hollywood billionaire

Chapter 498 Dave Stewart
"Dave Stewart?"

Upon hearing the name, Stevie's pupils contracted, and her tone was somewhat surprised.

"The Dave Stewart I know?"

“Yes, it’s the Dave Stewart you know.” Han Yi smiled. “Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, Dave Stewart from Sweet Dreams Are Made of This, and… the Dave Stewart who co-wrote music with you.”

"Ha, 'created music together'. But we've done much more than that together."

When she said this, Stevie spoke as if she were both stating a fact to Han Yi and trying to evoke her own memories, as if she were muttering to herself.

"Do you know, or do you not know?" After several breaths of varying speed and pace, some rapid and some long, Stevie looked at Han Yi and asked him this question.

"About you and Dave?" Han Yi answered honestly, "I know a little...I've read about it."

"Really? What did you read?"

“Uh…” Han Yi’s gaze swept around the dining table. It was clear that, apart from the leisurely Stevie, even Lana looked a little uncomfortable when the topic came up. “I read about a romantic but short-lived, rock-and-roll-style fleeting romance.”

“Hahaha—” Steven slapped the table and burst into laughter, “I wish my relationship with him was as wonderful as you described. Try a different narrative, try… ‘I brought him back from his performance in Los Angeles to my house full of marching fans and did it twice.’”

“Oh, okay, don’t be so embarrassed. I’m old, you’re young. I know you’re not as crazy as we were back then, but at least you should be able to talk about sex openly… You’re not yet, you’re still a minor, you can only talk about it in secret.”

The awkward atmosphere that descended upon the long table did not stop Stevie from continuing. She casually patted Madison Bill on the shoulder as he pretended to check his phone, then turned to Lionel Richie: "Mr. Richie should know what I'm talking about. This is the life of every rock star in the 70s and 80s."

"Hey, we didn't have the internet back then."

Openly discussing his youthful, scandalous sexual affairs in front of younger generations and business partners was not something Lionel could easily accept. After all, his early romantic escapades were common knowledge, even being adapted into an animated film. The news of his ex-wife Brenda catching him in bed with another man in 1988, kicking him in the stomach, and fleeing in panic while clutching his stomach, remains the biggest scandal plaguing the King of Ballads.

But in order to get closer to Stevie and help Wave Music Foundation successfully capture this big fish, Lionel kept stroking his beard to relieve his discomfort, putting on a relaxed, easygoing, and nonchalant appearance.

"Drugs and sex are ways for us to stay young and ways for us to connect with the outside world."

“That’s right, because people around us don’t say anything sincere, nothing at all!” Stevens paused dramatically at this point, “unless they’re naked.”

“In my experience, even back then, they would only selectively tell the truth… or white lies.” Lionel spread his hands. “I remember, after a concert—I don’t remember which one—I brought two girls home from the after-party. I was so exhausted that night that I just fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, one of the girls was still excitedly telling me that it was the most wonderful night she had ever had.”

“And I’ve never even slept with her.”

"She just lay there quietly, waiting, and then looked on in surprise as I fell unconscious, that's all."

"I'm in a similar situation to Dave."

Stephenie laughed heartily and continued.

"He did terribly—because he had just finished a concert. I did terribly too—because Cocaine and Mushrooms gave me an extremely bad trip that day. We gritted our teeth and tried twice, and then agreed that if the first experience was this bad, it was definitely impossible to continue, not even as regular bed partners. So, we became friends, and the music creation partners you mentioned."

“It’s pretty much what I read.” Han Yi cautiously probed, “Your relationship didn’t deteriorate; instead, it became even closer in another way. Your casual fling developed into a long-term, stable friendship. You created countless masterpieces together, including your 2011 album, ‘In Your Dreams.’”

“It’s a little more complicated than that, but it’s roughly the situation.” Steven snorted. “We’re friends, but not the kind of friends who exchange Christmas cards. I produced my last two albums with him, but I didn’t pay him less just because we’re friends, nor did I try to reduce his royalty share.” “What I’m trying to say is…”

“This may sound a bit narcissistic, but I don’t want you to invite him to the board because of me, because it won’t do you any good.”

“Of course not.” Han Yi’s answer was half true and half false. “The reason we invited Dave was primarily because of his enormous influence in the industry. Everyone considers Eurythmics’ music to be classic, and many music legends are happy to collaborate with him—Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, U2, and you and Tom Petty. His presence is a key that can lead us to open many doors.”

