Universal selling off Parlophone and other bits (except The Beatles).

A shame - and it would never have happened if Eric Nicoli had been allowed to appoint me global Chairman in 2000.

Instead, Her Majesty's cops swooped in. Co-incidence?

The entire industry has changed, of course, and all major labels are rightly dying. But I would have adapted EMI, launched heavily into online broadcasts and sales, set up several stand alone specialist small areas and streamlined promotion and marketing.

When I ran Decca (twice; late 60s and mid 70s) I was nicknamed The Mad Axeman.

Of course the boss of EMI UK, responsible for part of the decline, was Tony Wadsworth, now in charge of the industry body, the BPI.

Which is why our business is doing so well these days (not).

Absolutely spot on about Wadsworth,pretty certain Parlaphone will go to Warner a sad day indeed but Lucifer will feel
a bit of pain as the deal is a disaster for him whatever the spin

I think all the big labels days are numbered, simply because they can't stop illegal downloads. Video & audio-sharing websites have made music much more "intant" nowadays, which is sad. There's no big album launch dates, no people queing at records shops to buy albums anymore. Sadly, most people have heard an album long before it's release. The internet is killing off not just the music industry but the movie and gaming industries too. The record companies don't help themselves though, the last time i went to buy a cd single I was told we don't really do singles anymore. Labels won't risk investing big in acts purely because they won't make any money from them. The people that are sharing the music though are not the creative ones, so ironically very soon they'll have no artists to "share".

Regards

Andrew.

Pete Waterman on BBC Brekkie saying much the same as me; this is so sad, a disastrous development.

So what can we do to improve things?

Well, my route is to try to help build the new model; by getting people like Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell and the Ruen Brothers (Henry and Rupert from Me Me Me The Movie - free to watch online at www.MeMeMeMovie.com and on You Tube) into the charts, selling music all around the world.

And to try to get the Chief Executives of the big companies who fund the BPI to encourage decent shows to replace the pedestrian Brits.

I know and understand that these men are only interested in their own labels and careers but a healthy industry benefits everyone. Surely they have the brains to understand that?

Sadly, perhaps not. Or my phone would be ringing off the wall begging me to pass on positive suggestions to the team organising the shows.

Add to that iTunes killing the album.

A good thing too; albums were always crap - except compilations and concept albums (like classical symphonies).

Constructed by business men in order to make millions from fans wanting one hit.

I must say - I bought the Adele 21 album and thought it was very average; two hits, very few tracks, all the others pale photo copies of the hits.

Her sound caught the moment; the album sold millions to people who liked the soothing voice and the two hits - why not? Good marketing. But doesn't make the album worth buying.

Now with Lyor Cohen ousted and Faxon on his way to Warner, parlaphone will definetly be landing at warner who will
run warner uk?

LittleAndy wrote:
The people that are sharing the music though are not the creative ones, so ironically very soon they'll have no artists to "share".

Regards

Andrew.

Spot on.
Labels hardly finance new projects these days - in the way they once did ... and who can blame them?

Much safer to concentrate on TV advertised back catalogue sold (quickly) through the supermarkets

Totally disagree with you about albums JK.
One has nothing to do with the other. Singles are great and have
their place. Albums are also great whether they have many hits or not.
Albums are for you to have a relationship with an artist. Singles are primarily
for compilations and events.
Some great albums have had few hits (Sade in particular) and other albums
are all about hits (Elvis). I don't think I owned a non greatest hit album by Elvis.
Each to their own and in the post hit music industry, concept albums will become
the norm.

Hey JK you're in the know is Roger Ames back to run Warner's or will Roger Faxon be the man to re-arrange
the deckchair's on the titanic,what say you master of the new model?

I know nothing but hopefully a more informed insider will fill us in...

Interestingly, at the EMI Sound Federation reception at Somerset House, Roger Faxon, Roger Ames, JF Cecillon, were in attendance. I don’t know who will be running the Divestment Company, but my money is on Roger Ames.

All nice people and all losers.

I know less than nothing - but the timing of Cohen leaving Warner is suspicious: Could it be that he has found a new backer (like Bain/Bronfman jr. before)? Could this new backer be Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) / Bertelsmann? And what are they going to buy? The "Divestment Company" from UMG? Or is the real target the UMG itself? (I don't think the Mohns & their financial wonder child Rabe are crazy / desperate enough to do a really big deal, but ...)

Toldja:
"Cohen’s future may also involve tying in with a private-equity firm to make a play for some of the Universal assets."
www.nypost.com/p/news/business/cohen_mul...wVommZXojj139aw4mlfK

Are Universal eventually going to own everything then collapse themselves?

I don't see what anyone is going to do with EMI that will change anything.

Do the economies of scale work in an industry that's dying anyway?

With the number of imprints to be absorbed (can we really call them labels still?), I'm not sure how anything but a cursory glance will be given to maintaining anything but the best-known.

Remember, the labels have nothing to offer but their catalogue. There is no secret for producing records, like some other industries such as wine manufacturers can claim.

We can expect lots of funky merchandising around the logos (hello, Penguin Books) based on nostalgia, but what else?