Remember I was offered to be GIVEN Decca in the 80's by Sir Edward Lewis - worth 80 million then - if I promised to keep it and run it for the rest of my life.
I politely refused his kind gift - I wish I'd accepted it now, looking back.

I was also asked to become Chairman of EMI shortly before all THIS happened and was seriously contemplating doing it (Levy got the gig after my arrest).

If I was in charge I would...

Start up a totally NEW model subsidiary to take on all NEW projects and artistes, leaving the radically trimmed down OLD model to capitalise on back catalogue marketing, packaging and cash raising.

My NEW model would have a radio station and a TV station wholly owned.

You?

It would all depend on how much I would have paid for EMI, if it was my own money (and if I had enough money to fool around with) or if their were investors hammering on my door, screaming: "I want my money back!"

For EMI (and the other majors) the only (or at least the best) way to get through the next decade is - like you said - to just capitalise on the catalogue.

For finding developing new artists, I would financed some (semi)-independent producers/managers/artists.

I'm not sure if a combination of these two approaches (like Terra Firma seems to be trying with EMI) can be a success: For catalogue-marketing the company is even after the recent cuts much too big, and new trends /new artists need more time to develop. To give everyone who shows a little bit of promise the full treatment of a "global functional company" is exactly the strategy that got the phonoindustry in its troubles in the first place.

To summarise: I'm quite happy that I sold my EMI-shares around 1999/2000 ...

I have to tell you there's one incredibly positive feeling I have about the current scene.

In the 60's one motive dominated every one of us who made music.

We loved making music.

I never met one music person (including executives) in it for the money.

Today - there's no money in it.

And I think that will be the biggest boost of all for music.

JK you are right on the money there.
If i owned EMI I would set up a MUTV style TV station on Satellite in the UK and relayed globally through cable franchises. I wouldn't bother with a radio station. What I would do would be to buy timeslots on radio to broadcast the best of EMI TV.

We would make music we love or signed artists we loved and use the back catalogue as bread and butter money using TV advertising on the station as well as normal TV.

We would have a lot of reality TV shows, documentaries etc all produced in house in our own TV stations.

I would then hire out the TV studios for video production, demos etc with an a&r guy stationed there to scout for talent. Why hunt for talent when they will come to you ?

I would also have a recording studio and use the same principle of Sun Studios, affordable studios for everyone again with an engineer/a&r person on board.

I would motivate staff who discover talent to get 1% of the profit (ok depends on the financials) as motivation for them to find hot talent.

I would then open up the marketing and services dept for all bands and go for the Tunecore market to get them on board as independents. They pay for us to deliver their music to iTunes etc and can pay for marketing and promotion. This market will be worth a couple of million each year. Should we like any particular artist then I would invite then to tour EMI HQ, offer them a deal and support on our global network. FFS if Man Utd the richest club in the world can do it then so can the music industry.

Come to think of it Tipsheet Records anyone ?

D.Jones pretty much echoed my thoughts.

I would make the most of what I had already in back catalogue(begrudgingly in a long term way , but firstly you have to look at what you`ve got) and try and get some of the independent producer/companies and scouts onboard for the future.

As for what JK says about there being no money in it, sadly I have to echo that fact. You have to do it for love and any money is a bonus. I despair at young bands that I meet with, wanting to talk career and long term plans before anything else.
The slate is wiped clean almost, we are back to basics, lets start again whilst we can, forewarned.

I hasten to add, I am only saying "if" EMI was mine, they are going to have an impossible task shaking the old rules.

This is funny; if I was EMI Chairman I would not know if to

1) boost my salary 250%, fire half of the staff, enjoy the limos, the blow and the 16-yr-old bunnies at the pool, hey, nothings forever and that

Admittedly brief research fails to back up either of your statements regarding running Decca and EMI. Who offered you the job of running EMI? There is no record of Southgate or Nicoli asking you, perhaps you should expand for clarity's sake. It is a BIG claim, after all.

Dear old Walter, cynical as ever!
Witnesses regarding Sir Edward before he died? Only dear Jeannie, his wife... so you'll just have to take my word for it (or not).

EMI? I got more and more friendly with Eric Nicoli, persuaded him Ken Berry was a disaster, he asked me if I'd consider it, I said no, then thought about it and decided that, with Rupert Perry looking after half the areas I hated and Paul Conroy caring for the other half, I might have made it work.

Just at that moment (2000) I was arrested.

Again, you'll just have to decide whether or not it makes sense. Or would have made sense.

