After hearing what Cao Zhiqiang said, Yamamoto Tokuhara immediately narrowed his eyes and seemed to be more interested in the Chinese market.
"Cao Sang!" Yamamoto Tokuhara suddenly laughed, "You mean, when you come to Japan this time, you want to introduce an audio tape production line and produce audio tapes yourself?"
"That's right." Cao Zhiqiang nodded seriously.
"So, your country is currently in short supply of audio tapes?" Yamamoto Tokuhara asked again, "Can't you produce it yourself?"
"That's not true." Cao Zhiqiang shook his head.
“We can also produce audio tapes ourselves in China, but the technology is definitely a bit behind, especially the production efficiency and product quality, which are quite different from yours.
Three or five years ago, our domestic production capacity would have been sufficient. After all, there were very few domestic tape recorders at that time, and it didn't matter if we had fewer tapes.
However, since the reform, our domestic tape recorder production has increased every year, and it has grown exponentially.
As there were more tape recorders, the demand for audio tapes also increased.
Even now, in our country, whether it is tape recorders or supporting tapes, the supply is still in short supply. Basically, we can sell as many as we have.
It is also because demand exceeds supply that a large amount of smuggled goods appear.
As far as I know, many of your second-hand tape recorders have entered our country through various dealers, and they can be sold for a lot of money. It is not an exaggeration to say that they make a huge profit.
Of course, I cannot do this kind of illegal business, so I came to Japan this time for two main purposes.
First of all, I really wanted to take a look at the Japanese record market and see if I could develop more here in Japan.
Secondly, I want to look for business opportunities here. I want to find a manufacturer that can produce audio tapes and talk about the project of introducing an audio tape production line. "
"I see." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded, "But Cao Sang, you are the president of a record company, can you also produce tapes?"
"Of course there is no problem." Cao Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Our domestic situation is a bit special. As long as it is state-owned, ah, that is, a state-owned enterprise, it can theoretically cross industries.
For example, I am the general manager of Huaxia Audio and Video Company, similar to the president of your record company. However, my Huaxia Audio and Video Company can not only produce records, but also set up its own production lines and produce audio tapes. This is not the case in our country. Reasonable and legal.
Forget about tapes, if possible, I can even produce tape recorders, from hardware to software. "
"That's it." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded again, touched his chin with his hand and said, "But I heard that you can't exchange foreign currency freely. If our companies come to cooperate with you, they can freely exchange foreign currencies." Can I exchange it for Japanese yen?”
"You can rest assured about this." Cao Zhiqiang chuckled, "We are now vigorously opening up, and the so-called foreign exchange restrictions are mainly targeted at domestic people.
If foreign investors, such as your Japanese companies, invest in our country, foreign currencies can be exchanged at any time.
For example, if you invest 1 million yen to start a business in our country, and it turns out to be profitable, and you want to withdraw the funds, you can exchange it with the relevant departments for foreign currency at market prices at any time.
In other words, there are basically no restrictions on foreign investment, and there are even many discounts. The price of foreign currency exchange is actually higher than the market price.
In addition, the labor force in our country is far lower than that in Japan. If Japanese companies are willing to set up factories in our country, the prices of the products produced will definitely be far lower than those produced in your own country, and the export and taxation will not be the same. There are many offers. "
Speaking of this, Cao Zhiqiang smiled: "The most attractive thing about our country right now is that, in addition to the abundant and cheap labor force, the market is large and plentiful.
Now that our country has just opened up, there is a blue ocean everywhere, and there is a strong thirst for all kinds of imported goods, so if you go in at this time, you will definitely make a lot of money.
If we wait more than ten years and more foreign businessmen come to our country and there are more competitors, we may not have such a good situation. "
"That makes sense." Yamamoto Tokugen nodded, "But if our artists make money from you, can they get it back in Japanese yen at any time?"
"Of course you can." Cao Zhiqiang smiled and pointed at Masashi Zuotian, "If you don't believe me, ask him. Mr. Zuotian once held a concert in our country and made a lot of money. Ask him if you can change the date at any time. Yuan returns home.”
When he heard that he was suddenly involved, Zuoda Masashi was stunned, and then said: "Well, yes, China is very friendly to foreigners now, and our foreign currencies are freely convertible there.
I did make money when I held concerts in China, and after I made money, I could freely exchange it for Japanese yen. There was no hindrance, but..."
"But what?" Yamamoto Tokuhara asked.
Masashi Zuoda shook his head: "But, the consumption power in China is too low, and the ticket prices for concerts are also too low. Even if there are many people coming, there is basically no profit.
At that time, when I held a concert, the tickets were one yuan each. Oh, if you calculate it, it was about 116 yen per ticket, not even 120 yen.
With such a price, even if there are 10,000 people watching the show, the total will be less than 1.2 million yen. "
"Nani?" Tokuichi Yamamoto frowned, "One ticket is less than 120 yen?"
