No vertical integrated content fun

Apparently by pretending to be from Billboard, the Hits Daily Double claim to have wangled an interview out of Howard Stringer (Sony Corporation of North America's Chairman) and Andrew Lack, the hack-turned-head-of Sony Music. Unfortunately, it sounds pretty genuine to us.

Asked if Lack's lack of music industry experience - he's spent the past few years of his life tinkering about with NBC news - would be a problem, Stringer replies

"I am confident Andy can communicate and work with Sony’s other business units horizontally and globally and will bring all the forces together."

Good. Turning to Lack, they ask what parallels there are between running a TV network and a music group. His reply?

"Whether you are talking about film, TV or music, the twin pillars of all content-driven businesses are creativity and the need to reach the broadest possible audience."

Now, assuming that this really is the voice of one of the new major powers in the music industry and not some sort of postmodern joke, how scary is that? He believes that music should "reach the broadest possible audience" - which suggests the new policy at Sony will be to bland down its roster even further.

Lack of experience

Sure, Andrew Lack may have worked at CBS in the dim distant past, but since he's spent the last few years at NBC - much of it in the News department - is he really the best person to take charge at Sony Music? Can we expect a Tom Brokaw jazz album?