Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 270 Hollywood Finale!

Whistler is a ski resort located in Vancouver. It has been in operation since the 1960s and has good facilities.

Ski enthusiasts can take the cable car up the mountain, put on their gear in the mountain hut, and sprint down the mountain on any ski slope as needed. If you are tired, you can take a rest in the restaurant on the mountain, or rest directly in the hotel on the mountain and wait for the sunrise the next day.

Perhaps it is because the layout here is very user-friendly and the fact that skiing is possible all year round can meet the needs of most people, so the only drawback here is that there are too many people. When Thomas and Linda brought them here skiing before, the six ski slopes were so crowded that it was unbearable.

This time, when Ethan paid 250,000 for two days of booking the venue, the snow-capped mountains that could be seen at a glance and the white snow that could be touched by raising one's hand were truly a delight.

In the early morning of the next day, when the orange-red sunlight spread across the earth and illuminated the snow-capped mountains, it looked like the golden light of a fairy tale world, and it really gave a feeling of sunlight shining on golden mountains.

The two went to Whistler on March 31st, and after watching the sunrise on April Fools' Day, they went down the mountain at noon on April 1st. Even though the next day was Monday, neither of them had any intention of going back to work. After a brief discussion, both sides decided to stay in Vancouver for a few more days.

So, that afternoon, they took the ferry to Bowen Island.

The next day, we chased wild ducks and reindeer with our shotguns in the local residents' hunting area.

For dinner, we had roasted venison legs and wild duck soup.

Just as they were thinking that if they were lucky in the next few days, they might be able to see the whales migrating from south to north, at noon on the 2nd, Ethan received a call from the company.

"Boss, Gary Kurtz wants to see you."

On the other end of the phone, Steve Ballmer, who stayed in the company, reported: "Gary Kurtz said that those people have offered new bargaining chips. They are willing to help us get Michael Jackson."

"As long as you are willing to appear in a photo with them and smile, they will send Michael Jackson's contract to the game of fate. The time and place are all decided by you."

“…” The simple and clear offer made Ethan stunned for a moment.

The next second, he laughed.

To be honest, he never expected that these people would be so crazy to maintain the stock price.

In order to highlight the family relationship in Hollywood, they would rather give away Michael Jackson?
Oh--

From a time traveler's perspective, this is like being kicked in the head by a donkey!

what?
Are they all indigenous?

That’s okay!

While Ethan was sighing, Evelyn, who was enjoying her lunch and listening attentively, suddenly spoke up and asked doubtfully: "Steve, are you sure the deal they proposed is to help us get Michael Jackson? Isn't Michael Jackson an artist of Epic Records? Epic Records is a subsidiary of Columbia Records, right? And Columbia Records has nothing to do with Columbia Pictures, so..."

"Please tell me how this group of people convinced Columbia Records to sell people?"

Ethan's joy was dampened by his sister's words.

While looking at the girl, his face was full of confusion.

Yup!

When he was learning about the layout of Hollywood, he already knew that Columbia Pictures and Columbia Records were just similar in name and had nothing to do with each other.

Columbia Pictures is the property of the Coen brothers.

Columbia Records' major shareholder is the CBS Television Network.

In this situation, did the Big Seven in Hollywood sell Columbia Records in order to maintain their own stock prices?

Aren’t these people’s hands too long?

Ballmer also understood this problem. He explained directly on the other end of the phone: "In the early 1970s, when Columbia Pictures encountered major financial problems, they went to the market to raise funds. They looked for independent investors and partners, and Columbia Broadcasting Network was one of them."

"Although CBS did not have a large stake in Columbia Pictures and was unwilling to sell Michael Jackson for the original price of the film company, they agreed to the deal when several other film companies were willing to compensate CBS."

"As far as I know, once the cooperation is reached, the other companies will modify their film copyright contracts with CBS and allow CBS to obtain the television broadcast rights of their films at a lower price. As for how many years this right will last? I didn't find out."

