Quartararo To Redesign Emi Sales, Distribution

By appointing Phil Quartararo executive VP of North America, EMI Recorded Music is moving to redesign the traditional sales and distribution model to build a new "super-marketing" entity.

Quartararo, who begins his new job Sept. 3, will assume responsibilities for the EMI Music Distribution (EMD) national and field sales staff, as well as the catalog marketing division and special markets, but he will not have the manufacturing and distribution facilities under his umbrella. Those responsibilities, previously Richard Cottrell's, were recently assigned to global distribution head Alan McElroy, who reports to executive VP John Rose. Meanwhile, another executive is expected to be named that will oversee the financial and business side of EMI's U.S. operations. Cottrell, previously president of EMD, is moving to London to head the company's fight against piracy.

"What we are talking about is building an in-house super-marketing machine—an entity that encompasses sales but puts a marketing and promotion spin on it—that becomes a palette for the labels to draw on," Quartararo explains. "In the past, there has always been 'us' and 'them' between the labels and distribution. What I want to try and do is build something with the labels, which is an 'us,' so we can try to lose the schism."

Quartararo, who most recently was president of Warner Bros. Records, adds: "Of the five majors, [EMI] is the one that is in the position to really be bold and different." He says that chairman Alain Levy and vice chairman David Munns are pushing for this in all aspects of the business.

Quartararo says his first job will be to sit with the labels and ask what works and what does not. Beyond that, Quartararo says he will have a broader general role serving as a "swat team" for Munns. "If the labels have a promotion issue or a marketing issue," he says, "my role is to be on call for them."

Prior to his years at Warner Bros., Quartararo, who emerged from the promotion side of the business, was president of Virgin Records. Current Virgin Records president/CEO Matt Serletic and Capitol Records president/CEO Andy Slater will continue to report to Munns.