America's Top Player

Chapter 100 Girl

Chapter 100 Girl
"You did a great job!" Kelly couldn't suppress her smile and kept clapping. "I can already picture you getting married in my mind. It seems my choice was the right one!"

Leon couldn't hide his embarrassment, but Miranda was still immersed in her role, staring at him with a smirk on her face.

"Would you like to have lunch together?"

"Let's do it another day. I've been very busy lately."

"Don't you have time for lunch? I know a really great Italian restaurant right here."

"The Coke Burger is still the best for me. It's simple, delicious, and quick to eat."

Faced with the beautiful woman's cordial invitation, Li Ang chose to run away.

The fact that the other person has a boyfriend is a secondary reason.

The main thing is that with women like Miranda, you know she has many tricks, but no matter how you guard against her, she will always succeed.

By the time you repent, it will be too late.

This is an irresistible butterfly.

On the other hand, Li Ang is going to hold a meeting of all Apocalypse Music employees before the Grammy Awards.

The time is set at three o'clock this afternoon.

At the beginning, everyone around him warned him not to extend his tentacles too far, but he did not listen.

Now, with a company staff of less than five people, it is already overwhelmed by the record label business alone.

He has also promised Robbie to write at least two new songs for her new album, but plans for promoting Grande's debut single have yet to be finalized.
He viewed this meeting as a summary of the past and a plan for the future.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, this small meeting was officially held in the Apocalypse Music office.

Except for Robbie and Cardi B who were busy touring, everyone else was present.

Except for DJ Marcus from Lion's Nest Radio, all other DJs from the radio company were present.

In more than two months, Li Ang followed his original plan, canceled the radio channels with poor performance data, and diverted listeners to Lion's Nest Radio.

Therefore, there were only five DJs present, and if T-ray from Chester Bad Boy Radio was included, there should be six people.

It was obvious that the gangster producer who was severely backstabbed by Li Ang could not be here.

"So far, the physical record sales of Ms. Robbie's single "Faded" have exceeded 100 million copies, and the sales of Ariana's "Senorita" on streaming platforms have also exceeded 70 times." Aisha was the first to report on her work. As the most professional employee in the company, she even worked overnight to prepare a PPT.

During this period, Li Ang earned nearly 150 million US dollars from the sales and copyright income of these two songs, and his current net worth exceeds 600 million US dollars.

But after a two-month bonus period, the album sales of "Faded" began to decline significantly.

"Very good, this is the first platinum record of Apocalypse Music." Li Ang handed the record certification matter to Bonnie and asked her to apply to the Record Association.

Phil half-jokingly said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're only one step away from becoming a multi-millionaire, so why don't you hire a few more people?"

"This company is still like a workshop. I think Bonnie is too busy to even have time for a relationship."

"It seems that you know my financial situation better than I do." Leon rolled his eyes at Phil, and the other party didn't dare to say anything else.

But there is some truth in what he said.

We didn’t hire people before in order to increase revenue and reduce costs, but at that time we were limited by financial constraints.

Now that he has ample funds, thanks to Robinson's investment, he no longer has to worry about running out of funds when it comes to filming.

Recently, at least $150 million in sales revenue from the "Demons" album has been sitting in ROC's account and hasn't been paid out.

Ever since the "record store shooting incident", JAY-Z's remittances have never been as regular as before.

But as Phil said, as long as ROC company pays him the dividends from record sales, Leon will soon be able to join the multi-millionaire club.

He knocked on the table and said to everyone, "The company is in urgent need of additional staff. I have decided to establish three departments, each with three employees."

"The three departments are Planning and Publicity, Marketing and Sales, and Finance."

Aisha has long gained Leon's trust due to her outstanding work ability, so the job of financial director should be handed over to her.

As for the other two departments, they may need to recruit suitable candidates again.

Everyone agreed with Boss's arrangement, except Phil.

He asked indignantly, "Have you ever considered leaving a position for me?"

Although Lao Deng has a bad character and is sometimes outspoken, his work ability is indeed impeccable.

Whether an agent is good or not depends on how many job opportunities he can create for the artist. In his hands, Cardi B has completely become a machine for printing money through commercial performances.

"If you agree to sell your Phil Agency to me, I can consider setting up an artist agency department just for you." Li Ang turned the pen in his hand and showed a sly smile.

