EMI Loses Its Other Silicon Valley Wiz
from the that-didn't-take-long dept
Well so much for that. About a year ago, it seemed like perhaps (just perhaps) EMI would be the first of the big major record labels to really learn how to embrace the digital era. First, it talked about leaving the RIAA and IFPI. Then, it talked about the importance of learning from Radiohead's success with the "pay-what-you-want" experiment. Finally, it hired some Silicon Valley stars. First, it hired Google's CIO Doug Merrill, and soon after that brought on Second Life's co-founder Cory Ondrejka. Suddenly, we began to wonder what would happen if a major record label actually had management talent that understood digital technologies.But... it quickly became clear that this was not to be the case. EMI seemed to view both Merrill and Ondrejka as being in the "digital silo." And, if there's one thing we've learned, if you have a chief digital officer in a media company, you're doing it wrong. Pretending that digital is a "silo" is wrong. Digital impacts every area of your business, and pretending that it's separate suggests you don't have the right strategy in place.
And, of course, the fact that EMI become one of the most aggressive companies suing every potentially innovative startup out there didn't engender much confidence that the company had figured out how to embrace the new online world.
So it wasn't much of a surprise when Doug Merrill left after less than a year. However, the company then promoted Ondrejka. I saw Ondrejka speak at least year's Midem, and he talked up all these pie-in-the-sky ideas that never actually seemed to show up. Last month, when EMI's CEO admitted the company had lost touch with consumers and didn't know how to fix it, you had to wonder what the company had been doing.
And, now comes the news that Cory Ondrejka is also leaving EMI. He lasted just slightly longer than Merrill, sticking around for an entire 14 months, where it doesn't appear that EMI did anything particularly creative on the digital side, but did sue a whole bunch of innovators. Oh yeah, and it launched a blog. As far as I can tell, that's about the most innovative digital thing it's done in a while (yes, there's sarcasm there).
Oh well. It makes you wonder what could have been.
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Filed Under: cory ondrejka
Companies: emi
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Sounds like he put forward a bunch of ideas that probably had no income potential (aka, free), that didn't offer EMI any way to profit from them.
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Re:
Those 2 were very talented individuals (regardless if they were pleasant to work with). It seems more likely they were ignored than couldn't think of anything.
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What about the new website?
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Douglas, not Doug
The problem at EMI is that their gap is closing. The entire publishing world is based on a "gap" play that time inevitably closes. This gap has, unfortunately, gone on for many generations making it seem as if it's the natural state. But publishing is a gap that technology has rendered largely moot.
Digital is not a solution for them. It's the reason they're business model is dying. And it's as inevitable as death. They don't need digital media people. They need a business model that is not based on arrangements of 1's and 0's. Because that's over.
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Re: Douglas, not Doug
As the internet has proven for us, there is SO MUCH music out there, it's actually rather overwhelming to try and find what you want. For a person incredibly into music, they can check Pitchfork every day, download ten albums per week and buy a bunch more. Listen to music on YouTube, and STILL miss the stuff they might like most.
That job as arbiter became a bit perverted in the drive to produce ultra-stars like N'Sync, but perhaps without the need to produce one or two multi-plats, then simply moving onto who's new, the record companies will again become the first filter for the consumers in the face of literally thousands of musicians and bands.
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The Silo
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The following two lines sum it up nicely ....
"And, of course, the fact that EMI become one of the most aggressive companies suing every potentially innovative startup out there didn't engender much confidence that the company had figured out how to embrace the new online world."
EMI's motivation behind the lawsuits falls into place after seeing both the above in one article.
1) EMI was trying to be the first label to market with a digital solution for music.
2) They executed in the wrong manner, didnt go far enough, were to slow to market, were/are working on a proprietary system (Closed System), are still in beta, etc.
3) The lawsuits were an attempt to prevent anyone else from getting there "first".
Very cool, to understand someones motivation and goals give you an edge in competing with them.
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Oh right, visiting HIS blog IS "asking him"... Why are you here, then?
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Digital Is Old Hat
I’m not at liberty to say more, but stay tuned for details.
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