Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1312 A King Fails to Meet Another King?

The loss of a horse nail led to a horse's fall, a battle was lost, and a country was lost – this was the Battle of Bosworth.

Now, Warner Music president Michael Fuchs feels he has encountered the same predicament as Charles III in the Battle of Bosworth.

When MP3 players first appeared, he didn't even give this electronic product, which was "completely" unrelated to the record industry, a second glance.

When Himalaya FM announced its entry into the music market, Michael Fuchs, the most powerful man in the record industry, still didn't care at all about Himalaya FM's internet-based music platform.

When faced with a collaboration invitation from Himalaya Music, Michael Fuchs remained dismissive, saying things like, "What nonsense about just anyone wanting a piece of the record industry?"

But what happened next was beyond Michael Fuchs's expectations.

The MP3 players he didn't care about and the internet music platforms he looked down on became a noose around his neck, and it was getting tighter and tighter!
No one expected that MP3s and internet music, seemingly unremarkable when viewed separately, would, when put together, directly overturn the traditional record industry.

Himalaya pioneered the internet music scene, while Napster, through its pirated music, ignited the volcano of internet music.

The five record giants, who were once invincible in the music industry, were utterly defeated by the unreasonable and unregulated internet piracy of music. They were powerless to resist, and users discarded traditional records and CDs more easily than they would discard trash.

Everyone knows that Napster's website is full of pirated music, but there is no existing law that can punish Napster and other companies.

Currently, there are no laws regulating the internet anywhere in the world, including America, which has allowed it to grow wildly, including various shady businesses.

Warner Music suffered a disastrous year, almost like an avalanche. The previous year it was the most successful record company, but last year it suffered a complete collapse, with revenue plummeting by more than 68%!

This isn't just a matter of cutting it in half or not; it's like slashing it right at the ankle!

In addition, Michael Fuchs was at odds with Warner Bros. chairman Levin.

Having seized on Michael's plummeting performance, Levin is unlikely to let go easily. He won't rest until he's driven Michael Fuchs out of the game.

Of course, Warner Music wasn't the only unlucky one in the record industry; the entire American CD physical record revenue plummeted from $146 billion to $63 billion in just one year.

Warner Music, as the leader in the record industry, suffered a terrible fall and became the most unfortunate victim.

In fact, it's not just America; the overseas record industry is also facing a very tough time.

Conversely, Japan, the world's most conservative market and the least interested in the internet, is the least affected record market.

If he had another chance, Michael Fuchs would definitely have crushed Napster the moment it appeared!

What Michael Fuchs regrets most is probably not choosing to partner with Himalaya Music, which supports legitimate online music!

If a legitimate music platform like Himalaya FM had existed, it might have been able to suppress Napster to some extent, preventing such a disaster.

Now, Michael Fuchs is most concerned about how well the Flying Goose 2 MP3 player is selling.

If the Flying Goose 2 MP3 player doesn't sell well, it means the internet music craze is over. Sony's Walkman and CD player user base is still there, and physical records still have a chance to make a comeback.

Conversely, if the Flying Goose 2nd generation sets a new sales record, it would mean that the era of music players, led by Sony's Walkman, has also come to an end.

After all, if users aren't even buying Walkmans and CD players anymore, what's the point of cassettes and CDs?
Therefore, to a certain extent, the Flying Goose 2 MP3 player also determined Michael Fuchs' career.

……

Pingyang, Zone D of Dongling Hi-Tech's global headquarters, houses Dongling Hi-Tech's conference center building.

Although it's called a conference building, it's actually not very tall, only three stories high, two above ground and one below.

In the entire Dongling High-Tech Global Center Park, apart from the Oriental Tower which is over 100 meters tall, the tallest building in the rest of the area is only ten stories high.

The global headquarters of Dongling Hi-Tech focuses on design style rather than simply pursuing the height of the building.

High-rise buildings actually have very high maintenance costs in the later stages, and they are prone to various problems.

Moreover, with high occupancy rates, the actual office experience isn't that great. Elevators will likely never be enough; during peak hours, there are always queues, and waiting for one elevator for over ten minutes is perfectly normal. From the initial design stage, Li Dongling emphasized practicality as the primary requirement for the Dongling High-Tech Global Headquarters, while also ensuring it possesses modern technology and distinctive style to guarantee it won't be outdated for the next ten or even twenty years.

If a building is simply built with the aim of increasing height, it will become unremarkable once it is replaced by other tall buildings.