Phil instantly wilted. Ever since he became associated with Leon, his cash cow, he had been earning at least hundreds of thousands of dollars every month.

His eyes rolled around in his sockets, as if he had thought of something. "If you can agree to sign a contract with Warner Records, I don't mind selling my old bones directly to you."

Leon's first reaction was why Phil always wanted to sell himself to Warner?

Is it just to take kickbacks?
"Listen, no matter who I decide to sign with, it won't be until after August. My relationship with JAY-Z is very sensitive right now." Li Ang said seriously, "Maybe I'll just sign with my own label."

"Don't do anything stupid, man!" Phil waved his hands quickly. "Although your company has achieved some success, it's still just a small business in the industry. Like Leonard said, Warner owns more than a dozen labels of this size. The resources of a large company are completely different from those of a small company. If you sign with Warner, you might get the same resources as Madonna and Linkin Park."

"The three largest shareholders of Spotify are Universal, Warner, and Sony. If you want to get a lot of exposure on streaming platforms, it's almost impossible without some relationship with the three major record companies."

What Phil said sounded like PUA. Leon had no platinum record and no awards to show off.

He didn't think he could get the resources to match Madonna's.

"We'll talk about this later"

Phil still didn't give up. "Don't wait any longer! The streets of New York are full of rumors that are unfavorable to you. If you wait any longer, something might happen."

"Warner agrees to pay you a termination fee, a figure that will satisfy JAY-Z. You can leave Roc Kingdom at any time!"

Li Ang looked troubled. After his contract expired in August, his chances of parting ways peacefully with ROC Records were very slim.

It is almost impossible to escape from JAY-Z, the "Godfather of Harlem" without paying any price.

After thinking it over again and again, he decided to put this matter aside for the time being.

No matter how complicated the situation will be after the contract expires, now is not the time to change teams.

"Marcus have you ever heard of Internet radio?"

Li Ang turned the topic to the radio business. Ever since he acquired more than a dozen radio stations in New York, this sector has been a concern for him.

"Internet? Of course I understand. I never buy discs to watch movies now." Marcus shrugged. "Fuck, the Internet is full of pirated copies. You don't have to spend a penny."

"No, I mean, are you interested in doing a show on the Internet? For example, recording a podcast?" Li Ang explained.

"You mean like Joe Rogan, talking to guests on the mic and boasting about everything?"

"That's right!" Li Ang snapped his fingers. "In fact, there's no difference between online radio and traditional radio in terms of programming. It's just that the audience's listening habits have changed."

He conducted a systematic investigation into this matter.

Internet radio means listeners don't need specific equipment to listen to the programs.

The advantage of podcasts is that they are recorded in advance and listeners can listen to them at any time without having to wait for a specific time.

Iheart Media was able to rise to become a giant in the radio industry in just two years, not only thanks to the support of its financial backers but also thanks to seizing the Internet dividend.

Phil interjected, "Fuck, there's nothing the internet can't do these days. If you wanted to get into the media industry so badly, why didn't you buy a social media company? Like Bluebird?"

Li Ang rolled his eyes at the man and said, "Put down that damn wine glass. I think you're drunk."

Although Bluebird hasn't yet gone public, its valuation has already exceeded $1 billion. I doubt anyone in the entertainment industry has the financial resources to take on such a behemoth.

However, he did seriously consider investing in a social media company. After Jobs promoted smartphones, Silicon Valley experienced a second Internet boom that was as powerful as the one at the beginning of the millennium.

Now, in Silicon Valley and Massachusetts, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of mini-programs released every day, but only a handful of them can get angel investment, and the elimination rate is astonishingly high.

No one knows which software will eventually occupy a certain market share.

The idea of online radio and blog shows is not complicated. With "The Joe Rogan Experience" becoming popular across the United States, more and more podcast shows are eroding the business of traditional radio stations at an alarming rate.

Although Marcus is conservative, he understands that there is no essential difference between the two.

It is nothing more than changing the channel for exchanging family tree greetings with listeners from radio waves to the Internet.

"Does anyone else want to say anything?" Leon was a little tired, his hands behind his head, rocking his swivel chair. "No one wants to say anything? Then let's stop here for today."

"Wait a minute, boss," Ariana, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

"Do you have anything to say, Xiao A? It's okay, you can say whatever you want."

