Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label - Gizmodo Comments

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

smackiewicz — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:28:38 EST

The reason he didn't realize that we all can perform puppy-kidney-removal surgery is because he doesn't understand the mind boggling powers of being able to use the internets and google the procedure. Hell, if you look hard enough, you can probably find some streaming video of it and use that as a handy walkthrough.

Seriously though, just because you put earplugs in and cover your eyes, doesn't negate the existence of that train rushing towards you called progress.

"Oh my GOD! It's the FUTURE! RUUNNN!"

smackiewicz

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

nap70 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:30:01 EST

I must be the only one rooting for him. He (and the other old-timers) are assholes for letting Apple get a near-monopoly on digital distribution. But I hope they succeed in breaking them before they achieve that monopoly. Disclaimer for fanboys: The iPod is great, but iTunes sucks and the iTunes Music Store must be marginalized.

nap70

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

gotsmart — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:40:02 EST

If they had maybe read Nicholas Negroponte's "Being Digital" back in 1996, they might have had a clue. His whole "atoms vs. bits" argument made complete sense for content companies. But they weren't thinking like "content" companies... they were thinking (and continue to think) like consumer packaged goods companies, and still try to sell content in the same way companies sell toothpaste.

gotsmart

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

banmojo — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:36:28 EST

@Prosumerist: you . said . a . mouthful!!! This 'ole boys network' bullshit needs to QUIT. And we HAVE to stop electing good ole boys into office. Fer F+!"'s SAKE people, I'm SO not kidding. What a mafioso type ASSHOLE!! LOOK at his picture. TELL me he didn't 'shake Sinatra's hand'!! What a lotta BS!! No WONDER they're suing some poor woman for 100K plus. If I had Superman powers for just one day I'm pretty sure I'd spend at least half the day just flying around killing certain people. SEMMIREKELLŐ!! (use your Hungarian-Eng dictionary for that one)

banmojo

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

redkamel — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:46:47 EST

yup you didnt miss the boat....you just didn't know what to do....and thus, missed the boat. I CANT believe this guy runs a company. How can you not know anything about how your product is played?

redkamel

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

lucky_you — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:11:25 EST

I hope he recorded this interview somewhere.
I'd love to get it off a torrent.

lucky_you

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

DoctorX — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:44:16 EST

@Kaiser-Machead:

Greatest...Simpson's...line...EVER!

DoctorX

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

ANoel — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:27:12 EST

Trying to save the last vestigages of Glory Days of old economy of old militarism of old technology of old energy sources, these old, out-of-touch dickheads are all over.
You listening George?

ANoel

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

yogibimbi — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:25:26 EST

@rednecktech: 'Since when did stupidity become an acceptable excuse for incompetence?'

Happens all the time, brother, all the time:-(

yogibimbi

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

tamoko — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:22:11 EST

This explains alot.

tamoko

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

yogibimbi — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:11:02 EST

@Razta: what's with the thier? ;-)

yogibimbi

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Guizzy — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:51:17 EST

@Rand: True; at least he recognizes that he is unable to spot a good technology guy.

Really, this is such an issue with society nowadays. It always seems to me like the worst person possible gets influencial tech advisor jobs.

I can't count how many times very very basic technology related news or information is wrong on TV. It is getting better, but not nearly as fast as it is becoming critical.

Guizzy

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

ParJoe — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:49:12 EST

Yikes....just put that guy back in cryogenic stasis already.

ParJoe

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

rednecktech — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:48:04 EST

"So long, music industry. You had a good run."

Amen brother.

"That's a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn't. They just didn't know what to do."

Since when did stupidity become an acceptable excuse for incompetence?

rednecktech

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Angus — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:46:31 EST

it astounds me that the leaders of the "music industry" dont have a clue, and that anybody commenting on here would do a better job as ceo than anybody they have lined up to replace this guy.

Angus

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

peckster22 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:44:57 EST

Dogs *can* drive submarines!

[www.flickr.com]

Right into the toilet...

peckster22

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

stratboy — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:37:39 EST

Does anyone know where we can send donations? A bloated, inane industry is a terrible thing to waste.

stratboy

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

infmom — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:37:21 EST

Wow, was that a quote from a media megalith or from someone at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, DC?

infmom

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy! — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:16:35 EST

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it is weird and scary to me."

-Record Label Exec

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

vagrant — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:15:01 EST

It's like we're able to see dinosaurs roam the earth again. The large, slow, lumbering giants move across the earth, simply unaware of their oddity in the environment, not realizing that the earth is changing, which is causing their extinction. While many creatures are successfully adapting to the new environment, many of these large dinosaurs are simply too slow to evolve. Many will expire in the Internet tar pits and the rest will come to ruin trying to maintain their size with a voracious appetite. Some have started feeding on each other, thus reducing the competition. Survival of the fittest indeed.

vagrant

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

rainfever — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:12:53 EST

I give him credit for being smart enough to realize he is dumb.

rainfever

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

navvywavvy — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:11:22 EST

... and they say old people shouldn't drive.

navvywavvy

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Absent Blue — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:06:49 EST

How do you know the guy removing your dog's kidney knows what the hell he's doing? Oh yeah, he's got experience and degrees to show for it, maybe you should do something like that with them there technologists.

