hollywood billionaire

Chapter 226 Crazy August

"Joseph Crowley, a member of New York's 1999th Congressional District since 14..."

"The 14th District...represents the central Bronx and northern Queens? The Latino area?"

"This has been the case since redistricting began in 2012. Prior to that, the 14th district included Queens and eastern Manhattan."

"So Crowley used to operate on the Upper East Side?"

"No, before the redistricting, he ran in the 7th District, which basically overlaps with the current 14th District. Crowley was born in Queens and is very influential in the local community, so no matter how the district changes, the Democratic Party They put him in charge of campaigns in Queens and the Bronx."

"It's amazing that an Irishman can mix so well in the Latino community."

"Because the Latinos here only support the Democratic Party, and so do other ethnic minorities. No matter who the Democratic Party is, the support rate is at least 70%. In 2012, Joseph Crowley's final vote rate was 83.2%. There is nothing better than this. It was a one-sided election.”

"So, even without campaigning, his position is very secure."

"Yep."

"This means that he has more time than other congressmen to think about his legislative agenda after he is elected...and the exchange conditions he wants to obtain."

"Almost everyone has already assumed that he will win, including his opponent Frank J. Spotono and himself."

"At this point, this man must have higher political pursuits."

"Let's see what he wants to achieve and how he wants to accomplish it...I heard that what he cares about now is another election that the public cannot see."

“New York City has one of the largest and most influential music ecosystems in the world, providing nearly 60000 jobs, with an annual payroll of approximately US$50 billion, and a total economic output value of US$210 billion.”

Sitting on the iconic red U-shaped leather sofa in the Russian Tea Room, Joseph Crowley waved his fork and talked. His voice was low and hoarse, and he spoke very fast, but his pronunciation was extremely standard, without any accent. If he closed his mouth, Looking at his eyes, Han Yi even felt as if he had come to the MSNBC studio and was being interviewed by a well-trained news anchor.

The lunch spot for Joseph Crowley, Jordan Bromley and Han Yi was founded by the Russian Royal Ballet in 1927. From Stolichnaya Soviet red vodka to mixed sturgeon caviar processed by Caspian salt masters, to the famous The RTR Russian Tea Room has been New York's most prestigious upscale restaurant since 89.

Whether they are celebrities visiting New York or wealthy people living in the local area, they often come and go here.Salvador Dali and the art dealers who surrounded him, Frank Sinatra and Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana, Leonard Bernstein and his composer friend Aaron Copland... The starlight of the Russian Tea Room is so bright that wealthy Upper East Side businessmen who want to entertain their partners will subconsciously make this place their first choice.

A place full of celebrities is even more deceptive.

Han Yi and Joseph Crowley are textbook examples. Billionaires from a foreign country and public figures who are deeply involved in New York are drinking and chatting. This scene can be seen by the waiters in the Russian tearoom more than ten times a day.

During lunch time, there was a lot of people and guests coming and going. The three of them were sitting in an inconspicuous corner booth on the southeast side of the room, talking in low voices as usual.

"But among the 6 employees, it's not just rock stars who live in Tribeca or the Upper West Side. The vast majority of them are actually ordinary people who live in the few places in New York where the housing prices are high. Such exaggerated neighborhoods, and I just represent the well-being of these neighborhoods.”

Joseph Crowley adjusted his glasses and said righteously.

"The musicians who live in the Bronx and Queens have brought beautiful melodies to the United States and even the world, enriching the background of this era. Such great contributions have not received equal rewards. This is The main reason I hope SoundExchange will allow those working behind the scenes, whether producers or sound engineers, to receive a portion of the royalties from their recordings."

"Approximately what percent is it, Senator Crowley?" Jordan Bromley asked tentatively, turning the silver ring on his ring finger.

"It hasn't been finalized yet, but my idea is between 2% and 4% of the overall royalties." Joseph cleared his throat, trying to make his hoarse voice clearer and stronger, "Although it's not much, compared to Compared with the previous situation where most sound engineers could not receive royalties at all, this is already a huge improvement. Whether it is a few hundred dollars or dozens of dollars, it can always help them live better in this city. "

“Not just the city, Congressman Crowley, your bill would benefit every musical artist in America, whether they live in the Bronx or Santa Monica.”

