Replay 07: Opening the Temple of Learning

Chapter 366 Difficult Negotiations

Ma Lijuan said seriously: "We don't plan to make a profit from music resources, we just want to provide users with a better experience."

“Simply put, Zemeng is not trying to weaken Baidu’s market, but to make Baidu’s resources seen and heard by more people, thereby enhancing your brand value.”

These words obviously moved Wang Zhi.

He looked at Ma Lijuan, his expression slowly changing from cautious to serious, and it was obvious that her proposal began to have an impact on him.

"I know." Ma Lijuan continued while the iron was hot, "Currently, all music apps exist independently, and users need to switch to different platforms to listen to different songs."

"This decentralized model will increasingly fail to meet user needs in the future. In the future, individual applications will surely disappear, replaced by integrated resource integration platforms."

"Zemeng's goal is to integrate these resources and allow users to complete all operations on one platform. If we can cooperate earlier, Baidu will be able to gain an advantage in this new ecosystem earlier."

Wang Zhi was silent for a moment, obviously moved by Ma Lijuan's words.

He put down the cup in his hand, thought for a while, and said: "Vice President Ma, you are right. The future may indeed be an era of resource integration."

“However, I still have some questions, such as how can we ensure that we retain sufficient control in the cooperation?”

Ma Lijuan was well prepared. She smiled and said, "Mr. Wang, we can discuss this issue in detail in the cooperation agreement."

"Baidu can fully retain independent control over its own copyright resources. We at Zemeng are only responsible for providing a platform to ensure the use and promotion of resources."

Wang Zhi tapped his fingers on the table and thought for a moment.

Ma Lijuan's proposal undoubtedly hit the nail on the head, and he was also well aware of the future trend of resource integration.

Baidu cannot ignore the strong rise of Zemeng operating system.

He looked up at Ma Lijuan, and said cautiously, "Your proposal is indeed very attractive. Especially the expansion of user coverage, which is very helpful for our market expansion."

Ma Lijuan knew that the other party had begun to waver.

Wang Zhi continued, "However, this kind of cooperation involves a wide range of aspects. I still need to discuss it with the company."

"You also know that copyright resources are the core for us. We cannot let go easily. Brands and platforms are our survival line. Otherwise, we would not have acquired Qianqian Jingting."

Ma Lijuan nodded calmly: "Mr. Wang, I completely understand. We don't want to make a hasty decision on such a cooperation. You can consider it. I will wait for your good news."

Wang Zhi nodded slightly, his expression softened. "Then let's leave it at that for now. Vice President Ma, wait for my news. We'll discuss the details of the cooperation then."

"Okay, Mr. Wang." Ma Lijuan stood up and extended her hand.

The two said goodbye to each other, and Ma Lijuan turned and walked out of the meeting room, finally feeling relieved.

Although the negotiations have not yet reached a complete agreement, she knows that a crucial step has been taken.

After leaving the Baidu headquarters, Ma Lijuan got in the car, took out her cell phone and called Lu Shan.

"I just met with Wang Zhi." Ma Lijuan's voice was full of confidence. "He showed great interest in the cooperation proposal, but he said that it still needs internal discussion, so we should wait for news."

On the other end of the phone, Lu Shan's voice sounded very steady: "Wang Zhi is a shrewd man. It's not easy to impress him. Senior sister, you did a great job this time."

Hearing Lu Shan's praise, Ma Lijuan felt instantly relieved.

With a smile on his face, he jokingly said, "Boss Lu, I am very encouraged to receive your recognition."

Lu Shan smiled and continued, "The next step is to patiently wait for their response, but you also have to be prepared for the follow-up."

"Once they agree to cooperate, the details must be grasped tightly without leaving any loopholes."

"Don't worry, I will handle this matter properly." Ma Lijuan answered confidently.

After Wang Zhi returned to Baidu headquarters, he did not feel completely relaxed.

Although he was tempted by Ma Lijuan's proposal, he knew very well that this was not a decision he made alone.

Especially on core issues such as music copyright, too many interests and risks are involved for the company.

The next morning, Wang Zhi convened a high-level meeting of the Baidu music department.

