Fuller swoops for EMI offcuts

There's a clutching of handkerchiefs to mouths at the news that Simon Fuller might buy the bits of EMI regulators are making Universal sell as the price of merger.

Fuller! Imagine! He did the S Clubs and game show pop stars! The very idea.

And, yes, the idea of an already rich and poweful man becoming a bit more rich and powerful is hard to celebrate.

But there's actually an upside, which does make the idea of Fuller rummaging in the EMI bins something we should welcome.

First of all, he's apparently thinking of buying all the bits - Mute, Parlophone, the 50% of Now Thats What I Call Music - the whole lot, rather than taking a couple of bits.

It'd actually be enough, surely, to count as a fairly considerable label in its own right; and still based firmly in the UK. Wasn't the loss of that something we were meant to mourn when EMI was sold off?

Also, whatever Simon Fuller's other faults, he is a pop music man. Isn't it better for Parlophone to be owned by the bloke who put together S Club 7 than Guy Hands and his Motorway Service Station business? Or, indeed, than Universal, a tiny part of a conglomerate that might have spun off its water business but still doesn't seem to moved on from pushing sewage about?

It would be lovely to think Parlophone could be turned into a worker's co-op, or Mute become a John Lewis style concern, but that's unlikely to happen. Also, can you imagine the meetings when Chris Martin started to pipe up?

So, the whole thing in the hands of a man who understands how to sell music? Could be worse.

And at least it's not Cowell.

Mute pulls itself from EMI wreckage

Like Molly's baby, Mute has been dragged from the carnage of the EMI tram-crash and has slapped out a press release about a new, all-in-business.

Strictly speaking, of course, Molly's baby hasn't slapped out a press release, so don't treat that as part of the extended metaphor, okay?

Following the recent announcement that Mute has reached an agreement with EMI Music which sees the company, led by Daniel Miller, return to being independent, Mute now announces details of the new structure which sees the record label, publishing company and a new artist/producer management company brought together under the Mute name.

Says Daniel Miller; “I am excited about this new phase in our development. The things we value most - our relationships with artists and our desire to embrace new ideas and ways of working – can now be fully realised in a structure I have been aiming towards for some time. This is the ideal time and perfect opportunity to bring three key elements together under the Mute name”.

Some artists aren't escaping, and will remain inside EMI. These musical Ashleys will still have their last rites taken care of by Daniel Miller, who is going to freelance for EMI.

Which is wonderful - not only has he got his label back, but his work at Mute is going to be subsidised by EMI. Terra Firma are brilliant at music, aren't they?

EMI lose another artist: Nitzer Ebb quit Mute

EMI's worrying inability to keep its artists looks worse by the day: Nitzer Ebb have confirmed they're not with Mute any more and are looking round for a new deal. They'll have to hurry, though, as they want a new album out by Christmas.