Reinventing the Millennium

On April 17, just as the NBA playoffs between the Lakers and Rockets were about to begin, Stringer held an executive meeting at Sony Music, where he personally made a suggestion to increase the number of directors.

In other words, orders.

Stringer is chairman of Sony (USA) and a director on the board of directors of Sony Music, whose chairman was Rucker, who was promoted just last year.

Mottola, the former chairman of Sony Music, has never been very obedient to orders from Sony headquarters and Sony America. His performance in the early years was very good, so Stringer tolerated it. In the past two years, the situation has not been as good as before, so he did not hesitate. Promoted Lack, who had worked with him at CBS in Colombia for many years, as chairman.

Therefore, the merger of Sony Music and Bertelsmann was implemented extremely smoothly this year, which is enough to show more chips to the Sony Group headquarters.

This time, Stringer and Lack have already had separate communications to bring Yiko into cooperation with Bertelsmann. The latter also believes that Yiko, a listed company based on the development of the Internet, has great potential and can extend the copyright boundaries of record companies.

I thought that it would be enough for the executive meeting to go through the process and everyone would know who was driving the matter. Unexpectedly, after Stringer announced the content of the proposal, he was strongly opposed by another director Kazuo Hamaka.

Kazuo Hamanaka is a director from Sony and usually does not have a strong sense of presence. This time's opposition really surprised Stringer.

"Mr. Howard, this is a cooperation between our record companies. There is no need to bring Yi Ke into it."

"Yike's electronic products are highly substitutable, and we cannot let our copyright become the fuel for its growth! This will only lead to a big loss!"

"Our cooperation with Bertelsmann has been confirmed, and temporary changes are completely unreasonable!"

Kazuo Hamanaka was heartbroken. As a director from Japan, he had always hoped that Sony Group could launch MP3 players to occupy new markets. However, due to the pressure of the Walkman department, the headquarters had not taken any action.

In this case, the cooperation between Sony Music and Yike is a cooperation, but now that it is further involved in the merger with Bertelsmann, the authorization of music copyright may not be so easy to get rid of in the future.

Kazuo Hamanaka and some colleagues have some considerations. Once the Sony Group starts to promote MP3 players on a large scale, they will lobby executives from all parties to put pressure on Sony Music to kick out Yike and switch to its own products.

With the tightening of music sharing websites on the Internet, music copyrights are increasingly restricting players.

Hamanaka Kazuo believes that this is a good opportunity for Sony players to rise again.

But……

Chairman Stringer actually wanted Yike to become a shareholder of the new company, and let Fang Zhuo occupy a director position!

Although he was an outside director, Hamanaka Kazuo had a general understanding that the oriental man was a very skillful person!

Such behavior is simply inviting a wolf into the house!

Hamanaka Kazuo was extremely sad and angry.

Stringer encountered unexpected opposition and did not panic at all. He frowned and said: "Sony Music and Yike have cooperated well. The number of music players will also increase greatly this year. Further cooperation between the two parties can better cope with it." Apple’s alliances with other record labels.”

"The year before last, Sony Music's revenue fell by 1.6%, with an operating loss of US$140 million."

"Last year, Sony Music's revenue recovered and was basically the same as in 2001, and its losses dropped to US$90 million."

"Among them, Yike's M series players play a big role."

"This year and next year, music players will have explosive growth."

"Kazuo Hamanaka, why does Sony Music not actively respond to the challenges of the Internet era?"

Stringer's tone was rather mild.

Hamanaka Kazuo was speechless.

However, he still gave another strong reason: "Mr. Howard, you are completely giving up on Sony's players! Our electronic products department is world-class! The current backwardness is only temporary!"

Stringer leaned back and asked, "Are you a director of Sony Music or a director of the group?"

Hamanaka didn't answer the obvious question.

Stringer asked again: "Is this a Sony Music meeting or a group meeting?"

Hamanaka Kazuo looked ugly.

Stringer looked around and knocked on the table lightly: "Everyone must consider issues from their own position. The group's affairs must be considered by the group's people. The decision now is the most beneficial to Sony Music."

Reasonable and convincing.

Many executives nodded. It was Sony Music that paid the money, and it was they who were rewarded for the performance recovery. If they really want to wait for the group to release electronic products, how long will it take?

