Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label November 28, 2007
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If you picture music industry CEOs as cranky old white men who are completely out of touch with technology and mad at the world for changing around them, you're pretty damn spot-on. Wired has an upcoming profile on Universal Music CEO Doug Morris, and the guy seems as fit to run a newly tech-based company as a dog is fit to pilot a submarine. He basically sees technology as his enemy, wishing his days away for a simpler time where he could control every aspect of a record's distribution. Oh, and he compares the music industry to a character in "Li'l Abner," a comic strip that stopped running in 1977. 1977! I can't wait to read the entire profile, but there is one choice quote available now:
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
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This explains a lot... but still doesn't explain how come CD's are cheaper to produce but cost more than cassettes? It doesn't take a technologist to see that the music industry is a total rip off with artists not getting paid enough for their work. I think Prince has it right... give the music away for free. you'll hit a wider audience and do more gigs as this will stop all the fakers and mimes from getting into the industry.
Expanding on Mark Rushworth's comment example. In that particular case Prince actually got a fee from the newspaper for it. The fee he got was more than if he left it to royalties from sales. So Prince got more money, the consumers got the album legally for the cost of a newspaper and the newspaper got higher sales and more publicity. The only losers were the retailers (although I believe some clever ones turned it into their own promotion by stocking that newspaper in their stores) which shows how much they also make out of the high cost of CDs. It's a great marketing idea that actually works out better for the artist and the consumer.
It really doesn't take technologists but innovative people willing to change and adapt and even lead the change. If you don't understand the new trends then put all your effort into learning them. Mr Morris' attitude is pretty daft for a CEO in general, never mind for a record label. A good CEO of any company wouldn't give up or make excuses or try and force the market around him, he'd look for taking advantage of the market as it exists and may exist in future. A good CEO would turn themselves into an expert or at least an expert in finding the genuine experts. Mr Morris' attitude would crash and burn any company he was CEO of, no matter the industry.
I can of a couple ow words that Alan Sugar might say to him!
Prince? are you kidding me? he sued his fansites for using images of him...
And had a mom remove a video of her baby dancing with prince music in the background, yeah he's so for free stuff...
I think Wwhat missed the point. Neither of the other comments suggested that Prince was "for free stuff".
They were actually pointing out that he had the vision to exploit something other than the traditional economic model. Something that the dinosaur Doug Morris appears incapable of.
i would say until you havnt sat in the room with doug!you dont know !wht and why his reasons are!well myspace.com/artistkck music is so original lets hear what doug says about that? The kck team.