I.B. BAD FOLLOWS THE BOUNCING BALL AS CHANGE CONTINUES AT EMI

As EMI pulls out all the stops in setting up the critically important Coldplay album, including a single giveaway and splashy free concerts at Madison Square Garden and London’s Brixton Academy, the company’s A&R structure under Nick Gatfield has begun to take shape, with the MDs of Parlophone and Virgin U.K., Miles Leonard and Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, getting their jobs redefined as Presidents of A&R at their respective labels.

Leonard is being credited with the signing and developing of Coldplay, as well as Gorillaz, Lily Allen and global star Kylie Minogue. It's the signing and developing of the next Coldplay that Gatfield and his team are focused on, of course.

Gatfield hasn’t officially started his new job, as much as he’d like to make the move. The executive remains under contract to UMG and can’t formally take his EMI post until that piece of business is resolved.

A bit of history: When Gatfield got the unusual dual role of running PolyGram Music Publishing as well as PolyGram Records U.S. in 1997, he reported to PolyGram Music Group President Roger Ames, whom he replaced two weeks ago at EMI. Earlier, during his first stint at EMI, Gatfield was instrumental in the signing of Radiohead to Parlophone.

Also getting a major vote of confidence is savvy veteran Greg Thompson, who gets both his EMI EVP stripes and a newly compacted single promotion department at Capitol Music Group to oversee.

On the other hand, there’s growing speculation among industry observers and insiders alike that CMG Chairman/CEO Jason Flom will take a sizable check and exit the company. If so, he would walk away with yet another elephant-bucks payout, because EMI is clearly in breach of his contract for materially changing the nature of Flom’s responsibilities.

Either way, Flom will be the honoree—or victim—of City of Hope’s third annual roast May 21 in New York. We can only speculate on whether the announcement of his departure—if he does indeed leave—will come before or after the event. Jokesters joke that if the news breaks beforehand, it will dramatically increase the roast’s comedic potential.