EMI isn’t having a good year, ermm well 2007, or 2008 to be honest. They’ve already lost big hitting British acts Radiohead, and Paul McCartney, and now it looks like The Rolling Stones may also be weighing up their options.
Today they have announced a deal with Universal to release the soundtrack for their Martin Scorsese directed concert film, and that could just be the start of the end for a long 16 year relationship between the embattled music publisher, and legendary rock band.
The Rolling Stones released a statement saying:
“The band are looking forward to working with Universal Music and are excited about this new venture.”
The Universal Music Label will release the Shine A Light soundtrack around the world in March, a month after the film premieres at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
The EMI group don’t seem surprised or upset about the move, as they claim they suspected it would happen. This is because the film is being produced by its studio affiliate Universal Pictures.
EMI spokesman Andrew Dowler said:
“It’s good spin: Universal are suggesting this is a broader thing, but it’s about one film, one soundtrack and had nothing to do with their relationship with the label. They’re an EMI band.”
That may be, but the company is clearly rattled by the decisions by two of its biggest acts to leave over the past year. Another huge British band, namely Coldplay, have also expressed some concerns and concerns and unhappiness about their current publisher.
The film Shine A Light is due out in cinemas everywhere in April. It was filmed during a Rolling Stones concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. It includes appearances by the Jack White from the White Stripes and Christina Aguilera, along with rare archive footage of the band.