Posted December 17, 200717 yr Robbie Williams may quit EMI The Telegraph Dominic White Last Updated: 12:06am GMT 17/12/2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/graphics/2007/12/17/cnemi117.jpg Moving on: Williams’s management sees the internet potential to go directly to fans Robbie Williams's manager has raised the prospect that the star could quit EMI after he completes his final studio album for the struggling record company. The singer, who is also contracted to release a best-of compilation, has been with the company for a decade and remains one of its biggest selling acts. But his manager Tim Clark, co-founder of IE Music, told The Daily Telegraph: ''I would be very wary about signing him to any major at the moment." Clark refused to comment on the star's current contract terms but said ''all options" were open once he has completed his obligations. That raises the possibility that Robbie could follow Paul McCartney and Radiohead, which have left EMI in the past two years and released new albums without a major label. Last week EMI extended its 28-year recording relationship with heavy metal band Iron Maiden, in a deal that includes revenues such as touring, merchandise and sponsorship. Williams is set to be the first major pop act to come up for renegotiation under EMI's new owner, the private equity giant Terra Firma. Mr Clark said the internet offered opportunities for artists to reach their fans direct without the need for major labels. ''What concerns us with old ways is that we take overpriced and shoddy services, particularly now when we have a fantastic opportunity of getting to a fanbase direct. What we really don't want is the dead hand of multinationals throttling these brilliant opportunities," he said. EMI's historic £80m 2002 contract with Williams pioneered the so-called 360-degree deal through a joint venture which manages the star's recording, writing, touring and performing activities. He has yet to release an album since checking into rehab following his 2006 critical flop Rudebox. Terra Firma declined to comment. EMI's rival Warner Music recently saw Madonna quit in a $120m (£59m) deal to join concert promoter Live Nation.
December 17, 200717 yr Author Excellent news. EMI are such an awful record company and have been useless at promoting Rob. Interesting to read, he has to do one more 'best of' as well as a new studio album. Very odd, perhaps the next 'Best of' will be the Swing album, as it is a collection of old covers as opose to original material? I can't imagine another Greatest Hits type of 'Best of' anytime soon though, as his last one was only three years ago. :lol:
December 17, 200717 yr Author Robbie Williams 'could quit EMI' BBC http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44305000/jpg/_44305343_williams_203pax.jpg Robbie Williams last album, Rudebox, was released in 2006. Robbie Williams may quit his record label EMI after he completes his final studio album for the company, his manager has suggested. The singer signed a record £80m deal with the label in 2002 to produce four albums for the company. "I would be very wary about signing him to any major label at the moment," Tim Clark told the Daily Telegraph. The singer has been with the company for a decade and remains one of the label's biggest-selling acts. Mr Clark refused to comment on the performer's current contract terms, but said "all options" were open once Williams has completed his obligations. Negotiations The singer is also contracted to release a best-of compilation. Since 2002, Williams has released three albums: Escapology (2002), Intensive Care (2005) and Rudebox (2006). A fourth album, Let's Swing Again, is due for release in February 2008. Williams will be the first major pop act to come up for renegotiation under EMI's new owner, private equity giant Terra Firma. Mr Clark's comments suggest Williams could follow in the footsteps of Paul McCartney and Radiohead, who have both left EMI in the past two years. He said the internet offered artists opportunities without the need for record labels. "What we really don't want is the dead hand of multinationals throttling these brilliant opportunities," Mr Clark said. 'Devaluing music' Radiohead's Thom Yorke criticised EMI last week on BBC Radio 4's Front Row. "When you're in a situation like this with shareholders, private equity firms, it looks at music as something to buy and sell on, that it's inorganic, that it's something that can be valued and devalued," he said. "Companies buying and selling themselves and seeing the artists work as simply part of their stock is devaluing music - if anybody's responsible for devaluing music, it's them." Sir Paul McCartney also branded his former label "boring" last week in a newspaper interview, citing it as a reason for why they parted company. EMI declined to comment.
