Reinventing the Millennium.

Chapter 491 Miracle Mistakes the Country (Two in One)

On April 4, when the playoffs between the Lakers and the Rockets in the NBA were about to start, Stringer convened a senior management meeting at Sony Music, and he personally put forward a proposal to increase the number of directors.

Or rather, order.

Stringer is the chairman of Sony (USA) and a director of Sony Music's board of directors. The chairman of Sony Music is Lack, who was promoted just last year.

Mottola, the former chairman of Sony Music, has never been very obedient to the orders of Sony headquarters and Sony America. In the early years, the performance was very good, and Stringer endured it. Promoted Lack, who had worked with him for many years at Columbia CBS, as chairman.

Therefore, the merger of Sony Music and Bertelsmann was carried out extremely smoothly this year, which is enough to show more bargaining chips to the Sony Group headquarters.

This time, Stringer and Rucker have had a separate communication to bring Yike into the cooperation with Bertelsmann. The latter also believes that Yike, a listed company based on Internet development, has great potential and can extend the copyright boundaries of record companies.

I thought it would be enough for the executive meeting to go through the process, and everyone knew who was promoting this matter. Unexpectedly, after Stringer announced the content of the proposal, he was strongly opposed by another director, Kazuo Hamaka.

Kazuo Hamaka is a local director of Sony, and usually does not have a strong sense of presence. This time the opposition really surprised Stringer.

"Mr. Howard, this is a cooperation between our record companies, there is no need to bring Yi Kela in."

"Eco's electronic products are highly substitutable, and our copyright cannot be used as the fuel for its growth! This will cause a big tail!"

"Our cooperation with Bertelsmann has been confirmed, and temporary changes are completely unreasonable!"

Kazuo Hamaka was heartbroken. As a director from Japan, he always hoped that Sony Group could launch mp3 players to occupy new markets, but the headquarter was limited by the pressure of the walkman department, so it was delayed.

In this case, Sony Music and Yike cooperated and cooperated, but now it is further pulled into the merger with Bertelsmann, and the authorization of music copyright may not be so easy to get rid of in the future.

Kazuo Hamaka and some colleagues have a certain consideration. Once the Sony Group starts to promote mp3 players on a large scale, they will lobby the executives of all parties to put pressure on Sony Music to kick off Yike and turn to its own products.

With the tightening of music sharing sites on the Internet, music copyrights are increasingly restricting players.

Kazuo Hamaka believes that this is a good opportunity for Sony players to rise again.

but……

Chairman Stringer actually wants to make Yi Ke a shareholder of the new company, and let Fang Zhuo occupy a director position!
Although he is an outside director, Kazuo Hamaka has a general understanding that that oriental man is a man of great artifice!
To act like this is to lure wolves into the house!

Kazuo Binaka was extremely sad and indignant.

Faced with unexpected opposition, Stringer didn't panic at all, frowned, and said: "Sony Music and Yike have cooperated well, and this year's music player will also have a big increase. Further cooperation between the two parties can better deal with it. Apple's alliance with other record labels."

"The year before last, Sony Music's revenue fell 1.6%, with an operating loss of $1.4 million."

"Last year, Sony Music's revenue picked up, basically the same as in 01, and the loss dropped to 0.9 million US dollars."

"Among them, Yike's M series players play a big role."

"This year and next year, music players will experience explosive growth."

"Kazuo Hamaka, why is Sony Music not actively responding to the challenges of the Internet age?"

Stringer's tone was mild.

Kazuo Hamaka was speechless.

However, he still gave another strong reason: "Mr. Howard, you are completely giving up on Sony's players! Our electronic product department is world-class! The current lag is only temporary!"

Stringer leaned back and asked, "Are you on the board of Sony Music or the group?"

Hamaka left the obvious question unanswered.

Stringer asked again, "Is this a Sony Music meeting or a group meeting?"

Kazuo Hamaka looked ugly.

Stringer looked around and tapped on the table lightly: "Everyone should consider the issue from their own position. The group's affairs should be considered by the group's people. The current decision is the most beneficial to Sony Music."

Justified and convincing.

Many executives nodded. Sony Music paid the money, and they were rewarded for their performance recovery. If we really want to wait for the group to release electronic products, when will we have to wait?
Kazuo Hamaka said: "I believe..."

