Chapter 327 I Still Want Your Company's Life (Two in One)

Fang Zhuo received a phone call from Sony, and Senior Vice President Albert conveyed Stringer's intention.

Sony Music wants Yike's equity.

If they can talk, they will come to the headquarters for a second meeting.

If they can't talk, then stop here.

The attitude is quite tough.

Fang Zhuo can understand the other party. No matter what new music business model is said, no matter what the future development trend of records is, they are strong now and have the initiative.

If it were me, I would also have to consider using equity bundling to complete the cooperation.

Because it involves equity changes, Fang Zhuo held a telephone conference of shareholders out of courtesy. The two IDGs, Today Capital, Shenxin Technology Innovation, and Xiangjiang Huanyu all participated.

After some explanation, everyone has a clearer understanding of the current situation facing Yike.

On the surface, Yike's M1 and P1 still have an advantage in the market with their price and quality, but once the opponent completes the closure of music copyrights, everything will come to nothing.

Internet-based companies can develop quickly or collapse quickly. Its competition cycle cannot be calculated in years in many cases, but in quarters and months.

Sony is a counter-example today.

Shareholders had no objection and fully realized the seriousness of the matter, especially Wang Fengyi of Shenxin, who felt that he was facing a situation of collapse in a short period of time.

This, this change is too fast, isn't it?

Yike is currently facing all-round competition, which is beyond the reach of domestic institutions, and the US IDG cannot provide much help. What it can do is to mediate and give Yike's people a chance to sit at the conference table.

US IDG cannot and has no ability to let copyright agencies and record companies harm their own interests to help an oriental company.

However, Fang Zhuo asked them to help find media resources, considering that if the matter fails, they can offer price cuts to clear the inventory and ship. If the matter succeeds, then they will announce the new features of iMusic before Apple.

After the shareholders' meeting, Fang Zhuo sat in the office and added water to the tea, and then the phone rang, and one by one they expressed their concern for the company after the meeting.

"Old Xiong, this is serious, but it is also an opportunity. I have to look at Sony Music's conditions before deciding. If it doesn't work out, we still have the domestic market."

"Mr. Xu, Sister Xin, how is it possible? How could I have predicted this change? I can't catch the same person and cheat him for the second time. What kind of person would I be? Don't worry, don't worry."

"Mr. Liang, hahaha, I'm not under much pressure, I'm just afraid that you are under a lot of pressure. I must inform you of the latest situation in a timely manner."

"Brother Wang, oh, things are very complicated. You won't understand even if I tell you. I'll buy you a drink when I go back."

The situation changed too quickly, and there was a gap in the communication between the company and shareholders. Even Xiong Xiaoge was still immersed in the shock of the president of Sina, not to mention others.

Fang Zhuo answered all the calls and just finished a cup of tea.

Then, he held another company meeting without letting the local Americans attend to discuss the Sony Music matter.

It's called a discussion, but it's more about letting others supplement their thinking. It's difficult for middle-level managers like Qi He who have just been promoted not long ago to consider the problem from a big perspective.

Even Yu Hong, who has been in charge of the US market for some time, dared not express her opinions for fear of misleading the boss.

But Yu Hong has one good thing, she is also a shareholder and can bear the consequences together.

Regarding the forward-looking development of the industry and the key nodes of the company's competition, it is destined to be decided by Fang Zhuo.

"Sony Music wants to use our money to buy our shares."

"Skinner wants to get it for free."

"Hey."

After listening to everyone's obviously cautious discussion, Fang Zhuo couldn't help but sighed with melancholy.

"Not really, they provide the music copyrights in their hands, and we save a lot of cash expenditure." Yu Hong glanced at the boss with a strange look, "Only this equity, equity is indeed very important, it can easily be a weapon in the struggle for control."

After all... the president in front of him has demonstrated this with his own hands.

The employees in the conference room thought of domestic affairs at the same time and realized the implication of the marketing director.

Fang Zhuo didn't notice the expressions of the crowd, and casually said: "Sony Music has obtained equity this time. If there is a next round of financing, it will definitely find a way to follow up and even increase investment in proportion."

"There is also IDG in the company. I don't know what the scene will be like after the next round."

"We have to revise the company's articles of association."

Fang Zhuo's mind was full of operations involving equity. This was the sequelae left by the Sina dispute. He also subconsciously considered ways to ensure the control of the company.

But the company's articles of association alone are not enough. The actions within the rules must be relative, and everyone will be constrained.