Having said this, Han Yi lowered his head and fiddled with the Piroshki pie on the dinner plate, his tone seemed casual.

"How can we help this good cause? Maybe... set up a New York office in the Bronx or Queens to handle the nationwide behind-the-scenes production team royalty settlement? This will not only attract more music producers to settle here The east coast of Manhattan can also create a lot of job opportunities in the constituency?"

"this is a good idea."

Joseph took a sip of the soup, looked at Han Yi, and said in a neutral tone.

"However...SoundExchange is a digital performance royalty collection organization affiliated with the U.S. Congress and designated by the Librarian of Congress. It is different from BMI and ASCAP. Although they are both non-profit organizations, SoundExchange is directly under the jurisdiction of the government and has an organizational structure Including the composition of the board of directors, it is all assigned by the administrative end. It may not be an easy task for this kind of organization to leave DC, establish branches in other cities, and be responsible for tasks that can obviously be completed in the capital."

"Why can the Bronx get this kind of opportunity, but Santa Monica or South Beach can't? Putting official organizations in big cities can easily lead to this kind of controversy."

"I represent my own district, but I also have a responsibility to the overall good of America."

Joseph Crowley's high-sounding rhetoric followed one after another, and the reasons he gave sounded extremely glamorous and upright, but Han Yi knew very well that this member of Congress was just not interested in such petty profits.

Anyway, no matter how bad it is, it can get more than 14% of the votes in the 70th congressional district, so why do you want to benefit the residents in the district?
Is there any point in creating more jobs for the community and increasing the vote rate from 70% to 80%?

Joseph Crowley's ambitions were no longer in Queens.

"So, which election does Crowley care about?"

"The election of the House Democratic Caucus. Before the first session of each Congress, the Democratic Caucus must convene all Democratic House members to elect new leadership."

"Every Democratic congressman?"

"Yes, every one. That includes the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, the Democratic Representatives of American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands, and you are automatically a member of the Democratic Party, whether you want to join or not."

"So... in the caucus, what are the important positions that would attract Crowley?"

"The caucus replaces nine to [-] positions each term. House party leader, House whip, caucus chair, caucus vice chair, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, four Democratic Policy and Communications Committee co-chairs, a caucus leadership representative, And a new leadership representative. If the Democratic Party in the current Congress is the majority party, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Assistant to the Speaker will also be elected."

"Except for the fact that the caucus leadership representative needs to be a member of Congress with less than five terms of office, and the freshman leadership representative only accepts newcomers who enter Congress for the first time, Joseph Crowley meets the requirements for all other positions. Yi, do you think he would want to Which position?"

"It can't be the party leader. As long as Nancy is still around, no one else will be able to do it, unless she steps down on her own initiative. The party leader will be re-elected, and her handy whip Stenny Hoyer will not leave... Ke Lawley wants to go further, and the best position is the chairman of the party group. If you read correctly...the chairman of the party group should be changed every two terms, and this year is exactly the time to change. "

"That's not necessarily true. There are examples of changing the position every time... But I think your guess is correct. Yi, chairman of the caucus, is the most suitable position for Crowley."

"With this kind of internal party affairs and closed voting process, how should we help him and make him feel grateful?" "Direct help is definitely not possible, but we can help him complete the political platform he advocates and introduce the policies he promotes. Bill, or simply give him a fund for party activities."

"This kind of thing can't go through SUPERPAC, right?"

"There is no need to go through SUPERPAC. Senator Crowley invites his colleagues to eat and reminisce about old times. He cares about the lives of new members. Moreover, he is within the party and has nothing to do with the election, right?"

"Yes, there is no doubt that SoundExchange will stay in Washington. I have ignored this." Han Yi nodded thoughtfully and looked sideways at Jordan Bromley, as if sincerely asking for advice, "Jordan, How else can we help Congressman Crowley?"

"Although there is not much opposition to the Music Copyright Act, many people are actually indifferent, especially those representatives from areas with underdeveloped entertainment industries. It is difficult for them to be interested in Arkansas, Montana, and North Dakota. , and it is not easy to form a supporting force to promote the adoption of the plan.”

