Proving that learning something from previous mistakes isn’t really the way the corporate world works, Sony is hiring British musician Amanda Ghost (not to be confused with her band, Amanda Ghost) to run Epic Records, home of Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, Jennifer Lopez, Sara Bareilles, and the Skunk Anansie catalog. Ghost seems to recognize that she lacks the general qualifications to be the president of a significant subsidiary of a global corporation, but hey, she’ll bring the same creative verve that she brought to co-writing Jordin Sparks’ “Tattoo” and James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”!
“I’m not a conventional choice as a music business executive,” Ghost admitted in a statement. “[But] I’m here to draw on my experiences as an artist, songwriter and producer to make the new and existing artists signed to Epic as brilliant and successful as possible.”
It took me a little while to figure out why someone thought this was a good idea, but then I realized that there may not be too many people more qualified than Ghost who are left at Sony Music. Even when things were going somewhat well in the music biz, labels were axing employees left and right in order to buoy stock prices, so by now, it’s entirely possible that the label’s offices are staffed by seven interns and a stack of dusty Augustana promos. One wonders if the industry’s brain drain is at least partially responsible for the constant stream of bad ideas that seem to come from within, and whether or not Ghost will break the string of artists moving to the executive suite and failing. Just think, if she did, she could become the label’s “Glory Girl”.
Singer-songwriter to run Epic Records [Guardian]
@bcapirigi: I’ve always held a grudge against Skunk Anansie.
In the ’90s, Epic and Columbia managed to screw up pretty much all their acts from Great Britain — Mansun, the Manics and Suede never would’ve been million sellers here, but they should’ve done much, much better. (A prime example of the fucked up thinking at the time would be the U.S. label commissioning the deeply bizarre, yet fascinating, rock remix of “The Holy Bible” and then sitting on it for more than a decade!)
Even a band I don’t particularly like (and who are actually Belgian), Hooverphonic, should have at least had a gold album or two had the label had the faintest idea how to market non-U.S. bands.
So, yeah, whenever I got a Skunk Anansie promo, I was always, like, “They’re wasting time and money on THIS???”
@raihala: You nailed it re: Suede. That band should have at least hit Pulp status in the States.
@raihala: You nailed it re: Suede. That band should have at least hit Pulp status in the States.
@raihala: Damn straight. The US version of Generation Terrorists should have sold at least a half million if there had been any promotion at all. Sony has never had any idea what to do with them.
Oh, the Manics. There are at least a half dozen singles from the first four albums that could’ve at least been serious alt-rock radio hits at the time.
They signed to Virgin w/”This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours” and I seem to remember the label actually put some dough behind them. Unfortunately, the music had gone to shit at that point.
I’ve still stuck with them, though, if only because they have impeccable taste when it comes to record sleeves. (Yay for Mark Farrow!)
There’s a new Manics album coming out this spring. It’s all Richey lyrics and Albini produced it. They claim it’s a follow-up to “The Holy Bible” which — of course — we’ve all heard before…
@revmatty: Lead single “Natwest-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds”. That shit would have been jamming out of the windows of every Camaro in the Midwest during the summer of ‘92.
(Seriously, though, “Motorcyle Emptiness” and “Stay Beautiful” coulda been hits)
@raihala:
Post Orgasmic Chill by Skunk Anansie is one of the better rock albums anybody has made. Very dynamic.
So she was a “Ghost writer”? HAR HAR HAR.
“Epic’s Fail.” Love it.
It’s not like she can fuck up the industry. Give her a chance.
Did Rick Rubin make this call? Honestly, I want to know.
“and the Skunk Anansie catalog”
AWWWWW SNAP
(I kinda liked that band, honestly)
@dyfl: You’re the only one, dude.
@raihala: They weren’t that bad… I mean, listening to them now is sorta painful, but at the time they were, uh… not completely hateful.
er, pretend i had an italic-ending thingy after the word ‘that’.
@Audif Jackson Winters III: Motorcycle was a minor hit in the Bay Area at least, but I’m with you on Natwest. I think almost every track on the US version could have been a radio hit with proper backing.
@raihala: I’ve been OK with the post Richey output, though the reenergization of Send Away the Tigers is certainly the high point (along with some of the b-sides like Pedestal which is far superior to most of This Is My Truth).
Apropos of nothing, back in college Traci Lords was on a speaking tour and I got her to sign the Little Baby Nothing single I had.