America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 308, Section 306: Just how much real value does your so-called brother actually have?

Having won over the Liu sisters, given time, I believe there's a good chance they could help win over Xiao Liu as well.

With her silver tongue and ability to flatter, Liu Yifei, with her immature mind, is at an age where she is most easily fooled.

After attending the opening ceremony, that slut Elena somehow found out he was in New York and asked him to meet her.

The two hadn't seen each other for several months, only occasionally exchanging phone calls or text messages.

He initially thought this woman was asking him out to boost her sales or to have sex with him.

Eric was half right; they did indeed have sex in the hotel bathroom, and afterwards Elena revealed her true intentions.

"Eric, I know you must be curious how I knew you were in New York. The answer is simple: Ashley told me."

Eric cut off a piece of steak to replenish his energy, then glanced at her: "So, you're keeping track of my whereabouts? Through this method?"

"No, not really. Occasionally. I'm worried it might arouse Ashley and Mary's suspicions, but judging from how they talk about you, your relationship seems to be going well."

"Yes, it's really good, very good. I also have a very good relationship with little Elizabeth."

"I know you often take her to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch."

"Hehe. It seems you really know a lot. What's going on today? It's not just a simple invitation to have a big meal, is it?"

After a brief pause, Elena suddenly said, "I'm going to resign. I'm leaving Morgan."

"Um?"

Eric put down his cutlery: "Why? What happened? Your position isn't low; with a little more effort, you could probably climb even higher. Why did you resign?"

"I tried my best, but I didn't get the results I wanted. Now my arch-rival has taken the position, and I'm having a very hard time."

Seeing that she was a little down, Eric held her hand and comforted her, saying, "Elena, darling, many things don't come for you just because you try hard. You need to think more positively."

"If that bitch's son beat me with his work ability, of course I would accept it, but that bastard played dirty tricks behind my back."

She stared intently at Eric as she spoke, "Speaking of which, this matter is related to you."

"What does this have to do with me? Are you kidding me?"

"Hmph, do you remember when I was asked to make illegal loans? Although it didn't cause any real losses to the bank in the end, I was attacked because of it, and that's how things turned out."

Eric recalled that Elena did seem to have tampered with his things, and more than once.

However, after he paid off his debts, he never had anything to do with the bank again.

"That happened a year ago, why bring up old grievances? Besides, you've made quite a bit of money."

"I didn't say I didn't profit, so I don't hate you, but I did lose my job, which is a major stain on my record. At least I probably can't stay in this industry anymore."

"Uh, what do you want to do? Actually, with the money you earn, you could never spend it all in a lifetime with normal financial management and investment. If you lose your job, you lose it."

"You can take a break, such as taking a round-the-world trip or buying a beach villa for a vacation; these are all great options."

"Then why do you still work so hard? Eric, your net worth is already over 10 billion, why do you still work? Why do you still have to go head-to-head with the Big Six?" Elena retorted.

"This is different. I'm only in my twenties. You can't expect me to retire now. Many people are just trying to make a living."

"A single decision I make can affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of families; it's not something you can just let go of."

"So I'm old?"

"Of course not, you've always been so charming in my eyes!"

"You bastard, you always know how to charm women with that mouth."

Hmm.

After a passionate kiss, Elena licked her lips and said, "Eric, I need your help."

"Say it, as long as I can."

"Ashley and the others know about my current situation, which is why they invited me to work at Twinstar Entertainment, but you are the largest shareholder."

"I can't just be a low-level henchman after I go there. That requires your consent. They respect your opinion, and so do I."

"Do you want to see a woman past her prime living on the streets, or do you want to give her a warm home? The decision is yours."

After much talk, Elena finally revealed her true intentions; it seems the Olsen sisters sent her.

After more than a year of infiltration and restructuring by Eric, many people within DoubleStar Entertainment have now been placed there by him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the Olsen family; it was mainly because when he first became the major shareholder, his relationship with the Olsen sisters wasn't stable enough.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, it is essential to make thorough preparations.