"This is the difficulty we are currently facing." Upon hearing the direction pointed out by Jordan Bromley's words, Joseph Crowley's pupils shrank slightly, and then he straightened his body, "One of the music reform bills Therefore, it is difficult to move forward. In fact, it has little to do with party struggle. It is purely because representatives from the central and western regions and the southern region believe that Congress has more pressing issues that need to be taken care of first."

"Changing perceptions must not only start at the public level, but also start from within Capitol Hill." Han Yi added.

"very true."

"Then I think we have found a way to help Congressman Crowley, Jordan." Han Yi pursed his lips and smiled, and said softly, "We must spare no effort to support Congressman Crowley in increasing the awareness of copyright issues within the party, and Increase his support.”

"That's natural." Jordan Bromley dusted off the non-existent dust on his lap. "This kind of legal innovation that occurs every 20 years must be driven by representatives with both ability and status. Both are indispensable."

Joseph Crowley did not answer Jordan Bromley's increasingly obvious suggestion. The former sniffed, placed his fork flat on the porcelain plate, folded his hands in front of his chin, and looked at the square table sitting in silence. The two people opposite and to the side.

"What kind of status, Jordan?"

"Top three in the party."

"How do i do this?"

"The general election will be held during the Christmas holiday next year...oh no, it will officially start after the winter holiday."

“How much capital is needed to gain a competitive advantage?”

"It's hard to say, there will be changes in both hard and soft spending depending on who needs to be persuaded."

Han Yi and Jordan Bromley sang together, and used this method to lay out the answers for him to questions that originally required Joseph Crowley to ask him personally, which would make the old Democrat feel a little uncomfortable.

"Then, why don't you just use the promotional account I put on your side?"

"this is a good idea!"

Jordan "thought carefully" and agreed excitedly.

"Member Crowley, in order to pass the music copyright bill, Mr. Han has deposited 50 US dollars in special funds in the government affairs and publicity account of Manat Entertainment. By then, if you have similar ideas in the party, For publicity activities, whether one-to-many or one-on-one, I believe Mr. Han will be willing to bear these costs."

"I'm so happy." Han Yi smiled, "I'm willing to do anything that can help the music industry continue to maintain a healthy development trend."

"This healthy development..."

Joseph Crowley ignored those topics about accounts and funds. As a politician, eating outside with people outside Capitol Hill, many things can be listened to, and people from the congressman's office will naturally follow up and deal with them.

Moreover, the other party is also quite knowledgeable and knows that with his status, he should stay as far away from money as possible.Crowley will do what he promised, and Manat Entertainment will be responsible for the specific payment.In any case, allocating a small amount of money from the publicity account of a well-known law firm to a certain congressman to promote copyright law is such a cautious operation. Even if it is spread out and reported in the Washington Post, there will be no problem.

"What do you mean?"

"It is a development model that allows every type of company in the industry, whether it is Universal, Sony, Warner, or smaller startups, to enjoy dividends."

"So in the bill." Joseph Crowley pressed his fingertips on the smooth dark solid wood table, "Are there any places that seem to favor the former?"

"At the moment, no." Han Yi shook his head, "Helping music producers is a great thing that everyone supports."

"It's just that with just one change, it's probably difficult to form a complete comprehensive reform bill." Jordan Bromley took over, "As far as we know, there are three or four groups in Congress working on music copyright. Legal proposals. Although we have not yet seen such signs, in the future someone will definitely take the lead in integrating these proposals into the Digital Millennium Act of our era."

"At that time, in the joint meeting of several members, everyone will have the right to vote. We just hope that when things get to that point, the bill will not be hijacked by the interests of large groups. That is enough."

"Understand that legislators must be impartial, of course."

This was the first time Joseph Crowley grinned today, and he finally understood Han Music's true intentions: he doesn't need to act at this stage, and when the bill is finally formed, it's good to fight for his vote.

In this case, they should also try to deal with other congressmen who are working in the same direction.

"Since you are interested in music copyright issues..."

Joseph took off his coat and put it on the side of his seat. A familiar name quickly came to his mind.

"Have you ever met Jerry Nadler?"

"Not yet." Han Yi replied sincerely, "I'm going to attend a charity dinner at the Carlyle Hotel tonight. I hope to communicate with Congressman Nadler then."

"That would be great, I'll be there tonight too."

Joseph Crowley clapped his hands.

"No need to worry, gentlemen."

"Tonight, I will be your introducer."

(End of this chapter)