More cuts....

[Kris]

EMI, a company in deep crisis

Written by alchemiste on January 13, 2008 to Music Business.

Up to 2,000 jobs at EMI – more than one in three of the workforce – are at risk under a radical restructuring of the music group drawn up by private-equity boss Guy Hands. Thousands of artists will also go from EMI’s 14,000-strong roster. Little is known which artists will have to go at this point.

Robbie Williams is refusing to release his next album until he knows what kind of service an artist of his magnitude could expect from his record company. Williams' manager says that EMI's new CEO, said Guy Hands, is behaving like a plantation owner. Coldplay is also considering leaving EMI while Radiohead and Paul McCartney have already left.

[Aearth]

Now is the time for all bands and solo artists to get their own studio/gear happening. I think I'll start selling gear or get a mix room.

nIC

[heathen]

Whats that Bob Dylan song? "and the times they are a something something".

[Thirteen]

Whats that Bob Dylan song? "and the times they are a something something".

Thanks Heathen, I just spat tea out of my nose.

[heathen]

Whats that Bob Dylan song? "and the times they are a something something".

Thanks Heathen, I just spat tea out of my nose.

Sorry man I could'nt resist.

[Dave Shore]

As we've discussed before, this could just be the beginning of much more sackings/restructuring/Artist culling.

I'll be interested to see (in regards to the Record Companies who are still hoping to make money off selling recorded music) whether their Artist culling will focus more on the 'teenybopper' Artists or the 'non teenybopper' Artists.

The teenybopper Artists always completely dominate the charts/MTV etc and so (I'm guessing) it's usually been easier for a Record Company to make a quick buck by signing a Britney Spears rather than a Grinspoon. As, no music-acquiring demographic is prob as large as the 'millions of young screaming teens' demographic.

But, moving forward, that demographic will prob be the demographic who will be least likely to pay for recorded music (they usually only want the single rather than the album, and young teens are way more web/tech-savvy than anyone else - meaning they're more likely to know how to acquire the single for free).

So maybe the 'non teenybopper Artists' will be the Artists that generate the most money moving forward. As their fans would be more loyal, more likely to want the whole album, will be less web-savvy, and will prob have more cash to spend.

Wouldn't it be an interesting scenario if, due to the above, teenybopper Artists ceased to exist!



P.S. I don't use the word 'teenybopper' in a negative/offensive way - just referring to the kind of Artists who are specifically aimed at very young teens.

[jkhuri44]

Wouldn't it be an interesting scenario if, due to the above, teenybopper Artists ceased to exist!

*gets down on bended knee.

*prays...."dear lord, please ....."

*and god made NEW good music on the 10000000000000000000000th day...
and he saw that it was good!

[Kris]

They'll keep whoever is selling.... according to Guy Hands about 3% of the roster is viable. So that's 420 artists out of 14,000.

As for MTV, they stopped playing music a long time ago. Empty-V would be more appropriate.

[rick]

so last week i had two bosses of two different record companies in
BOTH had big black hire cars and drivers and a gaggle of staff into tow and a stack of blue cheese and booze appeared from nowhere to make my studio stink
one night i threw out about $200 of smell melted cheese and crackers !
both labels were committing to major expenditure on new young acts

and this week well this week is even worse ( better /cant tell you about it yet ) ,

i am not saying its all good in label land , but i am sure that the future will be pointed at new acts not long time money makers superstars who understand contracts .

btw i was in the promoters box at rod stewart the other night and acer arena was full as were all the glass boxes at $550 a seat ( no of course i did not pay.. ! ) but what shocked me was the sony bmg glass box was OVERFULL and the booze and blue cheese where spilling out into the halls

somebody somewhere better tell the record label its all over ,
they dont seem to believe the internet gossip :)

[heathen]

I knew there was a lot of umm "cheese" in this industry, how much though I was just never certain.

[chris p]

Rick, I'm never one to question your judgement about the music industry, but big boss extravagance is not necessarily a sign of health, just one of greed. Ask the shareholders of OneTel and HiH.

[Kris]

And I bet the new young bands are going to have the cost of that cheese, wine and limo's buried in their budget so not only will they be paying for their album until their grand kids come along, they'll also be paying for the cheese and wine that they didn't even get a piece of, let alone a ride in the limo.

[rick]

please dont misunderstand me
i am sure the music label model as we know it is broken , i have no time at all for limos and blue cheese, in fact i was disgusted at the waste i threw out the other night , and i have no idea who paid for it, how it got in the building ,or whose hamper basket is sitting in the foyer waiting for collection .

so what i am saying is i find a huge gap between what i read on the net and what i see in the working world and its important to balance the net observations with first hand experience

fire them all i say , rewrite the deals so artists can actually get royalties and work on real paying ways to give the people what they want ( entertainment).

oh yeah i would like to see a clause written into music contracts that keeps blue cheese out of the business for ever

[Kris]

blue cheese is evil.

i say if that hamper is still there in 24 hours it becomes the property of the turtlerock corporation.

[rick]

i am not sure the hamper basket would fit in the back of the turtlerock limo
what with the two baby seats bolted in the back that just negates all chances of me
looking like the big cheese any time soon :)

[heathen]

oh yeah i would like to see a clause written into music contracts that keeps blue cheese out of the business for ever

Yay!

Also.
C'mon Kris it's not that bad it just smells that way.


Hmmmmm next demo I send to EMI will be accompanied by a slab of blue cheese the size of Tasmania. Guaranteed record deal.

I'm sure now this is where I've failed in the past.

[Dave Shore]

I actually love blue cheese ... damn - I should have been an executive in a record company ;)