Tech Gains And The Music Industry Loses As Cory Ondrejka Leaves EMI

"Thanks EMI for great year and a half,
time to return to entrepreneurial roots, last day 21 Aug"
- Cory Ondrejka via Twitter

(Updated) With that tweet, recently promoted head of all things digital at EMI, Cory Ondrejka, announced that he would be leaving the company.  Only days ago, Ondrejka  had named his own team of global digital VP's . He joined the label group just 18 months ago from virtual world Second Life, which he co-founded.

It's been a tumultuous time for EMI with former digital head Douglas Merrill leaving the company in March just a year after he had been recruited from Google.  Serious questions also remain abut the companiys ability to meet massive debt obligation's. But the internet pundits speculate that a cultural clash is behind Ondrejka's move, and a record label controlled by London financiers is indeed a very different place than a California tech startup.

COMMENTARY:  I had the pleasure of a hosting a panel with Cory at MidemNet in January and spending a bit of time with him.  He is brilliant, curious and an original thinker; and he will certainly land well. Core re-entering tech is a real loss for the music industry, and while one should not naively believe that Silicon Valley has the answers that will save music, it does not bode well that some of its best and brightest can't seem to find a comfortable place there.