Simple and Brutal Acquisition

New York, Fifth Avenue.

Vincent walked out of the BMG Records headquarters building with a smile.

Bertelsmann Music Group, or BMG, was the music business subsidiary under Germany's Bertelsmann Group, the world's second-largest media empire.

BMG was founded in Germany in 1835, initially making its name in the book industry by publishing the Bible. In 1958, it first ventured into music, acquiring German and Austrian record companies Ariola and Sonopress respectively. In 1987, it purchased the renowned American record label RCA, officially establishing BMG Records Group and becoming one of the world's top five record groups.

In the not-too-distant future, the music industry would face the impact of digital transformation. Traditional record companies would fall into difficulty due to declining CD sales and piracy, leading to the bankruptcy of chain record stores and some labels. Even BMG would face business pressure.

In 2004, Sony Music would merge with BMG to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which would then be acquired by Sony Music in 2008, becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary.

But this future would no longer happen, because just moments ago, Vincent, under the name Prologue Investment Company, officially invested in BMG, becoming the second-largest shareholder after the German Bertelsmann Group.

Although he felt a pang of regret for Prologue Investment Company holding Apple stock, it was only 1995 now, and Apple was still far from its explosive growth.

"Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM, Nvidia, America Online, Amazon, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Starbucks... even ASML, Samsung, and Nintendo. These vampires have such sharp eyes."

The stocks held by Prologue Investment Company were all high-quality stocks. Vincent even began to suspect if there were any transmigration individuals like himself among the vampires in the American division.

But regardless, after his investment in BMG, Sony's future conspiracy surrounding music copyrights was doomed not to happen.

Five minutes later, He appeared in front of Sony Music's New York headquarters.

"It's quite grand..."

Sony Music's predecessor was Columbia Records, and its headquarters building was naturally much grander than the relatively new BMG.

Vincent registered at the front desk as a visitor. When he stated he was the second-largest shareholder of BMG, the receptionist immediately thought he was a fraud.

He's so handsome, I didn't expect him to be a scammer.

"Ahem—" Vincent handed over a business card he had just made. "Why don't you call BMG Records to confirm?"

The receptionist, half-believing, flipped through 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 if your second-largest shareholder is Mr. Vincent Wayne?"

She received an affirmative answer, and her eyes instantly became brighter than before, twinkling. Seeing this, Vincent secretly resolved that if he encountered a similar situation again, he would be as high-profile as possible.

After hanging up the phone, the receptionist enthusiastically led him to the elevator and to the president's office at Sony Music.

Before leaving, she hinted that she would be off work soon.

American girls are too bold, Vincent shook his head and knocked on the door before entering the office.

Although Sony Music was still a subsidiary of Sony at this time, its president and some board members managing its music business were American.

"Hello, Mr. Irving Trice."

Vincent sat opposite Trice, who looked mature and steady. "Please forgive my impolite visit. I'm here to discuss a business deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars."

Trice frowned. The young man before him was not old but spoke with great confidence. "Oh? What kind of business?"

"I want to acquire your company's 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing."

He's too direct. They just established the company in May, and this young man wants to buy all their shares right off the bat. That's too disrespectful.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, but we have no intention of selling our shares in Sony/ATV Music Publishing at this time."

Vincent calmly took out his 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 string of numbers in the checkbook. "But you seem to have overlooked the rapidly developing internet. Currently, the relevant laws and regulations are still a blank slate. You could say the internet is a lawless land."

Trice's frown deepened.

If a large amount of unauthorized music appeared on the internet, it would lead to countless lawsuits. While this could accelerate the improvement of relevant laws and regulations, the process would be long.

Vincent signed his name and pushed the check towards him. "Your parent company, Sony, has been severely impacted by the economic bubble and incurred huge losses due to the acquisition of Columbia Pictures. With the rise of the internet and digital music, your company's transformation path should be very difficult, shouldn't it?"

Trice pushed the check back without even looking at the amount. "Mr. Wayne, regarding this point, I think BMG Records is in the same situation."

"Yes." Vincent put the pen back. "BMG will abandon the traditional record industry and fully invest in the emerging internet and digital music sectors."

He pushed the check back again. "However, I have a slight advantage. I am not only the second-largest shareholder of BMG, but I also hold a large amount of stock in technology companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM, Nvidia, and America Online. As for your company—"

He shook his head with regret. "To be honest, I am determined to acquire your 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing. You might as well take a look at the amount on the check first."

Trice quickly glanced at the check. It was a full 300 million dollars, more than double what they paid for ATV Music Publishing.

A return of more than double in less than four months was undoubtedly a tempting business deal.

However, he was only the president of Sony Music and did not have the authority to decide whether the deal would go through.

Vincent watched his hesitant expression, a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I can give your company time to consider, but my patience is limited. You'd better decide quickly."

Trice stared at Vincent without a word as he got up and left the office.

This young man was too overbearing, and his methods were too simple and crude. If he failed to acquire the shares, would he obstruct Sony Music's transformation path?

"This is really troublesome."

Trice sighed softly at the check in front of him.

To put it bluntly, he was just a high-level employee. Let the parent company worry about it.