and *Imma Be*.
*BLACKsummers'night* had only three.
From the album data, *The Blueprint 3* slightly edged out Link's album this week.
But the difference was just 9,000 copies, making Jay-Z and his team feel a sense of urgency. They had originally planned to stop competing after the third week, waiting for other artists to release their albums, but Maxwell's new album had average sales and didn't have a chance to top the charts.
Given the current situation, not competing meant conceding, and Link would pull ahead.
They certainly weren't willing to accept that, so they had to continue investing time and money into the competition.
This also led to complaints from Lil Wayne, Drake, and 50 Cent. They weren't used to working long hours or constantly promoting, and now they felt like they were just working-class laborers.
Eminem, who wasn't involved in the promotion, often called them to mock their predicament, claiming they were bringing trouble upon themselves.
In the fourth week, Link's music company announced the start of a gold medal giveaway for *Forward Ever*.
Link randomly selected fifteen albums from all sold copies, each with a catalog number containing the number 13—Taylor's lucky number.
The fifteen numbers were announced via Twitter and the media.
Fans who won only needed to call in and provide their contact addresses.
The music company would then send the gold medals via FedEx either to the winners or to nearby record stores.
This giveaway was widely reported by major media outlets. Fourteen winners called in, with one fan having two winning albums.
The fan, from Arizona, was extremely excited upon receiving her gold medal.
She told reporters she was a huge fan of Link and bought four copies of *Forward Ever* right after its release to give to classmates and friends.
Although she initially felt unlucky to have two albums with the number 13, she was thrilled to have both drawn. She felt like the luckiest person in the world.
She also mentioned she would give the other gold medal and album to a close friend to help support Link.
News of Link giving away gold medals to fans was widely covered, as such an act had never been done before. Link's initiative made the news both interesting and newsworthy.
Taylor and Lady Gaga's mutual acquaintances also complained about how Link had raised the bar for being a singer.
In the past, fan appreciation usually involved sending cards, mugs, blankets, canvas bags, or plush toys with deluxe albums.
Now, Link was giving out gold medals—an unparalleled gesture.
"You know how the music industry is talking about you now? They say you're like a catfish from the boxing world, inherently fierce and combative. Your arrival has made competition in the music industry even more intense. Even billionaires like Jay-Z have had to give up their downtime to perform concerts in 35°C weather."
Taylor said while lounging on a beach chair, flipping through a magazine and teasing Link.
Link shook his head, not accepting this viewpoint.
Compared to the music industry, boxing is a niche sector. The GDP created by boxers last year was less than $20 billion, while top singers in the music industry generate hundreds of billions in revenue each year.
For example, Taylor is projected to generate over $12 billion from concerts and related income in the coming year, exceeding the GDP of many countries. The cities she performs in see a significant boost in GDP, and her economic impact is so significant that Harvard and other prestigious universities offer courses and research on "Swiftonomics."
The music industry is larger and involves more people, leading to more intense competition, not just because of him.
Additionally, Taylor has gifted fans houses and donated $3,000 each to fans in financial difficulty, among other gestures. Link didn't think his gold medal giveaway was anything extraordinary.
Link smiled, "Because of me, the atmosphere in the music industry has become livelier and more dynamic. It's made you lazy sardines swim faster and be more creative musically, so you should all thank me."
"Not likely. No one will thank someone who forces everyone to work even during the holidays. Look at this report."
Taylor pointed to a news article in the magazine. Before Link could get a closer look, Taylor playfully pushed his face and pointed to the script on the table.
"Look at the script. This is the revised version. What do you think? No saying no. Emma said she wants to act with me."
Link shook his head. The new script merely changed his role from a high school hurdler to a swimmer.
Taylor's role remained that of a high school girl carrying a giant stuffed toy on Valentine's Day. His character was somewhat fearful of his girlfriend, and Taylor's character was a bit silly.
Their roles were a bit foolish and lacking in depth, with little to offer beyond showcasing their muscles and looks.
But since Taylor wanted to do it, he had no choice but to agree.
Fortunately, the pay was good, with both he and Taylor earning $1 million each.
"Alright, let's do it."
"Great, I'll call Annie now."
Taylor kissed him on the cheek and ran off to make the call.
Link removed his towel and jumped into the azure swimming pool, starting to swim.
(End of Chapter)
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