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January 17, 2008

Technical Analysis Reveals EMI To Be Fucked

We're not exactly up to date with our trade journals, but you need no industry expertise to put EMI on deathwatch. Just the other day, the label announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs (about 1/3 the work force). Private equity fund Terra Firma, which bought EMI last year, is making a mess of things trying to sure up the bottom line. Fine. But at least they're being proactive about it and countering their shenanigans by proposing some brilliant ideas! Like offering, for the first time, brands and corporations to sponsor their top-shelf artists.

Yes, Terra Firma CEO Guy Hands is quite the businessman. And artists are taking note. Robbie Williams is already boycotting the label, and the Verve is threatening to do the same. And now today the Rolling Stones announce they're fleeing the sinking ship for a one-album deal with Universal (you know you're in bad shape when you're being outclassed by this guy).

Let it be said: Sir Paul and Radiohead saw it coming!

So we know people are getting obits together and making predictions on young pop stars, but maybe it's about time to get the death pool going on EMI, eh? Where are we setting the over/under? And if you happen to be one of the 2,000 or have a little insider perspective ... we're all ears.

Posted at 7:18 PM




9 Comments

Well, I'm not overly sure what this will do to the music industry as a whole, but I think this is marking the start of the domination of DIY artists over the music industry. This is obviously going to be building from the ground up, but I think that this will finally eliminate the artists that rely on studio mastering to make their music sound acceptable, and will let the artists with talent regardless of studio time finally be able to shine.

Posted by: Sean Eckmann at 01/17/08 8:51 PM  | Reply
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bring it on!

Posted by: grady highberry at 01/17/08 8:54 PM  | Reply
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Sorry Sean but that insight there makes you sound like a kid inferring his book report based on the cover. Glossy music comes out of indie and major labels alike. There will always be a market for pro crap and there will always be major labels to release that crap in some form. We just will see more and more bands that should be on indie labels, staying on indie labels. Far more indies and far less majors.

Posted by: Uhhh at 01/17/08 9:01 PM  | Reply
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good riddance to the bastards

Posted by: shawn at 01/17/08 9:22 PM  | Reply
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i think you could start deathwatches for lots of name-brand companies in 2008- emi, chrysler, sears...who else? i'd like to keep kodak around for the benefit of upstate new york.

Posted by: jim at 01/17/08 10:12 PM  | Reply
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but now that i think about it, at&t died and came back to life as cingular's new name, so maybe chery will turn into chrysler at some point. never mind.

Posted by: jim at 01/17/08 10:14 PM  | Reply
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Radio Head? seriously? but, it is good to see the big boys abandoning ship. emi will have to struggle to hold on.

Posted by: rob z at 01/18/08 9:21 AM  | Reply
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is his name really guy hands?

that's pretty awesome.

Posted by: darin at 01/18/08 11:11 AM  | Reply
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EMI actually stands for Evil Music Industry.

Posted by: Baby81 at 01/19/08 12:15 PM  | Reply
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