Kevin Bresnahan Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 I just heard that EMI/Blue Note had a layoff on June 24th (some details can be found here at the Velvet Rope forum. Our old Blue Note forum favorite Tomatbluenote (Tom Evered) was caught in this wave of layoffs. As much as Tom managed to piss off a lot of people on the Blue Note board, I don't think this is a good thing for the Blue Note label. He was passionate about the music and worked on "the suits" to try and get as much of it out to the buying public as he could. He was pretty proud of being able to issue non-selling titles that had languished in the vaults for decades, particularly when the royalties could help a living Jazz artist make ends meet. Later, Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Yeah, I caught wind of this on the Jazz Programmer Listserv several days ago. Sad news--I always appreciated Tom's weighing-in on the old BNBB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 I just got an E-mail from Michael Cuscuna and he said that Tom had been strictly working the classical side of things for a while now but that it was still a very bad omen. He says that there are no more label heads or even label managers. It sounds like they're going to just lump everything together. To me, I'm seeing Jazz=low selling genre=low priority=no more reissues. I hope I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 So they don't/might not want to sell it anymore. A questionable decision, but theirs' to make. "Almost everything" has been digitalized. It'll be available somewhere, somehow in perpetuity. And what hasn't been...hey, people can (and are) taking matters into their own hands. Do I "feel bad" about all this/that? Yeah, sure. But otoh, reality is what it is, and life goes on. You're either free or a slave, and the choice is yours to make, now more than ever. Just remember - to live outside the law, you must be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 or, conversely, to live inside the law, you must be a crook - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Tom's heart was always in the right place. As soon as EMI and private equity got together the writing was on the wall for the Blue Note stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 (edited) Yeah, this is very bad news whichever way you look at it - lots of unfortunate folks caught in the fallout. We have Tom to thank I believe for the 'Rare Groove' series and for just that alone my thanks are due. Time to pick up those Conns I need and the odd RVG. Edited July 8, 2008 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Just remember - to live outside the law, you must be honest. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 or, conversely, to live inside the law, you must be a crook - Yes, to that, too. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 of course, we are thereby saying that Cheney and Bush are honest - as was Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 No, what we're saying is that what's legal and what's honest only sometimes intersect, and that if you ever decide to go outside the law, it should be done while stepping in the footprints of honesty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 yeah but I find the whole thing to be false, too glib - another, I think, of Dylan's pronounements that have false resonance - like saying he used to be older - also, on another level, given the choice of being robbed by a six shooter or a fountain pen, I'll take the fountain pen - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my "Interpreting Dylan" class from college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my "Interpreting Dylan" class from college. I'm having trouble interpreting this whole thread right about now. A thread about a large layoff at EMI has somehow gotten off into a discussion of music business ethics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my "Interpreting Dylan" class from college. I'm having trouble interpreting this whole thread right about now. A thread about a large layoff at EMI has somehow gotten off into a discussion of music business ethics. Music biz ethics? As Hunter Thompson once said... "The music industry is a cruel and shallow money-trench. A long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my "Interpreting Dylan" class from college. I'm having trouble interpreting this whole thread right about now. A thread about a large layoff at EMI has somehow gotten off into a discussion of music business ethics. Music biz ethics? As Hunter Thompson once said... "The music industry is a cruel and shallow money-trench. A long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side.” Yeah, they quoted that in the new documentary. A good one. I'm sorry to hear about Tom. Whatever way you look at it, a bad sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 also, on another level, given the choice of being robbed by a six shooter or a fountain pen, I'll take the fountain pen - I would prefer to leave the robber standing there alone, wondering where I went. Or better yet, rob him while he's going through the motions of thinking that he's robbing me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 also, on another level, given the choice of being robbed by a six shooter or a fountain pen, I'll take the fountain pen - I would prefer to leave the robber standing there alone, wondering where I went. Or better yet, rob him while he's going through the motions of thinking that he's robbing me. Wish I had those superpowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 In other news, there is still a record label called "Blue Note." I just thought it was a logo owned by Capitol/EMI. No wonder they had to lay people off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 also, on another level, given the choice of being robbed by a six shooter or a fountain pen, I'll take the fountain pen - I would prefer to leave the robber standing there alone, wondering where I went. Or better yet, rob him while he's going through the motions of thinking that he's robbing me. Wish I had those superpowers. One does not eat the butter until one milks the cow. And even then, one must follow the advice of Wynonie Harris & keep on churning until the butter comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Wynonie. Wynton Marsalis has an album out with Willie Nelson. Who would Jesus bomb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randyhersom Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 um, those who dismiss without listening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Is it time for a Before the Blue Notes Go Away ... thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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