“Oh…” Ethan and Evelyn both understood.

It turns out that group of people in Hollywood want to exchange future profits for current stock prices!

Although this deal is a bit like eating up tomorrow's food in the current month, who can blame them for being professional managers? The purpose of hiring them is indeed to make the company better, but in many cases, all they can do is to satisfy the shareholders, because only in this way can they keep their jobs.

For example, now, if the stock price drops further, the position right under their buttocks will explode.

If that's the case...

Then he accepted it reluctantly!
Ethan, who understood the reason, picked up the steak in front of him with a fork and put it into his mouth, and asked Ballmer: "How many years is Michael Jackson's contract with Epic Records?"

"Seven years, starting in March 1976 and ending in March 1983."

“How many solo albums?”

"Four."

"How much was the royalty agreed upon when the contract was signed?"

“On the album side, it’s 20 percent of the profits.”

"Does he himself want to come to Destiny Music?"

"Well - according to David Geffen, Michael Jackson was very happy for Epic Records to trade him to Destiny Music because Michael Jackson was now very interested in movies."

Ballmer said: "He participated in the filming of The Wizard of Oz last year. Although the results were not good, he still wanted to continue to devote himself to the film industry. So, when he learned that you are good friends with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, he hoped that Destiny Music could create some movies for him. If this is more troublesome, we can also start with cooperation, because he believes in professionalism."

This answer reassured Ethan, "So what was Columbia Records' offer?"

"For 5 million, we can take Michael Jackson away. For 10 million, we can also take away Off the Wall, which he has already produced and will be released this year. If we choose the latter, we still have to meet a requirement of Columbia Records. Because the publicity and promotion have already been launched, they need to continue to sell Off the Wall to the market as planned, which means they will continue to retain the distribution rights of Off the Wall, but the copyright of Off the Wall will belong to us."

Perhaps Ballmer himself found this explanation difficult to understand, so he added: "In other words, if we pay 10 million, we can take away everything Michael Jackson has at Columbia Records. Columbia Records will only retain the distribution rights of "Off the Wall" and take the distribution profits according to industry standards. The remaining copyright profits will still be ours."

"??? So cheap?" Ethan paused.

Although Michael Jackson has not yet become the true king of pop music, the price of 10 million is a bit ridiculous, right? After all, Epic Records offered him a 20% commission on the profits! When the share of personal albums is so high, the remaining four years of the contract are worth 10 million?

this--

It doesn't feel right to think with the soles of your feet!

"Well, boss, the situation is like this..." Ethan's confusion prompted Ballmer to quickly explain, "Before, when the Jackson brothers signed a contract with Motown Records, their royalties were only 2.7%, and they couldn't release albums independently, which made them very dissatisfied. So, when signing a contract with Epic Records, Michael Jackson paid great attention to his own interests."

"For example, the commission for Michael Jackson's albums is actually floating. The figure will continue to rise according to the sales of the albums, and can reach a maximum of 37% of the profit."

"Under the circumstances, five million for four years is not cheap. You have to know that the full signing fee that Epic Records gave him was only a few million. Moreover, Michael Jackson has not made any great breakthrough in music so far. As for ten million for a single album? This price is even more outrageous, because Michael Jackson is different from other singers. The more albums he sells, the more the copyright holders have to pay him. It is far less profitable than representing other singers."

“…” Ethan was speechless.

He never expected that Michael Jackson's business talent would appear so early.

If Ethan remembered correctly, in his previous life, Michael Jackson bought a bunch of music copyrights immediately after he made money, which made him the first pop king in the music industry who could make money without doing anything. Not only that, even after he died in an accident, the copyright library he left behind made Sony drool, and they tried every means to get it.

This feat inspired countless musicians.

Hey wait!
Did Michael Jackson buy a bunch of music copyrights after making money?
He can do this, too!

What's the name of this guy's company?

Looks like a Sony ATV?

that--

"Do you know ATV Music Company?" Ethan asked with sudden inspiration.

