After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 599 The Next Great Battle

On September 5th, Fitto Records officially confirmed it.

The deal was completed with Tangren Media for a total price of HK$4000 million.

To be honest, Zhou Zhengqi did play a role.

Zhou Haoran kept his word and didn't make a fuss about his short-selling of Hong Kong stocks, since he had already suffered serious losses and reaped the consequences of his actions. Besides, there was no evidence to support this claim, and spreading such rumors would damage Mr. Zhou's reputation, making it seem like slander.

Jiang Feibiao had had enough fun.

I went back to the Hong Kong government with him.

Have you noticed I've lost weight?

Jiang Feibiao rubbed his face.

Zhou Haoran didn't notice. "Really?"

“I lost 15 pounds in the month I was in Hong Kong.” Jiang Feibiao looked like he was still a little shaken. “My weight dropped from 170 pounds to 155 pounds.”

Zhou Haoran chuckled, "You're not used to the food, are you?"

Jiang Feibiao, thick-skinned and not embarrassed at all, said, "Women are all vampires!"

Zhou Haoran burst into laughter.

"Capitalist society is so decadent; I really should come here less often in the future."

Jiang Feibiao hadn't felt anything when he was in Hong Kong; he just felt enjoying himself and couldn't pull himself out. But now that he was on a plane back to the harbor, he felt a great sense of exhaustion.

This is incredibly physically demanding!
The lives of spoiled rich kids are no less arduous than those of working-class people.

"The world is full of wonders."

Zhou Haoran felt it was all normal; the current atmosphere in the Hong Kong government was just what the mainland would look like in the future.

"Yeah, it was pretty exciting." Despite his exhaustion, Jiang Feibiao still seemed a bit unsatisfied. "By the way, Tangren Media is your company, right?"

"That's it."

"You've acquired both Cinepoly Records and Fitto Records, are you getting into the record business?"

"Correct."

"What's the point of this?" Jiang Feibiao found it hard to understand. "Is this kind of small-scale business worth getting involved in? Besides, with so much piracy these days, the record industry might be destroyed."

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "If someone else were to do it, it would only be a small-scale operation. I'm different. If I were to do it, even if it's just the record business, I could still make it a behemoth."

Jiang Feibiao's eyes lit up. "It really is! You're the great master!"

Zhou Haoran said, "Rumors are circulating in the industry that Universal Music wants to acquire PolyGram in a 'David and Goliath' deal, and the transaction price may exceed 100 billion US dollars!"

"Really?" Jiang Feibiao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why is it worth so much?"

"The main value lies in the copyright."

Zhou Haoran values ​​copyright business the most. For example, signing a contract for "Princess Pearl" is like making a fortune once the rights are bought out.

"Copyright..." Jiang Feibiao understood a lot after hearing what he said. "Huaxing Records has made many famous singers famous and holds the copyrights to many classic songs."

Zhou Haoran nodded. "Not only the Hong Kong government, but Tangren Records also needs to expand in mainland China and acquire several record companies. Piracy is rampant in mainland China, and record companies have very short lifespans. Acquiring them will be easy, and the prices will be very cheap, many can even be purchased for free."

"Are you trying to create the number one record company in the Chinese music scene?"

Jiang Feibiao knew the level of the master; small, low-class businesses were not worth his personal planning.

If we're going to do it, it has to be the best.

Zhou Haoran said, "Yes, Warner Music, Universal Music, and Sony Music have been constantly acquiring and integrating in recent years. It is estimated that in less than ten years, the world's record industry will be monopolized by them. Tangren Records must safeguard the borders of Chinese music."

“But…” Jiang Feibiao frowned, still finding it hard to accept, “But the music industry doesn’t make money, piracy is so rampant… it’s a bit difficult!”

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "It's just piracy, we've got a way to deal with that!"

How to combat piracy?

Jiang Feibiao found it somewhat amusing, thinking that he was just bragging, as even the power of the state would find it difficult to curb piracy.

Zhou Haoran has a living example, saying casually: "The official VCD of 'Princess Pearl' sold over 120 million copies in less than a month. Piracy is a real problem, but there are ways to fight it."

"Bundled sales?" Jiang Feibiao had heard him talk about the sales model of "Princess Pearl" DVDs before, but he couldn't quite understand it. "Music records can be bundled for sale? And with whom are they bundled?"

