Jahfin Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) From Variety: Rhino Records lays off 30-40 WMG unit attempts to change with the times By CHRISTOPHER MORRIS In the latest indication of the shrinking market for compact discs, Warner Music Group's catalog arm Rhino Records laid off between 30 and 40 staffers on Thursday. Job losses came in all departments, including A&R, marketing, promotion and publicity. A statement from Rhino cited a "fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business" as a reason for the cuts. Company said Rhino will evolve into an entity that "handles WMG's global digital catalog initiatives, film, TV, vidgame and commercial licensing, and name and likeness representation for legendary artists." Move comes as sales of physical recorded music continues to decline steeply. Rhino has long been considered the industry standard for boxed set retrospectives, but demand for such high-ticket items has been strangled by the music market slump and shift to digital sales. The Warner unit has been trying to change with the times, placing more emphasis on digital-only offerings, including a recent virtual boxed set devoted to the U.K.'s Factory Records, and name-and-likeness pacts, such as those made with Frank Sinatra's estate and the Grateful Dead. Edited September 25, 2009 by Jahfin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgeholder Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Bummer. They did a great job with all those re-issues and box sets. I was always hoping they would release "Rahssan Roland Kirk live at Montreaux" on DVD. Have it on VHS. Anyway. Sad news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Major bummer. I love Rhino records - they do a fantastic job with compilations and such Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan_S. Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Yeah, what a real bummer! Loved them! Love their top-notch packages which include excellent liner notes with histories about the encased recordings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 The Reports Of Rhino's Demise Were An Exaggeration Thank you to everyone for your heartfelt and passionate words about the recent events at Rhino. As many of you know, we had to reduce our staff yesterday, and it was a very difficult day. We had to say goodbye to some great Rhinos who will be sorely missed. But, a lot of misinformation is making its way through chat rooms and the blogosphere -- including misplaced rumors that we have closed our doors -- and we want to take this opportunity to offer some perspective. Rhino is still a company of more than 100 passionate music lovers. We remain firmly committed to the core principles that made us the company you know and love: creating the best, most informative, innovative, and fun CD, vinyl, and digital music products, and doing everything we can to showcase the amazing artists and catalog with whom we work. In the coming weeks, we will bring an extensive revamp to Rhino.com which we think will help us compensate for the loss of so many retail outlets in the past few years. We will also be releasing several unique Rhino Handmade titles, including titles by Chris Bell, Jan & Dean, MC5, Wilson Pickett, and yes, The Monkees - titles that are very much in the vein of great Rhino releases from the past. And that's just a few of the projects we're working on, so please don't worry that we've gone away! Obviously, as the music industry undergoes rapid change, every company needs to think differently and to shift how they get the artists' music to the fans. This is not the first time we've had to confront this challenge at Rhino. Over the years, our staff has grown and contracted. But then it's also grown again, along with changes and opportunities in the marketplace. With every industry downturn, there are nay-sayers who predict our demise or complain that the "new" Rhino is not like the "old" Rhino. Well, we've got a 31-year track record, numerous awards, and a recent string of some of the most creatively diverse offerings in our history that refutes those pundits. Our unique social and environmental mission programs remain intact. And we remain totally committed to being an artist-centric company devoted to bringing our artists' music to the fans in the most thoughtful and creative way possible. This is who we are and will continue to be. With gratitude, Team Rhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock N' Rollin' Man Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i8a59b9acd0fa94f35c28601ec5154b82 Rhino Cuts Staff, Physical Releases To Continue September 25, 2009 By Ed Christman, N.Y. Rhino Entertainment has laid off about 20% of its staff, due to declining physical sales, sources confirm, as part of a strategic realignment of the company's business mandate. In total, some 30-40 staffers were let go, mainly staffers who worked with creating physical product. So far this year, CD sales are down about 20%, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The company, known for its comprehensive boxsets, will continue to release music physically, but there likely will be a cutback in the number of overall releases from the label, and some releases may only be available digitally, sources say. The Warner Music Group issued a statement on the restructuring. "As a result of the fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business, Rhino Entertainment is evolving. Part of that evolution involves a shift from serving primarily as a catalog and reissue company to one that handles WMG's global digital catal initiatives, film, television, video game and commercial licensing, and name and likeness representation for legendary artists. "Reflecting those changes, Rhino has also reduced a number of staff positions to focus resources in the fastest-growing areas of thebusiness. This is consistent with our previously announced strategy to evolve the business in order to drive long-term growth at Rhino provide our artists with the most effective resources, and offer fans even more ways to experience great music." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtired Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 The blame for the contraction goes squarely with those who've quit buying compact discs and the young who never have because of lousy compressed, easily available downloads. Part of the blame can go to the suppliers too, but ultimately it's potential music listener who multitask and don't concentrate on just the music so the lessened quality goes unnoticed. Even with the downloaders who do opt for lossless formatting, they'd rather have their music loaded onto an iPod or similar than take up precious space with cd's. Just goes to show you that music doesn't quite have the same importance as in years past. It's just another picture on the wall, so to speak. My sadness is completely aimed at the general consumer's dwindling interest in music as a sole diversion and their short term concentration. Watch people with iPods, they seem to rarely play whole albums as one folder, they're constantly fidgetting with their scroller playing separate tunes one after the other. That's short term interest in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Watch people with iPods, they seem to rarely play whole albums as one folder, they're constantly fidgetting with their scroller playing separate tunes one after the other. That's short term interest in my book. Don't even get me started on ringtones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtired Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Don't