"The current situation is still a bit messy, even though the iTunes model has been recognized by more and more people, and we have the advantage, so we just have to wait and see." In the CEO office of Universal Music, Adriaan said this to Lucian Grange, the current head of the company.
"Indeed, even though online downloads have become the mainstream music distribution model, it will take at least five or six years to completely stabilize. Traditional distribution channels will also fight back." Grange nodded in agreement, then changed the topic, "But we should also have more say in iTunes, right? This will also help us wait for the right price. "
"Yes, I know, but you should also know, Lucian, that Jobs is not an easy person to negotiate with. To put it nicely, this guy is decisive and confident, and not influenced by outsiders. To put it bluntly, he is arrogant and dictatorial. I had to negotiate with him for a long time before he relented. " Adriaan said noncommittally, "I will tell him, but the specific negotiations will be carried out by you."
"Okay." Although a little disappointed, Grange quickly adjusted. Jobs was indeed not an easy person to negotiate with. "What about the international department …"
"Let Marcos start. Sony will cooperate. This has been agreed a few years ago." Adriaan waved his hand and stood up. He then showed a smirk, "Be careful, they will definitely regret it. But no matter what, we must not relent on the copyright and song library."
"But the 1998 Copyright Extension Act …" Grange, who also stood up, reminded.
"This is indeed a problem." Adriaan frowned, "We are lobbying in Congress. Next month, Senator McLean will propose an amendment that requires the heirs of the songwriters to apply for this right, then they must undergo a rigorous review. If they pass, we will have a lot of loopholes to exploit. That's it."
He walked out as he spoke. When he reached the door, he thought of something and turned around, "By the way, what about the two things I asked you to pay attention to?"
"According to the feedback … there is a market. If you follow up …" Grange's tone became respectful, but at the same time, there was some hope.
"I'll follow up." How could Adriaan not understand? He immediately replied, "Good luck, Lucian, I have high hopes for you."
Lucian Grange became the CEO of Universal Music at the beginning of the year. Roy Moore chose to resign last year due to some internal conflicts and poor health. Then, Grange, who had been a senior executive for many years, was pushed by Adriaan to not only become the CEO of Universal Music, but also the chairman.
The reason why he was chosen was not only because of his ability, but also because he was good at judging the situation. When he was in charge of the production, he had always turned a blind eye to Adrian's actions. Most of the time, he had even helped to clean up after Adrian's mess. Since that was the case, Adrian had pushed him to this position, and at the same time, he could enjoy himself more.
Basically, the most popular female singers at Universal Music — Britney, Christina, Avril, the Simpson sisters, Beyonce, Lopez, and so on — all of them had slept with Adrian. Especially Britney, Christina, and Avril, they were basically lovers. Assigning a more sensible person to this position would naturally make people feel more at ease. Not to mention …
"Sorry for the delay. I've kept you waiting for a long time." Walking into his lounge on the Universal Music side, Adriaan looked at the girl sitting on the sofa who was a little fidgety.
"How come?" After seeing him come in, the girl's eyes lit up. She immediately jumped up and clung to him in a flattering manner. A pair of plump soft breasts directly rubbed against his arm. "It's only a few minutes."
"You really know how to talk, Katie." Adriaan laughed and grabbed the soft one without hesitation. After a few moments, he even reached under his clothes.
Katie softly moaned a few times. Although her cheeks were flushed, she did not seem shy at all. Instead, she puffed out her chest and asked, "Do you want to do it here?"
"Don't rush, we have plenty of time." Adriaan retracted his hand and sat down on the sofa. Then he patted his thigh and the girl immediately sat on it and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"My suggestion has been approved. As long as your song is written, we can start production immediately. It will be uploaded to YouTube at the beginning of next month at the latest. By then, all aspects of publicity will be closely followed. You have to be prepared." Adriaan said as he pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, I'll follow up."
"No problem, I'll start right away. You've given me a lot of inspiration." The excited Catie immediately planted a big kiss on Adrian's cheek.
"Very good!" Adriaan nodded with satisfaction. "However, because I want you to appear in front of the public like a newcomer, the name Katie Hudson can't be used anymore …"
"Katy Perry," said the girl, who understood, at once. "Perry is my mother's name, and I have no problem using it."
"Very good, Katy Perry." Adriaan smiled and lifted her chin. Katie understood and stuck out her tongue to entangle with him.
People who had tasted the pain of being nameless no matter how hard they tried were more willing to give up everything for a chance. Katy Perry was a good example. In 2001, she became a signed singer of Universal Music's Island Records and released an album. Unfortunately, the response was mediocre, and it didn't even make a splash.
