I want you to make a contract with me and become a famous musician! (1.9k words)
Item #: SCP-9497
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Music companies believed to be involved in activities by GoI-0497 ("Aranea Music Group") are to be investigated by Foundation personnel. Websites and social media accounts believed to be hosted by GoI-0497 are to be isolated for examination and blocked from public access.
Mobile Task Force Eta-11 ("Savage Beasts") is tasked with monitoring musicians believed to be instances of SCP-9497-1. Confirmed instances must be evaluated in order to determine if the effects of SCP-9497 have rendered them a threat.
SCP-9497-1 instances whose anomalous effects have been deemed an acceptable risk are permitted to remain in the general populace after being administered Class-A amnestics and released under Foundation supervision. Instances of SCP-9497-1 whose anomalous effects are deemed a threat to others or pose a masquerade risk are required to be removed from the public eye under the guise of retirement or death.
Description: SCP-9497 refers to anomalies associated with GoI-04971, a record label based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
When a musician signs onto GoI-0497, they become an instance of SCP-9497-1. All SCP-9497-1 instances have at least one anomalous effect associated with them. The process by which SCP-9497 induces these effects is unknown. Common anomalies include:2
- Selective amnesia following the release of a song. 98% of these activations occurred after the song reached a record chart.
- Low emotional response and reactions, with the decline correlating to output. Subjects consistently release commercially and critically successful compositions.
- Psychosomatic link with their fanbase. Positive reception of music or performances results in feelings of euphoria, while negative reception results in physical and emotional distress.
- Perceived competitors undergo abrupt career decline, with the subjects' growth becoming constrained within a varied amount of years.
Correlations between the anomalies and attributes of SCP-9497-1 instances are unknown. All confirmed instances of SCP-9497-1 will have initial music released under GoI-0497 to critical and commercial success.
The Foundation first became aware of GoI-0497 in 2012 after multiple musicians began to exhibit growth curves that did not match known career growth patterns. Each musician was found to have signed onto GoI-0497. Further investigation revealed that GoI-0497 had been operating as early as 1991 through shell companies. Prior to discovery, SCP-9497-1 cases were considered by public consensus to be instances of "luck" or exploitation in the music industry. Investigation into websites owned by GoI-0497 have repeatedly traced back to a vacant office building in Amsterdam whose leasing history did not include GoI-0497.
Addendum 9497-1:
Medical Report
Patient: David van Vliet
Date of Birth: 08/03/1992
Citizen Service Number (BSN): █████████
Sex: M
Height: 1.74 meters
Phone: (31) 06-████-████
Email: ███████@gmail.com
Condition Summary:
- Abdominal pain
- Pelvic pain
Physician's Notes: Mr. van Vliet came for an examination after reporting abdominal pain. He stated that he had used pain relievers and laxatives in order to treat the pain prior to the appointment, but reported that the pain persisted. No digestive problems were reported. Findings found no acute abdominal or pelvic process. Patient referred to mental health services for consultation and further evaluation.
Interview 9497-1
Interviewed: David van Vliet
Interviewer: Researcher Cor Bakker
Foreword: Translated from Dutch. Van Vliet is a DJ and musician who reported severe pain following the release of a track that garnered mixed-to-negative reception online. Through examination of his business email, van Vliet was confirmed to be an instance of SCP-9497-1.
<Begin Log, [2012/07/19 13:12]>
Bakker: Good afternoon, David.
Van Vliet: Hello, doctor.
Bakker: How have you been feeling lately?
[Van Vliet sighs]
Van Vliet: Not great at all.
Bakker: Still dealing with the pain?
Van Vliet: Yeah, it just comes and goes. But… I don't know why. I don't understand what's causing it.
Bakker: The tests didn't find anything physical. Do you think stress is causing it?
Van Vliet: Maybe? It happened out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago. I tried everything I could think of and nothing helped.
[Van Vliet pauses]
Van Vliet: Ugh. It started right after I put out that song.
Bakker: The one that got a bad reaction online?
Van Vliet: Yeah. Lots of people hated it.
Bakker: That must have hit you harder than expected. Has this ever happened before?
Van Vliet: No, it didn't. People liked what I released before then.
Bakker: Do you think that the pain has something to do with your career?
Van Vliet: I don't know. As I said, things were good before then.
Bakker: Good in what way?
Van Vliet: After I signed onto Aranea, things took off and dreams came true. Before then, I was just some bedroom producer. I got big crowds, music festivals, people cared about what I made. You know, things any bedroom producer would die for.
[Van Vliet tenses up, shifting in his seat.]
Van Vliet: And then I dropped that track, and everything just got worse overnight for me.
[Van Vliet clutches at his stomach]
Van Vliet: Oh shit, it's starting again.
Bakker: The pain?
Van Vliet: Yeah, can we stop this for now?
Bakker: Of course. Get some rest and take care of yourself. We'll pick up where we left off when you feel better.
