Need A Job? Major Labels Woo Tech Talent
Know your way around computers? Want a job that includes lots of free concert tickets? The major
labels have openings and for the first time ever they are looking outside of the music industry’s own ranks for high profile tech savvy talent to head their digital initiatives.
What caused these job openings? First EMI’s long time digital guru Ted Cohen left to partner in his own consultancy TAG Strategic. EMI’s Executive VP of Strategy 
and Business Development Adam Klein quickly followed. Next up was Interscope Geffen A&M digital executive Courtney Holt who grabbed the top digital post at MTV. More in the label camp are said to also be eying posts at companies who may be more stable than a struggling and consolidating music industry.
Now labels, who have always coveted star power, are trying to woo some higher profile digital l players to fill gaps in their executive suites. This is a big a shift from when digital and new media divisions were treated as step children by the majors. "They are chasing stars in the new media constellation," one source told Digital Music News, but 
added that thus far there is "no one to hire" that fits the mold.
S o put on your "I Invented Web 2.0" organic cotton t-shirt, slip your digital resume and iPod filled with obscure electronica into you Wired messenger bag and hit the streets. Spun properly you could be responsible for a .47% increase in WMG stock as some Wall Street analyst tries to figure out if you know more than anyone else does about what’s going to happen next.
The only problem is that you will be working in an industry declining by 4%-6% per year and a public policy of suing its customers.
Advice: for anyone taking one of those gigs. Turn the whole thing upside down. Move the offices to atlanta, model the new label completly after angel VC’s, think really small, love the music…
Oh, and please hire me when I come knocking at yo ur door.
This is very interesting. I have been looking for opportunities like this for a long time. The convergence of a specialized role in tech/digital & music is becoming more and more critical for the music biz.
Question. Where do you find these positions?? I know they are rare, but so is the candidate pool.
It’s worthless doing anything with big labels.
1. the execs are clueless (They are basic idiots when it comes to digital. By the time yer done explaining what can and cannot be done, everybody and their dogs already moves to next big thing. And the project has to be redo from scratch)
2. The entire big label business structure is fubar. Throw the baby with the bath water and start over. It’s cheaper and faster. 2-3 years from now, big labels like EMI or Universals are about as relevant as CBS and RCA when Sony come to power in the 80’s. (How much longer are they going to twaddle with organisation boxes and talk about mergers and compensation? … In the meantime is anybody watching NAND price curve? I digress.)
Things are moving much faster than big labels can comprehend. They are not equiped to deal with reality of digital era. Consider how they are still BS-ing around about web 2.0 or whatever. (gigantic marketing gimmick, total waste of time and money)
so ..
On thing I wish,.. those bored silicone valley dude will finally put money and create a digital system saving indie stores. That’ll be something.