Chapter 1248 Boxing Ring in the Dark

"No no, Daniel, don't bring Catherine and his wife from KM Films to Kiev, let them talk to Yeremov about the Blade Runner project..."

"I know, I know you know we want to switch publishers..."

"Doug Morris asked you about the monopoly case? OK..."

"No, no, I don't want to hear about the progress of the Cold Mountain project. I'm very busy here."

Song Ya, who had already checked into a local hotel in Kiev, put away her mobile phone and shook her head helplessly at Donovan beside her with a wry smile.

"Mr. Glass seems to be in a good mood?" Donovan laughed too.

"He depends on me."

Song Ya made half-truth and half-fake jokes. Daniel is too good at drilling, and his mobility is MAX. There was just a rumor in Hollywood. He got in touch with Catherine and his wife after a while, and reached out to the Blade Warrior project. He must stop it decisively, otherwise Yeremov will explode again. angry.

"Hahaha!"

Donovan laughed and stretched out his hand to push aside the curtain, and made a 'please' gesture to the balcony.

Rubbing his face, Song Ya grinned and walked over. When his figure appeared on the balcony, there was a huge cheer from below the hotel, 'Ah! S! ’ The crowd of Ermao local fans shouted with great enthusiasm, all young people, it feels like the number can be thousands?

They raised their heads, waved and greeted themselves, and fell into a carnival. Many girls screamed wildly while riding on the shoulders of their boyfriends, waving their coats in circles.

Overlooking all this like a pope, Song Ya also frequently waved, nodded, and blew kisses, and compared scissors to the cameras of the reporters, enjoying it.

"It still seems to be less popular than MJ in Eastern Europe."

After more than ten minutes, he ended the interaction with the fans and returned to the room with a lot of enthusiasm. His eyes couldn't adapt to the changes in the internal and external light for a while, so he had to temporarily squint.

"MJ's influence here and the social atmosphere of the 1980s have achieved each other, and there is a high probability that there will be no more latecomers."

Donovan answered matter-of-factly.

"hehe……"

"The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Ermao just informed me that they canceled the meeting at the presidential palace." Donovan continued to report: "But the Commander-in-Chief of Ermao agreed to meet you on a less formal occasion,

In a few days. "

"Why?" Song Ya asked.

"Maybe they are afraid that if you and the presidential palace appear in the news at the same time, it will cause some other associations to the outside world?" Donovan guessed.

"Hahaha!" The tour creators and lawyers in the room laughed when they heard this.

"..."

Song Ya was speechless, "Get out, everyone, I'm going to rest."

He drove everyone away, thought for a while, picked up the phone and called Rick Rubin, president of Sony Columbia Records, "Hey! Rick! How are you doing?" with enthusiasm.

"..."

Rick Rubin couldn't adapt to his affectionate attitude for a while, and replied after a few seconds: "That's it..."

"I heard from Sandy that Mimi's contract renewal is about to be negotiated?" Song Ya asked for a conversation.

"That's about me and your ex-wife, you're doing her a favor by not showing up!" Rick Rubin was very rude, "You know? For the first time in so many years, the New York City Hall didn't invite her to the New Year's Eve... ..."

"Uh, I'm just asking..."

"Ha! APLUS, don't think I can't figure out what you are planning with your idle attention!"

Rick Rubin showed a little complacency and schadenfreude again, "Is it because you want to leave Universal Music again? Find another home? Stop dreaming! My Sony Columbia has no place for you, you boy will only bring plague and war , famine and death!"

"It's true that I'm not a Doomsday Knight! Forget it, don't feel good about yourself Rick, I won't ask anyone for you!"

The words were not speculative, and Song Ya hung up the phone cursing.

The decoupling negotiations over there are already underway, and he really wants to seize the time to find out what the other big four say. The 'friend' that Barry Diller said wants to enter the record industry under such a big environment is too illusory, and he needs to prepare some backhand.

