Google exec jumps ship to join EMI

The announcement of 2,000 job cuts at as a result of piracy and falling CD sales only confirmed people’s beliefs that record company EMI wasn’t in the best shape it’s ever been.

Clearly the internet (piracy and digital distribution) is playing a big role in the music business these days and while EMI isn’t exactly struggling yet, it wouldn’t do the company any harm if they had an internet savvy exec on board to field all those, well, internet problems.

EMI toady announced that the company has placed Google’s own Vice President of Engineering and one of its most senior global executives, Douglas Merrill, in the position of President of Digital Business, a job which didn’t exist in the company before.

The move is part of Guy Hands efforts to reshape the struggling company. Hands purchased EMI for a tidy price of £3.2 billion last year.

When asked about his reasons for taking the job at EMI, Merril said,

"I have two passions. One is creating platforms and tools that make it easier for consumers to achieve their goals. The other is music. "This exciting new role at EMI is a unique opportunity for me to be able to put those two passions to work together and help deliver EMI’s objective of providing the best services in the world to consumers and musicians."

After nearly four years in Google, Merril will step up to his position in EMI on the 28th of April.