Yesterday, EMI’s global restructuring swiped Canada for a second time. EMI Music Publishing global COO Roger Faxon announced Monday that consolidation in North American will result in service functions previously handled in Canada are to be absorbed by the New York office. EMI Canada Music Publishing president Mike McCarty will maintain a satellite office in Toronto and split his time between NYC and here.
McCarty has presided over one of the most influential and aggressive music publishing divisions in the country for the past 15 years, winning Music Publisher of the Year awards at CMW 10 times in the past 11 years. McCarty’s new embedded status in the NYC operation acknowledges his influence, credibility and respect within the songwriting community, and his knowledge and creative abilities to exploit copyrights in a market where traditional revenue streams are either revenue neutral or tanking.
“To maximize our effectiveness in the North American market,” Faxon explained in an internal memo, “we are now going to bring our US and Canadian operations closer together so that we can place increased focus on serving our existing songwriters and finding new songwriters wherever they may be.
“The back office functions for our Canadian operations will be centralized out of New York, and as a result of this reorganization, creative managers’ Tanya Coghlan, Creative manager Mike Fox and Kat Lourenco will be leaving the company at the end of the fiscal year.
“Mike McCarty will continue as President of EMI Music Publishing Canada, and will maintain a Canadian office based in Toronto. We will also create a satellite Canadian office in our New York HQ, which will enable Mike to work even more closely with the A&R and wider teams in New York and Santa Monica to create further opportunities for Canadian songwriters.”
Songwriters affiliated with EMI Music Publishing Canada include Bob Rock, and writers with AlexisOnfire, Billy Talent and Sum 41.
Earlier in the year, a reorganization of EMI Music’s North American A&R functions streamlined artist signings. Previously, the Canadian division signed acts to the Canadian arm and pitched masters to US and international affiliates. Under the new policy, acts are signed to EMI Music N/A wide.
