Music merger affects UK design

This week’s joint-venture between EMI and Warner Music is likely to see a global re-alignment of the group’s operations, which may affect UK design groups. However, an EMI Group spokeswoman says it is too early to anticipate such effects or talk about designing new corporate identities.

The £12bn deal, creating Warner EMI Music, will create the world’s largest music group.

Record labels under the Warner EMI Music umbrella will now include Virgin, Capitol Records, Chrysalis, Parlaphone and the EMI stable, as well as Atlantic, Warner Brothers, WEA, East West, Elektra, London and Sire. EMI also owns the HMV retail chain.

Design consultancies working with EMI on record designs include Enterprise IG and The Attik. In the past, Enterprise IG has worked on the EMI Classics range while The Attik has been working with EMI and Parlaphone artists such as Dub Star and Electronic, and is currently working on the identity of a new EMI label.

The Attik UK global business development director Tim Watson says: “So many little labels operate autonomously, and a deal like this may have little effect on them. In these situations what may happen is that the jobs design firms are working on are either postponed, or doubled in size.”

Watson also identifies new opportunities for designers through the Time Warner collaboration with AOL, which will, he says, impact on the way music and entertainment is produced and delivered to consumers.