The first thing to exclude is BMG. Usher, who has risen rapidly in the southern part of the country this year and is expected to win the best artist on the B list in 1998, and R Kelly, the king of rhythm and blues in the northern part of the country, are all black, plus they are from Europe. Backstreet Boys, a popular white idol boy group, has a very good overall momentum. They just want to quit the music scene. Even if they accept themselves, they don't have top-level resources.

The second is EMI. Their global head office and Beimi branch are very divided. The two major princes, Viking Beimi and Capitol Records, have major conflicts with the former EMI Beimi president Daniel, and now they are so close to Daniel...

Now Rick Rubin, president of Sony Columbia Records, has this attitude again...

Only Warner Music is left, and at most one more Disney.

However, he broke up with Universal again, and his reputation in the circle of senior managers in the record industry... I also know that the street is about to stink, and Warner and Disney may not dare to take over.

He knows that he, David Geffen, Barry Diller, and Doug Morris don't trust each other, and he has a deep sense of security. The current state is a bit like a boxing ring where the four fighters occupy a corner, and they are all ready. Defensive posture, constantly relying on the wind to identify the position and approach step by step, occasionally pointing a jab to test.

One of the arms raised on my side is to ask Sloan to follow up the FTC's monopoly case. Since he does not intend to betray Daniel, this move can only be used as a defensive action. The other is actually Song Ya's intention to find Rick Rubin but unfortunately he didn't have the chance to speak: Def Jam, after all Rick Rubin was the founder and former boss of Def Jam Records.

Why did Fu San Dai want to merge A+ Records and Def Jam? Just because I had a conflict with Def Jam, so I'm deliberately humiliating?

In the past few days, he has been analyzing the words that Bronfman Jr. said to Linda during the meeting. It will not be that simple. The ability of the rich three generations is not bad. Either he is willing to redeem himself and leave, or he will submit.

But why merge with Def Jam?

There is only one conclusion. Def Jam’s valuation of hundreds of millions is a big bubble blown from the Polygram era. In order to go public next year, Seagram Global Group must continue to use capital games to maintain the bubble, and A+ Records will drag it down. No new album will be released. Due to the existence of singers such as Fergie, Mira, Brenda, and mon, the current fundamentals are still very healthy. The merger will be very beneficial to Def Jam.

He didn't know that he had completely lost his mind. At that time, Fu Sandai really saw Lyle Cohen, the president of Def Jam, sitting there, so he spontaneously said that.

But the most amazing thing about this matter is that he used wrong reasoning but got the right result, just like the saying goes, "Think about it every day and dream at night."

In fact, the rich third generation who is 'very poor' is precisely because he is worried about Def Jam's accounts in his heart, so the intuition brought by his subconscious made him blurt out that if it can be implemented, it can be perfectly solved during the meeting. Solution to the problem: A+ Records merges with Def Jam.

Take the hard assets of APLUS that he hates the most and mix them with Def Jam's capital bubbles, suppressing, filling holes, humiliating people, etc... all in one fell swoop.

"It's a weakness."

Song Ya was talking to himself in the room alone, and he also thought that he had accurately grasped the key point after careful analysis of the statements of the third generation of the rich.

He intends to hide in the dark and secretly accumulate energy to obtain definite evidence that Def Jam's valuation is inflated. Once the redemption plan fails to be negotiated, the Bronfman family will fight back hard after revealing their "hacks" about themselves, stirring things up. A listing plan that is related to the life and death of the other party.

In the dark, he also does not know the details of the bet between Seagram Global and Merrill Lynch, but that is not important. Whether the IPO goes smoothly is always the most core interest for a company.

But now Rick Rubin is not cooperating, and Russell Simmons, the other founder of Def Jam, has a bad relationship with himself. Russell Simmons' old friend Quincy Jones ran away after Natasha Kinski broke up with him that night. I came to my own party, and the friendship that had just improved broke down again. LL Cool J, the most influential singer in Def Jam, also had old grudges with me because of competing for the Blade Warrior project in the early years...

