America: My Time

Chapter 47 Borrowing Strength
Chapter Forty-Seven: Leveraging Resources
“John, do you know how much Château d'Yquem is worth?” John’s uncle Justin asked.

“I know the general idea. Château d'Yquem is worth at most 100 million now, which is probably more expensive than Château Latour!” In John’s memory, Château Latour was sold for $86 million in 1993, and Château d'Yquem is worth at most 100 million now. Acquiring it for 100 million is definitely not a problem, and it might not even cost that much. Moreover, Château d'Yquem had to sell shares to stay afloat starting in 1999, which shows how dire the situation is for these top luxury wineries.

"Wow, you think 100 million is so easy? Looks like your mother was right, you've really struck it rich!"

"Alright, stop fooling around! John, since you're interested in wineries, I'll keep an eye out for you and see which wineries are having problems. But you have to be prepared, since you know the current economic climate is bad, you have to be prepared to lose money!"

“Grandpa, I was prepared for this. I’ve said before that a winery is a great investment. Losing a little money now is nothing. Besides, I genuinely love wineries. Others might lose money, but I’m different. I have resources that they don’t have!”

What resources? The media, of course. By controlling a major Hollywood player, one can effectively promote their winery, increase its brand awareness, and boost sales. While the current environment is unfavorable for luxury goods, it doesn't mean they have no chance of survival.

John had already planned ahead; Japan was a prime target. He figured that once the bubble economy arrived, his wineries, with their rising fame, would naturally sell well there. Besides wineries, he also had other luxury goods in his portfolio. However, he hadn't made a move yet, as funding remained a major issue.

John had no idea that he was already being targeted by Wall Street bigwigs, many of whom were making arrangements for him. If he wanted a loan at this time, it wouldn't be difficult!

Of course, I never thought of borrowing from those vampire banks on Wall Street at this time. The interest rates were too frightening. It would be more appropriate to borrow from Japanese banks. Moreover, the more I borrowed, the more beneficial it would be for me, since I would be borrowing in US dollars.

The layout of the Japanese company is basically fine. It just needs to be expanded in the future. The Japanese company itself does not need to generate profits. Every penny will be invested in the Japanese market and real estate. All of the Japanese company's properties must be owned, not leased! With an investment of one hundred million US dollars, the returns will naturally be huge.

After spending a week with his grandparents in Bordeaux, John boarded a plane back to the United States. A week had passed, but he still couldn't sway his uncle's mind or make him give up his seemingly unattainable dream of becoming an artist. Perhaps this is the French people's dedication to art, something he couldn't understand.

Why insist on getting stuck on this unattainable artistic dream when there are better paths available? On the plane, John shook his head. After seven days of rest, his tense nerves had completely relaxed, and his eyes no longer held any impatience, only tranquility, as if all the pressure had vanished!

On the surface, things seemed calm and peaceful back in the United States, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were stirring. Wall Street bigwigs were waiting for John to retaliate against Warner and wanted to see how capable he was of resolving this minor incident.

In the eyes of the bigwigs on Wall Street, Warner's move was just a minor incident, not worth mentioning. If they hadn't wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about John, they wouldn't have cared at all. After all, neither the agency nor the record company was worth anything in the eyes of these bigwigs.

From Warner's perspective, this scandal could damage Legendary Records, its artists, and even deter other aspiring artists from entering the music industry, thus fundamentally hindering Legendary Records' development.

"Scandal? What scandal? It's just some photos. Since Warner is willing to help us promote them, how can we not appreciate it? As long as it generates buzz, it's a good thing. Before this, who knew Madonna? But with Warner's promotion, how many people in the entire United States know she exists! Tell Madonna not to care about this underhanded suppression. As long as she doesn't take it seriously, nothing will happen. With this buzz, isn't she super popular? And this will not only boost record sales but also generate more buzz for 'Flashdance'!" John's words shocked everyone at Legendary Records. Upon reflection, it was indeed true. If Madonna herself didn't take it seriously, she could actually use this "unhealthy trend" to expand her fame. Whatever kind of fame, as long as she had fame, she would have the opportunity to attract more people to listen to her records and watch the movie 'Flashdance'!
"Boss, you're brilliant! We really have to thank Warner this time. If it weren't for their help, we probably wouldn't be in this situation now. Not only is Madonna a hit, but our Legendary Records is too. As long as Madonna's album sells well, everything else will be fine!"