"Mr. Fang, since Sony Music is going to calculate the shares by conversion, then this 'discount' can be considered to be a discount." Deputy Director Qi He said.

This is right.

Fang Zhuo has decided to cooperate with Sony Music. Now he has to consider how to strive for greater benefits for himself. He nodded at Qi He and signaled to continue.

"We have a dominant market performance. Although there are some litigation issues now and it is not easy to buy copyrights, Sony's copyright will solve the biggest problem in the future."

"Our valuation cannot be viewed from the current perspective, but from a new music model that is growing at a very fast rate."

Qi He spoke faster and faster: "Sony Music is declining, we are growing rapidly, and we have the Chinese market behind us."

"The domestic copyright model is not suitable." Yu Hong reminded.

Fang Zhuo slowly opened his mouth: "It is not suitable now, what about the future? Even if it is really not suitable, what if Sony thinks it is suitable?"

What is needed now is not the existence of a domestic model suitable for copyright licensing, but a possible direction in the future.

Why does Sony Music want to take Yike's shares?

Because it also agrees with Fang Zhuo's judgment, because it also tries to promote the progress and stability of the current digital music market.

Giants are all confident.

It is not good in China now, and giants must have the courage and confidence to tame the environment. Without trying, how can there be progress?

Fang Zhuo's thinking was further opened up and returned to the company's equity.

Sony Music is carrying out equity bundling cooperation at this point in time. As long as it has the ambition, it must want to further strengthen its influence on Yike.

This process seems to have a high probability of completion, because Sony Music has copyrights, singers, a steady stream of content production, and it has money.

When a hardware product evolves to a combination of hardware and software, it will also be restricted by the software content.

Fang Zhuo feels that if he were in Stringer's position, there would be many ways to gradually influence a downstream company in the industry chain.

But...

What if the time coordinate is slightly extended?

With the development of the Internet and digital music in the next ten years, the record industry will inevitably decline step by step.

Digital music seems to be a beneficial supplement and good competition for records at the moment, but it is actually an unswerving gravedigger, destined to make the record industry, which has been glorious for decades, lose its luster.

Can Sony Music stop this process?

Can it, a deep cultivator in the record industry, make a gorgeous turn?

Even if it wants to be gorgeous, can its parent company Sony, which has already shown signs of decline, allow it to implement its strategy comfortably?

It's hard to say who will drag whom down between the two.

Fang Zhuo's thinking, which is deeply involved in litigation, copyright, competition, and cooperation, is suddenly linked to the industrial development in the next ten years, and his eyes become deep.

Humans will always need music, but not always need records.

Sony and Sony Music will definitely be badly hurt in the next few years.

Stringer, you want the equity of my company, but I want your company's life.

"Mr. Fang?" Yu Hong reminded the boss who was obviously distracted.

Fang Zhuo came back to his senses and smiled: "Well, Qi He said it well just now. It is necessary to let our opponents and potential partners know about our Yike's market position."

"The company's articles of association need to be revised, and the board of directors needs to strengthen the authorization obtained from all shareholders."

"We will launch a large-scale promotion in the United States and China to continue to seize users and prepare for iMusic."

"We must correctly evaluate our value and the value that Sony Music can bring."

"Since we want to cooperate, don't limit yourself to copyrights, and face the position of shareholders."

"Sony Music wants to use our money. The number of this money should be reduced before the quotation. Apple is willing to spend 200 million US dollars to acquire Yike. The copyright licensing fee alone is not enough. Sony Music has to pay some cash."

"Or, let Sony Music convert into a long-term music copyright license. This part of the measurement should also be paid attention to."

Fang Zhuo issued orders one by one.

Finally, he said, "I won't go to the second meeting. I will express my willingness to cooperate with Albert on the phone first. Xiao Yu will lead the team to talk and leave some room for maneuver."

People in the conference room responded one after another. There was still a lot of work to do next.

After the meeting, Yu Hong did not leave. She stayed and said her observation: "You seem to be more confident all of a sudden?"

"Really? Am I not always confident?" Fang Zhuo said with a smile.

Yu Hong raised her hand and pointed at the boss's face: "Yes, yes, that's the kind of smile, the smile after sorting out the situation. I have seen it many times!"

"..." Fang Zhuo shook his head, "Equity matters must be cautious, but you must be neither humble nor arrogant in your contact with Sony Music. We are still the leader in the market now."

"Of course, at worst, you can't do the market here, and you can go back to China without working overtime, staying up late, or working hard." Yu Hong understood the spirit.