December 17, 200717 yr Author Since 2002, Williams has released three albums: Escapology (2002), Intensive Care (2005) and Rudebox (2006). A fourth album, Let's Swing Again, is due for release in February 2008. Oh dear, I hope the BBC have got this info from Wikipedia, because I dont want a Swing album to be the next album, I want an album with original songs. This is very confusing. :wacko:
December 17, 200717 yr He should sign BMG, it's just a few of the large respectfull companies out there. Although I doubt he will. :lol:
December 17, 200717 yr Excellent news. EMI are such an awful record company and have been useless at promoting Rob. Interesting to read, he has to do one more 'best of' as well as a new studio album. Very odd, perhaps the next 'Best of' will be the Swing album, as it is a collection of old covers as opose to original material? I can't imagine another Greatest Hits type of 'Best of' anytime soon though, as his last one was only three years ago. :lol: I like the sound of ' best of ' better than another ' Swing'..........................INTERESTING.... ^_^
December 17, 200717 yr EMI are a useless record company. The sooner he gets shot of them the better. -_-
December 17, 200717 yr Don't worry. The've got a heck of a lot more than 80 million back from him. He's their biggest 'cash cow'. <_<
December 18, 200717 yr Author Further lack of harmony between EMI and top acts Amanda Andrews The Times. 17/12/07 The relationship between EMI and some of its leading artists soured further yesterday as the record label suggested Robbie Williams’s potential departure would not be a great loss, and a source close to artist Joss Stone said the 20-year-old had become “disillusioned” with the company. The record label, recently bought by Guy Hands’s Terra Firma private equity company, played down the significance of Williams's possible departure, saying he represented a tiny percentage of worldwide revenues, as the singer considers his future with the label. Mr Williams signed a record £80 million deal with EMI in 2002 to produce four albums for the company. “Robbie Williams is clearly an important artist but only represented in his best year less than 1 per cent of the worldwide revenues of EMI,” EMI said in a statement to The Times. A source close to Joss Stone said the singer, who resigned with EMI earlier this year in a long-term deal, has more recently had concerns about Terra Firma’s commitment to music and the private equity group’s long-term investment in the business. Joss Stone and her spokesman were yesterday unavailable for comment. Some industry sources have raised concern that private equity investments are rarely for more than five or six years, although Terra Firma has said its investments are often for longer periods than this. Williams’s manager Tim Clark said the artist may leave the record label after he completes the final studio album of his contract for the company, which could come as early as 2009. “While record companies used to provide finance, manufacturing and distribution, in today’s digital music market artists just need finance to fund marketing costs,” said Mr Clark. “There is no need to go to a major record label to fund purely marketing costs, especially now the internet has reduced marketing costs dramatically.” Williams, who has been with the company for a decade, has been one of EMI’s most successful artists in Britain, but has been unable to break the lucrative American market.
December 18, 200717 yr Further lack of harmony between EMI and top acts Amanda Andrews The Times. 17/12/07 The relationship between EMI and some of its leading artists soured further yesterday as the record label suggested Robbie Williams’s potential departure would not be a great loss, and a source close to artist Joss Stone said the 20-year-old had become “disillusioned” with the company. The record label, recently bought by Guy Hands’s Terra Firma private equity company, played down the significance of Williams's possible departure, saying he represented a tiny percentage of worldwide revenues, as the singer considers his future with the label. Mr Williams signed a record £80 million deal with EMI in 2002 to produce four albums for the company. “Robbie Williams is clearly an important artist but only represented in his best year less than 1 per cent of the worldwide revenues of EMI,” EMI said in a statement to The Times. A source close to Joss Stone said the singer, who resigned with EMI earlier this year in a long-term deal, has more recently had concerns about Terra Firma’s commitment to music and the private equity group’s long-term investment in the business. Joss Stone and her spokesman were yesterday unavailable for comment. Some industry sources have raised concern that private equity investments are rarely for more than five or six years, although Terra Firma has said its investments are often for longer periods than this. Williams’s manager Tim Clark said the artist may leave the record label after he completes the final studio album of his contract for the company, which could come as early as 2009. “While record companies used to provide finance, manufacturing and distribution, in today’s digital music market artists just need finance to fund marketing costs,” said Mr Clark. “There is no need to go to a major record label to fund purely marketing costs, especially now the internet has reduced marketing costs dramatically.” Williams, who has been with the company for a decade, has been one of EMI’s most successful artists in Britain, but has been unable to break the lucrative American market. Comments from The Times Readers..... Wasn't it not too long ago when Robbie Williams was grinning ear to ear and shouting out that he was "rich beyond his wildest dreams" ? It was the big EMI advance that enabled him to laugh off the recent failures. Josh Stone too has had an image meltdown and delivered a poor album. While majors are becoming increasingly irrelevant, it's currently only the artists who have succeeded with them, who can now deride them - Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Williams e.t.c. - all succeeded in this model. Most artists still take the big advance rather than go for independence and control, until the point where they don't need any more. Cash up front still speaks loudest to most bands, lawyers and their manager and this is as much a part of the problem as major label rip-offs. What would be interesting would be the success of an artist who hasn't been built through this model (and forget Lilly Allen, Arctic Monkeys e.t.c. - they all had industry management taking the most money) Tony, London, The views expressed above by Susannah are spot on. The "major" labels are no longer relevant in much of the music industry. They have made billions off the back of musicians and have managed to give back almost nothing. The Sony debacle graphically illustrated the depths to which they are prepared to descend in order to keep their execs in undeserved luxury. The fact that Robbie Williams represents less than 1% of their turnover (and they seem quite happy to boast of that!) indicates just how much EMI is earning, although perhaps "earning" is a poor choice of words! Jeffers, Maidstone, UK EMI state that Robbie Williams represented in his best year less than 1 per cent of the worldwide revenues of EMI,†That may well be the case but how many other solo artists achieve such a quick return in investment, Robbie made a net profit in 9 months 2006 of 32m pounds because of the hard work he put in touring, it would be interesting to know how much EMI were paid before Robbie got his share. EMI have been seen as a company who do little or nothing to promote their artists & whose artists now have no confidence in them whatsoever & are leaving at the earliest opportunity. EMI are setting fire to their own wigwam now as the battle lines are being drawn & they are discovering that artists are heading out the door. Have EMI heard of WWW I wonder, they would do well to take heed that artists no longer need them.The fat cat days at EMI are over. Susannah, Dublin, Ireland
