New York, Fifth Avenue,
Vincent walked out of BMG Records headquarters with a smile on his face.
Bertelsmann Music Group, or Bertelsmann Records for short, was the music subsidiary of Germany's Bertelsmann Group, the world's second-largest media empire.
BMG had been founded in Germany in 1835, first rising to prominence in publishing through Bibles. In 1958, it entered the music industry for the first time, acquiring Germany's Ariola and Austria's Sonopress. In 1987, it bought the renowned American record giant RCA in one stroke, formally establishing the BMG Records Group and transforming itself into one of the world's five major record groups.
In the not-too-distant future, the music industry would be hit by the impact of digital transformation. Traditional record companies would struggle due to declining CD sales and piracy, pushing chain record stores and some labels to the brink of bankruptcy. Even BMG would come under operational pressure.
In 2004, Sony Music would merge with BMG to establish Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which Sony Music would acquire in 2008, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music.
But that future would no longer come to pass, because just moments ago, Vincent had officially bought into BMG in the name of Prologue Investment Company, becoming its second-largest shareholder after Germany's Bertelsmann Group.
Though he felt a little pained over the Apple stock held by Prologue Investment Company, it was only 1995 after all. Apple was still far from truly taking off.
"Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM, Nvidia, America Online, Amazon, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Starbucks... even ASML, Samsung, and Nintendo. Those vampires have incredibly sharp eyes."
The stocks held by Prologue Investment Company were all blue-chip stocks. Vincent was beginning to suspect that one of the vampires in the Americas division might be a transmigrator like him.
But no matter what, after he bought into BMG, Sony's future schemes surrounding music copyrights were destined not to unfold.
Five minutes later,
he appeared in front of Sony Music's New York headquarters.
"What an impressive building..."
Sony Music's predecessor was Columbia Records, so its headquarters was naturally far grander than that of the outsider BMG.
Vincent registered at the front desk as a visitor. When he said he was BMG's second-largest shareholder, the receptionist immediately thought he was a scammer.
He was so handsome, yet he turned out to be a con artist.
"Cough, cough—" Vincent handed over a business card he had made on the spot. "Call BMG Records and verify it."
The receptionist dubiously flipped open the directory and dialed BMG's number.
"Hello, I'm an employee of Sony Music. I'd like to ask—" She glanced at the business card in her hand. "I'd like to ask whether your company's second-largest shareholder is Mr. Vincent Wayne?"
The answer she received was affirmative, and her eyes instantly became even brighter than before, sparkling as she looked at Vincent. He silently resolved that if he encountered a similar situation again, he would be as high-profile as possible.
After hanging up, the receptionist eagerly led him into the elevator and brought him to the Sony Music president's office.
Before leaving, she even hinted that she would be getting off work soon.
American girls were way too forward. Vincent shook his head, knocked on the door, and entered the office.
Although Sony Music was still a subsidiary of Sony, the president overseeing its music business and some of its directors were Americans.
"Hello, Mr. Irving Trice."
Vincent sat across from the mature and composed-looking Trice. "Please forgive my unannounced visit. I'm here to discuss a deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars."
Trice frowned. The young man before him was not very old, but he certainly had a big mouth. "Oh? What kind of deal?"
"I want to acquire the 50% stake your company holds in Sony/ATV Music Publishing."
That was blunt enough. They had only established the company in May, and this young man had come right up and asked to buy all the shares they held. Wasn't that a little too disrespectful?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, but we have no plans to sell our shares in Sony/ATV Music Publishing at the moment."
Vincent calmly took out a checkbook. "Mr. Trice, I know your company wants to consolidate music copyrights, which is why you partnered with Mr. Michael Jackson to establish Sony/ATV."
He picked up the pen on the desk and wrote a familiar number on the check. "But you seem to have overlooked the rapidly developing internet. The relevant laws and regulations are still a blank slate. It could be said that the internet is a lawless land."
Trice's frown deepened.
If the internet became flooded with music unauthorized by copyright holders, it would lead to countless lawsuits. While that could accelerate the improvement of relevant laws and regulations, the process would be a long one.
Vincent signed his name and pushed the check before him. "Your parent company, Sony, was severely hit by the economic bubble and suffered enormous losses from acquiring Columbia Pictures. With the rise of the internet and digital music, your company's path of transformation should be quite difficult, shouldn't it?"
Without even looking at the number on the check, Trice pushed it back. "Mr. Wayne, I believe BMG Records is in the same situation."
"Yes." Vincent put the pen back where it belonged. "BMG will abandon the traditional record industry and fully commit to the emerging fields of the internet and digital music."
He pushed the check back over. "But I have a slight advantage. Not only am I BMG's second-largest shareholder, I also hold large amounts of stock in technology companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM, Nvidia, and America Online. As for your company—"
He shook his head with apparent regret. "To be honest, I'm determined to obtain your company's 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing. You might as well take a look at the number on that check first."
Trice quickly glanced at the check. It was a full 300 million dollars, more than twice what they had paid to acquire ATV Music Publishing.
More than double the return in less than four months—there was no doubt it was a tempting deal.
But he was only the president of Sony Music. He had no authority to decide whether the deal could go through.
Vincent watched his hesitant expression and curled his lips slightly. "I can give your company time to consider it, but my patience is limited. You'd better make your decision quickly."
Trice watched in silence as Vincent rose and left the office.
This young man was far too forceful, and his methods were far too simple and brutal. If he failed to secure the shares, would he obstruct Sony Music's path of transformation?
"What a headache."
Trice sighed softly at the check before him.
Put plainly, he was just a highly paid employee. He would leave the headache to the parent company.
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