EMI counts cost of Robbie’s flop
WHEN they agreed to reform without Robbie Williams, there were fears that Take That could prove an embarrassing flop. But the former boy band massively outsold Britain’s biggest pop star in the album charts, riding a wave of Nineties nostalgia.And yesterday Williams’s record company was left counting the cost as it admitted its pre-Christmas slate of releases, including the former Take That member’s album Rudebox, had failed to sell as well as hoped.
The downbeat assessment came just two months after EMI predicted it was on course to meet sales targets, with releases from artists including Williams, Joss Stone and Norah Jones.
However, EMI yesterday warned that annual sales in recorded music would be down by as much as 10 per cent and revealed it was looking for company-wide cuts of £110 million. One immediate consequence of EMI’s statement yesterday was the departure of EMI Music chief executive Alain Levy together with another senior executive. The record giant cautioned its performance in the six months to the end of this March would be “below prior expectations”.
It added: “This has resulted from weak market conditions, particularly over the Christmas period, and lower than expected sales of second-half releases.” Williams’s Rudebox – his seventh studio album – is languishing outside the album top 40, with sales of 454,000. By contrast, Take That’s reunion record, Beautiful World, has spent five weeks at the top of the album charts, selling more than 1.15 million copies.
EMI has relied on new artist Lily Allen and its eternal cash cow, the Beatles – with an album of remixes called Love – for current chart success in a generally weak market for music sales. Simon Wallis, an industry expert with analysts Collins Stewart, said: “There was a simple problem – EMI didn’t sell as many CDs as they thought they would. The problem is with EMI’s management and their ability to manage costs.”
Some music industry watchers suspect the sluggish sales of Williams’s latest record may stem from the singer’s split from long-term songwriting partner Guy Chambers, the co-writer of hits such as Angels, Let Me Entertain You and Rock DJ. Unlike previous releases, Rudebox is struggling to spawn a hit single. Paul Williams, from trade magazine Music Week, said: “This album has been a dip in fortunes compared to Robbie’s previous albums. By contrast, Take That’s decision to embark on a Nineties pop nostalgia reunion proved inspired.
Fans flocked to watch the remaining quartet go through their dance moves with 35-year-old Gary Barlow – whose weight hit 16 stone at one point after the band split up – slimming down to keep pace with fellow group members Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald. The group also had a starring role in the popular ITV1 reality show The X Factor.