Lucian Grainge has made a very smart move by bringing Don Ienner into the tent. What could it mean for the "new " EMI?
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Lucian Grainge Drafts Don Ienner
Au Revoir, Junior
Thanks to my sources inside Warner Music, I have exclusively obtained a copy of Edgar Bronfman, Jr.’s latest memo to the company: Dear Colleagues: As Warner Music Group begins its next chapter, well-positioned for some truly exciting and unprecedented opportunities, I am writing you today to inform you of my decision to leave the company. As you may recall, last August I wrote you...
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The Failure of Free Music: Where’s The $50 Million?
The last time we heard from our friends at doomed free music service Qtrax was last March when they launched for the fourth time in about as many years. The service launched with only subdued support from the major labels: EMI said that they had signed a “short term agreement”; Sony and Universal did not comment at all; Warner said they did not license...
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The Vindication of Andy Lack
(Or How Doug Morris Gave Away The Record Industry) Walter Isaacson’s terrific biography of Steve Jobs is full of interesting little gems. Of interest to most of my readers is, of course, the section dealing with iTunes and Jobs’ negotiations with the record industry. As Isaacson describes it, Jobs launched a massive charm assault to win over the heads of the major...
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Is The “Twist” For Google Music Sharing?
Yesterday the great Peter Kafka reported in All Things Digital that Android head Andy Rubin said the upcoming Google Music Store will have a “twist”. The latest rumor is that the “twist” may actually be a limited form of music sharing. According to a digital media source, “it will probably be limited to a small number of plays”, but the source was unfamiliar with...
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An Open Letter To Steve Barnett
Columbia Records co-chairman Steve Barnett posted this comment on my last story “Mud Wrestling At Sony Music”. Wayne,
I am not sure what your ultimate agenda is, but clearly you seem to take great joy in publicly disparaging those of us at Sony Music who have actual careers in the music industry and who work in extremely challenging times to help our artists achieve their...
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Mud Wrestling At Sony Music
My phone has been ringing off the hook lately in response to a little item that ran in Hits Magazine last week trashing Rick Rubin. The item gives props to Adele for not only selling 10 million copies of 21 worldwide, but for also firing Rick Rubin from the project early on. According to Hits, Adele rejected the first version of 10 that was...
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Is This Guy Roger Faxon’s New Boss?
Industry sources tell me that Sean Parker is working furiously behind the scenes with Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies to put together a winning bid for EMI. According to insiders, Parker really wants this to happen. The main competition seems to be Junior Bronfman, who’s new duties at Warner Music seem to consist solely of trying to outbid everyone else for EMI. Since Junior has been...
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Sony vs. UMG: Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart kicked off a two-year run last night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the latest addition to the hotel’s pantheon of resident hitmakers that includes Celine Dion, Elton John and Bette Midler. Fortunately Rod the Mod will not be performing any of the Clive Davis saccharin-coated crap from the American Songbook series. “I tried mixing them in, but I’ve decided to instead...
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