Remembering Bhaskar Menon
• Bhaskar Menon, the former President & CEO of Capitol Records, founding Chairman & CEO of EMI Music Worldwide and prominent film executive, died March 4, 2021 at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 86.
Vijaya Bhaskar Menon was born in Thiruvanthapuram, India on May 29, 1934. He was recruited by EMI in 1956 and went on to a successful 34-year career bringing the British company’s sprawling assets spread over 46 countries together under one roof. In 1967 Menon joined the Gramophone Company of India, EMI’s Indian subsidiary and was later upped to Managing Director and later, to Chairman, overseeing 10,000 employees. In 1969 Menon was appointed Managing Director of EMI International with direct operating responsibility for companies in 25 countries. Two years later Menon was asked to temporarily move to Los Angeles as President & CEO of Capitol Records, a public corporation in which EMI held majority interest. His motto for his employees was simple: “Uncompromising excellence in what you do goes without saying. We expect more than that.”
Los Angeles eventually became Menon’s permanent home. In 1978, he was appointed Chairman & CEO of EMI Music Worldwide, a position he would hold for 12 years. Along the way he cultivated a who’s-who of iconic artists including The Beatles (as a group and solo projects,) Rolling Stones, Queen, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole, Grand Funk Railroad, Helen Reddy, Steve Miller, Bob Seger, Anne Murray, Glen Campbell, Iron Maiden, Heart, Kenny Rogers, Duran Duran, Maria Callas and Ravi Shankar.
Menon also played an instrumental role in introducing Pink Floyd to American audiences by tirelessly promoting The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973. In 1978 Menon was appointed Chairman of EMI Films & TV for North America, which received five Academy Awards that year for its production of The Deer Hunter. In 1990, after serving as Chairman of the the global music industry association IFPI for many years, Menon was awarded the IFPI Medal of Honour for services to the Worldwide Music Industry. In his later years, Menon served as strategic advisor and active board member for various companies, particularly NDTV India, where he enjoyed using his decades of amassed experience to mentor countless aspiring entrants into the music business.
Menon is survived by Sumitra, his wife of 49 years, sons Siddhartha and Vishnu, and sister Vasantha Menon.