Stringer interrupted: "Sony Music is about to merge with Bertelsmann and cooperate with Yike. In this case, a director who does not start from the company, I think it is no longer suitable for the position."

"Today's directors are also here, and I propose to remove Kazuo Hamaka from the director's seat."

Kazuo Hamaka was completely stunned, never expecting such a strong counterattack from Stringer.

Sony Music Chairman Rucker did not make a sound, and directly raised his hand to express his approval.

Soon, other directors expressed their views.

The fate of a director who dared to challenge Stringer's authority was easily decided in front of a group of executives.

Stringer is pleased with the results.

Only then did Lark, the chairman of Sony Music, confirm that the vote was effective, and said to Kazuo Hamaka: "You are not suitable to be in this conference room now."

Kazuo Hamaka stood up silently, looking at the Americans in the conference room, he thought of the chaotic situation in Sony's headquarters for a moment, and thought of the competitor of Sony's player in the next moment.

He walked a few steps, and when he was about to leave the meeting room, he yelled at Stringer in Japanese with a mixture of anger and worry in his heart.

——Skin Kelsang, this person must have mistaken Sony!
Kazuo Hamaka slammed the door and left, hoping that the last words would wake up the high-level people in the conference room.

"what did he say?"

Stringer didn't understand Japanese, so he frowned and turned to ask.

Everyone shook their heads. There are no Japanese in this conference room. Because of the independence of former chairman Mottola and Stringer's preference, Sony Music's directors and executives are all American.

The dismissal of a Japanese director did not cause any waves, but made everyone aware of Stringer and Rucker's determination.

Soon, Sony Music internally completed the decision to increase cooperation with Yike Company, and it was also confirmed that Fang Zhuo would serve as the new company's external board of directors, and Sony Music would negotiate with Bertelsmann.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the merger of Sony Music and Bertelsmann will give Sony Music a greater voice, and there will be no rebound for a foreign director seat.

……

On the night of April 4th, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers played against the Rockets at home.

"Brother Fang, what's the matter?"

Jay Chou saw Mr. Fang glanced at his phone and shook his head again and again, with a displeased expression on his face, thinking that something was wrong with the team.

"It's okay, but I should become the director of Sony Music, there is a little noise over there." Fang Zhuo put away his phone and sighed, "It's so difficult to help Sony."

Jay Chou doesn't understand business matters, but these days he knows that Mr. Fang is thinking about Sony's situation.

He smiled, and was about to continue watching the warm-ups of the players of the two teams when he suddenly thought of something: "Wait, Brother Fang, I'm handing over all of Alpha's record releases to Baodao Sony."

Fang Zhuo nodded: "So? According to your current trend, won't you set up your own company in the future?"

Jay Chou hesitated for a moment, not intending to continue talking about this topic.

Fang Zhuo said casually: "Yike will also consider making music in China, and we can cooperate together if we have the opportunity."

Jay Chou felt that he had been seen through, but he also nodded.

Today is the first game between the two teams. Fang Zhuo and Jay Chou are sitting in the first row of the arena to watch the game.

As an owner who knows the ball and people very well, Fang Zhuo observed the warm-up of the players before the game and saw that the Lakers players who had won three consecutive championships were relatively relaxed, while the Rockets were quite nervous.

This is the first time for Yao Ming to enter the playoffs this year. He will face Shaquille O'Neal in the first game, and the psychological pressure is quite heavy.

However, the process of the two teams' game was unexpectedly anxious.

The first half was evenly divided, and when the second half entered the final quarter, the Rockets turned out to be overtaken by two points.

When the game was called timeout by the coach with only 3 minutes left in the game, Fang Zhuo couldn't help wiping off his sweat. The viewing position in the first row was excellent, and the atmosphere of the playoffs was far better than the regular season. He saw Yao Ming Colliding with O'Neal's center is also exciting.

"Can you win? Can you win?"

Fang Zhuo took a sip of water, and Jay Chou's Xianglin's wife-like voice came from beside him. He had been chattering nervously since the second half.

"Jay, when you go back, you can write songs with this mood of watching the game."

Fang Zhuo took a breath and made a joke.

