I'm pretty sure I remember someone at EMI once telling me that "covermounts devalue music". No, wait a minute, that was every single person at EMI. Oh, how times change.
Covermount brokers Upfront Promotions have told Music Week that the major has signed up to four new covermount deals, the first being last weekend's Mail On Sunday giveaway of the live version of Jean Michel Jarre's 'Oxygene', released by the major last year. It's not clear what the other three are, or whether they are also with the Mail On Sunday.
The four covermount deals presumably mean the new leadership at EMI see the value of licensing catalogue material for newspaper giveaways though, of course, the major, previously a very vocal critic of covermounts, had already moved into the domain pre the Terra Firma purchase with the somewhat controversial Mail On Sunday giveaway of Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells' (controversial because Oldfield, at the end of his contract with EMI, said he hadn't been consulted about the promotion).
Upfront have also told Music Week that they have another deal akin to last year's Prince MoS giveaway in the pipeline - ie the giveaway of a brand new album by an established artist via the tabloid. No word on who the artist may be, but the covermount will be out in late March.
While EMI are coming round to the covermount again, the promotions remain controversial in certain parts of the music business, of course, with the most vocal critics being the Entertainment Retailers Association, who see the release of new material through newspaper promotions as having an impact on their own sales and footfall. But Upfront say they are in talks with the trade body about addressing their concerns.