When Warner Music announced that Junior Bronfman was getting kicked upstairs and being replaced as CEO by sexagenarian Stephen Cooper, a turnaround specialist and long-time Blavatnik associate, could mark the beginning of the end for Junior as well as the entry of yet another non-music industry guy in a top position. The reports have Junior now concentrating solely on the purchase of EMI, which...
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Yesterday Sony Music Entertainment fired 25 people. According to one unnamed Sony employee, “It’s really a small cut”. It’s not so small if you’re the one who’s being cut. To rub a little salt in the wound, some of the people let go had been with the company for nearly 20 years. As I told one of the latest victims, “If you were a...
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The dog days are here and it’s tough to concentrate on much of anything, really. I’ve been hanging out on the beach reading and observing events around the recent debt ceiling debate. It occurred to me that there are an unusual number of similarities between the music industry and my favorite moronic movement, the Tea Party. For starters the Tea Party lives in the...
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Who knew that I’d be running Sony Music. I sure didn’t, but evidently septuagenarian CEO Doug Morris is taking me very seriously, especially when I suggested that he revive Portrait Records. Today he actually did, but instead of hiring Tommy Mottola to run it he went back to the well and hired old crony Sylvia Rhone. (Note to Doug: it was a joke.) According...
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Now that septuagenarian CEO Doug Morris is back in the office after a grueling first two weeks on the job, a week of intense label discussions are said to have begun at Sony Music. Insiders say that top execs have been peeing in their pants with fear for the last couple of weeks, with one senior exec, who shall remain nameless, reportedly so paranoid...
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Septuagenarian Doug Morris began his reign as the king chili cheese of Sony Music yesterday when his chauffeur-driven Maybach pulled into 550 Madison Ave. and up to the reactivated private executive elevator that was put out of commission years ago, taking him directly to the 32nd floor where he will now reside in the corner office suite. After walking past his three secretaries to...
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Lawyers for EMI are confident that they will prevail in their lawsuit against Michael Robertson’s MP3Tunes, according to well-informed sources. The label also believes that they will get a ruling on the case fairly soon, though Robertson has heard nothing indicating an imminent decision from the courts. A reason for this optimism on the part of EMI is unknown at the moment, but if...
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Septuagenarian Doug Morris has yet to begin his reign as the new king of Sony Music (his official coronation is July 5) and the long knives have already come out in force. Their first victim seems to be Rob “Fredo” Stringer, who’s suddenly sounding like a castrato. It all started back in April when the rumors hit that L.A. Reid would be taking over...
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A member of the Warner Music Group board of directors is about to become embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit against CNET and its owners CBS Interactive that could be extremely embarrassing for the music company and bring unwanted attention to the pending sale of WMG to investor Len Blavatnik. Plaintiffs in the copyright infringement lawsuit Alki David v. CSB Interactive have pointed out...
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