BPI to hold second EGM in reversal of fortunes over EMI & SONY BMG February 12, 2008
Posted by Paul Birch in : BPI, EMI, Paul Birch, SONY BMG, Terra Firma , trackbackBPI to amend amendment aimed at retaining EMI, now aimed at retaining Sony BMG
Well, you couldn’t make it up. BPI who on the 12th February held an EGM to change its constitution aimed at retaining EMI as members, couldn’t convince more than 15% of its members to write in to change the fourth amendment to its Memo and Arts in as many years. Having written out to member asking for their support, BPI now find themselves in the embarrassing position of writing out to members again some time soon, this time asking them to reverse the decision.
Management gone mad?
BPI went to great pains to convince members to alter the constitution following EMI’s notice to quit BPI sister organisation IFPI. BPI’s vice chairman even wrote out asking for support, but only 1 in 6 companies responded. The rule which until the 12th Feb. required members of BPI to also be members of IFPI was altered to uncouple from IFPI, in the hope that the lifeboats wouldn’t be dragged under with the ship.
EMI are on a collision path with its peers over ditching support for IFPI, which lobbies on piracy and political issues. EMI have handed in a notice to quit the IFPI International trade group. Under the circumstances this also means that BPI will have to come to terms with the fact that EMI will also have to leave the BPI National Group.
Realising all this put EMI on a path where defacto they had to resign from BPI, BPI bosses ordered their lawyers to draft changes to the constitution in order that they could hang on to EMI when the inevitable becomes a reality at the end of February.
However, our Industry friends, reliable sources and Industry insiders tell us totally on the QT, hush hush and on the low, that the nice people at SONY BMG were more than a little irritated over the shenanigans. Who can blame them? I have a SONY TV so I am on their side.
A lot of members thought the whole shooting-match farcical. That BPI would hold an EGM to change the rules to hang on to just one member! Now, within a month they are in the embarrassing position of having to hold another EGM on March 12th to reverse the earlier decision, in order to hold on to an even more important member; SONY BMG.
One insider said; “it’s like Alien versus Predator in here”. There’s a lot of gnashing of teeth, saliva and tongue biting going on, and that’s just from the lawyers!
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