EMI, Capitol UK Uniting Under Co-Presidents
• Universal Music UK announced that its EMI and Capitol labels are uniting under the joint leadership of current EMI President Rebecca Allen and current Capitol President Jo Charrington, who are now newly named Co-Presidents of the merged labels. As part of the move, Capitol Records UK’s roster and team now become part of the wider EMI family, reuniting two historic labels whose partnership goes back almost 70 years.
Over the course of her nine-year tenure with Capitol, Charrington (right), who was named sole President of the label earlier this year has overseen the success of global star Sam Smith and has worked with emerging talent including Aitch, Mae Muller and Zoe Wees, all of whom are working on new music for 2022. Her outstanding career in A&R has seen her sign and/or A&R some 30 platinum or multi-platinum albums while seeing artists she’s worked with collect countless awards. Under the leadership of Rebecca Allen (left), EMI enjoyed a successful year that saw No. 1 albums from Bastille, Elton John, Kanye West, Taylor Swift and The Killers.
David Joseph, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music UK, commented, “This is a game-changing moment for EMI. Becky and Jo make an exceptional team with a united vision for what a modern record label should be. Becky’s leadership together with Jo’s unrivalled A&R track record sets up what promises to be an exciting new era for EMI and their artists.”
Charrington said, “I’m honoured to be joining Becky, and the outstanding EMI team at what is an incredibly exciting time for the label. It really does feel like the stars have aligned for us both. For a label steeped in history and culture, our ambition and vision is simple. We want to develop and nurture the very best talent from across the world. Talent whose artistry will no doubt write the next chapter of EMI’s legacy as the UK’s most celebrated record label.”
Allen remarked, “I’m delighted to begin this journey with Jo and to welcome the brilliant Capitol team to EMI. Jo is someone who I have always admired and respected, both as a friend and as an outstanding executive. We’ve built a fantastic relationship over the years and we will be running a label that is both innovative and forward thinking with our artists and their music always at the heart.” Capitol Records UK will continue as a division of EMI label group, alongside Motown UK. [Rebecca Allen & Jo Charrington photo by Carsten Windhorst]