"Yes." Zuotian Masashi smiled bitterly, "Don't be too little, the price is already very high.
You may not know that a ticket for them to watch a movie only costs 50 cents, which is 0.5 yuan, which is probably less than 60 yen. "
"That's it." Yamamoto Tokuyuan frowned.
Indeed, if what Masashi Sabota said is true, then the price is too low.
You know, in Japan today, for an ordinary little star to hold an ordinary concert, the ticket price is at least 3,000 yen, and usually 5,000 to 6,000 yen per ticket.
If a famous and popular singer like Masashi Sada holds a concert, the price of a concert ticket starts at 10,000 yen.
According to Japanese prices, one thousand people can earn 10 million yen, and it is still a good deal to divide one point.
But if the ticket prices for concerts in China were the same, easily 120 yen per ticket, that would be too little. With less than 20,000 people in attendance, the cost would not even be recovered.
The problem is that in Japanese concerts, there are only a few celebrities who can reach 20,000 people.
"President Yamamoto." Cao Zhiqiang suddenly smiled and said, "Sauda-kun is right, but why do you always think about concerts? Can't you think about records?"
"Records?" Yamamoto Tokuyuan looked at Cao Zhiqiang, "Why, the price of records in your country is very high?"
"That's not true." Cao Zhiqiang said, "The situation in our country is like this. Because the per capita income is low, there are very few records like ld, let alone your new CD.
On the contrary, cassette tapes occupy an absolute monopoly in my country's record market.
An audio tape or a blank tape costs about 2 yuan, which is about 232 yen in Japanese yen.
But if it is a pop song tape, the price is about 4 yuan, which is about 464 yen in Japanese yen. "
"Yes." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded, "In other words, the price of your records and the content are basically the same. The price of the content is about 232 yen?"
"That's right." Cao Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Although the price is small, once multiplied by the quantity, it is very impressive."
After a brief pause, Cao Zhiqiang said: "Take my first album "Blooming Life" as an example. This album has currently sold more than 4 million copies in China.
Suppose I can earn 232 yen per album, then multiply that 4 million by 232 yen, which is 928 million yen.
You see, as long as a record sells more than 4 million, the gross profit will be 900 million yen, which is very impressive, right?
This kind of gross income is probably not that much even in Japan, right? "
"Of course." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded, "For us, the sales revenue of a record can exceed 10 million yen, which is already a pretty impressive achievement. Your 900 million... is too much .”
Cao Zhiqiang smiled and said: "This is the advantage of quantity. After all, our country is a market with a population of one billion!"
"I understand." Yamamoto Tokuhara nodded, "It seems that this cooperation is very beneficial to both of us."
"That's it." Cao Zhiqiang smiled.
Yamamoto Tokuhara smiled slightly: "Actually, the cooperation between us is not only limited to the content of records. Even the tape production line and even the tape recorder production line you mentioned are not out of the question."
"Oh?" Cao Zhiqiang looked at Yamamoto Tokuyuan, "Why, President Yamamoto has a way to do this?"
"Hahaha, of course." Yamamoto Tokugen laughed, "Have you forgotten the name of our record company? Warner Pioneer!
In fact, this is the combined name of Warner and Pioneer!
I won’t mention Warner, only Pioneer, which is a company that specializes in audio, tape recorders and tapes.
As far as I know, Pioneer has begun to focus on CDs and LDs, and the original audio tape business has not been taken seriously.
If you are interested, I can put you in touch and let you talk to someone from Pioneer Company.
As long as what you say is true and you can provide enough remuneration to satisfy Pioneer, I think Pioneer will be happy to discuss cooperation with you on the tape production line. "
"That's right." Cao Zhiqiang smiled, "That's great, thank you, President Yamamoto."
"What the hell." Yamamoto Tokuhara laughed, "I'm a businessman. Of course I'm happy to do any business that makes money. No need to say thank you."
After a brief pause, Yamamoto Tokugen said: "Having said that, since we will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future, then let us produce a record for your song.
Are there any specific conditions? The copyright of the song belongs to you, and the sales share is shared. You can personally get 5% of the wholesale price, how about it? "
"Ten percent!" Cao Zhiqiang said.
"Six percent!" Yamamoto Tokugen said, "This is the most, and our risk costs must also be taken into account."
"Ten percent!" Cao Zhiqiang said with a slight smile, "President Yamamoto, you have to take a long-term view and don't forget the Chinese market!"
Yamamoto Tokuyuan immediately frowned but did not speak.
Cao Zhiqiang smiled again and said: "President Yamamoto, you have many record companies here. If it is the five or six percent you said, then you are not the only one I can cooperate with.
But in our country, apart from our Huaxia Audio and Video Company, believe me, you can't find any other company that can release Japanese singers' records in our country.
why? Because of the current situation in our country, except for our Huaxia Audio and Video Company, other companies are old companies, such as China Records.
