Replay 07: Opening the Temple of Learning

Chapter 364 Look for Baidu first!

Lu Shan nodded, stood up and walked to the whiteboard in the office.

He picked up a pen, drew a few lines, and then explained: "The so-called resource integration is to gather the resources of various platforms within our Zemeng operating system to form a unified ecosystem."

“Let me give you a quick example of music and video.”

"It's like integrating all the resources of all video platforms on the market into our audio and video software. Users only need to use the audio and video module of our Zemeng operating system to directly watch videos from all platforms."

“This process is not just a simple aggregation of resources. We also need to intelligently classify them based on users’ clicks, viewing time and preferences.”

"For example, popular movies, personalized user recommendations, etc. COCO Assistant can automatically provide the most suitable content based on each user's habits."

Chen Yang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Mr. Lu, this is indeed a great direction. In this way, users only need to operate in our system, and no longer need to install so many complicated video applications. All resources can be obtained with one click."

"Yes!" Lu Shan nodded affirmatively, "And we will gradually expand this integration approach to other areas, such as music, games, education and other application modules."

"The formation of user habits is the occupation of the market. When they are used to finding resources in the Zemeng operating system, the attractiveness of other platforms to them will gradually decrease."

Chen Yang immediately responded: "This will not only improve user stickiness, but also help us accelerate the growth of market share! Which field should we start with next?"

Lu Shan tapped the table lightly, and said with a firm tone: "Let's start with music. Copyright is a key threshold, and the integration of music resources will allow us to move faster."

"There are many music platforms on the market now, but only a few are truly influential. Copyright issues have always been a difficult point, and the choices of music users are often restricted by the platforms."

"If we can break this barrier and be the first to obtain music copyright, Zemeng's audio and video module will be extremely attractive."

2012 was a critical period for domestic music copyright issues. The main music platforms on the market included Qiantian Dongting, Kugou Music, QQ Music, Kuwo Music and other major platforms.

The competition for copyright among platforms is extremely fierce, but because copyrights are dispersed, users often need to switch between multiple platforms.

Lu Shan said: "Let's talk about copyright cooperation with these companies first. Just like I said at the press conference, let's ask them to share the copyright. As a platform, we don't make money, but they take the profits."

"Chen Yang, have you analyzed the market I asked you to analyze?"

Chen Yang immediately took out the analysis report and said, "President Lu, among the many music software companies on the market, I suggest starting with Baidu."

"There are two reasons. First, Penguin, Kugou and other companies have a large number of users, a relatively mature operating model, and considerable profits. They may not be willing to talk to us."

"Second, Baidu just acquired Qianqian Jingting. Qianqian has not had a big market share in recent years due to the pressure from Penguin and other companies, but it has rich copyright resources."

"The mainstream music platforms are still Penguin's QQ Music, Kuwo, and Kugou, which account for the majority of the market share. Small platforms such as Qiantian Dongting have gradually been marginalized."

“So if you talk to Baidu, the chances of success will be greater.”

Integrating the resources of major music platforms requires not only technological breakthroughs, but more importantly, negotiation and cooperation skills.

This task is extremely difficult and requires someone who is both smart and agile and able to handle complex negotiations.

Suddenly, a name emerged in Lu Shan’s mind—Ma Lijuan.

Qiao Weiwei's best friend and an important member of Zemeng's marketing department, she has always performed outstandingly in the team.

He is particularly good at communication and negotiation, has a quick mind and is extroverted, so he is always able to handle complex situations with ease.

Lu Shan decided to let her be in charge of the negotiations.

Thinking of this, Lu Shan immediately called Chen Yang and asked him to call Ma Lijuan over.

A few minutes later, Ma Lijuan knocked on the door and walked in, looking confident and with a hint of curiosity in her eyes: "Mr. Lu, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Lu Shan smiled and said, "Senior sister, I'm not used to you calling me Mr. Lu."

Ma Lijuan also relaxed and joked, "When my junior brother has something good going on, he thinks of me first!"

Lu Shan explained the negotiations again.

Ma Lijuan also put away her smile, turned serious, and said, "I have never been involved in this kind of business."

Lu Shan believed in Ma Lijuan and said, "Senior, you can help me this time! You know the composition of my company's personnel. They are either geeks or technical guys. They can write code, but they can't speak a word for a long time."