"Alright, let's handle this incident like this. Taking advantage of this momentum, we'll promote Madonna aggressively and show Warner how we handle this crisis and how we snatch chestnuts from the fire! However, Warner's move has also highlighted our weaknesses. We don't have our own publicity platform, so once we're suppressed by external forces, we'll lose the power to fight back. We need to work on the media so that we can at least fight back when we're attacked and not let our enemies get away with it."

Using Warner Music to promote their own artist was indeed a brilliant tactic, one that Warner Music hadn't anticipated. By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late; Madonna had already become a sensation, a phenomenon across the entire United States. A large part of this success was due to Warner Music's influence, but the songs John provided also played a crucial role. Without good songs, Madonna wouldn't have achieved such fame. The combination of great music and Warner Music's promotion of this farce directly propelled Madonna, a newcomer, to stardom.

"Heh, what a clever tactic, what a brilliant mind! They actually managed to use Warner's scheme to promote their own singers and movies. Amazing! These young people are truly remarkable. Warner has lost face big time and their reputation is ruined. They even failed to outmaneuver a junior, and now someone else is using this opportunity to promote their own singers, making them famous nationwide. They've lost all face!"

"Yes, Warner Music has really lost face this time. Its reputation has been severely damaged, and it couldn't even control a junior artist. Naturally, the Hollywood giants are eager to take action and bring Warner down. Now that Warner Music's plan has failed, Legendary Records is riding high. Not only is Madonna a star, but another female singer has also become famous. After this incident, Legendary Records has firmly established itself in the record industry, which has a significant impact on our plans!"

"No, you're wrong. This incident will not only not affect our plans, but will actually promote them. Warner's move has made that kid realize his situation and his own disadvantages, so expansion is the only way for him. We need to speed things up and be the first to take him down! Send someone to contact him now and see if he needs our help. I believe that kid will definitely make a move in the media this time, which is our opportunity to win him over."

It must be admitted that these old guys on Wall Street are not simple. This situation is not limited to Morgan. Wall Street giants are all playing out this scene. They all see through John's plan and want to take the opportunity to win him over in order to prepare for the listing of several companies in the future.

Although John had already decided on his acquisition target, he did not rush into action. He knew that his every move was being watched by people on Wall Street, and it was Wall Street that should be anxious, not him.

This is a contest, a silent contest. If I make the first move, I will lose. I need to wait for people on Wall Street to come to me and sell their services, thus seizing the initiative.

In this contest, John could remain calm and composed, but the giants of Wall Street could not. There were many vying for profits, and whoever fell behind would directly lose the opportunity. Therefore, even knowing John's plans, these Wall Street figures had no choice but to take the initiative to seek his assistance.

As time went by, the gaming world became increasingly vibrant. Japanese-made game consoles finally went on sale, with arcades, cinemas, and game centers all displaying their own versions. Just as everyone had predicted, the game consoles swept across North America upon their release, instantly crushing Atari, a gaming giant, and capturing a massive market share.

A steady stream of funds flowed into the game world's account. The game world's arcade games alone dealt Atari a crushing defeat. And this was just the beginning. The more powerful developments were yet to come. The launch of home consoles and handheld game consoles would plunge Atari into an abyss from which it would never recover!
If anyone still held a cautious attitude towards the game world, now, with the explosive popularity of arcades, no one doubts the capabilities of the game world anymore. The moment the game world's arcades were released, Atari's arcades were completely abandoned. The two are simply not in the same league or on the same level.

At this point, the companies that had signed agreements with John to share profits became anxious. They had previously worried about the possibility of failure, but now they were waving their cash, wanting to buy out all the arcade machines in the game world. Otherwise, half of the money would end up in the hands of the game world, which was not a result they wanted to see.

(End of this chapter)