It is good to hear that David Hughes promises that the EMI trust will be 
safe even in the case that EMI is sold. However, I'd like to add two 
warnings.

First, as George says, the trust only holds material up to 1946. This means 
that archival materials from the succeeding 64 years are NOT protected by 
the trust.

Second, it is not at all clear what belongs to the trust and what belongs to 
EMI. Over the years, I have visited the EMI archives several times. I have 
also spoken with fellow reserachers who have been there. Many of us have 
been told that we cannot access certain materials (often more than a hundred 
years old), because they are EMI business papers and do not belong to the 
trust. At times, access to the archives has been quite difficult.

As many of us know, parts of the EMI archives have been deposited as 
microfilm copies to the British Library (as a legacy from the old British 
Institute of Recorded Sound). However, not all of these microfilms are 
available to the public without the permission of EMI. A colleague once 
asked for such a permission and was told that "EMI cannot grant permission 
because they do not have such materials". I wonder who will be responsible 
for granting such permissions after an eventual sale.

We really need a more detaïled response from the trust. How are they 
planning to carry on the activities of the trust in case EMI is sold?

Pekka Gronow



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Brock-Nannestad" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] EMI demise


> From: Patent Tactics, George Brock-Nannestad
>
>
> Hello,
>
> as one of the signatories of the "worried" Times letter, I am obviously
> following this closely.
>
> The trust construction of the EMI Archive Trust ensures that it is a body
> independent from whatever the company has developed into. But this trust 
> only
> has material up to 1946. All that has happened afterwards is still a 
> company
> matter.
>
> So, a reassuring letter of the kind copied to us is beside the point
> -- they have no influence over the later history. Hence, the alarm is very
> real, unless society is satisfied that after World War II we could all
> breathe a sigh of relief and do not need to concern ourselves with 
> history.
>
> Kind regards,
>
>
> George
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Milan P. Milanovic wrote:
>
>
>> Regarding this subject, there is letter from Mike Aylward, forwarded to 
>> me
>> by my friend Risto Pennanen:
>>
>> "Dear Risto,
>>
>> I think this is a false alarm.  There is a letter in today's Times from
>> David Hughes, the chairman of the EMI Archive Trust, which assures us 
>> that
>> the future of the Archive is safe regardless of any change in ownership 
>> of
>> the company.  I was also told this last year, personally, by one of the
>> trustees.
>>
>> All the best,
>>
>> Mike"
>>
>>
>>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>>   From: Dick Spottswood
>>   To: [log in to unmask]
>>   Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 7:20 PM
>>   Subject: [ARSCLIST] EMI demise
>>
>>
>>   Sorry the last message slipped through.  It should've looked like this.
>>
>>   Dick
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>>   John Cowley sent this earlier today.  Let's hope the EMI archive won't
>> follow UK Decca into the trash can.
>