EMI is now able to open the BBC's own Cave of Broadcast Wonders, which gives me the mental image of a huge iron door laboriously wrenched open and Syd Barrett careening out, only to hit the opposite wall. In a deal forged this week, the BBC has agreed to grant unfettered access to EMI in exchange for use of EMI's artist performances in their programming. EMI plans to use this reservoir of material to create exclusive live DVDs, CDs, and digital download content.
"In the BBC vaults there is a wealth of unreleased and high quality material from EMI artists that we will now be able to bring to fans," says EMI senior VP Pete Duckworth. "At the same time, we can offer new revenue opportunities to our artists that simply weren't there before."
As mentioned in the headline, some of the hidden treasures include a 1975 Bowie documentary and a 1967 Pink Floyd performance of Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Hey, check it: EMI had a good idea! Devote time to the artists in your catalog that are actually good, and people will probably buy your swag! Oh man, this defies logic. Or follows it. I need to lie down (with David Bowie).
