Remake, Remodel: The Evolution Of The Record Label

This pre-draft version is strictly for review purposes only and is not for general dissemination or sharing.
But Tim, David and EMI all agreed to explore a real joint venture – one in which both
parties had a stake in ALL income streams, not just an agreement on recorded music.
Tim Clark 18 comments, ‘We wanted to make sure this deal was a little more
groundbreaking than simply trying to get as much money as possible and putting up with
the record company owning all the recording rights and not being involved in anything
else.’
The contract gradually took shape over several months, and all major labels offered
against the same basic structure – this drove out any complacency from EMI that the
deal might automatically be theirs!
But Robbie re-signed with EMI in a deal that was widely (and often inaccurately)
publicised in the national and international press.
The arrangement gave EMI a substantial minority share in the profits from all of Robbie
Williams’ non-record income – including live, merchandise, sponsorship, publishing and
so on. Sharing in these additional income streams enabled EMI to offer much larger up
front money guarantees to Robbie than could ever be the case in a simple record deal. So
he was effectively securitising the next few years of a portion of his income in return for
up-front guarantees.
EMI and Robbie formed a new company (called In Good Company) to manage these
activities and income and I was EMI’s representative on the board.
For the first time, we were able to sit with the artist managers and discuss Robbie’s
plans across the whole gamut of his business, knowing that we had a stake in all of it.
This gave the relationship a much clearer feeling of being one team, rather than artist
and record company.
As Tim Clark 19 says, ‘While the deal with EMI was not perfect in every respect, it has
pointed to a better way of an investor working with an artist, and the artist being able to
control their own rights and to exploit those rights in a much more complementary and
managed way.’
We were able to optimise sponsorship deals, which not only provided income for the
artist, but to also look at ways of dovetailing this activity into the marketing plan – not
just for a tour, but also album releases. This could, in turn, make the marketing budget
go further.
Robbie was one of the most prolific, as well as successful, acts on the EMI roster, but
when it came to a discussion of postponing the release of an album due to the burden of
touring activity, EMI was able to take a longer view, helped by the knowledge that it was
also earning from the tour itself.
18 Quote taken from Robbie Williams: Celebrating 20 Years In Music (given away as a supplement in Music
Week in October 2010)
19 (ibid.)
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