Capítulo 841: Chapter 842: The Black Room
[Chapter 842: The Black Room]
From the distracted expression on Madonna's face, it was clear that Eric's words had failed to impress her.
However, Madonna wasn't eager to come off as too strong in front of Eric. She took a few leisurely sips from her champagne glass, glanced at Eric with a habitual smile, and said, "Eric, I've never considered myself a smart person, so I tend to listen to my team's opinions. While what you just said made sense, I still trust my manager when she mentioned this little thing -- it's called Fireflyer, right? That's a lovely name. But if this product were to become popular, it would definitely impact the sales of physical records. Record sales are our livelihood. Besides, my manager also told me that the piracy of music on the internet is a serious issue, so I plan to stay clear of this new field. Even if, like you said, twenty years from now, this little device reaches the same industry standing that the VCRs have today, by then, I would have long retired."
Speaking of piracy, Eric, undeterred by Madonna's blunt refusal, continued, "Maggie, do you know what the internet means for the music industry right now?"
Actually, Eric's earlier reference to VCRs had already piqued Madonna's interest. Her lengthy rebuttal felt more like an attempt to bolster her own confidence.
Madonna realized that this young man seemed particularly persuasive, which made her resistant to the idea. At least, she didn't want to be swayed in the midst of the evening's gathering. For a moment, she considered getting up and leaving. But Eric's clever topic shift kindled an undeniable curiosity within her, prompting her to ask, "What do you mean?"
Eric gestured gently, his magnetic voice carrying a hint of allure as he said, "For the music industry, the internet -- with over a hundred million users worldwide -- is like a black room, an incredibly vast and expansive black room."
Madonna remained silent, tilting her head slightly to continue listening.
Eric pressed on, "In this dark, spacious black room, countless people yearn for light. They have the means to pay a fair price for it, but the light treats this space as a land of original sin and refuses to descend. Abandoned by the light, people can only resort to stealing sparks, and that's what piracy is.
The state of the internet music industry is precisely this: it gathers an immense group of the world's most powerful consumers, and there's no question about that. Yet, record companies refuse to acknowledge this potentially huge market due to various concerns. They believe that by doing so, they can withstand the impact of the internet on the physical record industry, but the outcome is quite the opposite. The record industry's resistance not only fails to quell the intense demand for music from internet users, but it also exacerbates the prevalence of internet piracy.
Even more concerning is that the absence of legitimate music sales platforms will lead users to become increasingly accustomed to free pirated music. The power of habit is daunting; when everyone gets used to downloading hundreds of songs for free from the internet at any time, do you think they'll still be willing to pay twenty dollars for a physical record?"
Maddonna raised her eyebrow slightly, countering, "Eric, that assumption is fundamentally flawed. No one would dare to spread pirated music on the internet so recklessly. Those who do could be driven to bankruptcy by lawsuits, or even face a thousand years from federal law."
Eric chuckled and replied, "Maggie, you don't understand the internet. You're not entirely wrong in thinking that way. But what you don't know is that anyone, even someone not very tech-savvy, can spend a few dozen dollars to buy a template for a music website. And with a little more money or even sometimes entirely free, they can rent a server in virtually any part of the world. Then, they can set up a pirated music website that stores thousands of songs, and it's incredibly easy to remain anonymous. You'd have no way of tracing the responsible party. Furthermore, because the demand for music on the internet is so massive, even if ten thousand pirated music sites are shut down daily for legal reasons, at nearly the same moment, thousands of new pirated music sites will emerge."
Madonna finally seemed to soften a bit.
Eric didn't stop there; he continued, "So, the most effective way to combat piracy is to establish legitimate online music sales platforms, allowing all users to have a legal way to access original music. From the moment this industry begins to develop, we should cultivate the public's habit of purchasing original music. Just like I mentioned earlier: if there's light in a black room, it may not illuminate every dark corner, but at least a substantial portion of people won't need to resort to stealing 'sparks.' They won't consider stealing 'sparks' as something acceptable. So, what do you think, Maggie?"
Madonna paused for a moment before regaining her composure, her gaze now revealing unmasked interest. She looked at Eric and said, "After hearing you go on like this, I suddenly think that if the internet didn't exist, that would be even better."
Eric shrugged, smiling. "Honestly, I think it would be fantastic if society could suddenly rewind ten thousand years."
Madonna assumed Eric was mocking her previous notion, pouting slightly. "You really think so?"
"Absolutely," Eric confirmed, nodding as his eyes traveled over Madonna, whose low-cut black dress drew admiration. He dreamily said, "By the standards of ten thousand years ago, people should still be going without clothes."
