For decades the major labels have operated within a clearly defined ecosystem. You might forgive them if their behavior didn’t change immediately as the environment around them made a dramatic shift. Like any species would, their first reaction was to attempt to apply their existing knowledge to an unfamiliar situation. When the old lake dried up, they simply looked for the next biggest watering hole (iTunes, Amazon MP3, MySpace, etc.). They claimed the territory as their own and still attempt to destroy anything they perceive as a threat.
While this is working to a degree, I think we can all agree that there’s a little less meat on their bones these days. The label with the most pronounced ribcage would be EMI. Unable to hold their own, they’ve been chased from the pride and now find themselves in new territory. With the relentless forces of nature at work, we’ll soon find out if this castoff has the wits to survive on its own.
EMI has been licking its wounds for a while but the company seems to have regained enough of its bearings to attempt an offensive move. The result being the launch of their new “direct to fan” site, EMI.com (not accessible outside the US and UK). While this is certainly a new behavior for EMI, those of you in the indie space should take it as a good sign. The reason being EMI’s new moves are remarkably similar to an indie label’s natural behavior. Instead of sitting around like a fat cat with his eyes closed, eating whatever happens to jump into his mouth, EMI is going out on the prowl, observing, trying to understand behaviors and developing new strategies to engage face to face.
EMI’s move is a good indicator that the environment is now more supportive of indie-style behavior than the native behaviors of the majors. It tells us that those companies that have struggled to survive on the outskirts for so long should now find the soil they’re standing on is suddenly the best in the land. In fact, EMI is helping to fertilize the land all the more by training fans to look for music away from the old familiar spots. If EMI succeeds in re-training their existing fans, those fans will become much more receptive to other independent sources.
The land is ready for the independent community to explode. The herd is dividing and the Majors are no longer able to keep everyone within their hunting grounds. The Indie that recognizes the rules have turned in its favor has the opportunity to get very fat indeed.
When Billboard arrived at EMI’s famed Capitol Tower in Hollywood to interview new recorded music CEO Elio Leoni-Sceti, we got a surprise: joining Leoni-Sceti were president of A&R for North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland Nick Gatfield and EMI’s worldwide president of digital Douglas Merrill. As the three lounged on couches in Leoni-Sceti’s U.S. office, they spoke with candor about the changes taking place at EMI.