even get me started on ringtones. Well if you do get started, how about a new thread? I can do a preview. When I carry my cellphone, which isn't that often, I keep mine on the plain jane ring at low volume and vibrate. When I'm in public I only have on the vibrate. And that's the rare times I even have the phone turned on!! I've never become slave to it. Back on topic, sort of, I recently got a small portable digital device and put FULL albums on it in the highest quality compressed format, mp3-320kbps, for remote listening. I have very long rides on public transportation and HAD to get a player. I don't download my core music collection, only bootlegs etc., and continue to buy cd's to update my music or upgrade as in the recent Beatle and Stones remasters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 The blame for the contraction goes squarely with those who've quit buying compact discs and the young who never have because of lousy compressed, easily available downloads. Part of the blame can go to the suppliers too, but ultimately it's potential music listener who multitask and don't concentrate on just the music so the lessened quality goes unnoticed. Even with the downloaders who do opt for lossless formatting, they'd rather have their music loaded onto an iPod or similar than take up precious space with cd's. Just goes to show you that music doesn't quite have the same importance as in years past. It's just another picture on the wall, so to speak. My sadness is completely aimed at the general consumer's dwindling interest in music as a sole diversion and their short term concentration. Watch people with iPods, they seem to rarely play whole albums as one folder, they're constantly fidgetting with their scroller playing separate tunes one after the other. That's short term interest in my book. Not sure I'd say music has less importance but I think it's definitely shifted in terms of how it's obtained as you mentioned above with people leaning towards downloading as opposed to buying discs. But people I think are still as passionate about music. I still buy cds. I'm not one that jumped on the downloading bandwagon but I love my Ipod and I have a mixture of full albums and various songs on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I love what Rhino has released through the years. I look forward to see their coming releases too, but f**k it, I ain't goin to buy downloads, not from Rhino, not from anyone. I'm a conservative s.o.b. when it comes to music formats, it's a wonder I haven't started buying 78 rpm's. I still haven't bought my first mp3 player/Ipod yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 (edited) The blame for the contraction goes squarely with those who've quit buying compact discs and the young who never have because of lousy compressed, easily available downloads. Part of the blame can go to the suppliers too, but ultimately it's potential music listener who multitask and don't concentrate on just the music so the lessened quality goes unnoticed. Even with the downloaders who do opt for lossless formatting, they'd rather have their music loaded onto an iPod or similar than take up precious space with cd's. Just goes to show you that music doesn't quite have the same importance as in years past. It's just another picture on the wall, so to speak. My sadness is completely aimed at the general consumer's dwindling interest in music as a sole diversion and their short term concentration. Watch people with iPods, they seem to rarely play whole albums as one folder, they're constantly fidgetting with their scroller playing separate tunes one after the other. That's short term interest in my book. I've had an iPod Shuffle for close to year but I still haven't used it. It's synched up, I've ripped a few CDs to iTunes but I still haven't loaded any music onto my iPod. Why? Well, one reason would be the tinnitus. It's probably not wise to wear earbuds or anything that goes directly in my ear like that. The last thing I want to do is lose even more of my hearing. However, it would be nice to have a shitload of music that's portable. I hate the idea of compressed music files becoming the norm as well. I'm no audiophile so it's hard for me to even tell the difference but I know it's there. Still, I'm gearing up for the shift because it's inevitable. CDs may never go away completely (just look at vinyl) but the day is coming. Everywhere I go the used CDs shops are overflowing because people are dumping their CDs left and right. I'm only too glad to add them to my collection. In my lifetime I've seen reel-to-reel, 8-tracks, cassettes, vinyl records, DAT, MiniDisc, etc. all come come and go. Now it's the CDs' turn. The question is, what will come along to replace digital files? How will we be listening to our music in another 10 years? Or will we even be "listening" to it? Back when CDs were new I wrote a short story about how in the future we'll be able to listen to music just by taking a pill. The freaky thing is, it appears we may not be too far off from that. As far as music being treated as wallpaper, that's always been in existence. You have your diehard music fans, such as most of us here and you have your casual listeners. Moms that like to put on some Bon Jovi and throw back a glass of sherry while doing the ironing. Those people could give a shit about sound quality. Like you said, they just want some background music. Unfortunately, they're the very ones that drive the market. Everyone from Lou Reed and Neil Young to T-Bone Burnett have pleaded with the industry to not allow mp3s to become the only choice but they're fighting a losing battle. We all know that $$$$$ is the bottom line and it'll ultimately win over, "sound quality" be damned. I truly hope not but it's certainly how things appear to be going. In regards to the short attention span thing, that may be true to a degree but I know how much I used to enjoy making mixtapes. I would enjoy doing the same thing with CDs or an iPod. Sure, I still like to listen to a complete album now and then but I love the variety and thought that goes into making a mix. There's nothing like sequencing your favorite songs for a compilation. Edited September 30, 2009 by Jahfin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I really think that music with quality, music made by real musicians for real music fans, will still be avaliable in a physical format. It's nothing that will disappear for quite a while. I don't mind if all the Brittneys and Beyonces only is avaliable as downloads as I am not interested in commercial, corporate music anyway. Any band with an ounce of real interest in music will probably release their stuff on vinyl or any other physical format anyway. There is enough interest out there to keep it alive anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I really think that music with quality, music made by real musicians for real music fans, will still be avaliable in a physical format. It's nothing that will disappear for quite a while. I don't mind if all the Brittneys and Beyonces only is avaliable as downloads as I am not interested in commercial, corporate music anyway. Any band with an ounce of real interest in music will probably release their stuff on vinyl or any other physical format anyway. There is enough interest out there to keep it alive anyway. I certainly hope so. The upswing in vinyl sales over the last couple of years gives a lot of hope for that. Still, I'm trying to adapt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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