After such a long period of development, Double Star Entertainment's main source of profit has shifted from the original focus on merchandise featuring the two sisters to the focus on merchandise licensed by MGM.

Interests are always the strongest adhesive, and Eric has no reason to worry about the Olsen family having any ill intentions now.

Unless they can find a stronger and more suitable partner, but only if they can get back the 45% stake held by Eric.

Is it possible? Absolutely not!

He won't give up what he's taken without a greater exchange of benefits.

Moreover, according to his plan, DoubleStar Entertainment will gradually merge with Hasbro, and once that happens, the relationship will be incredibly complex and difficult to unravel.

When relationships become too complicated, no one can shake his position as the retired emperor.

Assuming the overall situation is very stable, it doesn't really matter if we include Elena.

Even if she were given the CEO position, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly; major decisions would require Eric's approval before they could be made.

"Double Star Entertainment, what position do you want?"

Elena immediately perked up: "Financial Director, I think this is a suitable position. I have the relevant experience and certifications."

"I don't want to put you in a difficult position right from the start, although I feel I can handle a more important role."

"Finance, well, that does suit you quite well."

Eric tapped the table lightly: "Let me think. Yellen is in charge of this area now. He's a hard worker and hasn't made a single mistake in all these years."

"Perhaps it's time to take him to the next level; Yellen would be very grateful to you."

When he agreed, Elena almost clapped her hands with joy. After all, she was only in her thirties, not even as old as Nicole.

"Thank you, you've helped me a lot, darling. If we hadn't just used it, I would love to let the little one enjoy it again right now."

"Don't jump to conclusions, maybe you can give it a try." Eric raised an eyebrow.

Elena rolled her eyes at him and slowly bent down under the table, repeating the scene from Flindersdale.

Since the end of The Voice of China, Mei Yi's career has been going very smoothly.

The two-month-long national tour not only boosted the popularity and exposure of the top eight contestants, but also made the company a fortune.

Although the Chinese music scene relies on thesis defense, singing is far less lucrative than acting.

However, in the United States, where the music industry is highly developed, singers can earn money just as quickly as movie stars.

This trend has become even more pronounced since the introduction of face masks.

Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Shilling also released their first album after the tour, which included songs from the final night.

Although only a week has passed since they released their song, the Billboard charts are already in chaos.

Unsurprisingly, all four songs simultaneously broke into the top ten of the overall charts, leaving many big names utterly humiliated.

After sitting on the top spot for 11 consecutive weeks, "Let It Go" has finally lost its throne.

Katy Perry's "Stronger" successfully took the lead, winning her first Billboard number one spot.

Following closely behind is Xilin's "Sugar," a song with a relatively upbeat rhythm that has an advantage.

Moreover, while the studio version lacks the atmosphere of the live version, it also smooths out the flaws in the live performance.

Every song sounds flawless, perfectly capturing the essence of Eastern Europe; every song sounds natural and fluid.

"Let It Go" still holds the third place. Queen Elsa is still very strong, and it is expected to continue to occupy the top ten of the charts until the summer season is completely over.

Bruno Mars ranked sixth on the list, while Taylor Swift came in ninth.

However, one of Taylor Swift's own country-style songs reached number 12, and several others also made it into the overall charts, demonstrating her songwriting talent.

In terms of album sales, all four members have surpassed 15 copies, ranking among the top ten this week.

Don't think that 15 copies sold is a low number.

My lord, times have changed.

Starting in the late 90s, the global album and record market began to decline, and this decline accelerated after the turn of the millennium.

The rise of online media, in particular, has led many music fans to choose to listen to and download songs online, further impacting the record industry.

Since 1991, Nielsen Music Statistics has been compiling data on U.S. record sales.

The highest weekly sales record was in December 2000, with a total of 45.4 million units sold in a single week, and total sales for the year exceeding 7.85 million units.