The entire conference center is a circular building with a large amount of blue glass curtain walls on the outside. From a distance, it looks like a blue diamond. The conference center is also jokingly called the Blue Diamond Hall by the employees of Dongling High-Tech who are located in the headquarters park.

One part of the ground floor has been converted into an exhibition hall, where all the products released by Dongling Hi-Tech over the years have been moved there for exhibition, as if recording the history of Dongling Hi-Tech.

The other part is intended to record the meritorious personnel of Dongling High-Tech, including photos and wax figures of the meritorious individuals of Dongling High-Tech over the years, as well as their corresponding achievements.

This signifies that Dongling High-Tech will not forget these meritorious individuals, and also serves as an inspiration to future generations, just as during the Tang Dynasty, who wouldn't want to be enshrined in the Lingyan Pavilion?!

The second floor above ground is a modern press conference hall. Although it can only accommodate a maximum of 4,500 people, the entire press conference uses a lot of modern technology, with top-of-the-line projection technology and sound equipment covering the entire hall.

These technologies and equipment ensure that everyone who comes to the press conference, no matter where they sit, can clearly see and hear the scene on the stage. They also reserve professional media seats, guest seats, and so on.

The basement level is the largest area of ​​the entire East Tech global headquarters, capable of accommodating up to 12,000 people, and is designed with a theater and stage style.

On weekdays, the logistics department of Dongling High-Tech invites celebrities and performance groups to perform from time to time as an internal employee benefit and a means to boost morale.

This floor of the building is also the most robust structure in the entire Dongling Hi-Tech global headquarters, providing a safe haven for personnel in case of emergencies.

Most importantly, with the Blue Diamond Hall, Dongling Hi-Tech now has a fixed venue for its future annual meetings, eliminating the need to borrow venues from various places.

Today marks the first time the Blue Diamond Hall has been open to the public, and even though it's not yet opening time, many people have already started queuing.

If you look closely, you'll see that these people are wearing temporary visitor badges on their chests, clearly indicating that they are not from Dongling High-Tech and have applied to enter Dongling's global headquarters.

Among these people, journalists and media personnel made up a significant portion, followed by various competitors. Almost all competitors interested in the MP3 market came in droves this time.

Even manufacturers with vested interests in MP3 players, such as Sony and Warner Music, sent people over specifically to report the news from the press conference to their headquarters in real time via SMS or the email function of Shenzhou Global Pass mobile phones.

Then, a technical team was assembled at headquarters to assess the Feiyan 2nd Generation MP3 player. For a giant manufacturer, making a judgment even a minute earlier could lead to completely different results.

"Manager Fu!"

"Mr. Fu, would you mind revealing what changes there will be in the functionality of the Feiyan 2nd Generation MP3 player?"

Will the price of the Flying Goose 2nd Generation MP3 player be adjusted?

Which regions will Flying Goose MP3 launch in?

When Fu Cheng, one of the two heads of Feiyan Technology, arrived at the Blue Diamond Hall, he was immediately surrounded by a group of reporters and media who wanted to get some inside information out of him.

"I believe that the second-generation Feiyan MP3 player will definitely bring everyone a pleasant surprise!"

Fu Cheng, the speaker at tonight's press conference, kept his mouth shut and did not easily reveal his thoughts, only assuring the media and reporters that the event would not be in vain.

Then they went backstage at the press conference hall, but just as Fu Cheng was about to go in, he ran into someone who was also being fawned over like a star.

For Fu Cheng, this person was definitely a familiar stranger. The familiarity lay in the fact that the other person was one of the general managers of Feiyan Technology.

They felt unfamiliar with each other because this was only the second time in all these years that the two had truly met!
The person who came was Tang Jun, one of the two key figures of Feiyan Technology, who is in charge of the software business of Feiyan Technology, such as Himalaya Internet Radio and Himalaya Music Platform, and is also one of the most active and well-known professional managers in the Internet industry in Silicon Valley!
"President Tang!"

"Manager Fu!"

Fu Cheng and Tang Jun extended their hands to each other, seemingly having a rather "harmonious" handshake, a scene captured by the camera.

What the two are really thinking is unknown, but what is certain is that there are currently two factions within Feiyan Technology, especially Tang Jun in America, who has almost completely taken control of Feiyan Technology's business in America!

Li Dashanren, who had just arrived at the Blue Diamond Hall with Ren Yuefeng and a group of headquarters executives, showed a very interested expression when he saw this scene of "kings meeting kings".

(End of this chapter)