hollywood billionaire

Chapter 474 Tide
"Thank you so much for that inspiring speech, Andre."

Another hug, another exchange of microphones. Han Yi and Dr. Dre whispered intimately for a long time before putting the microphone to his lips.

"Andre is a hero. I believe this is not only my perception, but also the perception of most people."

Han Yi spoke slowly because he was carefully observing the party participants in the audience to see how they would react to Dr. Dre's speech about anger.

The people who resonated the most were undoubtedly those from the Temple Records, from Snoop Dogg to Migos to 21 Savage, and even Cardi B, who had not yet officially debuted, all listened with excitement. Every word of Dr. Dre could cause their cheers and applause, just like the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, adding a lot of color to the speech itself.

As fellow African Americans, they are immersed in the story of Dr. Dre.

From Rodney King in 1992 to Michael Brown in 2014, the living conditions of black people have not changed much. The Black Lives Matter movement launched in 2013 sounds like a symbol of progress, but if you think about it carefully, African Americans in the 2010s still have to organize and protest "police violence and racial violence against black people" like their ancestors in the s. Isn't this a concrete manifestation of the fact that the institutional injustice in American society has not been properly resolved for decades?

Electoral politics has been blocked by vested interest groups, and the people can only return to the most primitive collective resistance.

The cycle of "holding up signs to protest - media attention - policy fine-tuning" has become a safety valve for the power system to absorb the energy of resistance.

What is happening at a broader level is exactly what Dr. Dre described as the current state of the music industry. The upward path for people of color is tightly blocked by vested interest groups, and Jewish executives like Doug Morris can jump back and forth between the two largest music groups in the industry, resigning as CEO of Universal Music and immediately taking over as CEO of Sony Music, as if there is no competition between the two.

Not to mention Doug Morris' side business VEVO, this huge "transnational video hosting service company" with technology assets provided by Google, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music as major shareholders, BMG, Merlin, and MNRK as minority shareholders, monopolizing the distribution of music video channels in the European and American music scene was co-founded by Doug Morris and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

A conspiracy between two Jewish people determined the ownership and future of 60,000 artists and 900,000 music videos.

Meanwhile, what are the most successful African Americans in the music industry doing?

P. Diddy, who is set to top the Forbes list of highest-paid celebrities, earned $2016 million in the 12 months of 1.3.

How do you make money?

The big deal was selling one-third of the shares of its clothing brand Sean John for $70 million.

Another $26 million came from a collaboration with Diageo's Ciroc Vodka and his Bad Boy Family Reunion North American tour, which was originally scheduled for 20 shows but ended up playing only shows.

Now, do you still think he is a Hollywood tycoon who can do whatever he wants and threaten Will Smith's career?

Putting aside the baby oil tycoon who will soon be disgraced in the future, another East Coast hip-hop giant, Jay-Z, has a wider business empire than P. Diddy, but is also working hard to climb towards a billion-dollar fortune.

Roc Nation, a joint venture established with Live Nation in 2008, has made great achievements in the fields of sports and entertainment. It is Kevin Durant's agency, J.Cole's label, and Rihanna's artist management company. However, most of Roc Nation's partners are well-known artists who have been deeply tied to the three major music groups and four major agencies. The contracts and profits that the company can get from them are not very considerable. Moreover, Jay-Z, as a co-founder, only has the empty title of chairman of the board from beginning to end. The specific business is still carried out by the management team sent by Live Nation, the major shareholder.

His other music business, streaming platform Tidal, was a company he bought back from Scandinavia for $2015 million in 6000. Later that year, he and several celebrity investors, including his wife Beyoncé, repackaged it and pushed it into the market. Kanye West, Calvin Harris, Nicki Minaj, Daft Punk, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and countless other top stars in the music industry have endorsed it and become shareholders of Tidal.

But in less than a year, Tidal was completely beaten by the two giants Spotify and Apple Music. In terms of revenue, Tidal's market share only accounts for 0.58% of the world's streaming market share. If calculated based on the total number of plays, this figure is even lower to a staggering 0.11%.

Now, there are actually only two pillars that truly support Jay-Z’s so-called “business empire” – Armand de Brignac, also known as Ace of Spades Champagne, in cooperation with LVMH, and Ducey Cognac, in cooperation with another European consumer goods giant, Bacardi.

This is the current situation faced by African Americans. The disorderly development of Silicon Valley in the 1980s and 1990s gave minorities a rare opportunity to break through class barriers. David Stewart, Robert Smith, and Alexander Karp, three black entrepreneurs engaged in IT services, technology investment, and data mining, became the only three African American faces on the Forbes list of the "400 Richest Americans".

Yes, among the four hundred people, there were only three black people, and Alexander Kapp was half Jewish and half black.

After the brief window closed, the upward path for African Americans was once again blocked, leaving them with only one path: to enter the industry with talent, stand at the forefront of the sports and entertainment industries, accumulate wealth with the attention of the public, and then slowly transform into capitalists. However, this path has become extremely narrow under the dual pressure of racial capitalism and late capitalism.