At the time, some organizations and individuals thought the record industry was about to revive, but it turned out to be just a temporary resurgence, followed by a continuous decline.

If we push the timeline forward by 10 years, this number will decrease to 490 million, with only 2.89 million remaining for the entire year.

To give two very intuitive examples, Avril Lavigne's 2002 hit album "Let Go" sold less than 9 copies in its first week, yet it still managed to rank 8th on the charts.

Despite the support of the movie promotion, "Let It Go" only sold 86000 copies in its first week in 2013.

Although artists like Adele, whose album sales rivaled those of legendary figures, emerged during this period, there was ultimately only one Adele, and the global record industry continued to decline.

Given this environment, the four artists' album sales are already impressive enough, with multiple organizations predicting that all four albums will reach platinum status.

Platinum means that the number of copies sold is more than 100 million, gold is 50, and diamond is 1000 million.

Of course, this is the American standard. If you change the region to the UK, there will be an additional standard for Silver Records.

A silver record sells 6 copies, a gold record 10 copies, a platinum record 50 copies, but there is no such concept for diamonds.

Japan has a standard of 10 gold records, 25 platinum records, and 100 million diamond records, making it one of only two countries in the world besides the United States to have a diamond record standard.

In South Korea, it has 0.5 gold records and 1 platinum records.

In its early days, Taiwan's gold records cost 2.5 and platinum records cost 5. Later, the gold record price was changed to 1.5 and the platinum record price to 3.

Hong Kong's standards have also been lowered one after another.

These clearly reflect the decline of the record industry and the development level of the music industry in different regions.

Why do foreign contestants dominate domestic contestants in "Singer 2024"? You're decades behind them, so isn't it normal for you to dominate them?

So when you see a young celebrity get platinum certification, don't rush to conclusions. Make sure you know which region the certification is from, because the difference is huge.

In the internet age, certifications like those on Tencent Music have their own standardized system, and their authority is only for fun, meant to amuse die-hard fans.

They no longer use record or single sales as the basis for judgment, but rather how much money they make.

For example, Lu Han and Hua Chenyu claimed to have achieved diamond record status, selling 1000 million RMB worth of records. That sounds amazing!

However, if you convert 10 million into the price of a record, it's actually equivalent to selling around 200,000 to 300,000 copies, which immediately diminishes the effect.

My brother's album sold 1000 million copies and my brother's album sold 20 copies.

How much real value does your so-called "brother" actually have?

As the music industry has developed to this point, the last diamond record was Adele's "21," which has become a thing of the past!

Besides the four members who are busy touring the country to promote their songs, Michael is still on a national tour.

When it comes to making money, he is the most terrifying money-making machine in Mei Yi.

Although it's impossible for him to work with Sony again, Universal Music has extended an olive branch, hoping to sponsor his global tour.

The two sides are currently engaged in further negotiations. Mike is no longer the solo artist he once was; he is now the head of the company and has the power to acquire more.

As October arrives, the weather turns completely cool, and people need to wear coats when they go out.

But Los Angeles remains a vibrant city because it attracts the world's most famous stars.

The Arc Light Theatre is a prime example; tonight, the premiere of "The Hunger Games" will be held here.

As MGM's flagship film this year, it boasts a massive promotional campaign, and the premiere was graced by numerous celebrities.

Eric walked down the red carpet, holding hands with Gadot and Liu Yifei on either side.

Xiao Liu was incredibly excited; his first blockbuster was finally about to be released.

At 17, it seemed like she had suddenly achieved her ultimate dream in life, and she was even walking the red carpet in Hollywood with yellow skin.

Aside from a handful of people like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Lucy Liu, and Michelle Yeoh, who else could do that, especially while still a minor?

"I have made history, and I am destined to be recorded in film history."

Liu Yifei thought to herself, her beautiful eyes constantly glancing in Eric's direction. She felt that she could never leave that man for the rest of her life.

With a roar from Leo the Lion, everyone was jolted awake; it was time to check out this blockbuster produced by MGM.

(End of this chapter)