Reborn since 1993

Chapter 688 The gears of fate begin to turn

The video store is a very common product in this era, but it is an industry that has completely disappeared in later generations.

Similar to video stores, there are also Kodak photo studios with yellow signs, which are also spread across the streets and alleys of the country, with more than 8,000 stores.

Including photo studios of other brands, there are tens of thousands of them, including Lingyun chain printing stores under Dongling Hi-Tech, which now also provides photography services.

But Kodak is far inferior to the scale of domestic audio and video stores. Now the number of domestic audio and video stores that can be counted exceeds 15.

This can still be counted. There are more or less some genuine music tapes for sale among them. As for those small mobile vendors selling tapes, or scalpers who resell pirated tapes, they are even more numerous.

These audio and video stores mainly sell cassettes, CDs, VCDs, and videotapes. The larger stores also sell Walkmans, VCDs, posters, music magazines, etc.

Domestic audio and video stores and tapes are in the most prosperous era in history. Of course, only the tape manufacturers and audio and video stores are making money, while record companies, music producers, and singers are not making any money and are living a very hard life because piracy is so rampant.

For some singers, when they release new songs, the pirated copies have already been sold all over the country before the genuine tapes are distributed, and the record companies and singers don't get a penny.

For example, an authentic cassette of Zhang Xinzhe's songs costs 8 yuan, an authentic cassette of Taizhengxiao's "Love Returns to Zero" costs 15 yuan, and an authentic brand new, unopened cassette of Cui Jian's song selections costs 180 yuan.

As for the ones sold in audio-visual stores, no matter who you are, how popular you are in the circle, or how high your status is, pirated copies are all sold at 10 yuan for three boxes or 5 yuan for two boxes. Sometimes, when they have too much in stock, they will sell them off at 2 yuan or even 1 yuan per box...

This huge price difference caused genuine music magazine tapes to be devastated by pirated tapes. Record companies went bankrupt one after another, and singers could only earn income by performing at side shows, commercial performances, and advertisements. They couldn't sell their released records at all, or, if they did, pirated copies were sold everywhere.

However, the current situation in the domestic record industry has made song copyrights very cheap, which has allowed the domestic version of Himalaya Radio to hoard a large number of song copyrights at very cheap prices.

Of course, if they are hoarded now, they can’t be used, because no one cares who owns the copyright of these songs. They are all being abused anyway, and there is no authorization at all. The singers and record companies can’t control it...

However, this kind of industry chaos cannot continue forever. When the domestic music industry structure is stabilized, just like in the past when Penguin Music, NetEase, Xiami, Baidu Music and other platforms fought to the end, they eventually entered into a music copyright war!
Whoever holds more genuine music copyrights and signs more singers will become the industry leader and get the fattest piece of meat.

By then, the song copyright library in the hands of Himalaya Radio will also become a trump card in the hands of Himalaya Radio!
As for the current Shenzhou repeater, it does not recognize whether the music tape it is playing is genuine or pirated. It is just a machine. Once you insert the tape, it can play music.

This led to a buying frenzy in local audio and video stores in Pingyang, Hanxi provincial capital, Yanjing, Shanghai, Yangcheng and other places where the Shenzhou repeater was first released!
A Shenzhou repeater can bring about the hot sales of several or even dozens of music tapes. This ability to bring goods has amazed the owners of various audio and video stores.

……

"Boss, give me a set of Cui Jian's tapes!"

In Cangwu City, Guangdong Province, Su Mo, who had long hair, wore a leather jacket and had a literary look, had just sat down and taken two mouthfuls of instant noodles when another person who looked like a student walked into the store.

Su Mo had formed a band before, hoping to make a name for himself in the rock record industry like his idol, the Black Panther Band.

As a result, Su Mo almost became a homeless after following that band. After wandering for a few years, he returned to his hometown in a disheveled state and opened this small music and video store to make a living.

This music and video store is just a place to make ends meet. As for making money, forget it. There are more than a dozen music and video stores on this street alone. Even if they sell pirated music tapes, the competition among peers is fierce. The main point is that if you can't make enough money, you can't let your peers eat the meat. At worst, everyone will starve to death together...

This time Su Mo did not stand up, chewing instant noodles in his mouth, "It's out of stock. Leave me your phone number and wait for three days. Come back and get the goods in three days!"

"You're out of stock too?!"

People who came to buy tapes were also a little surprised. Even if they were pirated tapes, a complete set of Cui Jian's song tapes would not be cheap at all, costing dozens of yuan.

He had been saving money for a long time, plus the red envelopes he received during the Chinese New Year, so he came here to buy a set. But he didn't expect that after going to several audio and video stores, they were all sold out.

"Today is really weird!"

After leaving a sentence, the visitor left with a depressed look on his face.

Su Mo had just taken a few bites when another person came in. Su Mo could no longer maintain his artistic demeanor and just focused on eating. Without even raising his head, he said, "Cui Jian, Black Panther, Tang Dynasty, and Faye Wong's tapes are all sold out. Come back tomorrow!"

"We don't want tapes. Boss, do you have a Shenzhou repeater?"

A few girls came in and asked Su Mo.

"Shenzhou repeater?"

Su Mo seemed to be frozen in place, and then he suddenly came to his senses. He had been so busy selling tapes this morning that he almost forgot something important.

