No Rock And Roll Fun

EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES TURNS TO GOLD?: Interesting piece in this week's FT Creative Business supplement, when the man behind Atomic Kitten and Blue's label, Hugh Goldsmith, settles on their big interview sofa. Apparently he's really nervous about 'fessing that he is the shady figure writing for his own acts pseudonomously as I. Hope - he claims there's no conflict of interest in choosing his own songs to go on albums that will sell a lot because, erm, Blue actually really like his songs.
The FT suggest that he's the greatest A&R person in the UK is probably true, which is worrying - Billie just about broke even; Atomic Kitten have survived through luck rather than judgement (let's not forget they were dropped and then hastily undropped as Whole Again became a sleeper hit); Martine McCutcheon was a no-brainer, short-termer and, let us not forget, he signed Jonathon Wilkes - Robbie William's flatmate. So, one jewel in the crown in Blue, then. And this is the best A&R man in the country - is it any wonder the major labels are in such poor states? And lets not even get into how many copies of records his stars have sold in the US, shall we?