EMI, major record label, no longer considers itself a “label” but a “comprehensive rights management company”

"A source close to the situation said that while EMI will still offer label-like functions, and will still sign sound recording-only or publishing-only deals, but confirmed that its emphasis will be on managing wider range of rights — as well as providing modular, one-off services to indie bands that want to keep creative control and ownership of their master tapes. For them, EMI’s Label Services division charges them fees to offer label-like functions including distribution, merch, iPhone apps, or whatever other part of “the machine” an artist might need.

"The new EMI is a music business with a variety of irons in the fire, but there’s one thing it’s not anymore, and that’s a traditional record label.  Former EMI signee and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has been predicting doom for the recorded music industry of late, saying it had “months rather than years” until it would implode. Perhaps this is part of what he meant."

New EMI head honcho Robert Faxon, in an internal staff e-mail obtained by Wired.com, sent to EMI employees on Friday morning to announce the changes, says:

    Dear all

I wanted to reach out to all of you following the announcement earlier today of my appointment to the position of EMI Group Chief Executive. As I said in the press release, it is a real honour to be given the responsibility of leading the operations of what I believe to be one of the greatest music brands in the world, and I am excited about the challenge of heading the company in the next phase of its long history.

    As most of you will know, I have been Chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing for the last three years, and have held a number of roles across EMI Music, EMI Music Publishing and EMI Group in more than 16 years with the company. This is a business that I know well, and one which I believe can deliver real growth for the artists and writers that we are all privileged to represent.

    My goal is to build a Global Rights Management Business that draws on the expertise and talents of everyone across the entirety of both divisions. I believe that the two businesses, working in concert with one another, sharing the same values, pursuing a coordinated strategy can and will deliver for our artists and songwriters no matter what challenges we face.

    That new business needs to be built on some principles that I believe are fundamental to achieving success in this rapidly changing marketplace:

    We must be unswervingly focused on championing our artist community, and providing them with the help they need to achieve their maximum potential.

    The commitment to discovering and promoting new music is absolutely essential to our future growth.

    We need to recognize the power and importance of the extraordinary catalogue of recordings we represent, and as we do that we need to respect the creative contribution of all the talented artists who made those recordings.

    We have to be passionate about providing world-class service and services to the many and varied music users and retailers across the globe. We need to be the most trusted and effective partner to them, while also providing fans with the products that they demand.

    It is vital that we constantly work to enhance the skills of staff in the pursuit of excellence across all parts of the business.

    We must cultivate a culture of cooperation that will enable us to work better and more effectively across different geographies, functions and divisions. In other words, we need to be a team.

    We need to bring the fun back into the music business. We need to remember that we are in this business because we love music and admire those who create it. Our joy and enthusiasm for and about music is our greatest tool in building EMI.

    I feel fortunate to be joining EMI Music after it has really started to come alive again as a player in the recorded music business. Over the last year or so you have had some striking great successes both in new music and catalogue. And not unimportantly, the company has made great financial progress. I am grateful to Charles Allen for his leadership in making that happen and I look forward to benefiting from his advice and counsel as we build this new business.

    I also want to say how pleased I am that Stephen Alexander will be taking on the Chairmanship of Maltby Capital from Lord Birt. John Birt has been a great supporter of EMI for which I thank him. Many of you have come to know and value Stephen in his role as a senior advisor to EMI, and I am absolutely confident that he will be a great partner as we move forward.

    Over the next weeks and months, I am hoping to have the opportunity to meet with many of you around the business, to talk to you about my perspective on EMI, and to listen to what you all have to say. I’m very much looking forward to it.

    Best wishes

    Roger Faxon


Read More:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/06/music-revolution-forces-major-label-emi-to-evolve/3/#ixzz0rPElPsMM

Formed in 1974, Released in 2010, High from Kolkata Could Be India's Best Rock Band Ever

Ten years back, I was fresh out of college, leebheeng on my own in a single room in CR Park, New Delhi. I had a big addiction to music. I would rather spend my last money on a cassette than save it for street food during the last week of the month. The logic was that the music would do more for me than a one-time purchase of food. At least the music will last. 

It did. Back then, I had a friend called Vineaux, who besides being a professional copywriter, was also an avid music collector in the vein that single, middle-aged, bachelors living in the city are wont to be. He was a long term J.J. Cale fan and even runs a fan site (www.jjcale.net) and listened extensively to African and world music. A copywriter from Calcutta (Kolkata) came to stay with Vineaux once. He was a Deadhead to the tune of around 100+ bootlegs (Fans of the Grateful Dead are rated by the number of bootleg recordings they possess of the band.) and in his possession, he also had a cassette recording of ‘High.’

Almost everyone who dropped in, to listen to good music, for decent conversation or just to relax would find that if the party kicked into gear, bout an hour later, that High tape would be played and everyone would groove to The Monkey Song. What struck me, was the fact that The Monkey Song is primarily a reggae song. I have seen Indian bands like Them Colognes iron out the little flips and accents in cover versions of Roxanne (The Police), or die-had oldies like Rehab play Message In A Bottle, doing justice to the rhythm approach to guitar but still wooden in the bass and drums. Lo, here was this laid-back, groovy band that had that entire southern blues rock feel that could stroll into an anthemic reggae groove and get anyone’s feet moving!

There was an incredible difference in High’s music and that of others. Even decades of gigging gave Shiva just one cassette tape of cover songs in terms of visibility and here was this band that was half Shiva and ten times the talent of 90% of what passes as talent internationally. I wanted that album, but I was told point blank that the tape was only shared between friends and the album was not for circulation out of respect for singer, songwriter, Dilip Balakrishnan, who lost to cancer at the age of just 39. I really think we lost the best thing that ever happened to Indian rock.

I finally got the album years later when Vineaux was moving out of Delhi for Kolkata and it went into my collection carefully. Since then, I have been telling everyone I met on the Indian rock scene that High was the best Indian band ever. Period.

Finally, I am glad the album is out and I can prove what I have always known and said all these years. Apparently, I'm not the only one.  

Read more at:

http://www.ilovekolkata.in/index.php/Beatspace/Return-of-a-rock-classic.html

http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/music/music_details.asp?code=145&source=4

http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/30imp.htm

If you prefer Facebook, check out:

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=app_2309869772#!/group.php?gid=480460015182&ref=ts

Videos from the album launch gig at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWkBUo65vOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvOjUMg5Uhs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvOjUMg5Uhs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4BrUPiTlvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLp7wxt3ELc

 

 

 

Tom Waits' Extremely Cool Photographs & a Facebook Story

Here's a visual side to Tom Waits and a Facebook story. Some time back in another Facebook avataar, I came across a profile that I added as my friend. I found Tom Waits on Facebook and 'naturally' added him as a friend. Well, nothing happened for three or four days until one day I noticed a post on the Man's wall asking him 'if he was the real Tom?' Well, I had to add my bit, which was that I kinda liked the idea of Tom Waits impersonating himself on Facebook and there was nothing wrong with that! Well, the next thing I knew was that I was accepted as a friend. All I have to say is that my statement was made in the light of the fact that anyone who has a relationship with some of the double-inversions and double-recontextualization evidenced in Floyd albums or Quadrophenia (The Who) should have no problem with anyone being anyone they want to be. Eh, right?

Well, the only other musical person who accepted me as a friend is 'probably' Jimmy Buffet. Which was probably due to my interest in his wildlife conversation projects in the Caribe islands and respect.

PS: I love Travis McGee too but more on that later.