The former member of Dexy's Midnight Runners replaces Ged Doherty at helm of Sony Music UK
Sony Music, the music major behind Simon Cowell, on Thursday appointed Nick Gatfield – a former member of Dexy's Midnight Runners – to take over its British operations in place of Ged Doherty.
The sudden switch at the number two record group comes just three weeks after Doug Morris took the helm at Sony Music worldwide – and brings together two men who previously worked together at Sony's principal rival Universal.
Doherty left Sony suddenly on Wednesday, along with Richard Sanders, the head of Sony Music Interational, based out of New York. This decision reflects a desire by Morris to bring in his team into Sony Music, a company characterised by powerful but competing executives, some of whose divisions date back to the era of the joint venture with BMG.
Gatfield's key job at Sony Music will be to maintain healthy relationships with Simon Cowell, whose UK office is in Sony's West London headquarters. Sony Music also has a 50% interest in Cowell's key business vehicle, Syco.
Industry veteran Gatfield had ran Universal's Island record group in the UK between 2001 and 2008, where labels under his control were responsible for the likes of Amy Winehouse and Mika – during which time Morris was ultimately in charge of Universal in New York.
The Briton left Universal after being passed over for the top job in the UK, which went instead to David Joseph, an ally of Lucian Grainge. Grainge became the chief executive of Universal Music worldwide, after Universal's French owners Vivendi pushed a reluctant Morris upstairs to become chairman.
Morris responded by quitting and moving to Sony Music, setting the stage for a period of intense rivalry between the the two leading music groups.
After leaving Universal, Gatfield was recruited to be EMI's top music executive worldwide. For two difficult years from 2008 EMI enjoyed a mini-revivial, with Tinie Tempah and Swedish House Mafia joining the debt-laden music giant.
Eventually, amid ceaseless corporate uncertainty, Gatfield left in 2010 – and moved to a noticeably more junior role at Sony in February of this year, running its UK labels.
More significantly, arguably, Gatfield played on both the saxophone and the keyboard for Dexy's Midnight Runners from 1982 to 1985, including the perennial wedding playlist favourite Come On Eileen.
Morris said: "Nick is an accomplished music executive with a successful A&R background, strong senior management experience" before adding that he had "a special understanding of the artist community being a former recording artist himself".
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/21/sony-music-nick-gatfield-head-uk-operations
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