Ma Lijuan rolled her eyes: "Come on, you are just disliking my noise and pretending to be a tall person among the short ones."

The two laughed.

Jokes aside, Ma Lijuan knew the seriousness and importance of the matter and took on the task.

That afternoon, Lu Shan took Ma Lijuan into Zemeng Company.

Employees came and went in the office, and everyone seemed to attach great importance to her arrival.

After all, this time she not only appeared as a member of the marketing department, but also as a nominal vice president, representing the company in negotiations.

Lu Shan organized a high-level meeting of Zemeng Company and announced personnel appointments.

After the meeting, the two returned to Lu Shan's office.

"Mr. Lu." Ma Lijuan walked forward with a calm tone.

"I will do my best to integrate the music resources, but you know that this task is not easy, especially on the Penguin side."

Lu Shan nodded, with trust in his eyes: "Senior sister, if you can't handle it, then our Zemeng Company is doomed."

"Negotiation is not a simple transaction, but a long-term game. You have this ability."

Ma Lijuan felt Lu Shan's trust and said, "It's just a joke. I will try my best to get the best conditions possible."

Ma Lijuan straightened up, her expression very serious, and she felt a little stressed. "However, after all, these platforms are giants in the industry, and they have a strong sense of copyright. I am afraid there will be considerable resistance."

"There will certainly be resistance, but Zemeng's advantage is that we already have a huge user base and huge market potential in the future. This is the trump card in our hands."

Lu Shan walked to the desk, rested his hands on it, and said firmly, "Whether it's cooperation conditions, technical support, or marketing support, if there are any resources you need, just ask."

"You can contact me and Chen Yang first for anything."

Ma Lijuan nodded, and her slightly nervous mood eased a lot.

He said jokingly, "Boss Lu, you trust me so much. If I can't make this deal, I won't be honored as the vice president."

Lu Shan smiled and said, "I absolutely believe you can handle it."

"Okay, then I won't be polite. Just wait for my news!" Ma Lijuan smiled confidently, then stood up, turned around and left.

Walking out of Lu Shan’s office, she suddenly saw a familiar figure—Qiao Weiwei.

Qiao Weiwei was standing in the lounge area, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, staring at the table in a daze. "Hey, beautiful Qiao!" Ma Lijuan smiled and walked over, "Why are you standing here alone in a daze?"

Qiao Weiwei came back to her senses and saw Ma Lijuan, "Now that CEO Ma has been promoted, I should reflect on what I am still lacking in."

"Fuck you, I'm so stressed out right now and you're still teasing me."

Ma Lijuan deliberately put on a serious look: "That's because Mr. Lu from your family was ordered to send me to handle the negotiations with those music platforms."

Qiao Weiwei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Now that you put it that way, it seems to be true. Well, music copyright is really hard to deal with."

Ma Lijuan nodded, and then suddenly revealed a gossipy look: "However, I have a question that I am more interested in."

"How are you and Lu Shan doing? It's been so long, is there any progress?"

Qiao Weiwei's cheeks turned slightly red, and she quickly waved her hands: "Don't talk nonsense! What progress or no progress? We are partners, and our relationship is based on work."

"Come on, that look of yours may deceive others but not me."

Ma Lijuan gently poked Qiao Weiwei, her tone full of joking, "I see that Mr. Lu is very interested in you. What's the matter? No sparks?"

Qiao Weiwei shook her head helplessly, with a helpless smile on her face: "It's just a pure superior-subordinate relationship, stop talking nonsense."

Ma Lijuan smiled and sighed softly: "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. But seriously, Lu Shan is a good man, you have to hold on tight."

Qiao Weiwei rolled her eyes at her and said, "I think you should settle the music copyright issue first and stop worrying about me."

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time. The atmosphere in the office suddenly became much more relaxed.

Ma Lijuan glanced at the time and realized that it was time for her to leave.

She stood up, straightened her clothes, and regained her serious expression: "Okay, no more talking, I'm leaving."

"When I come back with good news, we'll have a good chat about your 'Mr. Lu'."

Qiao Weiwei couldn't help laughing: "Alright, alright, go ahead, I wish you a smooth negotiation!"

