Wednesday Bits & Pieces: Sony Music and UMG Brass Abuzz, Spotify’s Murky U.S. Plans & more…
Weiss decision?
As had been rumored for weeks, the departure of Barry Weiss from Sony Music to a new top spot at Universal Music was leaked yesterday, with multiple ensuing reports confirming Weiss’s impending move from one Midtown high rise to another. The scuttlebutt continues as speculation ramps up as to the whether or not Weiss will ride out the rest of his contract with Sony, which expires in April, and who will replace Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, with UMG CEO-in-limbo Doug Morris being hoisted by some as a new leading candidate for the top spot at Sony. Make sense? We told you months ago, in the now proliferated musical-chairs idiom, the back room dealing will continue to heat up. Onlookers continue to watch the fate of labels within both music groups, and top level execs currently in place and those waiting in the wings. Stay tuned… Meanwhile, Spotify has backed off its stance that a U.S. launch of the service will arrive before the end of the year. Speaking at D: Dive Into Mobile, CEO Daniel Ek wouldn’t commit to a specific date, stating about the continued negotiation trouble with labels, “It’s a business problem and a product problem at the same time.” When asked about the possibility of more cash, to bring a bigger bag to the table, Ek said the start up is not currently raising funds… Elsewhere, PledgeMusic is launching a new type of label, and they’ve announced the first signing in The Damnwells… And talk at SF Music Tech Summit has some questioning if music start ups are being increasingly stifled as weariness of investors to fund services requiring direct licenses from labels grows….
02.10.10The Brits Are Taking Over
With today’s announcement from Vivendi on the appointment of Lucian Grainge as Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group, expect the rumor mill to pump up the volume on what changes we can expect to happen within the UMG labels in the coming months. But before we delve into conjecture on the UMG side, it’s significant to point out the number of British executives running US major labels. Outside of Warner Music Group, the remaining three major label groups are run by Brits. The UK presence is quite prominent at the Rob Stringer-run Sony Music, particularly with the addition of Amanda Ghost at Epic, the recent addition of Ashley Newton at the Steve Barnett-helmed Columbia Records. And the Terra Firma-owned EMI Music Group maintains its US operations under Nick Gatfield, who served under Grainge during his stint as President of Island Records UK prior to his EMI post. Aside from Ghost, the aforementioned execs have solid working experience in US music companies. Barnett has been in the Sony US system for years, Newton’s previous post at RCA and his tenure co-running Virgin Records US makes him a very well-respected US exec, while Gatfield ran Polydor Records in the states during the ‘90s.
Back to UMG, Grainge will assume his new post on Jan. 1, 2011, succeeding current UMG CEO Doug Morris. Rumors of Grainge assuming Morris’ position have been swirling for months. Grainge is scheduled to relocate to NY in July as part of the transition. Industry insiders share that Universal Republic head Monte Lipman and brother Avery will have an expanded role at the music group, as well as Mercury Records head David Massey. It leaves to question the future roles of Island Def Jam ruler LA Reid and Universal Motown head Sylvia Rhone, who was a longtime Doug Morris protégé. And it’s fair to expect no major changes to happen at Jimmy Iovine’s Interscope label. Stay tuned…
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