Chapter 355 Traveling Together
On the morning of July 9th, in the multimedia conference room of the cloud computing center of Donghai Tengda Group.
Song Ci was doing two things at once: on one hand, he was chatting with Liu Shishi on WeChat and was concerned about his wife's discharge from the hospital; on the other hand, he was listening to Zhang Heng, the head of Qianqian Music, reporting on his work on the stage.
The phone vibrated slightly, and a new message was received in the WeChat dialog box. Song Ci lowered his eyes and looked at the phone screen.
Words don’t make my point clear: Hubby, Mom and Sister K have already helped me complete the discharge procedures for me, and I’ll be home soon.
Song Ci moved his fingertips quickly and replied immediately: You should get more rest when you go back. See you in the evening, dear.
Liu Shishi was discharged from the hospital smoothly, and Song Ci's worried heart finally relaxed. He put his phone aside and focused his attention on the meeting scene again.
On stage, Qianqian Music President Zhang Heng was full of energy: "The platform deeply combines the advantages of the group's big data technology. In the first half of the year, we successfully launched the two major functions of "Radio Channel" and "Guess What You Like", further strengthening the personalized recommendations for users."
Hearing this, Song Ci frowned slightly and interrupted: "When you launched these two new features, the app interface was very unstable. I even experienced freezes several times when listening to music. Have you solved the crash problem?"
Zhang Heng quickly assured: "Mr. Song, we have optimized the interface and improved stability in the latest version of the app, solved most of the crash problems, and significantly improved the user experience."
“What is the current number of daily active users of Qianqian Jingting?”
“With 3.2 million daily active users, it ranks first in the industry.”
Zhang Heng waited for a moment, and when he saw that the chairman stopped talking, he flipped through the PPT and continued his report:
"...In the "AppStore Rewind" 2011 first half list officially released by Apple, Qianqian Jingting ranked 4th on the iPhone list and 6th on the iPad list of free application software!
It is the only music app in the top 50, and the platform is very successful on mobile devices. . . ”
"Mr. Song, leaders and colleagues, the above is the work report of our department in the first half of the year." Zhang Heng passionately recounted the outstanding achievements made by Qianqian Music in the first half of the year, looking forward to the chairman's praise.
"Mr. Zhang, do you have anything to add?" Song Ci slowly picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Zhang Yong, who was sitting on the left, shook his head slightly: "I don't have anything to say, please comment."
Song Ci put down the teacup and spoke calmly, but Zhang Heng on the stage was uneasy: "In the whole report, you didn't say a single key point I wanted to hear!"
Zhang Heng stood on the stage with his mouth slightly open, and for a moment he couldn't figure out what the chairman wanted to hear.
Song Ci was not interested in playing dumb with his subordinates and said bluntly: "The content on your PPT is all about the achievements of the platform and how good the data is!
Before the group acquired Qianqian Music, it was already the music streaming platform with the highest market share in the country. Now that it has the group as a backing, its market share has not increased much.
Anyway, you have a solid foundation and can rely on your old capital. Just keep muddling along like this. Have you ever considered how to achieve breakthroughs and development in the future?"
"I..." Zhang Heng hesitated and couldn't answer for a while.
"Last year, the focus was on the mobile application of the product. Now the number of downloads of the Qianqian Jingting app has stabilized. How will the follow-up work be carried out? Do you really not have a long-term plan?"
Although the chairman's tone was relatively calm, his direct questions made Zhang Heng sweat profusely and his heart began to panic.
Song Ci obviously didn't intend to let Zhang Heng off the hook easily, and continued to interrogate him: "Qianqian Music is indeed number one in the country, but most of the credit is not yours.
What you should think about is how to lead Qianqian Jingting to go abroad and compete with platforms such as OMISound, Pandora, etc.
Instead of just thinking about dealing with domestic companies like NetEase and Kugou, internationalization should be your key consideration.
There is one more important point! With the country launching the "Sword" action in the film and television industry in the past two years to crack down on piracy and safeguard the rights of genuine products, this storm will sooner or later affect the digital music industry.
The digital copyright agreement I signed with the world's three major record companies is about to expire at the end of the year. Because of the rampant piracy in China at that time, I sold it to them at a very low price for five years.
Now that the country is vigorously rectifying the copyright market, will it still be so easy to renew the contract at the end of the year? Have you ever thought about how much it costs to purchase copyrights? "
The chairman's harsh questioning not only made Zhang Heng on the stage feel uneasy, but also made Zhang Yong serious.
"Director Song!" Zhang Yong said solemnly, "I will personally follow up on the renewal of the copyrights with the three major record companies, Warner, Universal, and Sony."
