EMI, soon to be a division of Warner?

[Scarpia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12339299

Citibank has taken possession of EMI after the owner could not make interest payments.  The owners of EMI lost £1.7 billion and Citibank lost £2.2 billion.  Citibank intends to sell as soon as possible and Warner is considered the most likely buyer.

Generally bad news, I'd say, since there will be less competition among the "majors" with the big back catalogs.  Time to scoop up any EMI titles before they vanish.
 
Astonishing they list EMI as the home of Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay and Tinie Tempah, but not Simon Rattle and Otto Klemperer.   

[Bogey]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12339299

Citibank has taken possession of EMI after the owner could not make interest payments.  The owners of EMI lost £1.7 billion and Citibank lost £2.2 billion.  Citibank intends to sell as soon as possible and Warner is considered the most likely buyer.

Generally bad news, I'd say, since there will be less competition among the "majors" with the big back catalogs.  Time to scoop up any EMI titles before they vanish.
 
Astonishing they list EMI as the home of Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay and Tinie Tempah, but not Simon Rattle and Otto Klemperer.   

Thanks for the info.  Interesting.  I have found that one has to scoop carefully here....is that your experience?

[Scarpia]

Thanks for the info.  Interesting.  I have found that one has to scoop carefully here....is that your experience?

It is my experience that recent EMI recordings often sound bad, although there are exceptions to every rule.  But in ancient times EMI knew how to make recordings.  I recently picked up a mega-box with the complete recordings of Samson Francois, thanks to EMI's desperation for liquidity. 

[Bogey]

It is my experience that recent EMI recordings often sound bad, although there are exceptions to every rule.  But in ancient times EMI knew how to make recordings.  I recently picked up a mega-box with the complete recordings of Samson Francois, thanks to EMI's desperation for liquidity.

I have some stuff that I enjoy, and sometimes the EMI is the only option for a certain performance, so why not.  It will be interesting if nostalgia plays a role in my purchases.  I always look at the London cds a bit more carefully, as they are drying up as well as the Telarc.  Also, the original Philips' releases.  Maybe the EMI stuff will follow suit.

[Daverz]

Astonishing they list EMI as the home of Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay and Tinie Tempah, but not Simon Rattle and Otto Klemperer.   

Well, I suppose their readership wouldn't know who Sir Simon and Klemps were, but then I don't know what a Lily Allen, a Coldplay or a Tinie Tempah are.

[Bogey]

Well, I suppose their readership wouldn't know who Sir Simon and Klemps were, but then I don't know what a Lily Allen, a Coldplay or a Tinie Tempah are.

They will do the bean counting though....that is where it will get interesting.

[Coopmv]

It is not clear if anti-trust laws will apply in this case since an acquisition of EMI by WarnerMusic will significantly lessen competitions.  I much prefer EMI to be taken over by BC or Naxos ...

[Opus106]

I much prefer EMI to be taken over by BC or Naxos ...

...if they have the money to pay. (I don't have the numbers with me, but do you seriously think that those two have enough?)

[Daverz]

I don't care what happens to EMI, only what happens to the classical backcatalog.  I hope Warner does not get that, but I'm at a loss to think who could afford it and at the same time be a good custodian of it.  In my socialist utopia it would be seized as a cultural treasure and all of it made available as lossless downloads (with royalties paid to the artists, of course.)

[Todd]

Couldn't care less about the fate of EMI, but just think of the potential flood of product at BRO!