The conference room was filled with former senior executives of "Qianqian Jingting" and the young Baidu Music team.

These people have witnessed the growth of Baidu Music from its early player software to its current size, and have deep feelings and sense of responsibility for the company's music business.

Wang Zhi sat at the head seat at the conference table and began by briefly introducing his contact with Zemeng operating system and the cooperation plan they proposed.

As he spoke, the atmosphere gradually became tense, and the faces of several executives looked unhappy.

After Wang Zhiyi finished speaking, a senior executive from the music department spoke up first: "Boss Wang, Ze Meng's proposal sounds very attractive, but I strongly oppose it."

“This integration appears to be about expanding our audience, but in reality it is handing our lifeline over to them.”

He paused and continued, "Now they say they won't share profits or charge fees, but what about in the future?"

"Once we integrate all our resources, they can change the rules at any time. By then, our control will be almost zero. Won't we be at the mercy of others?"

Another executive immediately echoed: "Yes, music copyright is our core asset. Once we hand over the resources to the Zemeng platform, we will lose the initiative to use the copyright."

"This means that the resources we have worked so hard to accumulate have finally become tools for others to build their own systems."

Everyone in the conference room nodded in agreement.

Wang Zhi frowned. He understood everyone's concerns, but still did not interrupt the discussion.

"Another point, what about our brand?" Another executive added, "If all the music appears in the music function bar of the Zemeng operating system."

"Users will only remember their systems and forget that we provided these resources. The influence of our white music brand will be greatly weakened."

"Yes! We have spent so much effort in the past few years to transform the 'Qian Qian Jing Ting' brand into Baidu Music, but now it is going to be buried under someone else's system."

"This is a serious damage to our brand building." Several executives expressed dissatisfaction.

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became tense, and everyone raised various objections.

Wang Zhi knew that although Ze Meng’s proposal was attractive in terms of future strategic significance, the immediate risks were also obvious.

Finally, another senior executive concluded: “I feel that Zemeng’s integration plan is essentially to weaken our independence and brand influence.”

"Although we are not as good as Penguin Music and Kugou, we are still an important player in the industry. If we give away our resources easily now, we will completely lose our competitiveness in the future."

Wang Zhi was silent for a while, but seeing that everyone was unanimous in their opposition, he didn't want to insist any longer.

And after considering everyone's opinions and thinking deeply, I realize that this is indeed the truth.

He said slowly: "I have heard everyone's opinions, and I understand that Ze Meng's proposal has many potential risks. In this case, let's put this cooperation on hold for the time being."

The executives in the conference room nodded in agreement, and it was clear that everyone was relieved. After the meeting, Wang Zhi returned to his office, picked up the phone, and dialed Ma Lijuan's number himself.

"Vice President Ma, I'm very sorry. After internal discussions within our company, we feel that now is not the best time to cooperate with Ze Meng."

"We cannot accept this proposal for now." Wang Zhi's tone was apologetic.

Ma Lijuan on the other end of the phone was silent. She originally thought that the negotiation would go smoothly, but she didn't expect that the other party would refuse after talking for a long time.

Ma Lijuan asked again: "Does Mr. Wang have a better proposal? Are the conditions for our dismissal not to your liking?"

"There is still a process of bargaining in buying and selling. Why don't I invite Mr. Wang to play ball and have dinner together today?"

Wang Zhi said without hesitation on the phone: "Mr. Ma, I personally admire you very much, but I am really sorry about the decision made by the board of directors. That's it. I have something to do and I will hang up first."

After the call was hung up, Ma Lijuan felt furious.

After calming down a bit, she knew that she couldn't give up easily. If Wang Zhi didn't work out, she could still look for other music platforms.

Ma Lijuan was also reflecting on herself: she overestimated her abilities and underestimated the other party's price.

In the following weeks, Ma Lijuan contacted several other major music platforms including Penguin Music and Kuwo Music.

She negotiated with the senior executives of these platforms separately, trying to use the same logic to convince them to cooperate with Zemeng.

But the result was not ideal.

Penguin Music’s attitude is very tough. They have already occupied most of the market share and simply disdain to cooperate with Ze Meng.

They believe that their market advantages are sufficient to cope with future competition and they do not need to rely on any integrated platform.