Jay Chou really had such an idea.

The two chatted for a few words, and without waiting for more exchanges, the last moment of the first game came.

The Lakers are the team of the Triple Crown and are strong, but at this point, the Rockets are unwilling to give up, and the two sides are already fighting with a lot of gunpowder.

In the last ten seconds of the game, the Lakers led the Rockets by 84 point 83:1, and the Rockets owned the ball.

The Rockets settled down, Francis took possession of the ball, Yao Ming played a pick-and-roll, and left half of O'Neal, but Francis didn't pass the ball, and the crossover tried to change direction and break through Kobe, who kept up with the speed defense, and Francis forced a two-pointer.

Duang!

The whistle sounded.

The Rockets lost at home to the Lakers at Staples by 1 point.

"Grass!"

Fang Zhuo and Jay Chou watched the final game without blinking, and then expressed the same emotion.

"Give the ball to Dayao." Jay Chou muttered, a little regretful, the game was very exciting, the Rockets showed the toughness of a newborn calf, but it's a pity that they were only one point away from overthrowing the defending champion.

Fang Zhuo shook his head slightly, quickly cut away from the excited state, and noticed that there was a camera facing him.

Soon, TNT reporters came to interview.

The bosses of NBA teams are generally getting older, and the sudden appearance of a young and big-mouthed boss like Fang Zhuo is very popular with public opinion.

"One point is just a matter of one goal, and the series is still long."

Fang Zhuo was not frustrated, and gave a simple response with a smile, without saying anything.

From the perspective of the game process, this game is really exciting.

The reporter bid farewell politely, and the news about the new boss of the Rockets can be written for another half.

"Brother Fang, it's a pity, it's a pity." Jay Chou was still reminiscing about the game, feeling too sorry for the one-point difference.

"Well, it's a bit." Fang Zhuo also felt the same way, mainly because the defending champion didn't show an absolute lead.

However, the second game at the Lakers' home court three days later immediately proved the strength of the combination of O'Neal and Kobe. Although the point difference was still small in this game, the Lakers led from the beginning to the end.

On April 4, the Lakers beat the Rockets 21:98, ending the second game.

Fang Zhuo still made a brief statement to the interview after the game: "See you in Houston."

On April 4, at Houston's home court, the Rockets 24:102 the Lakers, Yao Ming won the first playoff win of his career.

After Fang Zhuo won, he showed a smiling face in the interview: "As I said, I said, the Rockets are very strong, and we are very strong this year."

However, as the Rockets won this game, they faced the more ferocious Lakers in the next home and away games. They lost 88:92 and 78:97 in succession, ending the 2003-2004 season. race trip.

After the fourth game, Fang Zhuo "the series is not over yet".

After the fifth game, Fang Zhuo said, "The Lakers deserve to be the defending champions, even though the Rockets lost."

From the rhetoric before the acquisition of the Rockets to the "defeat" that quickly ended the season, the new owner of the NBA from the East quickly attracted attention and complained.

When the result was settled, commentators and fans both in the United States and China lamented that Fang Zhuo was unreliable, and some people made his words into a compilation album to spread.

Big mouth, arrogance, self-proclaimed knowledge of football...

And, as he walked into the TNT commentary booth to complete the bet in public at the start of the second round of the playoffs, and kissed the ass of the donkey like Barkley, the boss from the East gained a label of "honesty".

—The Rocketeer's idiot owner.

"Sports Illustrated" reported on Fang Zhuo's words and actions before and after with such headlines, and severely criticized the new owner who had just joined the league.

The domestic "Basketball Pioneer" also euphemistically stated when reviewing the Rockets' results this year that the team owner has changed from Alexander to Fang Zhuo, and some style differences require fans to adapt.

Under such public opinion, the idiot owner of the Rockets has already sat in front of "Time Magazine", perhaps the most influential media reporter in the United States, for an interview.

Stupid owner of the Rockets.

Chairman of two NASDAQ listed companies.

The 162nd richest person on the Forbes list of the world's richest people.

These three identities Fang Zhuo showed to reporters today.

And in the conference room next door where he was interviewed by Time Magazine, a reporter from The New York Times was adjusting the machine, preparing to take over the interview with this rich cowboy from the East.

(End of this chapter)