EMI/Universal divestments

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Taking a stroll around the web, I came up with this article from the Grauniad

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/sep/21/universal-emi-takeover-approved

At the end, it gives what it says is a complete list of divestments.

Full list of divestments

• EMI Recording Limited (including EMI's iconic Parlophone label, with the exception of the Beatles), featuring artists such as Coldplay, Blur, Kylie Minogue and artists with steady revenues such as Pink Floyd, Cliff Richard and Tina Turner.

• Other EMI labels, such as Chrysalis (featuring Spandau Ballet, but without the Robbie Williams catalogue) and Mute Records (featuring Depeche Mode, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds).

• EMI Classics/Virgin Classics artist and composers and EMI's half share in the popular "Now! That's What I Call Music" compilations business.

• Universal's Sanctuary (featuring Iron Maiden), Co-op Music Ltd, King Island Roxystar (featuring Swedish artists such as Agnes) and MPS Records (featuring Oscar Peterson), and Universal's share in Jazzland (featuring Norwegian artists such as Bugge Wesseltoft and Sidsel Endresen).

• EMI operations in France (featuring the David Guetta catalogue), Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic) – and Universal Greece (featuring Eleftheria Arvanitaki, the Goin' Through Group and Nikos Vertis).

I see MPS is going, as well as a Norwegian (?) label called Jazzland. Surely this can't be the lot? So, EMI's operations in France, Spain and other places in Europe are to go, but not the wonderful stuff from their African operations? And Universal WANT TO KEEP this? They're not doing anything with their own West African material on Decca, Polydor or Philips, that I can see.

Maybe, even though this is supposed to be a complete list, some stuff of interest to nerds like me - or even us - has been left out. Does anyone have better info?

(Looks to me like Universal/EMI have got away with a smacked arse instead of having their testicles ripped off.)

MG

[David Ayers]

That article is not very recent is it? Warner has already taken control of EMI/Virgin Classics and has started to rebrand the products. The rest I don't know about. My observation is that, given the declining fortunes of the recorded music industry, I'm not sure the forced divestments will seem to have been necessary ten or even five years from now.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

That article is not very recent is it? Warner has already taken control of EMI/Virgin Classics and has started to rebrand the products. The rest I don't know about. My observation is that, given the declining fortunes of the recorded music industry, I'm not sure the forced divestments will seem to have been necessary ten or even five years from now.

No, it's not recent. That's why I wondered if anyone had anything more.

MG