Madonna was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. Moments later, she leaned forward, nearly resting on the glass table, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Eric, do you want to see what I looked like ten thousand years ago? Why don't we just find a room to explore that idea right now?"
Eric felt like slapping himself for digging himself into a pit.
Clearing his throat a couple of times, he finally gathered himself to say, "Maggie, let's talk about music instead. Even if you can't sell your new album on online platforms for now, I think you could still explore selling your previous releases. These albums that have already been released may not sell many physical records anymore, but I believe they could still bring you considerable income if placed on an online platform."
Madonna didn't seem frustrated by Eric avoiding her previous topic. She leaned back on the sofa and said, "But, Eric, I don't hold most of my music's release rights. You should talk to Warner."
"No, no, I still believe you have enough release rights in this matter," Eric insisted. While Madonna's status in the music industry couldn't quite reach the height of Michael Jackson, her collaboration with Warner Records mirrored his, as both had jointly established a music subsidiary to manage their respective music production and distribution.
This meant that Madonna held considerable autonomy over her music's release. Moreover, given that the internet's digital music distribution was just beginning to take off, it was almost a brand-new concept. With Madonna's stature in the music world, she could certainly discuss supplementary contracts with Time Warner. That's precisely why Eric had invested so much effort tonight; if it were some small-time artist fully controlled by a record company, he wouldn't waste his breath.
Seeing that Eric had seen through her excuse, Madonna remained unfazed. "But, Eric, what's in it for me if I do this?"
"Oh, well," Eric laughed, "the split model that Yahoo's online music store uses is a seventy-thirty split: the platform takes thirty percent, and the rights holders get seventy percent. If you fully own your music's digital release rights, I think you shouldn't have to share too much with Time Warner anymore, at least not excessively, right?"
Madonna's eyes lit up then, catching a new term from Eric's conversation: "Digital release rights?"
Eric nodded, saying, "This should be a brand new concept, referring to music distribution that's independent of tapes, CDs, or other physical media. Right now, it translates to internet music distribution. I presume the contract you signed with Time Warner doesn't touch upon this area, does it?"
Madonna instinctively nodded.
"So," Eric quickly lured her in again, "I believe you should soon discuss a supplementary agreement with Time Warner regarding the ownership of digital rights."
Madonna blinked a few times before bursting into laughter. "Eric, that's your ultimate goal tonight, isn't it? If I reclaim the digital rights to my records from Time Warner, that's sure to prompt other major label artists to follow suit. Yahoo hasn't been able to secure digital sales rights from the big five record companies, but if those rights were in the hands of the artists, you could deal with them one by one."
"I must say, Maggie, you're actually quite clever," Eric complimented her, adding quickly, "But you absolutely misunderstood my intentions. Do I look like the sort of scheming person?"
Madonna earnestly examined Eric again and confidently declared, "Yes."
"Alright, I'm hurt," Eric teased, placing his hand over his chest before handing the Fireflyer he had placed on the table to Madonna. "These two little devices are a gift for you. The rest of the accessories will be given to your assistant. And here's my business card; if you make any decisions, feel free to give me a call."
As Eric handed her a business card and prepared to leave, Madonna quickly stopped him. "Hey, Eric, you've asked me for so much. Don't you owe me something in return?"
"Uh, Maggie, I'm a pretty conservative guy, you know."
Madonna rolled her eyes. Given how many times she'd flirted with Eric, who never seemed to bite, she wasn't going to make a fool of herself. "What I really meant is, I'm preparing my new album. How about you write a few songs for me?"
Over the years, although Eric had produced very few songs, each one was stunningly remarkable.
Earlier, in the backstage of the Oscars, when Madonna had approached him to say hello, she had harbored this very thought. Honestly, her career had already begun to decline. If Eric could help her produce a few songs that matched the quality of his previous works -- even if she didn't leverage Eric's name when releasing them -- it would definitely help her make a comeback.
Eric genuinely hoped Madonna would agree to join Yahoo's music store. Not wanting to outright refuse, he thought for a moment and said, "How about having someone send me some material on the style of your new album? A few sample tracks would be great. I can give it a shot. Though I can't guarantee results; it requires inspiration."
"I'll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow," Madonna quickly nodded. After a moment, she added, "I'll also speed up the process with Time Warner about the digital rights issue. Honestly, I am looking forward to working with you."
"Then, let's hope we both won't disappoint each other," Eric extended his hand.
Madonna shook his hand and nodded, saying, "Looking forward to our collaboration."
*****
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