It's Friday - EMI are running a bit late with this week's reshuffle

Like a really crap variety show magician, staring into the hat where he thought the bunny should be, EMI refuse to accept the trick has failed and are still hoping to come up with a magic word to make it work. Let's have another management restructure, eh?

"More music is being used than ever before, despite the continued decline in global music revenues," the company said in a statement released this morning. "As a result, the management structure of EMI is being changed to enable the company to reposition itself as a comprehensive rights management company that can take full advantage of all global opportunities in all markets for music."

The clunking 'music being used' might offer a really big hint why EMI is doing so poorly they just don't relate the thing they do to how it gets used - "I'm going up to my bedroom to use some music" and "I might nip down the club tonight to use some music" aren't phrases that trip off the tongue. McCartney doesn't sit down to plan what music he will be using when drawing up a set list.

The second part of that sentence, thoughm must be even more depressing for the people left at EMI who care about what they do: "More music is being used than ever before, despite the continued decline in global music revenues" really shows that EMI haven't yet grasped what they're dealing with. The note of surprise that major labels are taking less while people are still enjoying music; the suggestion that there's some sort of obvious link between the two sides. EMI still believe that 'love of music' and 'EMI revenues' exist as an equation rather than a non-sequiter. Until they understand it's EMI and not music which is of declining importance in the not-even-that-new world, they can shift management around until you can't screw any more nameplates on the office doors, and it'll do no good.

So, are they at least drafting in new people to help with the coming to terms?

Former EMI Publishing head Roger Faxon has been named Group Chief Executive and Charles Allen formerly non-Executive Chairman of EMI Recorded Music will become an adviser to EMI and its shareholder, Terra Firma.

Yes, all they're doing is formally combining publishing with recorded music, and keeping the people who've managed to make the firm what it is today. In other words: they're polluting the bit that was doing okay with the bit which was sickly.