By mid-February, Arthur and Yu Feihong arrived in Hong Kong.
In Repulse Bay Villa, Emily Shead was astonished as she listened to Arthur. "Galaxy wants to buy Capital Artists?"
Arthur nodded, "Yes, Capital Artists' popularity has been declining, and TVB is looking to sell."
Among the five major record companies in Hong Kong, PolyGram was unparalleled. The others were BMG, Warner, EMI, and Capital Artists.
Capital Artists was a subsidiary of TVB, relying heavily on the New Talent Singing Awards. Most of Hong Kong's famous singers debuted through Capital Artists, but they couldn't retain them.
Arthur smiled, "Acquiring Capital Artists is to serve the Hong Kong market. In Taiwan and China, Galaxy Records is acquiring local labels or forming joint-venture partnerships."
...
Galaxy Records purchased Capital Artists from TVB for HKD 120 million, forming Galaxy-Capital and appointing Warner's renowned music producer Paco Wong as its president.
This acquisition meant that all of Hong Kong's five major record companies became foreign-owned.
At the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, after the acquisition by Galaxy, a grand press conference was held. The president Paco Wong, and signed artists like Anita Mui, Andy Hui, and Sammi Cheng were present, alongside new artists Vivian Chow and Kelly Chen.
Soon, the press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel began, grand and monumental. Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, two mega-stars, made an appearance together.
Vivian Chow joined Galaxy, and Andy Hui and Sammi Cheng renewed their contracts...
...
Shortly after, Anna Walker approached Arthur to report, "Ms. Yang's reactions indicated that Jackie Chan's film company Golden Harvest is preparing Police Story 4: First Strike for him!"
"Looks like it might not happen until next year," Arthur wasn't too bothered, but Hong Kong stars had considerable influence in Southeast Asia and Japan, as well as Taiwan.
"We should go to Taiwan in March," Arthur couldn't ignore the biggest market. Both films and music were crucial in the Taiwan market.
Previously, Galaxy sold copies to local film merchants in Taiwan. MGM-UA's works relied on UIP (United International Pictures) Taiwan branch for distribution.
But since last year, Taiwan opened its quota system for Hollywood films, leading many studios to set up offices in the Taiwan.
Similarly, Galaxy International (Taiwan) Film has been rebranded as MGM International (Taiwan) Films, responsible for all of Galaxy's works in the Taiwan cinema and video markets.
Previously, UIP in Taiwan distributed the 007 series for MGM-UA, but now MGM International itself handles the distribution. This year's GoldenEye is the first 007 film managed by MGM International Films.
That evening, Arthur and Vivian Chow went straight to her villa in Kowloon.
...
At the end of the month, Arthur went to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Ritz-Carlton hotel.
In the bedroom of the Huayuan Apartment at Asian Games Village, Chaoyang:
Arthur lay on top of Yu Feihong, lifting his head from her chest and caressing the softness. "Why not stay at the hotel?"
"This place is nice too. I stay here every time I come back," Yu Feihong replied, ruffling Arthur's hair.
"When are you planning to return to the States? I'll be heading to England soon to intern with the Sense and Sensibility crew," Yu Feihong hadn't forgotten her duties, as opportunities to learn from director Ang Lee were limited.
"Not so soon. Next, I have to visit Taiwan; Galaxy Records has been planning to enter the market for a while."
"Piracy is rampant. CDs are easier to pirate than tapes," Yu Feihong leaned against Arthur's chest.
"Now with the emergence of VCDs, it actually presents a good opportunity."
"Piracy is unavoidable, even in Hong Kong it's serious," Arthur said helplessly. This kind of issue was only better in developed countries where the price difference between official and pirated copies was less significant and where the legal system was more comprehensive.
"Aren't you getting up? Isn't it colder here than in Hong Kong?" Yu Feihong nudged the man.
"Yeah, it's a bit chilly. Winter isn't the best time to be here."
Arthur hugged Yu Feihong, savoring her warmth. "Hong Kong's alright, or maybe Southeast Asia would be better."
With that, he leaned in to kiss her chest again.
"Arthur," Yu Feihong's breathing quickened as she embraced his head, "It's getting late!"
"Ah, there's nothing much going on today," he said before silencing her with a kiss.
Yu Feihong responded passionately until they had to part to catch their breath.
"Alright then, there are a few new discos here in Beijing, like the nightclubs in the U.S., and they're very popular at night," Yu Feihong said as she got up, sharing with Arthur the exciting tidbits of Beijing. "When the time comes, I'll take you to experience the disco culture here!"
Arthur surely wouldn't spend many days in Beijing before leaving.
"Disco, huh?" Arthur chuckled.
"Yeah, there are a lot of people, and plenty of singers get spotted and get album deals there. Anyway, it's a place where many young people expend energy at night!"
"Sure, we can go take a look tonight," Arthur said after listening to Yu Feihong.
*****
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