"Thank you for your good wishes!" Ma Lijuan waved her hand gracefully, turned around and walked out of the company.

In late October in Yanjing, the cool autumn breeze blew through the streets, the leaves swayed in the wind, and occasionally a few yellow leaves fell.

Ma Lijuan stood in front of the Baidu headquarters building, looking up at this building that symbolizes the Internet giant, feeling a little expectant and a little nervous.

This mission is extraordinary. It is related to the future resource integration of Zemeng operating system. Success or failure depends on this.

She led the Zemeng team into the lobby of Baidu headquarters and applied for an appointment to meet with Wang Zhi, the head of Baidu's music department.

The hall was tidy, with staff members busy moving around, and everything seemed in good order.

Ma Lijuan took a deep breath and walked to the front desk to explain her purpose.

"Hello, I am Ma Lijuan, the vice president of Zemeng Operating System. I have an appointment with Mr. Wang Zhi from Baidu Music Department for today. Please notify him."

The receptionist smiled politely and dialed the number.

A few minutes later, Ma Lijuan and her team were led to a conference room to wait for further notice.

At the same time, in the high-rise conference room of the Baidu headquarters building.

Wang Zhizheng and several executives were holding a discussion on music app market share and copyright.

The atmosphere at the meeting was somewhat tense as everyone discussed the future layout of music copyrights and the fierce market competition.

"At present, Penguin's QQ Music still occupies the majority of the market share, but our Baidu Music should not be underestimated either."

"The key is still copyright resources. Whoever has more exclusive copyright resources can occupy an advantageous position in the market." Wang Zhi analyzed in a calm tone.

"Yes, but our negotiations with several copyright holders have been stuck recently, especially the copyrights of some classic old songs. Penguin is keeping a close eye on them." said a senior executive in charge of copyright.

Just then, the door of the conference room was gently pushed open.

Wang Zhi's secretary walked in quietly and whispered in his ear: "Mr. Wang, Ma Lijuan, the vice president of Zemeng Operating System, is visiting with her team and would like to request a meeting with you."

Wang Zhi frowned slightly, looking a little surprised.

He quickly reviewed the situation of Zemeng operating system in his mind - this emerging domestic operating system.

It has been very popular recently, with the number of downloads exceeding 300 million, and has attracted many corporate users.

Now, Ze Meng has apparently set his sights on the integration of music copyrights.

"Ze Meng actually came to me on his own initiative?" Wang Zhi hesitated for a moment and said to his secretary, "Please ask them to wait for a moment."

He turned to the executives present and said, "Ze Meng's people are here. It looks like they are going to discuss the integration of music resources."

As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room suddenly became lively and everyone expressed their opinions.

"Ze Meng's ambitions are not small. He wants to integrate our resources just a few months after releasing the operating system? This is obviously an attempt to weaken our brand effect!"

"Although their user base is growing rapidly, it is not easy for them to integrate our resources over the years!"

"Yes, they seem to want to expand their ecosystem, but if we cooperate with them, won't we just hand over the copyright resources we have accumulated over the years to others?"

"We absolutely cannot cooperate! Music copyright is our core resource. Cooperating with them is equivalent to handing over the market dominance to Ze Meng."

Everyone was talking about their opinions, and most people were opposed to Ze Meng's integration plan, and some were even hostile.

After all, Zemeng’s resource integration plan means that these music platforms will be incorporated into Zemeng’s system and become part of its ecosystem.

The brand effect and resource advantages that these companies have painstakingly accumulated over the years may be weakened as a result.

Wang Zhi did not express his opinion immediately. He sat on the chair, knocked on the table, and signaled everyone to be quiet.

"I understand everyone's concerns. Zemeng does have ambitions, and their operating system is on the rise, but we can't easily reject all possible cooperation."

Wang Zhi calmly analyzed, "However, this matter cannot be rushed, and we need to consider it in the long run."

He paused for a moment, then turned to his secretary and said, "Tell them that I have an important meeting now and will not be in the company for the time being. Ask them to go back and arrange the next time."

The secretary nodded, then left the meeting room, preparing to politely decline Ma Lijuan's request for a meeting.

When Ma Lijuan came out of the Baidu headquarters building, her expression was still calm, but she felt a little unhappy inside.

(End of this chapter)