After becoming famous, black male celebrities either start companies with industry giants, or work with luxury groups to make spirits, or design sneakers with Nike and Adidas. After becoming famous, black female celebrities cannot even start companies with industry giants, so they can only find European fashion brands to make co-branded perfumes, cosmetics, or body shaping underwear.

In short, from the 2023s to the present, except for Michael Jordan who used his best competitive sports performance in history to promote the NBA into a global brand and helped Nike establish a sub-brand Jordan with annual revenue of billions of dollars. In 30, with a net worth of billion US dollars, he became one of the richest people in the United States for the first time as a professional athlete and became a member of the top class, other black stars are still a little short of the mark.

Whether it is Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, or Dr. Dre, in the final analysis, they are just artificially created "illusion of exceptionalism".

Their existence has made generation after generation of African Americans content with the status quo, content with their own track, and content with surviving in this magical satire of "either become a sports star/rapper, or die from taking drugs, or be shot to death by the police."

Generations of resistance were dissolved, institutional injustice was preserved, Air Jordan became a symbol of racial dignity, and Wakanda in "Black Panther" became a utopia of beautiful expectations...

The spirit of an ethnic group has been collectively castrated in the fantasy of liberalism and progressive thought.

Now, as the most influential representative of this ethnic group in the music industry, Dr. Dre announced that he is ready to break this barrier with Han Music and allow African Americans to appear on a track that is not designed for them?

No wonder they are so excited.

Those who are superficial simply cheer for Dr. Dre to become the CEO of a large music group as an African American.

Those with a long-term vision are trembling with excitement at the profound meaning behind this change.

For the first time, money was not just being given to black people.

This time, money chose black people.

"Many of us grew up listening to Dr. Dre and his collaborations with another great artist, Snoop Dogg, the CEO of our Temple Records. We listened to their interpretation of the West Coast, what life should be like and how beautiful life can be... I was no exception."

Of course Han Yi didn't tell the truth. When he was young, he didn't listen to these gang raps. But everyone tells a lot of white lies every day. Even if he contributes a little more, it won't have any impact on the world.

He just wants to establish an emotional connection with his artists and employees. "He is not just a hero in Compton, he is not just a hero in the West Coast, he is not just a hero in the hip-hop world. Andre Young is a hero for every ordinary person who has nothing but dreams big. Across races, across borders, across bloodlines, you can feel the energy, love and care he puts into his work, and like him, fight against all the injustices and injustices in the world."

Han Yi's words were full of meaning, but also empty. Like all leaders of large organizations, he also had many people from different ethnic groups, classes, and even countries under him. They all had common interests as human beings, but their desire for these interests and the ways to obtain them were fundamentally different.

For example, Karen Kuo, who is of Asian descent, can empathize with the anger Dr. Dre mentioned. According to her resume and ability, if she were a white man, she might have been the senior vice president of Universal Music Group. But for twelve years, she was stuck in the A&R department of Island Def Jam, so frustrated that she wanted to start her own business and set up an independent A&R consulting company to realize her ambitions.

For Karen, Han Yi, who is willing to entrust her with important tasks and arrange her to join the UTA board of directors, is undoubtedly a wise leader worthy of trust. Han Music, which does not have a bloated corporate structure and a long development history, is also a more suitable enterprise for the long-term development of minorities like her.

Celine Joshua of Han Live, who is also a professional woman working in the music industry, may not feel as strongly about Dr. Dre's words. As a white person, her career ceiling is obviously higher than Karen's. In 2013, she became a senior vice president of Sony Music Group. Although it was a less core digital sales department, and everyone knew that her future career could only be transferred horizontally and could not go any further, but not every professional's ultimate goal is to be a CEO.

For Celine Joshua, as long as the salary is adequate, the employment benefits are generous, and the company's development prospects are decent, that's enough.

She doesn't have such big ambitions, so she doesn't have such a strong bond with Han Live and Han Music Group.

As for Madison Beer's tour manager Dylan Buckman, it is even less likely that he would resonate with Dr. Dre.

For a young white male like him who is not very old and has just made a name for himself in the industry, there is no need to consider career choices. There are so many companies in the industry, and he can go to any of them. With the experience of Madison Beal as a backing, as long as he does not make mistakes, he can reach a high position in ten or twenty years.

At his age, Lucien Granger was doing a similar job.

So, after Dr. Dre's passionate speech, Han Yi naturally had to calm everyone down and cool things down, so as to avoid the atmosphere becoming too radical and political and causing embarrassment.

Of course, Han Yi didn't have to worry about Dr. Dre's statement sparking any negative feedback. He only needed to look at the audience's reaction. African Americans resonated most strongly, but it was the white people who cheered the most and clapped the most. The lighter the skin color, the greater the reaction.

It sounds absurd, but it makes sense if you think about it carefully - Los Angeles is one of the bluest cities in the United States. In this year's presidential election, the Democratic Party won 71.76% of the votes, which is blue to the point of purple. The American entertainment industry represented by Hollywood can be called the home of liberals. Here, racial justice and gender equality are not topics for discussion, but basic rules that must be followed.

