SAM Daily Times

MUSIC MOGHUL

Respectful dedication Lata Mangeshkar/India- – Umme Kulsoom/Egypt – Nashenaz/Afghanistan

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Lata Mangeshkar

Nashenas

Umme Kulsoom

Grainge was 18. Hanging around music studios with friends all day long but playing his nascent skills. Having earned his first 400 pounds by wangling a contract for a recording engineer, he left school, before taking his A-levels. His first record company job was the result of an unsolicited call he made to CB5’s chairman. Amazingly, the call was answered by the man himself while his secretary was at lunch. By 1986, he was Managing Director of Poly Grames’ UK music publishing, and later became Head of A&R and Managing Director of Polyder Records, Deputy Chairman of Universal Music UK and , in 2001, Chairman and Chief Executive. Grainge claims that staying at the top of an ever changing music industry is as much to do with gut feeling as successful business planning : “It’s instinctive : you either feel and understand it or you don’t. You have to respond and live with it and like the fact that it changes all the time. “ But Grainge has not always been spot on ; in 1980, 1981, “I thought Spandau Ballet were better than Capital Duran Duran but Duran Duran really cut it in the US. I can probably think of 75 to 100 mistakes like that.”

Grainge then, has also had more than fair share of hits. Universal’s cut of the UK Music Market regularly hovers around 30% to 40 %. But in one week in 2006, its artists grabbed nearly 60 % share of the UK Album Chart. Commenting on this achievement Grainge has said , “It’s difficult for me to say how successful we are! But we are the most profitable company within the industry.” In spite of his boyish enthusiasm, Grainge is widely recognized to be a highly astute and canny businessman. His boss then, Doug Morris, once said of him ; “He is so deep hive with that little kind face and those little glasses. Behind them he is a killer shark.” Further down the food chain, a press officer who worked with UMG and Grainge says the man with the kindly smile can “eat chocolate, pudding menacingly!!!” Haha ! So dear readers don’t miss the last and the best part tomorrow. Thanks to !WOW! as always. Good night and God bless!

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