Other singers who have a good relationship with him in Def Jam, such as Derry's half-brother Warren G, do not have the energy and qualifications to access the company's internal financial information, and they have to be "real accounts".

He was a bit stuck for a while, but there should be a way to solve it. He has great energy in New York where Def Jam is located. He has secretly assigned tasks to Ms. Sloan, Linda, the president of Metropolitan Records, and the Sutton father and son of the inner city broadcasting company. Go down, I believe there will be some clues soon.

"Is this the one? Thank you Mike."

While racking his brains and thinking, a familiar beautiful voice came from outside the door, and Song Ya's breathing suddenly became heavy.

"Hi... ouch!"

Old Mike pushed the door open, and the tall and slender Mila stood outside. After shooting the soldiers, the short hair has been grown again. There is no need for messy colored wigs. It is still a neutral jacket and jeans, but the whole body is much more up and down. Some shiny punk rock accessories, sunglasses, red lips.

The time management is very precise. After the separation in Germany, Shaki pulled back to New York and replaced her as a guest performer on the Eastern European tour.

Before Mira finished greeting, she was dragged in, the door closed, and Song Ya hugged and gnawed rudely, and she responded quickly and emotionally, very quickly, just like the first time the two of them had in the music classroom eight years ago. Like the last time, the blond hair girl's long legs were folded and suspended behind the door.

"APLUS? Are you..."

"Oh, I'm at the gym, what's the matter Mr. Geffen?"

"I heard that your plan to meet with Commander Ermao has changed?"

"Yes, in a few days later, we will meet at a football club in Kiev, and the press will report it, no big problem."

"That plan remains the same, you're ready to take over the money for the Beverly Hills house."

"I'm already ready, Hayden will help me...Help me lower the price, hey, Mr. Geffen."

"Don't worry. Also, I'm negotiating with Universal Pictures to acquire the distribution rights of the project. The last two films of Blade Warrior only involve A+ film studios, KM Pictures and Marvel. This is the third A+ movie in my life." The studio can take full responsibility, right?"

David Geffen asked, flipping through the files.

"It seems to be like this. If you have any questions, I will ask Yeremov to report to you face to face." Song Ya replied.

"Hehe, okay, then you continue to exercise."

"Young man..." David Geffen put down the phone and shook his head with a smile, "Has Lazarenko been honest recently?"

"Not honest, he remotely directs his subordinates to move around in the prison." The confidant in front of him replied.

"Then put more pressure on him, and he will be afraid when APLUS sees the Er Mao commander." David Geffen sent his cronies away, thinking alone.

There is no doubt that APLUS wants to get out of Universal. The question is how much interest he is willing to compromise. In the darkness of mutual suspicion, he must be careful to test it out. This time, there will be no more problems. After the distribution rights of Warrior and One Dance are out of My Life, it means that you can't pretend to be in front of Little Bronfman at all.

"How did I offend that idiot? Or is he just pretending to be stupid? In fact, everything has not escaped his eyes? After the defeat of the Digital Millennium Act, a series of operations turned out to be quite decent..."

Because his information lacked the concerted action agreement between Barry Diller and Bronfman Jr., he was puzzled and thought more and more.

But it doesn't really matter anymore, it's almost the end of the year, and the cash in my hand has to be invested, and then I'll see what more I can get from the A+ record business, but Barry Diller is also hiding in the dark and watching closely , it is not good for him to act rashly to trigger the opponent's hostility.

Barry Diller claims that a friend can take over A+ Records. Doug Morris himself is the president of Universal Music. Among the four parties in this matter, he is the farthest away from the core interests. The small shares of Geffen Records and Universal Music in his hand are useless. , one who is not handled properly will be kicked out...

Forget about him, take what you can earn first, and don't expect to get anything from the little Bronfman anyway.