The senior management of Kuwo Music also holds the same attitude, and they believe that the independence of their brand is extremely important.

Unwilling to hand over copyright resources to an operating system that may swallow up their market in the future.

The repeated rejections made Ma Lijuan a little tired, but she did not give up.

The night scene outside the car window flickered and neon lights kept passing by, but her heart felt as if a huge rock was pressing on it, heavy.

She leaned back in her seat, looked out the window, and fell into deep thought for a moment.

In recent weeks, these big platforms have defended their copyright resources.

The defense was extremely tight, and there was absolutely no intention to cooperate with Ze Meng.

Every rejection on the phone and every fruitless meeting was like pouring a bucket of cold water on her, making her feel that the road ahead was difficult.

"Mr. Ma." The voice of assistant Xiao Chen brought her back from her thoughts.

Ma Lijuan turned her head and looked at several people in the team. They all looked tired, with obvious loss in their eyes.

This project was extremely stressful, and the continuous setbacks in negotiations dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the entire team.

But Ma Lijuan couldn't give up.

She knew that Zemeng System's ecological integration plan was one of the company's future strategic cores.

Lu Shan gave her such an important task, she must not fail.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the resentment in her heart, and her eyes regained their calmness and determination.

"We can't stop." Ma Lijuan's voice was firm, as if it injected a shot of adrenaline into the team.

"We continue to screen the music application platforms on the market, although the big platforms are unwilling to cooperate."

“But this does not mean that all companies are like this. There must be untapped opportunities in the market.”

Assistant Xiao Chen was slightly stunned, then quickly nodded.

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart: "I will immediately arrange to re-screen those companies that own a large amount of music copyrights and find the most promising partners among them."

"Yes, don't just focus on the industry giants, see if there are small and medium-sized enterprises or emerging copyright platforms."

"Especially those companies that are influential in certain specific fields or specific user groups," Ma Lijuan added.

She knows very well that the copyright resources of large platforms are the key to the market.

But they are not the only ones in the market.

As long as Ze Meng can find a breakthrough from the small platform and accumulate certain resources, he may be able to leverage bigger opportunities.

Lu Shan's instructions and expectations still echoed in her ears. The more difficult it was, the more she felt a strong sense of unwillingness and fighting spirit.

In the next few days, the team was under the command of Ma Lijuan.

Start reorganizing the music platform data on the market and search for small and medium-sized companies that are less noticeable but may have huge potential.

Ma Lijuan was busy processing documents when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

When I looked up, it was my assistant Xiao Chen, with an excited look on his face and a stack of documents in his hands.

"Vice President Ma, I have found a target company with great potential. You should take a look." Xiao Chen walked directly to her and handed her the document.

Ma Lijuan put down the pen in her hand, took the document, and glanced at the cover: "Qiantian Music?"

"Yes!" Xiao Chen nodded, his eyes sparkling, "This company has several very attractive points, especially its copyright resources."

"Hmm?" Ma Lijuan raised her eyebrows slightly, opened the document and began to read it carefully.

Xiao Chen stood aside and continued to explain: "First of all, Qiantian Music's market value is very low, and its current valuation is only around a few hundred million yuan."

At this point, his tone became more serious. "Compared to those large platforms that easily make billions or tens of billions, Qiantian Music is completely within our control and the acquisition is very easy."

Ma Lijuan's eyes lit up and she said softly, "Low market value means low risk."

"Especially now that no one wants to cooperate with us, Qiantian Music is indeed a good choice." She looked up at Xiao Chen, "Go on."

"Secondly," Xiao Chen pointed to a part of the document, "Qiantian Music's copyright resources are not as extensive as Penguin Music and Kuwo."

"But they have the copyrights of many classic old songs and niche music, especially the works of some old singers and non-mainstream emerging singers."

"Old songs from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as works by independent musicians in recent years, are all resources unique to Qiantian Music."

Ma Lijuan's eyes became more focused: "Copyrights of classic old songs? There are not many platforms in the market that focus on exploring this field. It does have a certain potential."

“Also, those emerging non-mainstream musicians may have a small but loyal audience.”

(End of this chapter)