State-owned record companies that have been established for a long time have a lot of burdens and worries. They would rather not do something than make a mistake. So I am afraid it is difficult to change their minds and cooperate with your company to easily introduce Japanese artists to our country's record market.
But we are different. Although my record company is state-owned in name, it is actually my company and I have the final say in everything.
As long as I have a successful example in Japan first, so that I can explain to the country and make the Chinese people feel a little proud, I can easily introduce artists from you to our country under the banner of Sino-Japanese friendship. .
At that time, I can produce records for your artists and distribute them in our country. The share of the album after the release will be based on the principle of reciprocity. Whatever conditions you have, I will have the same conditions.
Therefore, my ten percent is really beneficial to both parties.
If I were you, let alone making money at 10%, even if I didn't make money, I would still have to do it in order to open up another Chinese market.
Of course, I could have asked for more, not just 10 percent.
I offer you this price for the sake of Endo-senpai and because you are the first record company president to have special respect for me.
If you are really in trouble, forget it.
Anyway, to me, even if I don’t sing and make records in Japan, it doesn’t matter.
After all, there are so many places where I can make money, and one Chinese market alone is enough for me.
I can easily sell more than 4 million copies of a record in China, and my personal income can easily exceed 400 million yen. I don’t necessarily count on the Japanese market.
The reason why I want to release a record in Japan is mainly to give an explanation to the country, and also to put some gold on me, increase my gold content, and play it when I return to my country. You should understand this, right? "
Yamamoto Tokuhara touched his chin and thought for a while, and finally took a deep breath: "Okay, then it will be 10%, but I can only sign the contract with you."
"This is not possible!" Masashi Zuoda said suddenly, "President Yamamoto, Cao Sang is our club's exclusive contract artist. Your cooperation with him must go through our club!"
Yamamoto Tokuyuan glanced at Masashi Zuoda with a dull look, and smiled slightly: "Exclusively signed artist? Zuotian-kun, Cao Sang is a foreigner, not a Japanese, and there is no work visa here. Those contracts you mentioned are in There is no binding force here at all, at most it is a letter of intent, which Cao Sang can unilaterally void."
Upon hearing this, Zuotian Masashi stopped talking.
Indeed, this kind of cross-border agreement is very troublesome. If it is to be legally effective, it must be negotiated by both countries.
Unfortunately, although China and Japan are currently friendly, the laws and regulations in this area are not yet complete.
Especially people like Cao Zhiqiang who hold official passports and business visas can theoretically break the contract unilaterally.
Of course, if Cao Zhiqiang is willing to take this contract and go to the embassy to sign it, and the embassy will provide a fair guarantee, then it will be effective.
In addition, if Cao Zhiqiang can apply for a work visa in Japan, then this contract will also have certain legal effect.
However, Cao Zhiqiang only signed a mutual agreement with Zuotian Masazhi without the embassy stamp or work visa. This is simply an invalid agreement.
Well, it’s limited to this special period. If it were the 1990s, it would be different.
Of course, the opposite is also true. If Warner Pioneer signs a contract with Cao Zhiqiang himself, Warner Pioneer can theoretically find an excuse to break the contract.
If Japan's Warner Pioneer breaks the contract, Cao Zhiqiang, a foreigner, really has no way to seek justice and cannot win the lawsuit. They have many ways to kill themselves.
But Zuoda Planning Office is different.
Zuoda Planning is an authentic Japanese company. If Warner Pioneer signs a contract with Zuotian Planning, it will be a Japanese company against a Japanese company, and naturally everything must follow the rules.
Therefore, the safest way is to let Zuotian plan connect with Warner Pioneer.
By the way, I have to go to the embassy when I go back and ask the embassy to stamp the contract between me and Zuotian Planning.
Once it is stamped by the embassy, for now, the contract is legally binding, at least until it is issued a Japanese work visa, and there is no need to worry about a lawsuit.
"President Yamamoto." Cao Zhiqiang smiled slightly when he thought of this, "There is an old saying in our country that when you drink water, don't forget the man who dug the well.
It was Zuotian-kun who invited me to Japan in the first place. I came to Japan thanks to Zuotian-kun's help.
Therefore, for this cooperation, please be sure to cooperate with Zuotian Office.
After all, I have signed a contract with him, and there must be some spirit of contract. "
Yamamoto Tokuhara frowned, then smiled slightly and said: "Cao Sang, don't forget, if our company signs a contract with you, then 10% will be yours.
But if you sign a contract with his firm, you won't get 10%. "
"It doesn't matter." Cao Zhiqiang smiled lightly, "Money is an external thing, I value integrity more."
Yamamoto Tokuhara narrowed his eyes and nodded: "Very good, if that's the case, then let's do it!"