<End Log>
Following the interview, van Vliet was asked to provide examples of events that caused an emotional response. Each correlated with his anomalous effect from SCP-9497:
| Date | Event | Reaction | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-05 | Release of debut EP, My Version on Aranea Records | Positive reception | Intense euphoria, heightened mood. Van Vliet believed it was from excitement. |
| 2012-4-07 | DJ set at Lizard Lounge Nightclub | Crowd confusion after van Vliet accidentally hit pause in the middle of the set | Mild nausea that stopped shortly after unpausing. Van Vliet believed it was from anxiety. |
| 2012-07-11 | Release of single "The Monsta" | Mixed-to-negative reception, hostile comments on social media | Abdominal and pelvic pain reported as debilitating. |
Addendum 9497-2: Researcher's Note:
20 July 2012
I'm worried about the kid. His entire health is bound to the whims of strangers from around the world. Last night, he spent nearly an hour lying in pain on the couch, sobbing and begging for me to do anything to make it stop. I had to look him in the eye and just comfort him until the pain went away.
I can't tell him anything about what Aranea does nor can I explain why negative feedback is giving him pain. All I can do is be with him and pretend I don't know why he's in pain. He's a good kid. He doesn't deserve any of this. But leaving him in the dark feels wrong too. I'm going to see if he would like to do weekly visits with me, just to chat. Something that will ease his mind and keep him comforted. Until a way is found to break the contract or the hate stops, it's the least I can do. I'm sure he thinks I'm some kind of corporate liaison, but he needs me before he ends up in intensive care for something that can't be physically proven.
- Cor Bakker, Site-25
Addendum 9497-3:
Interview 9497-3
Interviewed: David van Vliet
Interviewer: Researcher Cor Bakker
Foreword: Translated from Dutch.
<Begin Log, [2012/07/24 19:30]>
Van Vliet: Hey, good to see you again, doctor.
Bakker: Glad to be out of that waiting room?
Van Vliet: Yeah.
[Van Vliet laughs]
Bakker: How have you been holding up over these past few days?
Van Vliet: Better. The pain has largely subsided. It's not completely gone, but it's not as bad as it once was. One of my songs was on A State of Sundays two days ago.
Bakker: How did that feel?
Van Vliet: Someone must have liked it; I felt happier than I have for the past few weeks. And the pain was gone for the rest of the day! But…
[Van Vliet's smile fades and he sighs]
Van Vliet: It came back the following day. That's the problem. I can't control it. If I have to rely on people I don't know to like everything in a track I make so that I end up skipping meals for the day, what happens when I release an album that everyone hates? What if I'm accused of something? Am I going to just die?
Bakker: David, look at me. I am not going to let that happen. We're going to figure out how to manage this.
Van Vliet: How? You won't even tell me what is going on!
Bakker: I heard you are traveling to Belgium tomorrow to play at Tomorrowland. Is that correct?
Van Vliet: Yes.
Bakker: Okay, just wanted a confirmation. So, some crew members at the festival will monitor you as you play. If at any point the crowd begins to react negatively and you start feeling pain, you will be permitted to leave early.
Van Vliet: I have to stay the entire time. I… I can't take the risk to just stop. I can't cancel the whole thing either.
Bakker: If that's what you desire, then that is okay as well. They won't force you to stop. It's your choice.
Van Vliet: I know. I know. I'll do fine. I promise.
<End Log>
Afterword: Following the interview, Agents Amber Vos and Gerald Wilde were tasked to assist David van Vliet at Tomorrowland in De Schorre.
Addendum 9497-5:
Interview 9497-5
Interviewed: David van Vliet
Interviewer: Researcher Cor Bakker
Foreword: Translated from Dutch.
<Begin Log, [2012/08/10 12:00]>
Van Vliet: Hello again, Dr. Bakker.
Bakker: David! Welcome back! How was Tomorrowland?
Van Vliet: It was incredible. Vibes and crowd were wonderful.
Bakker: You're in a good mood. Feeling lighter?
Van Vliet: Yeah.
Bakker: And the pain?
Van Vliet: It's gone. I haven't felt any pain at all since the festival.
Bakker: That's great!
Van Vliet: And after I returned home, I've been working on some new tracks.
Bakker: Tell me more about that, it seems important to you.
Van Vliet: I'm going to be a little more experimental this time. Doing something a little refreshing.
Bakker: Sounds like you're enjoying things again.
Van Vliet: Yeah. I think things are starting to change for the better.
<End Log>
Addendum 9497-6:
On 12-10-2012, David van Vliet was hospitalized for acute pancreatitis caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. The day before the hospitalization, he sent an email to his mother, which was recovered by Foundation personnel.
(Translated from Dutch)
From: ███████@gmail.com
To: █████████@gmail.com
Subject: Hey mom
Body: I know I played so many gigs, but it's what the manager wants. I don't know how much longer I can hold on.
Every time I release a song that's hated, I feel pain. Every time I do something at a gig that the crowd doesn't like, I feel pain. My feelings only rely on what my fans think. I can't feel anything else. I've tried everything. I don't know what to do. The manager wants me to continue touring and releasing new music.
I should have known better when I signed onto that record label. I'm sorry. I wish I could fix things. I was such a fool.