Hamanaka Kazuo said: "I agree..."

Stringer interrupted: "Sony Music is about to merge with Bertelsmann and will cooperate with Yike. Under such circumstances, I think a director who does not originate from the company is no longer suitable for the position."

"The directors have just arrived today, and I propose to remove Kazuo Hamanaka from his seat on the board of directors."

Hamanaka Kazuo was completely stunned, and he did not expect that Stringer would respond with such a strong counterattack.

Sony Music Chairman Lark didn't say anything, and directly raised his hands to express his approval.

Soon, other directors expressed their opinions.

A director who dared to challenge Stringer's authority had his fate easily decided in front of a group of senior executives.

Stringer is pleased with the results.

Only then did Sony Music Chairman Rucker speak out to confirm that the vote was effective, saying to Kazuo Hamanaka: "You are no longer suitable to be in this conference room."

Kazuo Hamanaka stood up silently and looked at the Americans in the conference room. For a moment, he thought of the chaotic situation at Sony headquarters, and the next moment he thought of the Sony player competitor.

He took a few steps, and when he was about to leave the conference room, he felt a mixture of anger and worry in his heart, and shouted at Stringer in Japanese.

——Sijing Gesang, this person must be mistaken for Sony!

Hamanaka Kazuo slammed the door and left, hoping that his last words would wake up the senior officials in the conference room.

"what did he say?"

Stringer didn't understand Japanese, so he frowned and turned to ask.

Everyone shook their heads. There were no Japanese in this conference room. Because of the independence of former chairman Mottola and Stringer's preference, Sony Music's directors and executives were all American.

The removal of a Japanese director caused little disturbance, but instead made everyone more aware of Stringer and Luck's determination.

Soon, Sony Music internally completed the decision to increase cooperation with Yike, and it was also confirmed that Sony Music would negotiate with Bertelsmann for Fang Zhuo to serve on the new company's external board of directors.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the merger of Sony Music and Bertelsmann will give Sony Music a greater say in the new company, and a foreign director seat will not cause any backlash.

…

On the evening of April 18, the Lakers played against the Rockets at home at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"Brother Fang, what's wrong?"

When Jay Chou saw Mr. Fang glance at his phone, he shook his head repeatedly, with a somewhat unhappy look on his face, thinking that something was wrong with the team.

"It's okay, it's just that I should become a director of Sony Music. There's a little noise there." Fang Zhuo put away his phone and sighed, "Why is it so difficult to help Sony?"

Jay Chou doesn't understand business matters, but he knows that Mr. Fang is thinking about Sony's situation these days.

He smiled and was about to continue watching the players from the two teams warming up when he suddenly thought of something: "Wait a minute, Brother Fang, I am currently handing over Alfa's record distribution to Baodao Sony."

Fang Zhuo nodded: "So? According to your current trend, won't you set up your own company in the future?"

Jay Chou hesitated for a moment and did not intend to continue talking about this topic.

Fang Zhuo said casually: "Yike will also consider making music in China, and we can work together if we have the opportunity."

Jay Chou felt that he had been seen through, but he nodded.

Today is the first game between the two teams. Fang Zhuo and Jay Chou are sitting in the first row of the arena to watch the game.

As a boss who understands football and people very well, Fang Zhuo observed the players' warm-up before the game and could tell that the Lakers players, who had won three consecutive championships, were in a relatively relaxed state, while the Rockets were quite nervous.

This is the first time Yao Ming has entered the playoffs this year. He will face Shaquille O'Neal in the first game, which puts a lot of psychological pressure on him.

However, the game between these two teams was surprisingly anxious.

The first half was tied, but when the second half entered the final quarter, the Rockets actually took the lead by two points.

When there were only three minutes left in the game and the coach called a timeout, Fang Zhuo couldn't help but wipe his sweat. He had an excellent viewing position in the first row, and the atmosphere of the playoffs was far better than that of the regular season. He saw Yao Ming The collision with O'Neal's center also felt exciting.

"Can you win? Can you win?"

Fang Zhuo took a sip of water, and Jay Chou's wife-like voice came from beside him. He started talking nervously from the second half.

"Jay, when you go back you can write songs based on your mood while watching the game."

Fang Zhuo took a breath and joked.