"Uh, boss, I don't know about that." Ballmer is not omnipotent.

He also has his own blind spots in knowledge.

Ethan didn't care. He said, "Go check. If they are in the hands of local music companies, then include them in the transaction. If not, then we will lower the price. Okay?"

"I know." Ballmer understood what his boss meant.

After hanging up the phone, Ethan continued to enjoy his lunch.

But before he could even take a few bites, he felt like he was being stared at. He looked up and saw that it was Evelin staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked with a smile, "Why are you looking at me with such strange eyes?"

"Humph--"

The girl snorted coldly, "Who told me last time that he had never made any large purchases?"

"?" Ethan frowned at the incoherent words.

The next second, he realized that Evelin was digging up old scores!

"I did not make any large purchases. I bought Michael Jackson only to make the company run better..." Ethan explained instinctively, but before he could finish what he wanted to say, he shut up, picked up the receiver again, and called Ballmer back.

After the other party picked up the call, he added, "Oh, by the way, add Barbra Streisand to the deal."

"I bought everything I could, that's all."

"Clap."

After finishing his explanation, Ethan hung up the phone.

Then, he cast a smug look at his sister and said, "Is it even now?"

"Tsk..." The girl didn't bother to pay attention to him and said proudly, "This is obviously what you wanted to buy, right?"

"Tens of millions were spent just by opening your mouth?"

"Oh - I've never made any big purchases -"

"Then I'll retire Barbra Streisand." Ethan picked up the phone again.

"Hmm???" Before he could dial the number, a cow cried out as it rose from the ground.

Evelin's eyes widened as she raised her knife and fork in both hands, almost shouting "You dare—"

Ethan chuckled at the anxious look.

And as he laughed, Evelin swung her fist.

Perhaps it was because the hidden value of Hollywood film companies soared rapidly, but it was also more like a hostile takeover that would cause Hollywood film companies to suffer heavy losses. So when Ethan showed an attitude that everything was negotiable, the related transactions progressed rapidly.

After urgent negotiations, Columbia Records reduced the price of Michael Jackson's four-year contract plus the rights to new albums to eight million. As long as Destiny Music could come up with so much cash within seven days, Columbia Records would reluctantly sell Michael Jackson.

Ethan was very satisfied with the price.

After all, that was Michael Jackson who was about to ascend to godhood!

Eight million to buy four albums in four years?

This special code is really profitable!
Unlike Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand's contract is not easy to deal with. As the queen of the music world, who has been popular for 20 years, no company is willing to sell her contract. This is not a question of how much money is paid, but a question of being unable to negotiate.

More importantly, Barbra Streisand's contract was also held by Columbia Records. Columbia Records has released all of Barbra Streisand's albums since 1960.

When this fact comes out, things become a little tricky.

When Steve Ballmer said that his boss still wanted Barbra Streisand, whether it was Columbia Records or the Big 7, everyone wondered if Ethan Jones was interested in Columbia Records? It was not enough to want a popular new artist, but he also wanted to poach Columbia's mainstay? If he kept asking for it, Columbia Records would have no business at all! It should just be closed!

Therefore, Columbia Records directly announced that if Ethan Jones was interested in them, they would be acquired directly. The price was not expensive, 900 million in cash.

If Ethan Jones really wants to buy it, then everyone should sign the contract immediately.

If you can't accept it, then don't even mention poaching.

Although the Big Seven also want to stabilize their stock prices, they are reluctant to get involved in such strange things.

When Ethan heard Ballmer's report, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

He really didn't know that Barbra Streisand was also in Columbia.

Since she and Michael Jackson were colleagues, the deal couldn't be made.

Because the repeated poaching of talents does have some ill intentions.

This decision was also agreed by Evelyn, "If they don't sell, then we won't buy."

But at the same time she also said, “When we have money, we will just buy Columbia records!”

Evelyn's understanding made Ethan feel relieved, and he immediately made a decision to let Ballmer make a deal with them. Not only that, he also asked Ballmer to release the address and invite the bosses of the Big Seven to come to Vancouver for vacation.