But if the ECHR find on my behalf, get ready for the compensation claim!!!

centaur wrote:
hire hackers to create the best social network site they can dream of; you can stream the whole catalog with a tiny subscription anytime, plus have your own customized player, playlist etc
THE most sensible thing I've heard/read on this matter. Technology is where it's at. Napster was 1999, nearly ten years ago and large labels still haven't come up with anything that comes close. OiNK was pretty much cutting edge, why couldn't they have used that model or the brains behind it?

I guess his doubt is bred from the volume of claims that you make more than anything else. You are like an 'old' (sorry) uncle at christmas claiming to have been everywhere and involved in everything.

Anyway, everyone knows cynics die young so i always believe every word you type....mostly.

ditto JK along with people who could spot talent, produce great records and help market the products dotted all over the place. The world is a small place so forget the "got to be in town", to work in the industry model. No need for expensive studio costs anymore.

GODIVER - I know, you're right and so is Walter... this dear old uncle does tend to ramble on about past achievements (many of which are not worth mentioning)... but, as an example, filming yesterday (I'm on a huge project... oops, sorry!) the cameraman was astonished that I had recorded The Sun Has Got His Hat On.

Many people simply don't know about some of the things I've done.


My only excuse is that I was far too busy DOING things to bother getting proof at the time!

DJKZ, your TV-plans would be realistic, if there weren't already too many TV channels, TV production companies, TV studios etc.

Sony BMG had the same idea in 2005: in 2006 the dream of morphing into an "audio-visual-company" was already over.

And: The majors own the rights to songs / recordings. But do the own (many) video rights (to important catalogue acts like the Beatles)?

In truth, though, Decca would have done much better if JK had been running it.

For a start he might have been able to keep the Stones.

Decca in the seventies didn't have much going for it at all as I recall - relying on their sixties back catalogue, more or less. Tom and Engelbert both buggered off to EMI. All they really had were the Moody Blues, a few prog-rock cult reliables like Camel and Caravan and the occasional one-off hit like "Mouldy Old Dough" plus the leased out soul/dance hits on the London and Brunswick imprints.

They totally missed out on glam, disco and punk.

JK - what would you have done to turn the tide if you'd been in charge then?

In the end it comes down to being honest with one's self as well as everyone else. The point is JK has remarkable talents and is hugely creatively as a writer and songsmith. He isn't and never has been a successful businessman, and No ,please don't shout UK Records at us .
The idea of him running EMI EVER is completely preposterous and never remotely occurred.
JK, You have contributed so much in Music, be content in that and quit the Business Wonderkid stance.

Walter - whether or not it would have succeeded I cannot say but I was definitely asked and I think I might have been able to do better than Levy, Berry or even, dare I say it, Ames.

My strength is in hearing, finding, breaking, establishing music, hits and acts.

If others had dealt with team leadership (Perry) and day to day management (Conroy), both of whom know and respect me as much as I do them, I think the team might well have kept EMI alive and well.

Could I really have done any worse than Wadders and Flom?

Hi DJones well regardless of how many TV channels, studios etc are out there, having our own would mean having the chance to always be in control of our content. MUTV is a success and if you consider that EMI would have as much if not more stars than Manchester Utd there is no reason why it won't work. Unless we Feck it up.

For a start he might have been able to keep the Stones.


The Stones left in 1970/71, almost ten years before the death of Sir Lewis. As a british / european company Decca had no chance to compete against the global majors in the 70s.

JK could have used the catalogue sales (classical music becoming very valuable in the 80s thanks to the CD) and re-invent the company as same kind of "independent" force, but by 1980 it maybe was too late already.

Amongst other things I'd create smaller "brands", sponsor live events and record artistes.

I'd stagger "deals" on offer to artistes - perhaps beginning with cheap/subsidised recording for low runs of 500 CDs and retain [some] long term rights. If there was success they would move up to the next level.

The object would be to nurture new acts cost-effectively, tying them into something to prevent jumping ship and "my EMI" getting absolutely nothing.

The central London HQ thing is too slow and cumbersome to work effectively.

If it was me I think I'd start by getting EVERYTHING in the vaults digitised and open a download shop offering every single track available that EMI owns.

Hopefully this would give enough time to get back to finding and nuturing artists/groups, giving bands time to grow.

Certainly agree with the idea of a TV station as well as a radio one. Perhaps also a site like Youtube but featuring all the video EMI owns as well?

I'd also drop CD singles and just produce tracks on vinyl.

If Guy needs my number it's....