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Is Gatfield’s appointment to allow Doherty to concentrate on Syco?
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 15 February 2011
So, this is interesting. Media news website Beehive City reckons that yesterday’s news that former EMI A&R boss man Nick Gatfield is to become President of Sony Music UK’s ‘music division’, is linked to the news late last year that Sony’s Syco division had lost its CEO Ellis Watson.
As previously reported, former Celedor TV exec Watson was brought in to oversee the Syco business after Simon Cowell’s music and media venture was restructured and expanded after his new deal with Sony early last year. But Watson’s tenure was short lived, him stepping down last December, officially because he wanted to spend more time with his family in Scotland.
Watson wasn’t replaced, but it is known that Cowell himself wants a CEO type exec overseeing the expansion of his business as he focuses his attentions on the launch of ‘X-Factor USA’. And Beehive City reckon that Sony Music UK’s CEO, Ged Doherty, will now basically take on that role.
Which is why Gatfield has been appointed to take on a big chunk of Doherty’s day-to-day work with regards the other Sony labels, in particular RCA, Columbia and Epic. Which would explain why Sony has decided to introduce a new level of management into its UK business when most labels are trying to reduce the amount of executive structure.
This is, however, mere speculation. Which we should probably add here. Right at the end of the story when most people have probably stopped reading.
