Label News: EMI Combines Blue Note & Narada. Sanctuary Ups Cahill To GM

UPDATED: EMI Music is restructuring its adult pop, jazz and classics labels under the new Blue Note Label Group according to Billboard.

The Blue Note Label Group will incorporate EMI Jazz & Classis, Blues Note (Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis and The Narada Label Group (the subdudes, Alejandro Escovedo). Formerly based in Milwaukee, Narada will relocate to New York.

Read more details on the re-organization and the new executive line-up in the full EMI press release after the jump.

SANCTUARY NEWS – Sales VP Bob Cahill has been promoted to EVP/GM of Sanctuary Records Group North America.While are Sanctuary Cahill has been instrumental in the success of artists like Robert Plant, Widespread Panic and Tegan and Sara

EMI ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF BLUE NOTE LABEL GROUP — NEW LABEL STRUCTURE FOR ADULT POP, JAZZ & CLASSICS

BRUCE LUNDVALL TO OVERSEE UNIT GEARED TO GROWING ADULT MUSIC MARKET TO INCLUDE ANGEL, BLUE NOTE, EMI CLASSICS, MANHATTAN AND NARADA

DAVE D’URBANO APPOINTED COO

TOM EVERED, ZACH HOCHKEPPEL AND IAN RALFINI TO ASSUME NEWLY-CREATED GENERAL MANAGER POSTS

NEW YORK, JULY 19, 2006 — EMI Music today announced a new label structure for its adult pop, jazz and classics labels with the formation of The Blue Note Label Group, the first full-scale, multi-genre music division dedicated to serving the adult music market.  Previously known as EMI Jazz & Classics, The Blue Note Label Group will be overseen by Bruce Lundvall, President and CEO.  Lundvall will continue to report to David Munns, Chairman and CEO, EMI Music North America.

This expanded division, established to capitalize on the growing adult music market and on the heels of successes with artists such as Norah Jones, Sarah Brightman, Amos Lee, Anita Baker, Raul Midon, Celtic Woman and jazz artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, Patricia Barber, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson and Jason Moran, will be grouped under the established and prestigious Blue Note name.  In addition, the division will now oversee the Narada Label Group, whose artists include Lila Downs, Alejandro Escovedo, Bird York, Charlie Sexton, and The Subdudes, and Jazz artists Euge Groove, Eric Darius, Ramsey Lewis and Jeff Lorber.  Narada will relocate from Milwaukee to New York and will be combined with the Manhattan Label.

Under Mr. Lundvall’s direction, labels will be organized into three distinct A&R and marketing streams, each to be overseen by a general manager: 

• Ian Ralfini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Manhattan label, will also assume GM duties for Narada, which includes Americana/Roots music on Back Porch, New Age music on Higher Octave, and the US license for Peter Gabriel’s World Music label, Real World whose roster includes The Blind Boys of Alabama, Mapfumo, Afro Celt Sound System and Yunchen Llamo.  Additionally, all classical cross-over artists, including Sarah Brightman, will move into Ralfini’s new group;
• Tom Evered has been named General Manager for all classical releases on Angel and the marketing of EMI and Virgin classical artists in the U.S in an effort to focus more acutely on the growing classical market.  In this role, Tom will leverage his strong classical background to expand the Angel classical artist roster, increase EMI’s overall classical market share in the U.S. and expand opportunities for classical genres in digital formats.
• Zach Hochkeppel, who had been Vice President of Marketing for EMI Jazz & Classics, has been promoted to be General Manager of Blue Note and will supervise all releases on Blue Note, Metro Blue and the Narada Jazz labels. 

In addition, newly expanded Sales, Promotion, Digital, Creative and International departments have been formed to serve all three music streams.  These departments will report to Bruce Lundvall and newly appointed COO, Dave D’Urbano, who has been promoted from his previous post as CFO.  Kevin Carroll will become Vice President of Promotion, and Sales Vice President Saul Shapiro will supervise all Sales and Field Marketing for The Blue Note Label Group.

"My vision is to create and sustain the leading position in the sophisticated 25-plus music market.  This move will streamline and organize our staffing to maximize our penetration of these key markets.  Moving the Narada Label Group to New York further enhances our ability to attract talent to these music genres and complete our involvement in all adult repertoire areas,” said Mr. Lundvall.  “While my heart will always be with Blue Note and Jazz, we have proven that we can break artists in virtually every area of quality music and we will continue to do so with élan and total commitment. I am particularly proud of my executive team – they have the vision, love of music and intelligence to make the Blue Note Label Group a very special division of EMI.” 

The division will issue new releases by Sarah Brightman, Norah Jones, Amos Lee, Raul Midon, Al Green, and Wynton Marsalis as well as new releases from Celtic Woman (which recently broke a record by holding the #1 spot on the Billboard World Music Chart for 68 weeks), Louise Setera, a new signing from the UK, Carrie Rodrigues and Chip Taylor. 

About EMI Music
EMI is the world’s largest independent music company, operating directly in 50 countries. Its EMI Music division represents more than 1,000 artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. For further information on EMI, please visit: www.emigroup.com