He also has two heavy punches that are concealed. As a Jewish Hollywood boss with a lot of political energy and the firm support of the same-sex group, a little bit of rumors about the Bronfman family and Deutsche Bank and UBS gradually spread to him. in the ear. And he knows APLUS too well, and he has been drooling over Lazarenko's Beverly Hills villa for a long time.

"I heard that David Geffen and Ron Meyer, Yeremov, Catherine and their negotiations are progressing very quickly."

In Barry Diller's eyes, he didn't think he was in the same darkness as Song Ya and others in the boxing ring, but it was a spider web in the darkness, and he was in the center of the spider web.

He wanted to maintain his friendship with Bronfman Jr., and let Universal get enough cash from the APLUS breakup, and at the same time find a way to make some money himself. In the end, after APLUS left, he showed the five major blockers. Bronfman had his heart set.

"Yes, the interest relationship in the movie is relatively simple, and the record company is more complicated. The singles released by APLUS, as well as the money that Fergie, Mira and other singers have helped Universal Music earn..." The subordinate replied : "What Linda means is to figure everything out."

"The key is to warm up in advance and make APLUS leave. He has actually run out of talent and has to leave. Apart from the Cup of Life and Can't Hold Us, he can't squeeze out any good products. Maybe that's the case. .And he has to be the one who confesses to the redemption, otherwise little Edgar will definitely not be able to pass the test, and little Edgar has the mentality of an emperor."

Barry Diller said: "At the end of the day, he has to sign."

"What about Doug Morris? If the new album sells well after APLUS leaves, he must be unlucky, and he won't fail to see this." The subordinate asked.

"What does APLUS have to do with me? You know that my so-called 'friend' doesn't exist at all, so just throw it to someone else. He slapped little Edgar in the face so quickly, and I will be killed by little Edgar." Degas is suspicious."

Barry Diller replied: "Doug Morris will find his own way."

"To whom? If the Big Five doesn't ban APLUS, Jr. Bronfman will still blame you. You have already promised him."

"Don't worry, I deliberately left a hole for Disney. When APLUS finally knows that he has been blocked by the top five, Biran will go to the second-tier No. For personal friendship, it is almost inevitable to take this path.”

Barry Diller sneered, "Of course, it must be manipulated so that he thinks it is his own idea." He picked up the phone and started calling his own and other media outlets to create public opinion.

"Yes, Barry Diller dumped the task on me."

At this time, Doug Morris is conscientiously contacting and blocking the matter. He discussed with his friends from his old club Warner Records, "It's still an old trick. When the time comes, I will let the lead singer of the metal band Hetfield come forward to protest against APLUS's website for condoning piracy. If you point out that APLUS is a traitor to the recording industry, then you can just use this as an excuse to refuse to accept him, and you won’t have any responsibility. Well, I’ll take care of Hetfield’s side..."

"Did you bring Disney in?" My friend reminded me, "I can go to Disney without the five major APLUS, maybe I can still live well and nourished. Think about Metropolitan Records."

"Metropolis Records are all rappers who mainly focus on the domestic market... I've already communicated with Disney, so it's not a big problem."

Doug Morris put down the phone after comforting the other party.

"Doug, is there really no problem? When the deal is completed and APLUS's new movie sells well, we will be the two of the unlucky ones." Ron Meyer, president of Universal Pictures, called and asked.

"What are you worried about!? You are in a much better situation than me. The boss's close friend David Geffen took over the project. If something goes wrong afterwards, the boss will only hate him. You can find 10,000 reasons to shirk responsibility."

Doug Morris replied quietly.

"Hey, don't you also have the boss' mentor Barry Diller on your side?" Ron Meyer asked with a smile without denying it.

"That's different... Let's not talk anymore, I'm too busy here."

Doug Morris was too lazy to hypocritically deal with the other party's spying, and the two also had competition within the Seagram Global Group.