hollywood billionaire

Chapter 411 Going to the battlefield together
"This... I have never heard of it."

Han Yi frowned and quickly searched his brain for information related to David Rubinstein and Beats, but failed to recall any effective memory.

"Which part?" Zhao Youzhen asked, "Haven't you heard about the conspiracy theory that David Rubinstein wants to conquer Hollywood, or haven't you heard about the Carlyle Group's investment in Beats?"

"To be honest, I've never heard of it." Han Yi's answer was quite sincere.

"…But how?"

Zhao Youzhen's tone of voice raised his eyebrows, and there was a rare fluctuation of emotion.

"Joven and Dre are our closest industry partners, and Rubinstein... I have to emphasize again that I don't know what the agreement between us and him is, and I don't want to ask about things I shouldn't know, but anyway, he is at least running CEP III with you, or running CEP III for you, right?" At this point, Yuzhen lowered his voice again, "For such an important role, I think at least some basic background checks should be done on them... In fact, there is no need for background checks, even if you search their names on the Internet, you should be able to see the cooperation between Carlyle and Beats."

"You're right, this is indeed my negligence." Han Yi sighed softly and answered truthfully. There is no excuse. He did neglect to conduct a detailed investigation of important partners around him to ensure that he can grasp sufficient and effective real information, so as to formulate strategic plans prudently and accurately.

Why would he, who has always been meticulous and never missed anything, make such a serious mistake?

The phrase "darkness under the lamp" can best and accurately summarize the state of his relationship with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Han Yi first bought a property at 864 Stradella Road, and got to know Walter and Shirley Wang, who were well-connected in the upper-class social circles of Bel-Air. Then, he took the opportunity to attend a dinner party hosted by the Wangs to get in touch with Principal Nikias of his alma mater. Finally, he used a donation of million US dollars to lock in the two founders of Iovine and Young Academy, making them the most solid support for the early establishment of Han Music.

This network of contacts was the foreshadowing that Han Yi had carefully laid for his career at the beginning of his rebirth. After nearly a year of contact, interaction and running-in, the relationship between him and Jimmy Iovine, especially Dr. Dre, was not to be said to be close, but at least to the point where they knew each other inside out.

The natural connection between the sponsor and the founder of the academy, the support relationship between the seniors in the same industry and the backup, plus the successive championships won by Han Music in the last quarter, have made the foundation of their cooperation increasingly solid. Not only does Han Yi trust the two legends in the music industry, but Jimmy and Andre also boldly placed their future chips in the game created by Han Yi. Therefore, Han Yi naturally skipped the key step of conducting a deeper analysis and examination of the two "pre-set NPCs who appeared beside the protagonist in the early stage of the game" to ensure that they can be fully used by him without causing any negative impact.

As for why he did not investigate David Rubinstein in detail, the reason was even simpler. After all, the latter was the wealth guardian assigned to him by them in the memorandum - in other words, compared to Jimmy Iovine and Andre Yang, who Han Yi personally selected through social networks, David Rubinstein was more like an NPC in this wealth game.

Although the backstory is vague, and his personality, behavior and motivations are completely hidden behind the fog, but what does it matter? When his own appearance is the product of deus ex machina, why bother to study such a fantasy character?

Few people will make the same mistake, because few people will share the same situation as Han Yi. Most people need to spend their entire careers to briefly shake hands with David Rubinstein and exchange a few empty pleasantries in a crowded public place. Only a small group of people sitting at the top of the pyramid can visit the South Hampton beachfront mansion at 1730 Mido Avenue and have supper with David Rubinstein in the classic Upper East Side building at 79 East 4th Street.

Han Yi relies on a memo that can create a whole new reality out of thin air, while others rely on the river of wealth that flows endlessly and is passed down from generation to generation.

Ah, yes, heritage.

"I know I made a mistake, but you should be able to understand me, Yujin... Mr. Rubinstein is a close family friend. It was not me who first started doing business with him, but my elder generation. So, it is difficult for you to be as wary of a familiar face that your family has been meeting frequently since 1987 as you would be of others."

Han Yi's lies came out fluently and were not perfect, but with the passage of time, they were convincing enough.

"This...what you said makes sense."

Zhao Youzhen's lips slightly pursed, and his expression returned to his usual calm and composed self.

Yes, who would doubt a kind elder who has managed his family’s wealth and served wholeheartedly for nearly thirty years?

"1987...what does that mean?" Madison Bill, who had not visited David Rubinstein with Han Yi, looked a little confused.

"My family has been giving part of its overseas assets to the Carlyle Group for management since 1987... that is, the year they were founded." A lie told a thousand times will become reality. I don't know if this is true, but at least Han Yi is getting more and more comfortable with it. "So we go way back."

"Your family... wow." Maddie didn't even think about hiding her surprise, and most of the issues she was thinking about had nothing to do with money itself. "So that means you went to New York with your family a long time ago?"

