Quantcast
“He is so deceptive, with that little kind face and those little glasses. Behind them, he is actually a killer shark.”
——Doug Morris on Grainge

I.B. BAD ON THE DAWN OF THE LUCIAN GRAINGE ERA

What Changes Can We Expect From UMG’s Dynamic Incoming Co-CEO?
July 6 will be a momentous occasion not just for UMG but for the music business as a whole. That’s the day Lucian Grainge will formally assume the role of co-CEO with Doug Morris, bringing his aggressive, tough-minded leadership style to the U.S. Next January, the much-buzzed-about executive will become UMG’s lone CEO, while Morris retains his Chairman’s title, at which point Grainge will have some big shoes to fill and some music business history to buck. As a rule, British executives have had great difficulty adapting to the American business culture—onetime Virgin ruler Ken Berry serving as the poster boy for this phenomenon. But everything about Grainge’s three-decade career suggests that the London native has what it takes to take over Morris’ role as the single most powerful figure in the record business. The question everyone is asking is, how will the actions of the new co-CEO impact the existing UMG hierarchy and infrastructure once he starts his new job? Most believe that Grainge will make no dramatic changes during the next six months, opting instead to work side-by-side with Morris while analyzing the entire worldwide organization and its key players, including label heads Jimmy Iovine, L.A. Reid, Monte Lipman, Sylvia Rhone and Luke Lewis; UMGD head Jim Urie; UMPG chief David Renzer; and UMG COO Zach Horowitz. The prevailing belief is that the changes will start to go down in earnest early next year, immediately following his assumption of the CEO position… “He is so deceptive, with that little kind face and those little glasses,” Morris has said of his handpicked eventual successor. “Behind them, he is actually a killer shark.” Grainge loved the characterization… Having earned his reputation as a wily A&R man, Grainge would seem to be a good fit at UMG, whose dominance has been predicated on signing and developing competitive acts under Morris’ seasoned leadership. The heir apparent echoed the philosophy of his mentor when he said last year, “Our attack is about getting the best people and creating an environment where competitive, egotistical people can feel at home, coddled, wanted and protected to be themselves.” Likewise, Grainge’s moves to open new revenue streams and forge partnerships with tech and media companies from Nokia and Sky to 19 Entertainment and the BBC have closely paralleled those made by Morris, and he’s expected to bring this proactive approach to his new job. In his previous post, Grainge hooked up with Sweden-based subscription service Spotify, causing wonderers to wonder whether he’ll support Spotify’s move to launch a U.S. service, which the rest of the Big Four are reportedly resisting… The word from inside UMG is that Grainge wants to stay out of the spotlight for he time being, yet he’s already been profiled in Time magazine and is said to be accepting a number of interview requests from other high-profile publications… Grainge is sure to take note of two surprising pieces of information thrown off by the half-year U.S. marketshare data. Not only does long-dominant UMG find itself in a dead heat with Sony Music in the overall standings at 28.7% apiece, but both Rob Stringer’s Columbia/Epic (9.8%) and Barry WeissRCA/Jive (8.4%) are out in front of Iovine’s IGA (7.2%) on the new-release leader board… Industry observers are comparing this summer’s touring debacle to the Gulf oil spill, as a sector of the industry that was long thought to be recession-proof falls apart on an epic scale, with many insiders pointing to the empty amphitheaters and arenas around the country as dramatic evidence that the concert business is broken. Hit hardest by the collapse of this all-important sector is the Michael Rapino-led post-merger Live Nation, causing observers to speculate on what moves will be made in light of these disastrous events, with shares off 25% in the last six weeks… The approximately $1 billion that could conceivably be generated by the sale of half of EMI Music Publishing to BMG/KKR couldn’t be used to cure the woes of EMI’s recorded music operation, because they’re set up as two separate companies. The deal would also have to be approved by Citigroup, which holds the paper on both entities… What two high-profile executives—one English, the other American and both currently employed—are rumored to be on the short list of candidates to replace Sony Music Chairman Rolf Schmidt-Holtz should he not be re-upped?… Names in the Rumor Mill: Bhaskar Menon, Maurice Oberstein, David Munns, Guy Hands, Steve Barnett, Irving Azoff and Dr. Dre.
NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/29a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/29a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/27a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)