Since CEO Zhang Yong volunteered, Song Ci did not ask any more questions. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Although genuine products are the general trend, piracy is still rampant in the market, so I think this negotiation will not be too difficult. It's just a matter of price. But there are a few points that must be paid attention to."
Song Ci paused for a moment, and said solemnly: "First, the term of this agreement must be as long as possible. In addition, the cooperation model must be "exclusive and non-exclusive" so that Qianqian Music can establish industry barriers!"
When Zhang Yong heard this, his face immediately turned bitter. "Exclusive but not exclusive" means that Tenda will exclusively represent the music copyrights of the three major record companies in Greater China, and then sublicense them to other platforms.
This request is very challenging, but since the chairman has asked, he can only contact Warner, Universal and Sony first and then decide based on the situation.
After explaining the copyright issues to Zhang Yong, Song Ci's sharp eyes fell on Zhang Heng again: "Your work report is not up to standard. Take it back and redo it. Report again next week."
Zhang Heng felt as if he had been pardoned and had just breathed a sigh of relief. Just when he thought the matter was temporarily over and he could step down and return to his seat, Song Ci's voice rose again, and he was so scared that he quickly stood up straight.
“Qianqian Music will focus on four aspects next:
First, in the context of rising copyright fees, the platform should vigorously support independent musicians and establish an exclusive content library.
Second, consider acquiring small and medium-sized overseas music platforms to accelerate the internationalization process.
Third, innovations should be made in the business model, such as launching different levels of subscription systems, including free version, standard version, and VIP version.
Fourth, we can try to release digital albums with singers to promote users’ payment habits.”
While Zhang Yong quickly wrote down what Song Ci said, he sternly said to Zhang Heng, who was standing awkwardly on the stage: "The chairman has pointed out the direction. After the meeting, you should reflect on yourself and make your report more detailed!"
"Yes! Yes!" Zhang Heng nodded repeatedly, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Please rest assured, Mr. Song and Mr. Zhang, I will definitely reorganize my work ideas and make a good work plan."
"You go! The next department to report is TT Voice. Those who report later should pay attention and focus on the work plan for the second half of the year. If this is not written in the PPT, please supplement it orally."
Zhang Yong's words sounded like heavenly music to Zhang Heng's ears. He let out a long sigh and walked off the stage in embarrassment.
Song Ci glanced at Zhang Heng, whose face was flushed, and shook his head secretly. He rarely embarrassed his subordinates in such occasions.
But Zhang Heng was really too much, which made him unbearable. He boasted about his achievements in a long speech, but there was not a single word of substance.
Digital music copyright is related to the group's future strategic layout in the field of short videos and is another important battlefield after mobile payment.
If Zhang Heng's report next week still fails to satisfy him, Qianqian Music may have to reconsider its candidate for president.
With Zhang Heng's experience as a lesson, department presidents were extremely cautious in their subsequent reports. The focus of their reports shifted to future development plans and internationalization strategies, while the achievements were only briefly mentioned.
Time flies, and it is already midsummer July.
After Liu Shishi was discharged from the hospital and returned to Beijing to recuperate for a week, she had fully recovered and returned to the "Xuan-Yuan Sword" crew in Hengdian.
This is the peak period for issuing the first batch of admission notices to undergraduate programs in universities across the country, and letters carrying dreams are flying to all parts of the country through the postal system.
The prospective college students who received their acceptance letters finally put down their worries and started working to save money or traveling with friends, enjoying the most carefree summer vacation in their lives.
At noon on July 18, at the VIP channel of Donghai Airport.
Liu Yuqing and Li Lingyan came out, talking and laughing, dragging their suitcases. The two girls had just arrived in Donghai on Song Ci's private plane, preparing to go to Hengdian to start their long-awaited school trip.
"Swallow! Yuqing! Over here!" Outside the terminal, Lu Zhonghe's classmate Zhou Yuanchu, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried over to greet them.
Lv Zhong's face was filled with anxiety: "You guys finally came out. A Yuan and I have been waiting anxiously for so long!"
Liu Yuqing glanced at the boy who was so shameless that he insisted on traveling with her, and snorted proudly: "Love won't wait!"
Lv Zhong was at a loss for words after being scolded by the goddess. He could only scratch his head awkwardly and change the subject: "Well, I have booked a bus, and the driver is waiting for us."
Li Lingyan quietly tugged at her best friend's sleeve, signaling her to save some face for her classmates: "Thank you, Lv Zhong."
"Thank you for your hard work!" Liu Yuqing understood and thanked him politely, "Let's go together on the return trip. We can take my brother's plane back to Peking."
Li Lingyan chuckled. Although Yuqing was a proud little princess, she had good upbringing and was well-mannered. She never took advantage of other boys by relying on her beauty.