When Ethan Jones, the emperor, issued a request to the surrounding princes to come to Beijing to meet him, these guys received the notice in the morning, flew to Vancouver in the afternoon, and in the evening...

Everyone gathered around the oven, chatting by candlelight.

With just a click, the harmonious scene was faithfully recorded on the film.

Early the next morning, all the insiders received the latest news.

When people saw that Warner boss Steve Ross, MGM boss Kirk Kerkorian, and Walt Disney's actual controller Ron Miller were actually eating at the same table with Walt Disney's largest shareholder Roy Disney and his arch-enemy Ethan Jones...

Almost everyone exclaimed, maybe this Ethan Jones was an alien in disguise?

Because this scene is even weirder than "The Last Supper"!

What is even more bizarre is the reports from major media outlets, which read: [Hollywood veterans welcome Hollywood's new force - Ethan Jones officially joins the Hollywood family]

"Oh Sxxt? Why does this title sound like a Hollywood finale?"

Everyone found it strange.

But everyone's doubts were of no use at this moment, because on the day the news came out, the market responded most loyally, and the stocks of various companies rose to varying degrees. Although the prices were still far from those a month ago, at least there was a warming trend.

It won't go straight to eight hundred.

Not only that, Columbia Pictures also took the initiative to put forward the price point in mind.

Six hundred million, quadruple the previous acquisition price of MGM.

In Columbia's words, their film library is now the most valuable thing in Hollywood. "On the Waterfront", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Taxi Driver" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" are all valuable movies. They will burst out with unlimited vitality and possibilities in today's booming videotape market.

When this price appeared, the sense of selling caused Columbia Pictures' stock to plummet suddenly. But soon, with the joint announcement of Goldman Sachs and Columbia Pictures, the former said it would represent Columbia Pictures' transaction and the latter said it had signed the contract. Columbia Pictures' stock price immediately rose. Then, the stock prices of other Hollywood companies also soared as if they had taken aphrodisiacs.

This fact made Ethan smile without saying anything.

In fact, he had already guessed that this group of people would do something weird.

Otherwise, these people would not be so eager to 'reconcile' with him.

But colluding with Goldman Sachs to hype up the stock price?

this--

Well, this kind of thing is understandable.

After all, it’s Goldman Sachs!
Goldman Sachs is a ruthless person!

But these things have nothing to do with Ethan anymore. While taking the photo, Michael Jackson also officially changed his allegiance and became the first signed artist of Destiny Music.

Although Disney's stock price also rose, compared with Michael Jackson...

Those increases are just drizzle.

At the same time, Ethan Jones received good news.

There was a response from ATV.

Note: ① The music industry’s royalty rate is different from other industries. Generally speaking, it refers to the royalty rate. For example, if an album costs $10 and the royalty rate is 15%, then for every album sold, the musician can get $1.5. But there is another method, which is the royalty rate of the album, which is actually very easy to account for. ② The contract that MJ signed with Epic Records in 1975 has never been made public, so the exact royalty rate is unclear, but one thing is certain, he must have signed a floating contract for profit sharing, because "Off The Wall" allowed MJ to get 37% of the album's profit. As for why MJ signed such a contract? I don't know. ③ Although Epic Records signed MJ, they were not optimistic about him. It was not until "Off The Wall" became a big hit that Epic Records focused on promoting him. Before that, they didn't even do much large-scale advertising. Before it became a big hit, everyone was the same. ④ The videotape made the value of Hollywood companies skyrocket. MGM's offer to Columbia was only over 41.75 million, but when Coca-Cola contacted Columbia, Columbia had already doubled its price. Not only that, after the news of Coca-Cola's contact was released, Columbia's share price soared from 62.5 to in just one day. The capital game is crazy.

PS, it turns out there is a mechanism of limited free games and weekend benefits. I can’t understand the rules since I haven’t written them for a long time.

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(End of this chapter)