Entertainment - Reuters/Variety Music

EMI in Mega-Deal with Singer Robbie Williams
Wed Oct 2, 3:58 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - EMI Group Plc ( news - web sites) has clinched an $125.5 million record deal with British pop-idol Robbie Williams, second only in size to Michael Jackson's signing fee, The Sun newspaper reported Wednesday.

Investors have fretted whether the group could hold onto star performer Williams, whose contract had expired. Williams, once a member of boy-band Take That, is best known for songs like "Millennium," "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You."

EMI has a checkered history when it comes to signing big names. In April 2001, the company penned a deal worth an estimated $80 million to $100 million with American performer Mariah Carey, only to cut her loose with a $30 million pay-off when her debut album flopped.

The Williams deal, thought to be for four albums, will give the performer unique control over his work, and includes a commitment to try to make him a star in the United States, a market he has failed to break into, the newspaper reported.

EMI representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.

i don't get the appeal of this guy. he's like George Michael II. i'll stick with George Michael I if that's the kind of thing i want. and isn't even at all popular in the US. how does one get the second biggest deal ever when he can't even break through int he largest music market in the world?


(and yes, i know foreigners are going to say "there's life and music outside of the US" blah blah blah. but until you've made it here, you haven't made it. so keep it to yourself)

You know the funny thing about all this is the fact that Robbie Williams only writes his lyrics, whereas Guy Chambers writes the music. Part of the contract says that if Guy Chambers wanted to continue working with Williams, he would have to work with him and him only. Today it was announced that Guy has decided to split form him altogether because he didn't want to be restricted from writing for other artists... so Robbie is already in a bit of a muddle

The contract is also reported to be on the condition that EMI promote him in the USA. Didn't he already do that? DIdn't he come running back with his tail between his legs?

Robbie Williams simply doesn't have the sort of music or persona that can possibly make it "big" in today's climate of the industry in the US.

I would have thought EMI would be careful after the Mariah fiasco. The CEO of the company (forgot his name) has just had a hefty pay rise too, despite major losses in comparison to previous years. They're dropping artists by the bucket. Is Robbie Williams really worth that much? - Rhetorical question.

Essence said:

good luck. he's gonna need it...

Ellie said:

I agree with you on the persona bit. He can get away with being an obnoxiouls little twat over in the UK because he's a known entity over there, people get it. But when I've seen him pull that garbage in interviews here, you're left thinking "who the fuck does this guy think he is?" His pumped up ego from being so big over there is what keeps him from attracting a following in the US.

That says a lot about mainstream musical taste, pseudo-rebel, pseudo-Sinatra, pseudo-singer, with a bit of luck all the money will go in his nose & ...soon he'll be a real has-been/ pseudo-legend..

AaronForever said:

There's life and music outside of the US blah blah blah, hey I'm not a GM fan but at least he's a (very) good singer and talented ( & I think that "careless whisper" is a classic), R Williams is more like Andrew Ridgeley

AaronForever said:

a Pessimist much?

jnoel said:

so he's a hanger-on? the guy in the right place at the right time? always a bridesmaid, never a bride?

i'm running out of cliches...

AaronForever said:

and his lousy music has absolutely nothing to do with it?

:wOOt: Go Robbie Go!!! Take that money and run!!!

twonabomber said:

of course not. he's actually had 3 hits in the US.

I do like the new song though!

AaronForever said:

define hit. and kindly list top chart position, as well as which chart...#2 on the "songs nobody has heard" chart doesn't count...
[This message was edited Sun Oct 6 16:53:58 PDT 2002 by twonabomber]

Williams is an asshole and a karoake, appealing to pissed up lager louts and tarts it's no wonder the US aren't impressed because the man is devoid of intelligence, just like his audience.

twonabomber said:

Millenium, Angels, and that one... something about a DJ, where he's ripping his flesh off in the video, all garnered considerable airply in the US.

AaronForever said:

i've seen the vids for Millennium and the DJ thing on M2...as for the radio, nada. hit is not the word, then...

wait, i found one...Millennium, highest chart position 80. weeks on chart, one. good job, RW. welcome to America...

OK, so it looks like The Ego Has Landed went gold here in the States. but, there's no accounting for taste...Celine Dion does that all the time...
[This message was edited Sun Oct 6 22:34:53 PDT 2002 by twonabomber]
[This message was edited Sun Oct 6 22:35:56 PDT 2002 by twonabomber]

twonabomber said:

i heard all 3 on the radio quite a bit. and i live in the sticks. so i know it was on the radio.