Fang Zhuo praised: "Okay, Director Xiao Yu has such an enterprise-level understanding, I feel relieved."

Yu Hong did not argue with Fang Zhuo, and asked: "Is there anything else to pay attention to? You are more concerned about venture capital this time than before."

"Nothing else, wait and see the situation before responding. The hardware market is the basic market, pay more attention to Apple's competitive product information." Fang Zhuo pondered, "This time it involves Sony Music's investment, we can't ignore it."

He continued: "Sony Music is not like venture capital investment. We must have deeper cooperation in this online music model. There is a risk of peace between the companies."

"Is it our danger or Sony Music's danger, Mr. President of Sina." Yu Hong made a joke.

"Hahaha, of course it's our danger." Fang Zhuo laughed a few times.

What bad intentions can a small president of a small company have? It's just to survive in the harsh competitive environment in the United States.

Yu Hong chatted a little more about professional managers in the United States. She now had similar feelings to Fang Zhuo. From Luzhou to Shanghai, from China to the United States, she always felt that the company was lacking people in various ways.

Nowadays, Yike recruits basically middle-level people in the United States, and the legal department is slightly higher-level. As a result, the boss killed him as soon as he came.

Yu Hong felt that she was more suitable for the market, and the company's management needed to be clearer.

At the end of September, Yike and Sony Music began to have formal and secret contacts. The discussions involving equity were different from the previous copyright authorization.

Fang Zhuo is considering cooperating without selling old shares and allowing Sony Music to conduct a separate Pre-B round of financing with long-term licensing and part of the cash.

But this still requires communication with institutional shareholders, because it will mean a reduction in their shares, or they will have to add additional funds.

On the first day of October, Fang Zhuo was sitting in his office, looking through information, and considering the cooperation between Yike and Sony Music.

Before he could read a few pages of the report, the door to the president's office was pushed open with a burst of noise, and Li Xinyue from the Anliang Club broke in.

"Mr. Li, what's the matter?" Fang Zhuo waved to the employee who failed to stop him, and looked at the group of three people who appeared in his office.

Li Xinyue laughed angrily: "Mr. Fang, Mr. Fang, you said you wanted to interview me and explain the fund's issues to me, but since you came to New York, I have been pushed away several times when you called me."

She didn't sit down and said with gritted teeth, "Mr. Fang, you, the president of Sina, can't bully people like this, right?"

Fang Zhuo actually couldn't bear to deal with this group of people. He used the Anliang Society's money, but it was definitely a way to make a fortune.

"Mr. Li, didn't I tell you? Things will change when Sina's third quarter financial report comes out." He frowned, "What else do you want me to say?"

"When will it come out?" Li Xinyue is in New York, but he still feels confident. At worst, he won't go to the mainland again!

"Recently." Fang Zhuo said succinctly.

Li Xinyue became increasingly dissatisfied with the perfunctory attitude of the young man in front of him. The amount of money An Liang would spend was not a small amount!

She said half-warning: "Mr. Fang, I hope everything goes well. Sina is a listed company after all, and I don't want to hear any bad news that affects the stock price. Our money will be delivered in one year. Is there any problem?"

Fang Zhuo was furious, but his face remained calm: "No problem, the delivery will be made in one year."

Li Xinyue stared at Fang Zhuo and turned to leave the office.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Li, you're here, please lend me the Double Red Stick as an envoy." Fang Zhuo recalled it briefly and made up a random reason, "Just Fan Xiong, come and help me shock people."

"Yeah." Li Xinyue didn't think it was anything, so she responded in her nose and left Yike Company.

That afternoon, Fang Zhuo met Fan Xiong, a copper pea who had also been to the mainland.

"Mr. Fang, if you have anything to say, you can tell me." Fan Xiong showed extraordinary respect.

"Brother Fan, sit down." Fang Zhuo said something casually and asked casually, "Oh yes, your chamber of commerce has invested money in my fund. Brother Fan, do you want to have some fun? I will take you one."

Fan Xiong said honestly and courteously: "I don't understand this, I can easily be tricked."

"That's right." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Funds do have twists and turns sometimes. Let's do this. Brother Fan, you take 50,000 yuan and I will show you the results. You will definitely make money by making money. You can treat it as pocket change." alright."

Fifty thousand yuan, can the dignified CEO still cheat this little money?

Fan Xiong hesitated for a moment and then agreed. He wouldn't lose much, and he wouldn't make much profit either. It was just for fun.