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CMU’s One Liners: Epic Records, Sony/ATV, Bumble, more

By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 16 June 2016

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• LA Reid, boss of the US branch of Epic Records, is reportedly relocating to, well, LA, to open a West Coast office for the Sony label. Or so gossips HitsDailyDouble.

• Paul Connolly is departing Universal Music Publishing, where he was President of Europe and MD for the UK. In the latter role he is replaced by Mike McCormack, whose new boss – Jody Gerson, overall CEO of UMPG – is “THRILLED” about the appointment.

• Sony/ATV has promoted its Senior VP A&R Europe Johnny Tennander, basically giving him the second job of MD of the music publisher’s Scandinavian division. In that new role he replaces the departing Patrik Sventelius. It means he now has two bosses – both called Guy – at least one of whom is “THRILLED” about this development.

• Abbey Road Studios and Technics have announced a two year brand alliance which will basically see the former put the latter’s re-designed SL-1200 turntables in its mastering studios and restaurants so that artists and sound engineers can have a play. Yay vinyl revival!

• Spotify has announced a deal with dating app Bumble which will allow users to vet possible partners based on their listening habits on the streaming service. What could possibly go wrong with that?

• Remember Tiga’s documentary series for Thump that he promised would be “a journey into the heart of the one-man hive mind that propels the Holy Tigan Empire ever forward into a future”? Well, part two is out.