America's Top Player

Chapter 113 When Greed Meets Greed

"In 1996, I was in some trouble. The Mexicans and the DEA were looking for me everywhere." There was no sadness in Robinson's eyes, and he spoke of the past with ease.

"So you still hold a grudge against Old Jones?" Leon asked.

"I can't say I hold a grudge." Robinson chuckled contemptuously. "In fact, Ji Dada did fall in love with Tupac later on. Nick made more money from rapping than I ever could have risked being shot. There's no woman who wouldn't be crazy about him."

After hearing this, Li Ang finally figured out what kind of story this was.

The relationship between men and women in the black community is already chaotic, and it is not uncommon for someone to be a baby today and a stepmother tomorrow.

The reason why Robinson still had some resentment towards old Jones was purely out of his man's pride and it could not rise to any other level.

On the sofa, old Jones was still studying the script seriously. It was obvious that he had now regarded being an art director as a serious job.

He had already obtained everything a man wanted in his life, and at this age when he was about to die, he just wanted to have a good reputation.

Leon glanced at old Jones and whispered to Robinson, "Man, I'm going to discuss a business deal with Jones later. It's very important to me."

"I knew you brought this old guy to me for some purpose." Robinson raised the corners of his mouth with a playful expression.

"I want to buy the Vibe magazine that Jones has."

"You told me so easily?" Robinson was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Leon, who was always shrewd, would be so frank.

"There's nothing to hide. We are very secretive." Li Ang said, spreading his hands.

The acquisition of Vibe magazine was a huge gamble, a product that was outdated.

Even though the price tag was $1000 million, less than one-third of its peak market value, no buyer was willing to buy it.

Even the wealthy Time Warner is unwilling to take over this mess, which shows how unpopular this project is.

But in order to build a media network of his own, Li Ang had to take this step.

Although traditional print media is on its way out, the track is not crowded and the entry threshold is low, which is very suitable for novice players like him.

He envisioned several development ideas for Vibe, such as launching an e-magazine during the Internet boom;
Record a rap podcast called "Vibe".

Even sponsoring or producing a rap talent show TV show.

But even if all these ideas are put into action, it is still questionable whether we can guarantee that we will not lose money.

So he decided to be honest with Robinson: "I hope to negotiate this matter at the best price, but old Jones holds this dying magazine in his hands like a treasure."

"I understand what you mean, my friend. I will speak for you." Robinson's mind worked quickly and he understood it almost instantly.

"Very good! If this matter can really be negotiated, I am happy to transfer some of the magazine's shares to you."

"No, no, no!" Robinson waved his hands repeatedly as soon as he finished speaking. "I'm not interested in the magazine business!"

"Sly bastard," Leon muttered to himself. Robinson was smart and didn't look like a black man at all.

Even though he was eager to launder the dirty money he made from drug trafficking, he was unwilling to invest it in a magazine.

It shows how many people in this industry are mean and disrespectful.

After the great recession after the millennium, the tide of the newspaper industry gradually receded and the flourishing scene no longer existed.

The ones that can survive are the old-fashioned magazines such as Time, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated that are backed by big sponsors.

Every year, they can barely maintain a balance between income and expenditure by selling huge amounts of advertising space.

After thinking for a moment, Robinson almost said, "I can help you with this, but it's just a matter of talking."

"No, I must do something for you!" Li Ang refused without thinking.

Free is the most expensive, especially when dealing with a dangerous gang leader like Robinson.

It takes no effort to talk to smart people, which is why Robinson likes Leon.

He smiled and said: "Whether this movie is successful or not, if you make another movie next time, I will still be happy to invest."

If the final cost of "Straight Outta Compton" is calculated based on $1000 million, Robinson's 300% stake would be $ million.

No one knows how much dirty money he has in his hands after more than ten years of criminal career, and this movie alone is definitely not enough to digest it.

Although there are certain risks in absorbing black capital into the group, Li Ang agreed without taking long to think about it.

Veteran film companies such as Warner, Universal, and Paramount have been doing this for hundreds of years, which is almost equivalent to the entire history of film.