"I..." Ariana's delicate face suddenly turned red like a ripe persimmon. "I've written two songs recently. I'd like to ask everyone to take a look and see if they can be included on my first album."

Leon stared at Ariana with extreme suspicion.

This girl started thinking about the album just as the physical record of her first single was about to be released.

What kind of works can a seventeen-year-old girl write?
In order not to hurt Ariana's self-esteem, Leon decided to ask her to hand over the lyrics and score.

The Way

【All we have to do is climb back to the top】

【I love this feeling of being with you】

[I love you so much that I can’t help myself]

Li Ang looked at the lyrics with a frown on his face. Just as he had thought before, this was completely the level of lyrics written by a high school student.

Despite this, she still comforted him: "Your lyrics are great, with a pure beauty. I'll give it to Max to take a closer look tomorrow."

"Thank you very much! If there is anything that needs improvement, please let me know and I will work hard."

At this moment, Phil suddenly came over hurriedly: "Let me see what this girl wrote?"

After taking the notebook and reading it for more than ten seconds, he sneered mercilessly, "It's a waste of Max's time to read something written by a child like this."

As soon as the words fell, Ariana's expression instantly turned from sunny to cloudy. She lowered her head and fell into deep self-doubt.

Phil seemed unaware of what he had said and continued chattering, "Creation isn't something that anyone can do. I advise you to give it a try, girl... As long as Leon appreciates you, will you still be short of work?"

"Shut up!"

Leon glared at Phil fiercely before Old Deng calmed down.

But no matter how he tried to comfort Ariana, the girl remained silent.

Even after the meeting, she didn't talk to anyone and drove away alone, feeling lonely.

Leon couldn't help but curse Phil as a scumbag for rubbing the self-esteem of a seventeen-year-old girl on the ground in front of a group of people.

After returning to the apartment, Leon wanted to call Ariana to calm her down.

But I made two calls in a row but no one answered.

He suddenly had a bad feeling, because in the past, this girl would never refuse his calls at any time.

On the contrary, she would call Li Ang every night to share what she saw and heard that day, her inspirations, and the progress she had made in dancing or singing.

A seventeen-year-old girl can easily be imprisoned by negative emotions such as confusion and depression when her self-esteem is hit.

"This fool shouldn't be so fragile."

"Fuck, she'll be fine in a couple of days. I hope it won't affect her performances these days."

Li Ang thought: If Ariana's performance is not in good condition, the publicity effect will be reduced.

This will affect record sales and in turn affect his own income.

Since the call didn't go through, Li Ang was too lazy to bother anymore. He was already exhausted physically and mentally after being busy for so many days.

Ringing——

At eleven o'clock in the evening, his phone rang.

The caller was Ariana.

Li Ang rubbed his eyes, spat "F-word" and answered the phone.

The sound he heard instantly woke him up from all sleepiness.

It was the most miserable cry he had ever heard, and it evoked some vague memories in his heart.

At the University of Tokyo, the cries heard at the memorial shed were no more than this.

"Stop crying, okay? Your work is really great."

"Listen, everyone has different tastes in music. You'll ruin your voice if you cry like that."

"That bastard Phil doesn't know how to appreciate things. I swear this is a Grammy-worthy piece of work. I guarantee it on my life!"

After five minutes of coaxing, Ariana's crying finally subsided a little, turning into more torturous sobs.

"Fuck! I've had enough!"

"Listen, Xiao A, if you still feel sad, call your brother, your parents, or your boyfriend."

"Anyway, no matter who you call, I need to rest now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sobbing on the other end of the phone stopped instantly.

Realizing that he had gone too far, Li Ang quickly changed his attitude, but no matter what he said, there was no response from the other end of the phone.

Drop drop-

Ariana hung up the phone.

Li Ang tried to call many times, but no one answered.

His sleepiness had also been completely consumed. He lay on the bed with a blank look in his eyes. "Who does this fucking girl think I am? Her dad?"

At this moment, a melody appeared in his mind.

Inspiration refresh on the 11th.

In the MV, a young man and woman stand back to back with their heads lowered.

We don't talk anymore
There is only silence between us

We don't talk anymore
We can never go back to being close to each other again
We don't talk anymore
There is only silence between us

Like we used to do
Everything is no longer the same

We don't love anymore
Love is slowly fading away

What was all of it for
Why is this the result?