"Not now, but there will be tomorrow!"

After saying that, Su Mo no longer cared about eating noodles or running the shop. He hurried to the attic and looked through his old phone numbers.

Although he didn't make any money during these years of traveling all over the country, Su Mo had more or less come into contact with all kinds of people from all over the country. He made several phone calls in succession, but either no one answered, or after hearing what Su Mo said, the other party said they couldn't help and hung up the phone.

Finally, after making several phone calls, the other party was silent for a moment after hearing Su Mo's name, and then remembered his name, "The band that used to perform in my bar?"

"Yes!"

Talking about the past, Su Mo was a little embarrassed. The level of their band was really not that good. The bar on the other end of the phone kept them for a few months before tactfully asking them to find a new job.

After hearing Su Mo's words, the other party seemed to say a few words to the person next to him, and then said to Su Mo, "I will introduce someone to you. Whether you can get the Shenzhou repeater from him depends on you!"

A moment later, the phone at Su Mo's video store rang. He got a phone number and called it immediately.

"I am Guan Zhenming!"

After the call was connected, a voice was heard immediately, accompanied by a burst of noise. It was obvious that the other end was busy.

Su Mo didn’t know what the name Guan Zhenming meant in the electronics industry in Guangdong Province, but in Guangdong Province, people with some connections and influence liked to call Guan Zhenming by his nickname “Guan the God of Wealth”!
Although Guan Zhenming paid respects to various leaders when he returned to Hanxi to attend the annual meeting of Dongling Hi-Tech, and lowered his glass three inches when toasting, and was very humble, that was at the headquarters of Dongling Hi-Tech. It was a different scene in Guangdong Province!
As the general manager of the marketing department of Dongling Hi-Tech's Guangdong branch, he controls a considerable portion of the supply of machines that Dongling Hi-Tech has put in Guangdong Province. Whoever can get more goods from Guan Zhenming can earn more.

For electronic distributors and retailers in Guangdong Province, if Guan Zhenming is not the God of Wealth, then what is he?!

"I was introduced by Brother Kun!" Su Mo said hurriedly on the phone.

"Lin Likun?"

Hearing this name, Guan Zhenming paused. Guan Zhenming had dealt with Lin Kun several times.

Lin Likun is a gangster, and in his early years he had been in Guangdong Province and even in Hong Kong. In recent years, he has gradually transformed himself, no longer fighting and killing, and has opened bars, logistics parks, building materials markets, etc.

In addition, Lin Likun acted like a "big brother", and whenever someone asked him for help, he would help if he could. He also mediated many conflicts, which made his reputation in the underworld even more famous than before after he retired, and many people gave him face.

When Dongling Hi-Tech entered Guangdong Province, it was not all smooth sailing. Just think about it, it is not easy to sell products to someone else's territory, especially in a key and highly competitive market like Guangdong Province.

In other places, unlike Dongling Hi-Tech’s old nest in Hanxi, there are all kinds of connections and resources. Moreover, in the past few years, Dongling Hi-Tech did not have the influence it has now. Sometimes, you really need to do something before you can gain a foothold in the local area.

Although it is not as difficult as selling health products or express delivery, where there is no need to fight for territory, when Dongling Hi-Tech's products wanted to enter local stores, they were often picked on and even attacked.

The Guangdong market back then was won by Guan Zhenming, the people from Dongling Hi-Tech’s marketing department, and Chen Zuhan, Dongling Hi-Tech’s agent in Guangzhou.

When entering some areas, Guan Zhenming also visited Lin Likun's dock, and the other party helped solve many troubles, and the two sides had established dealings.

"What's the matter?" Guan Zhenming asked directly.

"I want a batch of Shenzhou repeaters. I want fifty of them!"

"Fifty?!"

Hearing the rising volume on the other end of the phone, Su Mo thought it was too much, and quickly said, "Thirty is fine!"

Guan Zhenming looked at the phone speechlessly. If this person hadn't been using the name of Lin Likun, he would have suspected that the other party was playing a trick on him!

After all, Guan Zhenming is the marketing manager of Dongling Hi-Tech Guangdong Branch, and he has a quota for tens of thousands of Shenzhou repeaters.

"I'll ask the Cangwu agent to give you 500 machines. You can get more after you sell them all within two days. If you can't sell them all, you don't need to get more in the future!"

Guan Zhenming didn't have time to talk to Su Mo. He was busy promoting the Shenzhou repeater in Guangdong Province and busy shipping it. He didn't have time to argue with Su Mo.

"I……"

"Anything else?" Guan Zhenming asked unhappily.

"I can't afford the payment for 20 machines!" Su Mo confessed honestly. machines, even with a % deposit, would cost tens of thousands. How could he afford that in such a shabby audio and video store?

Guan Zhenming was stunned by these words. "A 20,000 yuan deposit must be sent over before 5 pm today, and then we can get the goods. We must sell them out within two days!"

Hearing the busy tone on the other end of the phone, Su Mo took off, found his passbook directly, made another phone call, raised the remaining money, and hurried to the Dongling Hi-Tech agent in Cangwu City.

A person's destiny may be changed in just a moment's thought. It is impossible for all the hundreds of thousands of audio and video stores in the country to get Shenzhou repeaters for sale.

And now, whoever gets the goods first can make money, and the profit can be far beyond imagination!
(End of this chapter)