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Rhino Downsizes ... But Survives
September 25, 2009 at 5:12 PM (PT)
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After sources told ALL ACCESS that anywhere from 30-40 employees were laid off from RHINO RECORDS, due to a "fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business," a statement posted on RHINO's website confirmed that a number of staffers were laid off, but it also disputed blog rumors and speculation that the division of WMG would be totally absorbed into the parent company.
The meat of its statement went as follows:
As many of you know, we had to reduce our staff YESTERDAY, and it was a very difficult day. We had to say goodbye to some great RHINOS who will be sorely missed.
as the music industry undergoes rapid change, every company needs to think differently and to shift how they get the artists' music to the fans
But, a lot of misinformation is making its way through chat rooms and the blogosphere -- including misplaced rumors that we have closed our doors -- and we want to take this opportunity to offer some perspective.
RHINO is still a company of more than 100 passionate music lovers. ... In the coming weeks, we will bring an extensive revamp to RHINO.COM which we think will help us compensate for the loss of so many retail outlets in the past few years. We will also be releasing several unique RHINO HANDMADE titles, including titles by CHRIS BELL, JAN & DEAN, MC5, WILSON PICKETT, and yes, THE MONKEES -- titles that are very much in the vein of great RHINO releases from the past. And that's just a few of the projects we're working on, so please don't worry that we've gone away!
Obviously, as the music industry undergoes rapid change, every company needs to think differently and to shift how they get the artists' music to the fans. This is not the first time we've had to confront this challenge at RHINO. Over the years, our staff has grown and contracted ... With every industry downturn, there are naysayers who predict our demise or complain that the "new" RHINO is not like the "old" RHINO. Well, we've got a 31-year track record ... that refutes those pundits. We remain totally committed to being an artist-centric company devoted to bringing our artists' music to the fans in the most thoughtful and creative way possible. This is who we are and will continue to be.