Maybe Rob Wells doesn’t really get the idea of cannibalism. I don’t agree with him on this, because streaming has hurt the one-track sales and the buying habits of the consumer. We see that in a reflection of the dropping sales in the iTunes marketplace and other content providers that have dwindling sales. In the November 2013 MIT Sloan Management Review, Wells explains that he does a lot through charts to get people on his side and a lot of the senior staff at the label seem to be less tech savvy, so it is hard to convince and persuade the senior level staff. Well used the example that he had to introduce senior level executives to Snapchat and Vine. He could tell if they were interested if they were engaged in the conversation, if not they would ignore him all together. This seems very frustrating, time consuming, and ineffective.
Wells needed to educate the workforce at UMG about digital strategies and tools. The former CEO at UMG, Doug Morris, believed in the traditional ways of the classic music industry and was reluctant to implement digital strategies. It seems as though the music industry is hesitant to make a move on implementing new ideas and platforms that are made up in house, yet Wells states in the interview that UMG has never turned down any deals from outside parties, however they have a “how about this” approach. Wells made it seem like he was always fighting to get his point across and make things happen on the digital side, however when second parties came along the label never said no, for example, the Nokia deal. Nokia brought and pitched …Read the full story
Source:: Music Think Tank