Gordon stood up, nodding respectfully to Brandon before exiting the office. As the door closed behind him, Bailey turned to Brandon, her eyes wide with expectation.
Brandon smiled at his sister, leaning forward slightly.
"I'm assuming you have some kind of crew or network in the hacking world?"
Bailey nodded, her interest piqued.
"I need you to gather as many of them as you can to help keep the trade transactions anonymous and untraceable. Set up and fortify our systems, make sure we stay off the grid. Can you do that?"
Bailey's eyes lit up, a grin spreading across her face as she nodded excitedly.
"Is that what my IT company can focus on? Cyber-security?"
Brandon shook his head, his expression turning serious.
"It can be after we've beaten the incoming storm. But this operation has to be on the down low. You'd still need a cover."
Bailey's excitement dimmed slightly, but determination still shone in her eyes. She nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Cover? You've got an idea for the direction for my company, right?"
Brandon gave her a reassuring smile.
"I haven't decided on one yet but I have some ideas, don't worry your company is crucial to our plans. I've got your back."
Brandon turned his attention to the sleek intercom on his desk.
He frowned, eyeing the array of buttons with uncertainty.
After a moment of hesitation, he pressed one at random, then another.
Nothing happened.
Frustration creeping into his expression, he jabbed at a few more buttons before giving up with a sigh.
'Dammit!'
Rising from his chair, Brandon strode to the door and called out,
"Jessie? Could you come in here for a moment?"
He returned to his seat just as Jessie entered, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
"Finally have time for your own company, Mr. Blackstone?"
Brandon waved dismissively.
"We'll get to that. First things first, have the songs I've recorded so far been uploaded to the various streaming platforms?"
Jessie's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Streaming? What's streaming?"
Brandon's eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly as he processed Jessie's words. He blinked rapidly, his mind racing.
'Streaming platforms don't exist yet?'
He quickly pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the screen as he searched for familiar names.
[ Spotify ] - no results.
[ Apple Music ] - nothing.
His heart raced as the implications sank in.
Looking back up at Jessie, he cleared his throat, trying to mask his shock.
"How do you propose we capitalize on the buzz we've got now?"
Jessie replied confidently,
"I suggest we release your first album as 13 ASAP."
Brandon's brow furrowed.
"Album? As in CDs?"
Jessie nodded, looking confused.
"What else?"
Suddenly, Brandon's eyes lit up.
He turned to Bailey, excitement radiating from him.
"I've got it! B! How soon can you and your team come up with a streaming app?"
Bailey looked back, as confused as Jessie.
"Streaming? What do you mean?"
Brandon leaned forward, his words tumbling out rapidly.
"Imagine a site and an app where people can listen to any song they want, anytime, anywhere. No need for physical CDs or downloads. They pay a monthly subscription, and they get access to all the songs they want."
"Streaming, you say?" Bailey raised an eyebrow before continuing,
"So, you're talking about a platform where music isn't downloaded or owned, but accessed remotely, on demand."
Brandon nodded enthusiastically at Bailey's understanding.
"Exactly. Instant access to any song, any album, anywhere in the world, all for a monthly fee. People would pay for convenience, for the ability to explore music like never before. Of course, it will be up to you and your team to create an engaging interface."
Jessie's brow furrowed, her voice laced with concern.
"This would be a complete shift in how we operate. Our entire business model is based on selling albums, physical and digital. How do you expect to get the artists on board with this? They're used to getting paid royalties per album sold, per single downloaded. How does this streaming idea make sense for them?"
Brandon met her gaze, unfazed.
"We change the revenue model. Artists get paid based on streams. The more their music is played, the more they earn. It's direct, fair, and it means they can reach more listeners globally. We could even offer them data insights, show them where their fans are, what songs are trending. This isn't just a new way to distribute music; it's a way to empower artists."
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"And think about this - any aspiring artist from all round the world can upload their music directly onto our platform. If they want a part of the revenue sharing, they'll have to sign with us. Do you realize what this means for BMG in terms of talent acquisition? Our reach would be unprecedented."
Bailey's fingers stilled, and she looked up, her mind already working at a million miles an hour.
"This is going to require massive infrastructure," she said, her tone turning serious.
"We'll need servers, data centers, and an airtight security system. Not to mention a user-friendly interface that can handle millions of users simultaneously. But... it's doable."
Jessie's skepticism was starting to wane, replaced by a spark of interest.
"And what about the competition? Once we roll this out, the other labels will scramble to catch up. We'll need something that sets us apart, something they can't replicate easily."
Bailey's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Leave that to me. I can integrate proprietary encryption, make our platform secure and nearly impossible to reverse-engineer. Plus, I have a few ideas for features that will blow anything the competition tries to do out of the water."
Jessie paced back and forth, her mind racing as she tried to wrap her head around the sheer scale of what Brandon was proposing.
As the COO of BMG, she was used to big ideas, but this was something entirely different.
Finally, she stopped, turning to face Brandon with furrowed brows.
"Boss, I get the vision, I really do," she began, her voice steady but tinged with concern.
"But we need to be realistic. The cost of consumer acquisition for something like this would be enormous. We're talking about changing the way people experience music entirely. Not to mention, getting the rights to music from other labels will be a nightmare."