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Fania news

mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
edited May 2009 in Strut Central
http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2009/05/los-angeles-me/the-end-or-a-new-beginning-for-fania-.htmlThis is NOT a good look. Besides the fact that the newsletter I was helping put out is permanently on hold, the new owners of the Fania catalog don't sound like music folks - they sound like liquidators. *sad trumpet*

  Comments

  • discos_almadiscos_alma discos_alma 2,164 Posts
    Emusica, who had purchased Fania in 2005, has sold Fania to Signal-Equity, a company that, according to their website, specializes in ???leveraged buy-outs, roll-ups, restructurings and secondary purchases of investment portfolios in the media and technology sectors.???

    This has written all over it. Sorry, dude. It seems like you had a good thing going and I enjoyed the newsletters.
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    That's brutal news. I hope this isn't the end.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    Any rumors on why Emusica sold the rights to Signal-Equity? I saw also that Signal-Equity bought West Side/Seeco, but looking through their website they seem to have their hands in a bunch of things all unrealted to music. Who are these people that they would want Fania and West Side? Seems real strange to me. Also, out of curiosity, how much money do you guys think these rights are worth?
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I think this is the story of Fania.
    When I was stocking new world music cds back in 1990, Fania titles were constantly in and out of print, management and distribution was in constant flux.
    One day they were boosting of new reissues the next there wasn't even a sales dept.

    I think I said in your first thread that Fania has always had the music but never the distribution.

    *sad trumpet*
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    don't worry - they are talkign to people who know whats up (wink wink wink)
    i think it will actually be a good look
  • UnherdUnherd 1,880 Posts
    Who are these people that they would want Fania and West Side?

    This is whats strange to me too, maybe someone can shed some light.

    All that takeover/restructuring stuff seems like its geared towards getting in and out, flipping failing businesses, etc. Are they going to just sit on the catalog until a decent option to monetize it comes along? Put it all on itunes/amazone? WTF could the plan be?

    Regardless, it seems highly unlikely we'll be seeing a lot of well-researched and nicely packaged reissues or comps for a while, and the same goes for bonus marketing stuff like officially licensed parties or newsletters like O**ver's. NAGL....

    EDIT: So their website says they "are long-term investors who work alongside management to accelerate their companies' growth and success. "

  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts

    i think it will actually be a good look
    Me, too.

    Fania 2.0
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    you guys might want to wait this one out before you jump on the uninformed haterade bandwagon - of course, i could be wrong, but at the same time, wouldn't a little structure and consistency benefit the catalogue?

    As long as i don't see no stupid ass remix project
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I'm not hating, just pointing out that this is not the first management/distribution/ownership change for Fania.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    you guys might want to wait this one out before you jump on the uninformed haterade bandwagon - of course, i could be wrong, but at the same time, wouldn't a little structure and consistency benefit the catalogue?

    As long as i don't see no stupid ass remix project

    Well, they already put out a remix project a couple of years back. Whether it was "weak ass" or not is open to debate

    And now that I know more about what's going on, I agree - there's definitely cause for optimism rather than pessimism. The main problem has been that there's been ZERO info that's leaked about what's happened and why so everyone is just conjecturing. Given the state of the record industry though, it's easy to see why people would assume the worse.

    Personally, I don't know much about Emusica's business acumen but I thought they did a pretty good job of shepherding the catalog, including packaging and liner notes. Whether they actually were staying solvent is a different question and not one I'm privy to but I've been happy, overall, with what they've been putting out.

    I do think one challenge has been that there are at least two audiences of Fania stuff - old school salsa heads and new school Latin soul folks. Emusica was mostly catering to the former - though I think they also took pains to tap into the latter - but they pull in different directions. Maybe with a new owner, they'll find a way to bridge the gap.
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    make that ANOTHER STUPID ASS remix project. Labels are so lame in 2009
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    make that ANOTHER STUPID ASS remix project. Labels are so lame in 2009

    Not much could be worse than that Nat King Cole remix project that just came out.

    I do think Verve has been handling their business well in that dept. though.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Nat King Cole remix project

    :throwup:
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Nat King Cole remix project

    :throwup:

    It was even worse than the Johnny Cash remix project!
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    Nat King Cole remix project

    :throwup:

    It was even worse than the Johnny Cash remix project!

    Really?? I like what Cut Chemist did with "Day In Day Out", and "Straighten Up and Fly Right" was alright too. To each his own, I guess.

    Anyway, I'm glad to hear that Fania may in fact be led by competent music lovers real soon.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    I never followed Emusica's handling of the catalog well - were they considered incompetent?
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    I do think one challenge has been that there are at least two audiences of Fania stuff - old school salsa heads and new school Latin soul folks. Emusica was mostly catering to the former - though I think they also took pains to tap into the latter - but they pull in different directions. Maybe with a new owner, they'll find a way to bridge the gap.

    I don't think any of the gripes I've heard--or voiced--related to insufficient attention being paid to Latin soul.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts

    As long as i don't see no stupid ass remix project

    "Abran Paso (King Most's Summer Vibes Remix feat. Ricky Martin)"!
  • On_the_Red_ClayOn_the_Red_Clay 1,728 Posts
    I never followed Emusica's handling of the catalog well - were they considered incompetent?

    ..where does Ace/BGP fit in this picture? They were handling some new(ish) Fania things for the last few years. I thought their recent "soul of spanish harlem" was pretty good.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    I do think one challenge has been that there are at least two audiences of Fania stuff - old school salsa heads and new school Latin soul folks. Emusica was mostly catering to the former - though I think they also took pains to tap into the latter - but they pull in different directions. Maybe with a new owner, they'll find a way to bridge the gap.

    I don't think any of the gripes I've heard--or voiced--related to insufficient attention being paid to Latin soul.

    Not insufficient but rather a divided set of priorities. At least, that's the sense I got talking to some folks inside the label but it may not have actually been an issue on the "outside."

    But again, I'm curious what the complaints have been under Emusica's tenure. Considered how weak Fania after Masucci's death until Emusica's purchase, I thought the number and content of releases improved dramatically.
  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts
    Hopefully this stops the CD reissues with the picture of the record on front.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Hopefully this stops the CD reissues with the picture of the record on front.

    What sort of a little dude concerns himself with CD reissues?
  • pointmanpointman 1,042 Posts
    I know they are already dealing with some very capable people who are responsible for some well-loved strut projects. I see good things to come on the horizon.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Hopefully this stops the CD reissues with the picture of the record on front.

    What sort of a little dude concerns himself with CD reissues?

    To be fair, it was a rather weird design look.

    And I'm still waiting to hear how Fania was handled "incompetently" prior to this (besides some ugly CD covers)?
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