Robbie Williams leads strike against EMI
p2pnet news | Music:- Robbie Williams believes Guy Hands (right), the new head of EMI , is behaving like a “plantation owner”.
So he’s taking the same route opened by Radiohead and followed up by others such as NIN’s Trent Reznor and classical violinist Tasmin Little.
But it doesn’t end there.
He’s also leading a number of other corporate recording stars who’ve become disenchanted by Hands’ leadership style in an organised protest.
Williams is, in effect, going on strike by withholding the next album, says Times Online, going on:
“Coldplay, one of EMI’s few US chart-toppers, are also prepared to withdraw their labour. Their manager said that the band was considering its options after EMI’s head of music left this week, with thousands more redundancies expected.
“Radiohead and Sir Paul McCartney have already walked out on EMI, which has cut advance payments to stars and told artists to work harder at promoting their music. EMI’s share of the British album market, already damaged by downloading, fell from 16 per cent to 9 per cent last year.”
Williams plans to release new music directly to fans through his website, says the story, going on “lucrative” mobile deals with T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson are being discussed.
“He is seeking control over his back catalogue from EMI, the issue that prompted Radiohead’s departure, and a greater return on digital distribution of his music,” says Times Online, adding: Hands is “keen to retain Williams”.
But, “I might just put the B-sides to the next album out first online,” the story has Williams saying.”Then put an album out in 2009. There definitely won’t be a tour any time soon.”
Hands, who’s on record as saying EMI will drop artists it feels aren’t working hard enough, is also apparently telling prospective partners they can nearly quadruple their money and cash out within five years, says the New York Post.
Also see:
Times Online – Robbie Williams issues call to arms in protest at EMI ‘bean counters’, January 11, 2008
aren’t working hard enough – ‘Quadruple your money with EMI!’, November 14, 2007
New York Post – Terra Firma to squeeze EMI millions, November 13, 2007
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January 11th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
“told artists to work harder at promoting their music’….so what is it that a record label does anyway?
January 11th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Q: ….so what is it that a record label does anyway?
A: They cheat artists out of their money, steal credit for writing stuff they never wrote (Rafael Venegas’s father), and extort 10’s of 1000’s of dollars from men, women, and children. That is exactly what they do. Now, people are going to put these labels in their place – OUT OF BUSINESS!!!