The interracial recasting of The Little Mermaid and Bridgerton, Disney’s minority content development fund, independent films forcibly inserting transgender characters to meet the diversity standards of streaming platforms, and even cartoons for children have to add same-sex kissing scenes... The 2016 election was a bombshell and a catalyst. After this election that divided the entire country, Hollywood began to turn left rapidly.

Black rights, the oldest civil rights issue in history, is a bottom line that no entertainment industry practitioner will touch. No matter what your real political stance is, whether you tend to be conservative or whether you supported the Republican Party in the last election, as long as you still want to develop in Hollywood, you must show your "awakening" tendency.

Therefore, regardless of what the white people attending the party were thinking when they heard Dr. Dre's clear-cut speech, they had to show their active support on the surface, and the more exaggerated the gesture, the better, and the more excited the emotions, the better.

This is one of the effects that Han Yi wanted to achieve by hiring Dr. Dre as the CEO of Han Music Group. The Chinese identity is conspicuous and dangerous, and a music group founded by Chinese people is singing against the mainstream narrative of the future.

Perhaps a media giant is not as threatening to the national security and interests of the United States as Huawei, Tik Tok, and Deep Seek. However, Han Yi, who is always cautious in his actions, still wants to put on all the politically correct cloaks he can.

The reason why Han Music wants to become a beacon of "racial equality" and "gender equality" is not because Han Yi wants to contribute to the progress of American society. He doesn't care whether American society turns left, right, or takes a big step back to the Civil War period.

What he wants is to tie as many interest groups as possible to the chariot and hide himself behind high walls, so that those who want to attack him must first penetrate these untouchable taboo topics before they can succeed. In this way, the policy risks faced by Han Music Group can be greatly reduced.

"Our industry has been enriched, broadened and elevated by the hard work of people like Dr. Dre. From the noisy and crowded Tin Pan Alley to the glittering Hollywood Hills where we are today, generation after generation of great musicians have contributed everything to popular culture."

"We can't forget Leonard Cohen, what a great folk singer and songwriter! He wrote 150 drafts before finally giving the world something as timeless as 'Hallelujah'. The song was released in 1984, but it feels like it's been around for centuries, doesn't it? That's the power of a great song, it's timeless the moment it's created."

"We also can't forget Stevie Nicks, who should be a role model for all women in the industry who are striving to make an impact and make a difference. She was the Queen of Rock and Roll, both in Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. How many people in this world can sell 6500 million albums and get 16 Grammy nominations at the same time?"

"We certainly can't forget the greatest lyricist of all time, Lionel Richie, who has taken the trouble to be here with us today. The question I asked just now, 'How many people can sell 6500 million albums?' Lionel Richie is the answer - he has sold million copies and is the first artist in history to receive a diamond album certification from the RIAA."

"Another question, 'and you still got 16 Grammy nominations'... Lionel, I don't know how many Grammy nominations you've received in your career, and you may not even be able to count them, but I know that you've won four Grammys, two more than Stevie."

"Oh, yes, that's right, and two Golden Globes and an Oscar."

Han Yi turned sideways and directed the audience's attention to Lionel Richie, who was standing on the left side of the DJ booth. As a successful and veteran artist, Lionel put his hands together on his chest, bowed slightly, and greeted the audience who applauded him. He was calm and composed, with no special emotional fluctuations.

"These artists I just mentioned are the roots of this industry. They are the cornerstones and the beacons. In a few hundred years, all the companies and all the entities will disappear, but their names will live on. They are the Vivaldi, Debussy and Chopin of our time. They represent our time and define our time. People in the future will have courses about them in universities, just as they study Beethoven, Mozart and Bach."

"They nourish us spiritually, and in return, people of our time should take good care of them materially. They should be well rewarded for the works they create, but this is not the case."

"Their works are controlled by people who have never created a single day in their lives. These people take 50 percent of the royalties of the music they create. 50 percent!"

"It's like if you renovated your house and wanted to sell it, and then some agent came to you and said, 'Hey, you have a nice house there, how about we sell it together? I'll help you find the client, it's no big deal, I'll only charge 50%'... How ridiculous, how shameless!"

"Some of the greatest musicians of our time are being shamelessly exploited. And the industry thinks this is the norm, and this is how we should treat the creative core of our society. These musicians should only receive one cent for every dollar that the big companies make, and they should continue to perform in their 60s, 70s, 80s, because after decades of stellar careers, they still find the money short."

“The industry may think this is a viable system that can squeeze every ounce of value out of these talented people, but I personally would not view this as the final answer.”

“That’s why we want to give artists, who are valued by society, a chance to escape this endless vicious cycle.”

"Ladies and gentlemen, starting from January 2017, 1, we will register a music copyright acquisition fund in London. We will purchase 1% of the copyright income from these troubled musicians and pay them a one-time sum that will benefit their descendants for generations, so that they no longer have to face the exploitation of the entire interest chain alone."

"From now on, we will take up the spear of the struggle."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce to you the Wave Music Fund and the Chairman and Co-Founder of the Wave Music Fund, Lionel Richie."

(End of this chapter)