Millenium peaked at #72 actually. and i think that when it came out in the US (98?), Billboard wasn't counting radio-only tracks. it was eligible to chart in late 98 or early 99 when Billboard changed its policy. but by then, the popularity of the song was waning.

and Angels was a big AC hit.

I must say I really like Robbie's personality.

Sure, he has an ego. But then again, many in showbiz have. They fact he gets away with lots of it is cuz he is tongue in cheek. In a British way. Just hear (and see; it's on DVD) his puns in The Royal Albert Hall gig.
He is cute, too little, but still sexy. Writes GRRREAT songs (eat that, Barlow).
Has kewl friends (Hey Kylie!) and is smart enough to surround himself with kewl peeps.

And I was right back in the day with George Michael.
Am I right about Robbie, or is it all hormones i feel for him?

Ellie said:

---

Ellie, you've raised some GOOD points. It will be interesting to see how Williams fares without Guy Chambers influencing the strings.

I'm not the greatest admirer of Williams' music, and the man himself (to be honest, he can be quite moronic). Although Williams was being pursued by other labels including Sony and V2 (Virgin), I think EMI have committed financial suicide. They tried the same last year with Mariah Carey's 'Glitter' album but were unsuccessful but this episode truly represents a stab in the heart.

Williams HAS tried to conquer the US market before and he FAILED. What makes him (or EMI for that matter) think he'll be a success this time around? Anyway he'll certainly be many times richer by the time this deal is done.

This deal takes me back to the time Michael Jackson stiffed Sony to the tune of $1 billion (£627 million) back in 1991. Makes you wonder how many monkeys it takes to run a record company.

I don't get why this guy is so popular. His music is very average and his latest video is disgusting and a blatant rip off of one of MJ's. The Brits want a new big star, so they've picked this guy. Where is George Michael. There's some real talent.

The Michael Jackson situation and contract was a LOT different. Firstly, look at that figure. Robbie Williams has the second largest contract ever now and it's still not even close to that of MJ's. MJ's contract included videos and other things, but by the looks of it, Robbie's also includes deals regarding DVD productions/sales and the internet.

Anyway, in 1991 MJ's last album at the time had just become one of the biggest ever sellers, he'd just finished the biggest grossing world tour ever. He was an established WORLDWIDE star with commercial appeal in places other western superstars were practically unknown. His first album under that contract beat the previous one in worldwide sales, even without a US tour. People forget just how huge he was a decade ago.

Anyway, Robbie Williams' last album did VERY well in the UK, but it's worldwide sales aren't that different from the "flop" that was Invincible. And few people would have made that much money from it apart from the writers and publishers seeing as it was a cover album with only one original song.

BTW, these contract figures are always inflated. £80m is the POTENTIAL worth of the contract. MJ's 1991 contract was potentially worth $890m (£627m). It's the specifics of what is in the contract that counts.

If in the late 80s, George Michael had signed a large contract like this, I'd have said that was justified. He was an established star with major success in the US. He writes his owns songs alone and doesn't rely on one partner. Imagine Janet Jackson splitting from Jam & Lewis, she'd be stranded. I really believe Robbie has been *that* dependent on Guy Chambers musically. His debut single was a feckin' cover of George Michael's 'Freedom' - and a cruddy cover it was too.
[This message was edited Mon Oct 7 11:41:45 PDT 2002 by Ellie]

His Royal Albert Hall DVD is VERY entertaining. He has a beautiful voice and I think with some decent songs he could do good in the U.S. And if that don't work he should do a porno with his buddy Jonathan Wilkes.

Ah, Jonathan Wilkes, who has failed to break into the music business several times via riding off the coat tails of Robbie, and is now presenting a Saturday morning kids show, taking over from 2 ex-members of crappy pop group Steps.

maybe i hate him because he looks quite a bit like that douchebag that ripped me off for $400

Oasis got it right when they said,"He's just the fat dancer from Take That".
He's a pretentious,stuck-up,talentless,non-fashionable,fucker.
Oh, and it's time to come outta the closet!

---

thebumpsquad said:

Ditto. Very true.

Robbie is just an egotistical, arrogant caberaet singer.

I hope he never makes it big in the U.S. You don't deserve to endure him.

S#*t sells. Robbie just 'sells' for the tune of £80 million (incidentally the only tune the bragging oaf has ever heard).
[This message was edited Sun Oct 13 10:24:30 PDT 2002 by Mr7]

David Bowie recently described Robbie as "cruise ship entertainment"!

Mr7 said:

AMEN!!!

'dre