"Anyway, there's no rush. The traditional record industry isn't over yet. Even with the encroachment of piracy, it can still have a golden age for many years to come."

Zhou Haoran wasn't concerned about piracy. What truly buried the traditional record industry wasn't piracy, but digital music. Piracy at most made traditional record companies earn less money; digital music, however, revolutionized the traditional record industry.

That will be several years from now.

We are still in the era of cassette tapes and CDs, and the annual sales of physical records worldwide are nearly $400 billion.

To go even further, Zhou Haoran doesn't even care about digital music.

How much money can you make from music?

What he's doing isn't making money.

It's about career!

What he wants to do is to create a network-like industrial ecosystem.

For example, the simultaneous development of multiple channels such as music variety shows, television stations, artist selection, offline commercial performances, film and television dramas, and commercial endorsements, with mutual cross-linking and collusion, including the future construction of digital platforms, is the main thread of Tangren Media's future.

Only then can they be qualified to become the backbone of the "Shanghai circle".

Only through collaborative market competition can a competitive advantage be gained over competitors, thus easily achieving a "dimensional reduction attack".

Jiang Feibiao said in surprise, "You're really going to make the record industry a success? I thought you just wanted to make a few young girls famous as singers."

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Even a young girl deserves praise."

"I knew it!"

Jiang Feibiao laughed heartily. "We're all men, who doesn't like beautiful women?"
Zhou Haoran said, "One of the important purposes of acquiring Fitto Records is to promote a group of girls... By the way, after South Korea suffered an attack from international capital, its national policies have changed, you know?"

"Really?" Jiang Feibiao asked, somewhat bewildered. "What was it changed to?"

Zhou Haoran said, "In the past, it was light industry and heavy industry, but this financial war has directly caused American capital to seize all of South Korea's decades of industrial development. Most of the shares of South Korean giants such as Hyundai and Samsung have been taken by American capital."

"We're still the best!"

As Jiang Feibiao reminisced about the past month's battle to defend Hong Kong, a strong sense of pride welled up within him.

Zhou Haoran nodded. "South Korea is now focusing its national policy on the cultural industry, with film and music being the main battleground."

"What does this have to do with you?"

Jiang Feibiao frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen, how can it be unrelated?" Zhou Haoran said righteously, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "The Korean wave is here, do you know that? HOT, you must know that, right?"

"do not know."

Jiang Feibiao shook his head.

This is all trendy for young people; he doesn't even know what "Korean Wave" means.

Zhou Haoran said, "I made a variety show called 'City Playlist,' you must know that. The production team did a survey, asking people which celebrities they wanted to invite to sing, from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and even from Korea and Japan. Guess what? The popularity of the Korean wave is just as high as that of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

"Korean Wave..."

Jiang Feibiao has also learned a new word.

Zhou Haoran said slowly, "This is not good. We won the financial war. Next, it might be the Korean wave. I am Mr. Da, I have to be prepared in advance."

Jiang Feibiao immediately became respectful. "You want to fight against the Korean wave?"

Zhou Haoran said calmly, "I want to build a 'Shanghai circle' (popular music scene in Shanghai). If I only consider the 'Beijing circle' as my opponent, then that level is too low. The purpose of acquiring Fitto Records is to use the name of the Hong Kong government to indirectly create a few Hong Kong music groups that can compete with the Korean wave!"

There's nothing we can do about it; we have to take a detour.

Many things are not allowed.

Since Fitto Records is a foreign company, it can circumvent the restrictions.

Furthermore, Fitto Records was instrumental in creating a girl group like Twins. With stronger support, it's entirely possible they could create an even larger-scale girl group!
Jiang Feibiao said admiringly, "I thought you were after her beauty, but it turns out it was for the greater good of the country!"

"Beauty and such..." Zhou Haoran didn't care about that at all. "We're not short of women. There's no need to ruin the cultural confrontation between countries for such a primal desire. That's the important thing! It's even more significant than the Hong Kong government's financial defense!"

This is also a way of giving a heads-up.

Mr. Jiang, please don't reach out to me indiscriminately.

Even he himself wouldn't lay a hand on the female celebrities in Mr. Da's family, so you shouldn't even think about it!
Don't ruin national affairs!
"Hmm! That makes sense!" Jiang Feibiao said solemnly. He had revolutionary blood and a strong sense of ownership, and he was never ambiguous about such matters. "Protecting local culture is something we must do!"

(End of this chapter)