"Including his own, right?" The signs were so obvious that Stevie came to this conclusion without much thought. "Did he sell his copyright library to you?"

"not yet."

"But an agreement has already been reached, hasn't it?"

“Yes.” Han Yi answered readily without any attempt to hide anything. “Dave likes our vision and shares the same vision with us. Therefore, he is willing to entrust us with the management of his copyright library of a total of 1068 works.”

“This is really big news.” Stevens raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm, I don't usually like using puns, but... sweet dreams are literally made of this."

Actually, Dave Stewart wasn't initially on Han Yi's shortlist. His primary target was Mick Jagger, the soul of the Rolling Stones. To successfully acquire this top-five rock star, Han Yi did extensive research, and it was during this research that he unexpectedly learned about Dave.

To be precise, he'd always known Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, and their era-defining new wave band, Euroythmics. Take, for example, their song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," which has been a hit since the 1980s and continues to be a staple of streaming, poised to conquer short-video platforms in the foreseeable future. But his knowledge of Dave Stewart was limited to that.

As far as I remember, after Eurythmics disbanded in 1990, Annie Lennox continued to be active in the public eye, releasing six solo albums and winning the Billboard Century Award in 2002, becoming an industry icon alongside Billie Joel and Steve Wanda. Dave Stewart, on the other hand, seemed to have completely retired, disappearing without a trace.

Upon further investigation, Han Yi realized how terribly wrong he had been. Although his solo singing career wasn't going well, Dave, as a behind-the-scenes producer, was incredibly active and prolific. Bon Jovi, Joss Stone, Ringo Starr, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Shania Twain, Katy Perry… The more Han Yi learned, the more he felt Dave Stewart was the perfect candidate for the foundation's board of directors—his extensive and deep network would allow Wave Music Foundation to access former superstars inaccessible to ordinary people. His own copyright library was also substantial enough, mostly consisting of collaborative works, a proportion that wouldn't be too high, and prices that wouldn't be too exorbitant, making it perfect for Wave Music Foundation's first deal.

After having his first meeting with Han Yi a few days ago regarding the Wave Fund, Lionel Richie agreed with the former's assessment that Dave Stewart was a very good practice subject. So, the chairman of the board briefly demonstrated his network of connections in the industry, directly calling Dave Stewart's manager, Dave Kaplan, to schedule a conference call with the British singer, who was vacationing in the south of France, for the following day.

Almost instantly after understanding the operating logic of the Wave Music Foundation, Dave Stewart decided to become deeply involved in the project. He was not only willing to sell his entire copyright library to the foundation, but also eager to accept an invitation to serve on the board, helping the Wave Music Foundation acquire more high-quality copyrights. Dave's reaction was somewhat unexpected, yet also quite reasonable. After all, he started working with synthesizer pop in the 1980s and can be considered one of the pioneers of electronic dance music. And over the past two decades, he has not fallen behind, consistently producing high-quality works that meet the different needs of each era.

Such forward-thinking pioneers would naturally be very interested in new concepts like music copyright funds that disrupt industry rules and reshape the industry landscape.

“Your assessment of Dave… is absolutely correct.” After listening to Han Yi’s account of the whole story, Stevie nodded as if it were commonplace. “He always wants to be at the forefront of trends; that’s just who he is, and not just in music, but in every aspect of life. Every time I meet him, I see all those strange electronic gadgets he carries around… I’ve never even heard of most of them.”

"However, jokes aside, he really is a good fit for you. He... he's a fantastic person, and you'll definitely enjoy working together. He's visionary and passionate about a better future. This kind of endeavor needs adventurers and dreamers like him who dare to take that leap off the cliff."

“Dreamers are the cornerstone of our social change.” Han Yi first echoed Stevie’s praise of Dave, then changed the subject, “Of course, it’s not enough to just have a pilot like Dave who dares to rush to the edge of a cliff and floor the accelerator. We also need a sufficiently clear-headed co-pilot, someone who knows how to check the instrument panel before a storm, calculate fuel, and even occasionally say ‘No, today is not a good day to take off.’”

"It sounds like you're about to say another name I know."

"It's a name you know, and unlike Dave, whom you only meet occasionally, it's a name that appears in your life every day."

"Irving J. Sloan".

(End of this chapter)