Since the Prohibition era, making movies has been an important means of money laundering for the Italian Mafia and Jewish gangs, and this has long become an unspoken rule in Hollywood.

The food on the table consisted entirely of fast food such as pizza and fried chicken.

Robinson placed a cocktail in front of each person like a professional bartender.

According to him, this cocktail is called "The Godfather" and is made from Scotch whisky and Italian amaretto, with a unique flavor.

He had a unique purpose for serving this kind of wine.

In gangster movies, restaurants are places full of dangers.

The few of them talked about the movie Straight Outta Compton and then black music. Soon, old Jones had already drunk three glasses of wine and looked very happy.

Under the influence of alcohol, he started to criticize MJ again. "Le Ang, congratulations on winning the Grammy Award, but I have to say that the quality of the Grammys is declining now."

"Whether it's Beyoncé or Rihanna, they're not half as dominant as Michael."

To cheer the old man up, Li Ang responded repeatedly: "MJ's achievements cannot be replicated. He is a global superstar in the true sense."

"Whether it's JAY-Z or Dre, the music empire they built can't be compared with Michael." Old Jones said with disdain when mentioning these names, and then continued:

"At his peak, Michael owned a large number of song copyrights, including those of himself, Elvis, and the Beatles. Do you know what percentage of the entire Sony Music library these copyrights account for?"

"I don't know much about this." Li Ang answered truthfully.

"Fifty percent! By the year Michael died, Sony's music copyright revenue accounted for 11 percent of the world's music copyrights! Those copyrights would be conservatively worth $300 million today!"

Old Jones' eyes were filled with greed when he said this number.

This figure really shocked Li Ang. No one in the music industry today can make so much money just by relying on copyright.

But he always felt that it was strange to hear these words coming from Jones's mouth.

MJ didn't have a good time in the two years before his death, mainly due to the negative news and everyone around him betrayed him.

This included old Jones.

After chatting with the other party about the glorious years for more than an hour, Li Ang secretly glanced at the time on his watch and felt that it was about time.

He continued following the other party's topic, "MJ's spirit has influenced an entire generation. The era when he became popular was almost the best era for black people."

"That's right." Old Jones nodded repeatedly.

In that era, black people absolutely dominated the entertainment industry. In addition to MJ, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey both had black ancestry.

"Despite the presence of Beyoncé, JAY-Z, and Usher, black music is no longer as powerful as it once was."

"I also want to do something for the black community. This honest and hardworking race deserves more. That's why I invested in a black film."

The more emotional Leon spoke, the less he believed Old Jones. Honest and hardworking?

Having lived for nearly eighty years, he knows too well the nature of his dark-skinned compatriots.

"As you can see, most of the people around me are black." Leon kicked Robinson under the table.

The other party understood immediately and came over to offer an assist, "That's right, although Li Ang is white, he has a black heart."

"He not only loves and understands our lifestyle, but he even has a thing for sleeping with black women."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ang, feeling guilty, quickly took a big sip of wine to prevent himself from laughing.

This boast is obviously a bit exaggerated.

"White skin and black heart? You are really a rare young man." Jones narrowed his eyes. It was obvious that the praise was not sincere.

The emotional groundwork has been laid, and now it’s time to get to the point.

When dealing with an old fox who has been in the music industry for more than 60 years, it is unnecessary to go around in circles.

"Mr. Jones, you have made outstanding contributions to the development of black music. The Vibe magazine you founded is the most influential black magazine in history." Leon's true intentions were revealed.

"Thanks for the compliment, but Vibe has been out of print for over a year." Jones's cloudy eyes gleamed. "Maybe I'm just too old to understand today's youth. They'd rather buy XXL, which is full of beef and gossip, than Vibe, which focuses on music itself."

“Maybe after I die, this magazine will become history.”

Snapped--

Leon slammed the table hard, catching even Robinson beside him off guard.

"We have to stop this from happening! This great magazine is an important outlet for black music!"

Old Jones was stunned for a moment, then he reacted, shook his head and said, "I tried to lay off half of the staff, but even that couldn't keep the magazine running."

According to him, Vibe still has 40 employees after a major layoff.