Jay Chou really has such an idea.

The two chatted for a few words, and without waiting for more communication, the last moment of the first game arrived.

The Lakers are the team that has won three championships and are strong, but at this point in the fight, the Rockets are unwilling to give up, and the fight between the two sides is already quite explosive.

In the last ten seconds of the game, the Lakers led the Rockets by 1 point 84:83, and the ball belonged to the Rockets.

The Rockets were in position, Francis controlled the ball, and Yao Ming ran a pick-and-roll, half a body away from O'Neal, but Francis did not pass the ball, and the crossover tried to change direction and break through Kobe, who kept up with the speed to defend, and Francis forced a two-pointer.

Duang!

The whistle sounded.

The Rockets lost at home to the Lakers Staples by 1 point.

"Grass!"

Fang Zhuo and Jay Chou looked at the final goal that decided the outcome without blinking an eye, and then let out the same emotion.

"Give the ball to Dayao." Jay Chou muttered, a little regretful. The game was exciting. The Rockets showed the toughness of a newborn calf, but it was a pity that they were only one point away from overthrowing the defending champion.

Fang Zhuo shook his head slightly and quickly broke away from the excitement. He had already noticed that there was a camera facing him.

Soon, a reporter from TNT came to interview.

NBA team owners are generally getting older, and when a young and loud-mouthed owner like Fang Zhuo suddenly appears, he is very popular with the public.

"One point is just a matter of one goal. The series is still long."

Fang Zhuo was not frustrated. He smiled and gave a simple response without saying much.

From a game perspective, this game was indeed exciting.

The reporter bid farewell politely, and another half of the news about the new owner of the Rockets can be written.

"Brother Fang, it's a pity, it's a pity." Jay Chou was still thinking about the game, feeling too sorry for this one-point difference.

"Well, it's a bit." Fang Zhuo also felt the same way, mainly because the defending champion did not show an absolute lead.

However, the second game three days later at the Lakers' home court immediately proved the strength of the combination of O'Neal and Kobe. Although the point difference was still small, the Lakers led from the beginning to the end.

On April 21, the Lakers defeated the Rockets 98:84, ending the second game.

Fang Zhuo still briefly stated in the interview after the game: "See you in Houston."

On April 24, in Houston at home, the Rockets defeated the Lakers 102:91, and Yao Ming won his first playoff victory in his career.

After winning, Fang Zhuo showed a smile in the interview: "I said it, I said it, the Rockets are very strong, we are very strong this year."

However, as the Rockets won this game, they faced the more ferocious Lakers in the next home and away games, losing the games 88:92 and 78:97, ending the 2003-2004 postseason. race trip.

After the fourth game, Fang Zhuo said "the series is not over yet."

After the fifth game, Fang Zhuo said, "The Lakers deserve to be the defending champions, and the Rockets are honored even though they lost."

From his rhetoric before acquiring the Rockets to his "glory in spite of defeat" that quickly ended the season, the NBA's new owner from the East quickly attracted attention and complaints.

When the result was finalized, commentators and fans, both in the United States and China, lamented Fang Zhuo's unreliability, and some even made a compilation of his words to spread.

Big mouth, arrogant, self-proclaimed football player...

And, as he walked into the TNT commentary booth at the start of the second round of the playoffs and completed the bet in public, kissing the donkey's butt like Barkley, the boss from the East gained a label of "honesty".

——The idiot boss of Team Rocket.

"Sports Illustrated" reported Fang Zhuo's words and actions with this headline, severely criticizing the new owner who had just joined the league.

When reviewing the Rockets' results this year, the domestic "Basketball Pioneer" also tactfully stated that the team boss was changed from Alexander to Fang Zhuo, and some differences in style required fans to adapt.

Under such public opinion, the idiot owner of the Rockets has already sat in front of a reporter from Time Magazine, perhaps the most influential media in the United States, for an interview.

The idiot boss of Team Rocket.

Chairman of two Nasdaq-listed companies.

The 162nd richest person on Forbes' list of the world's richest people.

These are the three identities Fang Zhuo showed to reporters today.

In the conference room next door where he was being interviewed by Time Magazine, a reporter from the New York Times was debugging the machine and preparing to interview this rich cowboy-style man from the East.