Lu Zhong chartered a car, so she immediately took him back with her to repay the favor.
When Lu Zhong heard that Liu Yuqing was willing to take him with her on the return trip, he felt very happy and kept grinning.
Zhou Yuanchu shook his head helplessly. It was obvious that Princess Liu had no interest in Lv Zhong. If his deskmate wanted to pursue the school goddess, he would have to work hard.
The four of them walked towards the parking lot, chatting and laughing.
After getting in the car and putting away the luggage, Lv Zhong found that the driver had no intention of leaving, and asked in confusion: "Master, why haven't you left yet?"
"Wait a moment, there are still a few guests." The driver explained with a smile.
"But I chartered a car!" Lu Zhong suddenly became anxious.
"Brother, please understand. Business is tough." The driver pleaded, "We are four college students going to Hengdian. I will give you a discount when we get there."
The driver kept nagging and begging but refused to leave. Lu Zhong could not help but look at his three classmates to ask for their opinions.
The weather was hot and Liu Yuqing was too lazy to bother with it. There were many empty seats in the car, so it was no problem for four more people to sit in it.
"If the person who comes later is really a college student, then there will be no problem."
As soon as he finished speaking, the driver pointed out the window and said, "The bag is fine. Here it comes. Let's go now!"
Everyone looked out the window and saw four young men who looked like students walking towards them. The driver quickly settled the four people who had arrived, started the car, and drove towards Hengdian.
The atmosphere in the car was a bit dull. A boy took the lead in breaking the silence and said, "Hello, my name is Wu Di, from Menxia No. 1 Middle School, and these are my high school classmates!"
It turned out that the four people who arrived later were Chen Duling, Qiao Ya and their group. They were also going to Hengdian for sightseeing and happened to be in the same car with Liu Yuqing and his group.
"I am Lv Zhong, from Peking No. 4 Middle School, and they are my classmates."
They were all college-age students about to graduate from high school. The young people had a common language and quickly became friends and started chatting animatedly.
Wu Di exclaimed: "Brother, you are awesome! Beiping No. 4 High School is a nationally renowned key high school!"
Lv Zhong smiled modestly: "Menxia No. 1 High School is not bad either. It is also one of the best high schools in the area."
Everyone gradually got to know each other, and after the two groups got to know each other, they all looked at each other. When their eyes fell on Chen Duling and Liu Yuqing, both of them showed surprise.
Chen Duling is elegant and refined, with a strong bookish air and a hint of alienation in her temperament, like a classical lady, with an unattainable cold beauty.
Liu Yuqing, on the other hand, is lively and agile. Her soft looks carry a "neighborly" affinity and she is full of energy, like "cherry blossom soda in spring", fresh, bright, and with slightly sweet bubbles.
Liu Yuqing looked at Chen Duling with interest. She felt that this young lady looked somewhat similar to her sister-in-law Liu Shishi, but her temperament was similar to her brother Song Ci. That kind of aloofness was very attractive.
"Hello, my name is Liu Yuqing, and I'm from Peking!"
Chen Duling was a little surprised. She didn't expect this extremely beautiful girl to take the initiative to say hello: "Hello, I'm Chen Duling, and I'm about to go to Peking to start my university life."
Li Lingyan was amazed when she saw this scene. Her good sister came from a wealthy family, was beautiful and had a sweet voice, and was the center of attention at school.
She is usually very proud and rarely takes the initiative to talk to others. What happened today? Could it be that the beauties admire each other?
"Which university does classmate Chen attend?" Lu Zhong couldn't help but ask. Being admitted to the first batch of universities and going to study in Peking, it is likely that the school is a famous one.
His eyes were unconsciously attracted to the beautiful and smart girl. Apart from the stars on TV, it was the first time he saw a girl whose appearance could rival Liu Yuqing. He immediately felt like the door to a new world had opened.
Campus beauty Chen was very frugal with words: "Beihang University."
Principal Beauty Liu's eyes lit up: "What a coincidence! I'm familiar with Beihang University. My aunt teaches there and I've been there many times.
Our schools are very close to each other. When we have time on the weekend, Yan Zi and I will go and play with you together."
Chen Duling was a little overwhelmed by the passion released by the beautiful girl in front of her, but she still nodded and responded: "Okay."
"What about classmate Liu? Which university did she get into?" Qiao Ya felt disappointed when she saw her best friend making new friends so quickly.
She was admitted to a prestigious university in Donghai. Once she went to university, she would be so far away from Chen Duling that it would be difficult for her to meet her.
"Tsinghua." Liu Yuqing pretended to be calm, but the slightly raised corners of her mouth still showed her inner pride. Although she was a special student, she couldn't hide her pride in being able to enter the top university in China.
(End of this chapter)
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