If there were no accidents, she would have transferred to Columbia Records in two or three years. After a few years of ups and downs, she became famous by uploading songs on YouTube.
But now, she had been staying at Island Records. There was no other reason. Whoever could get Adriaan's appreciation would become famous. Britney, Christina, Avril, and Beyoncé had all proved this with their actions.
Unfortunately, Adriaan did not put much effort into music, and Katy, as an ordinary singer, naturally had no chance to meet him. But she persisted. Even though she managed to get a new release opportunity last year, it was still a failure. She still chose to stay at Island Records. Very persistent and patient, wasn't it? So Katy was rewarded.
After Google went public, the competition with Yahoo for YouTube became more and more intense, and Adriaan also intended to separate YouTube, so it was necessary to make a decision. So, when he paid attention to YouTube, he found a very interesting music video. The lyrics were not complicated, catchy and a little erotic, and the singer was also very interesting. The face and name were very familiar, but the surname was different.
Then, after a little searching, Katy Perry or Katy Hudson's information appeared in front of him. Only then did Adriaan know that the future Fruit Sister had such a down-and-out history. Interestingly, she had even written an episode for "Summer of Jeans".
Very good, Adriaan liked down-and-out women, but also talented women, so he deliberately found an excuse to meet the other party. Katy immediately clung to him like sticky candy. But she was not annoying, and her smile was very cute and sweet. She also knew how to speak and read people's expressions. She also tried her best to flatter him in bed, which made Adriaan feel really good.
Although he did not expect to observe her in bed for the first time, Adriaan did not mind. Katy's quality of service was very good, and Fruit Sister was not unworthy of support. Since 2005, albums that sold tens of millions of copies were basically extinct, and singers who could sell millions of copies were already considered popular. Katy Perry was not considered a superstar, but it would not be a problem for her to become an A-list singer, so this scene happened.
"Do you want to go to my house tonight?" After the passionate kiss, Katy wrapped her arms around Adriaan's neck and asked in a nostalgic tone.
"I'm sorry, I still have things to do." Adriaan smiled. "But don't worry, Katy. There's always time."
"Okay." Katy, who got up from his body, was a little disappointed, but she quickly controlled herself. "Then I'll work hard now, and I promise to finish it within the deadline. Thank you again, Eide, thank you for the material."
Standing in front of him, a pair of soft breasts that didn't lose to Ivanka, Amanda, or even Keeley and Scarlett looked shaky, which was very visually impactful.
"It's just a little help. I look forward to your performance, Katy." Adriaan still let her leave.
The so-called material was some ideas about "Ur So Gay". Katie's music style was actually very simple, or rather, the music style that made her famous in the beginning was very simple. It was a parody with a little bit of pornography, and there was still a market for it. Coupled with the gimmick of being gay and using the platform of YouTube to promote it, coupled with her talent, it was expected that it would be popular.
Unfortunately, this talent would slowly fade away. The record company had originally wanted her to become a professional songwriter and producer, and Adriaan thought it was fine, but Katy refused. She wanted to be a singer. It made sense. No matter how high a producer's income was, how could it compare to that of a star? However, after she became a star, she would be running around all day. Where would she find time to write? Unless she was like Adriaan, who could predict the future.
That was a common problem for all creative singers. They could write a lot of good songs at the beginning, but after they became famous, they would gradually write a few paragraphs and give them to professionals to complete. In the end, they even had to add their name to the producer column when they made up a simple song. Being a producer was linked to a share of the copyright fees.
Avril was almost at the stage where she wrote a few paragraphs and gave them to someone else to polish. Britney, who had started singing halfway, had been doing the same from the beginning.
However, it did not matter if Katy insisted on being a singer, as long as she squeezed a few good songs out of her at the beginning. Even though Adriaan liked her eyes and softness, and Katy was not bad at all, it was just for fun.
Speaking of that, Adriaan suddenly had an idea. Katy had become famous earlier because of the appearance of YouTube. Why didn't they get Little Dick out earlier? He and Katy were the first batch of singers to become famous on the Internet. Little Dick was especially obvious … No, no, no, it didn't have to be Little Dick. Remember that saying? No one was irreplaceable, so why couldn't she support a complete stranger?
It was too simple. There were many boys who uploaded their own videos on YouTube every day. He did not need to be good at singing, nor did he need to be talented. He just needed to be good-looking and pleasing. The most important thing was to promote on YouTube. Not only could it generate profits for the music group, but it was also a good opportunity to experiment. It would give people a more intuitive impression of the matured Internet promotion!