Their ordinary employees earn an annual salary of $6, column editors earn $10, and editor-in-chief earn as much as $15. The personnel cost alone exceeds $350 million a year.

"Vibe" was published as a semi-monthly during its heyday, then changed to a monthly, and had to switch to a bimonthly after layoffs.

Each issue is priced at $13, but the circulation of each issue fluctuates only in the tens of thousands of copies.

Although newspapers mainly rely on advertising revenue, they still lose millions of dollars every year after deducting various costs such as logistics, printing, and labor.

The only option is to suspend publication to reduce losses.

After listening to Old Jones's lament, Leon said indignantly, "Although we are losing money, this is a great business. I hope you can keep it going!"

Old Jones rolled his eyes quietly: Why don’t you persist even though you lose millions a year?

At the same time, Tate saw through Leon's tricks, regardless of whether the other party was truly motivated by ideals or had other purposes.

He must be interested in this magazine!
"These losses are nothing to me, but I'm old." Jones's eyes rolled back in his sockets. "Time Warner was willing to pay a high price for the magazine, but I never agreed."

"Those white trash who don't understand black music are going to ruin my hard work!"

Leon lied all the time, and old Jones lied without hesitation.

"Vibe" underwent three price reductions during negotiations, but ultimately failed to impress Time Warner.

Old Jones fixed his eyes on Leon, his fangs bared. "Young man, if you are interested in this magazine, you can take it over. All you need is..."

"Me? No, no, no!" Li Ang waved his hands repeatedly before hearing the other party's offer.

Showing a desire to acquire at this time is like jumping into the pit dug by this old fox.

"As much as I wanted to keep the magazine going, I had only been in business for a short time and I couldn't afford to suffer such a loss."

No money?

Will Apocalypse Music be out of money after selling so many records?
Jones's enthusiasm quickly cooled, and he began to wonder whether Leon really wanted to acquire the magazine.

He tried to take a step back and asked tentatively, "You can make a new label popular in the United States. Maybe in the hands of a young person like you, Vibe can reverse its decline."

"As much as I want to contribute to black music, I don't have much liquidity left after investing in a movie."

"It's okay, you can pay in installments."

"Forget it, it sounds like a debt, and I don't like debt."

The two of them were caught in a strange game.

On the one hand, they want to sell it at a high price and cash out;

On the one hand, he tried his best to appear reluctant but also willing, leaving the other party confused.

In the end, it was Old Jones who gave in first. He gritted his teeth and said a number: "950 million US dollars, how about it?"

After hearing this, Li Ang called the old man greedy.

After all this effort, it was only $50 lower than the market price.

"This is still too much for me. It may take a few more years before I am strong enough to take over this business."

In a few more years?

It’s a question whether I will still be around in a few years, Old Jones muttered to himself.

"Young man, this is the biggest concession I can make."

Seeing that Leon was still hesitant to speak, Old Jones simply revealed his trump card: "Name a number, young man. I'm willing to incur some losses as long as it keeps this business going."

"500 dollars."

When he heard this number, Old Jones was so angry that his wrinkles were shaking.

Cutting it in half with one knife is obviously not a trading method familiar to Americans.

He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I don't think you are very sincere."

"Listen, Mr. Jones, I'm incredibly passionate about this business!" Leon lit a cigarette and spoke sincerely. "Otherwise, I wouldn't invest in a black biopic that no one is optimistic about, and I certainly wouldn't offer a price for a magazine that's been losing money year after year."

Although this statement sounded honest and flawless, it was impossible to impress Jones.

As a shrewd businessman, he only believed in the final numbers.

"Dad, I think Mr. Li Ang's offer is very sincere. Even at this price, Time Warner may not be interested."

Jidada suddenly appeared behind Jones, her face flushed.

During the negotiation just now, Robinson had disappeared for a long time on the pretext of going to the bathroom, and soon Jidada also disappeared.

It now appears that Robinson has already paid Jidada an advance.

"You can shut up now, Jida." Jones's face showed a hint of annoyance at his daughter's revelation of her true colors. "I think I should be leaving now. Thank you both for your hospitality."

(End of this chapter)