Paul McCartney Leaves EMI
A notable shift in the record business this month: Paul McCartney has moved his entire non-Beatles catalog away from EMI, handing distribution to the independent label Concord through Universal.
For EMI, the loss is more symbolic than financial — a jewel leaving the crown rather than a serious dent in revenue. According to SoundScan, McCartney’s EMI catalog sold only about 78,000 units in the United States over the past year. He has, in fact, been with Concord since 2007, when he released Memory Almost Full, and last year’s live album came out the same way.
The catalog now on the move includes classics like Band on the Run and Venus and Mars. It’s another sign of how much the ground is shifting under the old major labels — something artists of every era end up watching closely.