Just as Adriaan was lost in his imagination, he suddenly felt a pain in his arm. Then, he saw a pair of fists waving in front of him.
"Hey, Avril, what are you doing!" Adriaan quickly dodged, and the angry Avril continued to chase after him without saying a word.
After a few minutes, Adriaan finally hugged Avril tightly in his arms. He asked in a helpless tone, "What happened?"
Avril did not speak. She only pursed her lips and kept struggling. Her chest rose and fell violently, and her breath blew a strand of her pink hair into the air. Adriaan rolled his eyes. He suddenly turned her over and placed her on his knees. Then, he raised his hand and slapped it on her round butt.
"Ah!" Avril immediately screamed and struggled even harder. Unfortunately, the more she struggled, the faster Adriaan's slap landed, and the more she screamed and screamed.
No one would come to check, especially after Grange's appointment.
"Are you calm now?" When Avril could only groan and crawl on his body, Adriaan finally stopped, feeling pleased with himself.
The young lady immediately crawled to the other end of the sofa. She curled into a ball and glared at Adriaan, but at the same time, her face was red with an indescribable shyness.
"Can we talk calmly now?" Adriaan smiled and raised his hands.
"Hmph!" Avril snorted and turned her head to the side. She raised her head in disdain, but she quickly realized that it was silly, so she sat up unwillingly.
"Another one!" She said through gritted teeth. "How many is this, Eide? How many more will there be in the future?! "
Without a doubt, Avril had seen Katie leave. Even if they were not at the scene, it was obvious what had happened between them.
Adriaan chuckled and looked at her without saying anything. He looked happy.
"Are you listening to me?" Avril was a little angry.
"I'm listening. I just want to hear more." Adriaan raised his hands. "Although we've said it many times, you're only my woman if you've said it."
"Only then?" Avril frowned, and her face darkened. "Are you showing off?"
She looked like she would jump up and bite him at any time.
"No, no, no. Avril, I'm saying that I know that I've always been in your heart," Adriaan said with a smile.
"But you don't care about me at all!" Avril raised her voice. "You've always been playing with me. You've always been controlling me! I'm just one of your many toys. When you think of me, you'll play with me. When you forget about me, you'll throw me in a corner, covered in dust … Sob … "
Before she could finish her sentence, Adrian picked her up and covered her mouth. Although she struggled and whimpered, she was too small and was suspended in the air. There was no place for her to borrow strength. She could only gradually lower her voice as the other party violently violated her.
"Are you satisfied now?" After kissing her passionately, Adrian finally let her go after he pressed her on the sofa.
"… No!" Avril panted a few times, her hair disheveled. She bit her lip and blushed. "I want a new song, like Britney."
Hearing that, Adriaan couldn't help but laugh. He could guess what she was upset about. Just a few weeks ago, Britney had released a new single. It was a good single, and it had topped the Billboard chart. Speaking of which, the song had something to do with Katie. It was an inspirational song called … 'Firework'.
Yes, that's right, 'Firework'. It suited Britney's image and voice very well, so Adriaan gave it to her. That was why he was rather apologetic when he saw Katie.
The fact that Britney was able to achieve such results when the recording industry was in a slump showed her current popularity and fame. Under such circumstances, neither Christina nor Avril would be too happy. However, although Adriaan arranged his time reasonably, he really didn't put much effort into music. Coupled with all sorts of things, it was no wonder that Avril was so angry. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the Little Witch of Rock and Roll.
"This pink dye is nice. It suits your flamboyant personality …" Adriaan changed the topic.
"Hey, I'm not talking about that. Are you trying to avoid it?! "Avril clenched her fists.
"I've always been happy that you didn't get a tattoo because of my feelings. Maybe I should relax the condition a little …" Adriaan continued without changing his expression.
"Adriaan! I want you to listen to me! "Avril jumped up and glared at him.
"… Alright, Avril, you know, inspiration is always … Did Bubu and Christina provoke you in any way?" Adriaan didn't give up.
"They didn't provoke me. They think I'm easy to bully and sandwiched in between …" Avril suddenly stopped and opened her mouth as if she had seen a ghost.
Adrian was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted with a surprised expression. Avril screamed and quickly slipped out of the lounge. She was as fast as the wind.
Seeing that, Adriaan could only laugh to himself and praised Britney and Christina in his heart. However, it was strange that they didn't tell him what they did. Perhaps it was because they were too excited?
Although he was puzzled, he didn't think too much about it because there was something else he had to deal with today.
Soon, there was a knock on the door. After getting permission, a pretty face carefully peeked out from behind the door.
"Hi, Taylor," Adriaan greeted with a smile.
