A&R is getting very strange. I hear the story of Dan Keeling, hired by Island after rumoured huge success at EMI with Coldplay (but whoever is really responsible for these things?) - enormous money, no decent acts, let go after 3 years with vast payment, then puts a new label in place with Keith Wozencroft (remember him at Wadders EMI?).

Sony puts an enormous deal together; Lucian hears about it (he's apparently paranoid over Simon's success), gets Dan into the office, offers double the money to come back to Universal so Sony won't get him.

When will they ever learn? Where have all the flowers gone?

I gather Jason at Mercury now has 16 full time A&R sources.

No hits mind you.

Dan Keeling owes a huge debt to Caroline Elleray who virtually dragged him into signing COLDPLAY.

This is probably the most depressing post I have read this year.

This is unbelievable no wonder acts and managers hate the business,and they have Jamie Nelson as well at Mercury.
Apparently Dan is buying Barbados

A&R is dead in the UK.

Though many of them are very nice guys - they have not got a clue about music.

Most decisions seem to be made higher up in companies based on purely financial grounds and not about hits.

No wonder things are such a mess if this is an example of how the big companies are hiring and firing in the UK.