When you're a multi-billionaire CEO it's hard to make excuses as to why you couldn't get something done. However it would seem spotting a technologically proficient person is harder to do than earn gobs of cash.

Absent Blue

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:04:38 EST

L'il Abner? Isn't that the new hip hop act he just signed?

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Rand — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:01:57 EST

Got to give him some credit. It takes a big man to admit that he didn't know something. Now he needs to step down or at least move over and let some other company show him how its done. (CEOs aren't paid to know everything...but they should be able to spot BS artists or hire someone who can)

Rand

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Mayor McRib — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:47:24 EST

@Jason:
I would think that anyone investing in the traditional music business would probably not be that smart anyway.

Wow, when you think about it, artists like the artist currently known as Prince were way ahead of their time in more ways that musically. Now that we have seen the man behind the curtain it makes you question every artist that these companies are pushing.

Mayor McRib

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

LagunaSol — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:42:52 EST

Dear NBC/Universal, Universal Music, et al:

Fire your existing idiot CEOs. Hire new CEOs with functioning brain cells.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your tech-savvy customers who are sick of your lame BS.

LagunaSol

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Jason — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:34:04 EST

You'd think shareholders would demand a competent leader to increase their investment.

Are all recording industry shareholders out-of-touch geezers too?

Jason

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

ComicDork — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:11:31 EST

I read this article and just had to laugh. I give advice/ideas to friends at record companies and they just stare at me... until they come up to me months later saying "How did you know?"

My favorite encounter? The record rep for a band had never even used iTunes even though the band was being used as a song in an iPod commercial. I pretty much gave up and walked out at that point.

Record guys always have those arguments about "but you don't see the costs associated with 'developing' new acts"... and they seem reasonable until you realize how much they waste pushing crappy bands and singers. Ugh.

ComicDork

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

ANoel — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:09:35 EST

He seems very similar to GW Bush only more hip.

ANoel

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

JJ910 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:09:11 EST

This guy is toast before you can say toast. We are looking at almost a dozen start-ups that will put the power of music in the hands of the artists and the citizens - not in the hands of a "middleman". We have enough resources and technology available for direct artist-to-consumer promotion and don;t need old retarded farts that run record labels. I bet you this guy probably asks his secretary to print his emails and hates cell phones.

JJ910

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

ideaman2020 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:00:56 EST

"the guy seems as fit to run a newly tech-based company as a dog is fit to pilot a submarine"

Wait.. what?

Damn! There goes my new project, "Scooby-Doo meets Captain Nemo"...

ideaman2020

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Sockatume — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:59:07 EST

It's not your fault you missed the boat on electronic music, because you're so out of touch you could never have seen it coming? Fantastic logic, gramps.

Sockatume

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

hostile17 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:48:26 EST

He makes it sound like vets wake up as vets one day. Funnily enough, you learn you dimwit.

hostile17

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

GizMadone — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:42:17 EST

That reminds me....I've been meaning to go pay $50 for Radiohead's latest album, just to spite the music industry.

GizMadone

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Tehrab — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:38:02 EST

Clearly, he knew he had to do something, it's just that he thought alienating the customer base was the best approach. Does one really have to be a technologist to see the folly in that train of logic? I think not.

Tehrab

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

CaliforniaKid — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:35:41 EST

If he wants to change jobs, a second career waits for him on the Sopranos.

CaliforniaKid

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Razta — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:21:34 EST

I bet they have computers and some network in thier office. Start by asking thier computer guy who has 45 Gigbytes of MP3's stored on thier network because the RIAA will never come knocking at thier door.

Razta

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

Prosumerist — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:20:32 EST

The scary thing is this guy only runs a redundant record label. Imagine the people in charge of running government / banks / hospitals / institutions that actually matter!

Prosumerist

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

AlexNC — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:19:58 EST

unbelievable - no wander they are having so many problems. They have idiots running the company. Times have changed, and they need people leading them that understand todays dynamics. Obviously, this guy is way out of touch. Sharpen the ax.

AlexNC

Universal Music CEO is Like Your Cranky, Out-of-Touch Grandpa Who Happens to Run a Huge Record Label

MilktruckHeist — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:17:10 EST

What he hasn't had to remove a dog's kidney before? Hell I removed my cousin's spleen two weeks ago with a butter knife and a tuning fork and he seems fine. This guy is WAY out of touch with reality.

MilktruckHeist