From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Does anyone know what the world of lost hearing is like?

It's not the imagined silence, but like holding your breath in a lake, the noise and clamor of the outside world reaching the bottom faintly.

They can hear something, but not completely, vaguely and indistinctly.

For some, hearing is more degenerated or severely damaged, and the sound is more blurred and distant; for others, hearing is slightly damaged, and the sound is closer and clearer.

But most people can feel the rhythm, not the melody or the tone, but a vibration, transmitted through the water to the blood.

The world, gently vibrating, is like a series of small earthquakes.

So, it may sound incredible, but many people with hearing impairments like music, even if they can't hear the lyrics, the vibration and rhythm of the melody are still a way for them to feel the world.

Aqi still retains 70% of his hearing, but the doctor said that his hearing is slowly degenerating.

He doesn't know what will happen next, maybe one day in the future, his world may no longer feel any sound, not even rhythm.

It is because of this that he wants to tell Ansen: Thank you.

However.

Ansen appeared. The members of the August 31st band also appeared.

Aqi found that he couldn't convey his thoughts.

He tried hard, he tried, but what he said was still a bunch of vague syllables, meaningless, which made Aqi even more anxious.

The opportunity is right in front of him, what should he do?

Anxious, but helpless.

Aqi stared at Ansen, trying to show a smile, but the anxiety and panic in his heart still could not be controlled.

At this moment, Aqi saw Ansen's mouth turn up, raised his hands, and began to gesture in sign language.

"This is the first time I've seen the real thing, I heard it was sold out on the first day."

Aqi swore that at that moment, he saw an angel.

An unspeakable happiness instantly filled his chest, the hustle and bustle of the world disappeared, and everything became simple and pure.

He wanted to dance. He wanted to cheer. He wanted to sing.

"Thirty minutes." Aqi handed the vinyl record to Ansen, quickly gesturing in sign language, "It was all sold out in thirty minutes."

When 2003 came to an end, everyone was marveling at the incredible box office results of "The Butterfly Effect"; but what cannot be ignored is the sales of the album "Midsummer Midnight".

Accurately speaking, "Midsummer Midnight" was released in October 2002. After a full four months of slow and sluggish sales, the album finally ushered in a steady rise, and undoubtedly became the most popular album of the year.

At the same time, it had strong staying power.

This album stayed in the top ten of the Billboard charts for a long time, until now; it also stayed in the champion position of the Billboard Rock Album chart for a long time, also until now.

It can be described as incredible, showing its dominance in a devastating manner.

On the 2003 North American album sales chart, "Midsummer Midnight" rightfully occupied a place, ranking third with sales of five million.

The champion, 50 Cent, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", this rap album showed a sweeping trend, selling a total of 6.5 million copies.

After the millennium, physical album sales inevitably began to decline. In a situation where three million or four million sales could easily top the annual sales chart, 50 Cent's debut album sold 6.5 million copies, demonstrating the unparalleled market appeal of this new rap singer.

After the album was released in 2002, it was always lukewarm, with total sales of less than 600,000 copies, which was already considered top-notch performance among niche works.

Then, at the 45th Grammy Awards last year, "Come Away With Me" swept the four major awards for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Norah Jones became the first singer in history to sweep the four major general awards, although the Record of the Year is awarded to the producer and does not belong to Norah Jones, but for the general public, there is no difference, and the impact is the same.

In the week after the Grammys, sales of the album "Come Away With Me" soared by 330%, soaring into the sky, with single-week sales almost exceeding the album's previous total sales; moreover, the subsequent sales momentum became unstoppable.

Finally, it rightfully ascended to the runner-up position in the annual sales chart.

Third place, August 31st band, "Midsummer Midnight".

There is no need to repeat the legendary experience of this album, but when the year-end sales chart came out, people were still shocked—

Five million?

In the entire 2003, only three albums reached such a height, breaking the five million threshold, and one of them was "Midsummer Midnight"?

Although people knew that the August 31st band had risen strongly and became the undisputed topic king of 2003, such sales data?

Five million, seriously?

Numbers don't lie. At this moment, people can finally feel the popularity of the album "Midsummer Midnight" in a digital and substantial way, and the craze that "Come Away With Me" and other albums have set off in the "alternative music genre", undoubtedly becoming a special scene in 2003.

Behind these three albums, Shania Twain, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Beyoncé, R. Kelly, Coldplay, and The White Stripes occupied the remaining positions in the top ten of the year-end sales chart.

Linkin Park finally broke through, with their second studio album "Meteora" selling 3.5 million copies, plus Evanescence, Coldplay, and the August 31st band, those who shouted "Rock is dead" were all silenced, witnessing an incredible resurgence in the music market.

Somewhat surprisingly, Beyoncé's solo debut "Dangerously in Love" "only" sold 2.5 million copies. Judging from the overwhelming momentum, she is becoming the next queen; however, the year-end album sales figures were not as explosive as expected, which was slightly disappointing.

However, it indirectly highlights the glory of the August 31st band.

From the sudden emergence of "The Butterfly Effect" to the meteoric rise of "Midsummer Midnight", Ansen's topicality and popularity have permeated the entire year, although he did not top the chart like "Spider-Man" last year, this year, on the contrary, one can more clearly feel Ansen's dominance.

Glory, without a doubt.

It is because of this that Warner Records officially released a commemorative vinyl record of "Midsummer Midnight" two weeks ago, to commemorate the album's five million sales and to congratulate the August 31st band's six Grammy nominations.

Generally speaking, the real purpose of so-called special events is to further stimulate sales; but Warner Records is slightly different this time, mainly to give back to fans.

After all, the album "Midsummer Midnight" has taken an unconventional path from the beginning, a niche within a niche, inconspicuous in the music market. Without the support of these enthusiastic fans, the August 31st band would have been buried in the vast music market and no one would have known about them.

Therefore, this vinyl record is a limited edition, selling only 10,000 copies.

The grand occasion can be imagined.