"Well...yes." Han Yi climbed up the pole.

"So it's possible that we've already met somewhere in Long Island, but we just didn't know it at the time?" The twinkling light in Maddie's eyes became brighter and brighter. The Pisces girl liked to imagine this kind of TV drama plot in her mind. "...I think it's possible."

"I feel like you probably don't remember your childhood." Zhao Youzhen interrupted this conversation that shouldn't have happened. Just because she agreed not to consider McGrady as a competitor, it didn't mean she would tolerate him getting angry at her. "Anyway, now that you know that Carlyle Group invested in Beats... you should know why people outside the industry are so worried now, right? It's not just because of Han Music itself."

"Of course." Han Yi pondered, "Carlyle Group invested in Beats, and CEP III under Carlyle Group invested in us. Jimmy used his industry resources to help us a lot. Apple Music is the streaming platform that Han Music has the closest cooperation with. In addition, Andre Yang will become the CEO of our group in the future... No matter from which aspect, it seems that Carlyle Group is manipulating behind the scenes and wants to complete vertical integration in the music industry from top to bottom."

"Carlyle has never really entered this industry... I'm not just talking about the music industry, but the entire Hollywood industry, where Carlyle has little involvement. Aerospace, defense and government services, energy, finance, commercial retail, industry, real estate and transportation, as well as new media sectors that are not related to traditional entertainment business, are their main areas of focus."

"Yes, Mr. Rubinstein and his partners are not very interested in the entertainment industry." Han Yi nodded in agreement, "On Wall Street, there are other private equity investors who place heavy bets on Hollywood and help these large groups maintain their dominance."

“For example, Silver Lake and KKR.”

“There are also Blackstone, Apollo, and TPG.”

"They are the real owners behind Universal, Sony and Warner, and the masterminds behind WME, CAA and ICM. We have already used the acquisition of UTA to threaten them in the field of performing arts brokerage - or in their view, David Rubinstein's Carlyle Group is using you as a disguise to test the waters in this business segment first. If it goes well, it will expand into other areas. They must try their best to prevent Carlyle Group's move to establish a new order, because this market is already too saturated, and new players cannot create a new pie, but will only take a piece of their original share."

"So now, Han Music is standing at the center of three battlefields - the war between streaming platforms and record companies, the war between David Rubinstein's Carlyle Group and other Wall Street capitals, and... the war between mainstream culture and secondary culture." Keeping the same caution as always, Han Yi put a "secondary culture" coat on Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. In fact, he and Zhao Youzhen knew very well that the reason why they were deliberately expelled from the territory of the three major music groups was not because of anything else, but because of the blood flowing in their bodies.

An Italian from Brooklyn and an African from Compton should never be at the top of the music industry, allowing these minorities in Hollywood to replace the dominance of Jews and the so-called "Caucasian whites" who are willing to cooperate with Jews.

From the most macroscopic racial conflict to the most microscopic industry niche competition, Han Yi's Han Music did not become the target of the giants' joint strangulation just because of a few champion singles. Now, almost all the important players regard Han Yi and his startup as a chess piece that is deliberately pushed to the front to attract attention. It looks powerful and mysterious, but it is definitely not a real operator that requires others to be extremely alert to deal with.

Now, the situation Han Yi is facing is exactly the same as that of Elon Musk when he was still at PayPal fifteen years ago - everyone's eyes are on Peter Thiel, and no one cares what this 29-year-old boy from a foreign country is thinking or doing.

Every idea he had sounded extremely crazy.

But every one of his thoughts has become a reality that everyone on earth is experiencing today.

"That's absolutely right...So, what are you going to do?" Zhao Youzhen asked.

"I will perform the script carefully and play a good supporting role until this Shakespeare named 'Time' reveals my true identity."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say."

"What I mean is... I will follow the path that people want me to follow. I will continue to work with David Rubinstein and make everyone feel that it is the Carlyle Group that is manipulating everything behind the scenes, so that they will be afraid, rather than raising the butcher knife without scruples... I will also continue to regard Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre as the most reliable partners of Han Music. Andre will continue to become the CEO of Han Music Group as planned, Jimmy Iovine... I'm not sure what position he wants to put himself in now, but I am sure that there will be a seat for him in the future Han Music ecosystem."

"I will passively participate in all the wars that come before us, and then actively plan their direction."

“It’s better to be attacked than ignored. Being attacked means you are needed, even if it’s in a negative and negative way. Being ignored, on the other hand, means you’re not even part of the game.”

"If you have to take sides and take a stand, you better make sure you're the first one to do it. Because only then can you become the founder of your camp."

Having said this in a muttering voice, Han Yi turned his gaze towards the main stage where the scene change had already been completed.

There, a great performance that will sum up an era and define an era is about to begin.

"Let us see what these warriors we have chosen to fight with us can bring to us."

(End of this chapter)