BMG Deutschland to Slash Artists

BMG Deutschland will stick to its plan of reducing its stable of artists by 60 percent as part of sweeping internal changes, company president Maarten Steinkamp wrote in an internal newsletter. A spokesman from the firm's headquarters in the western German town of Gütersloh acknowledged that the internal report was accurate. News agencies quoted the spokesman as saying that the measures, which should be completed by the end of June, are a sign of a "cultural change" in the organization, rather than a purely economic decision. But reorganization on financial grounds has been underway for quite a while at the German subsidiary of New York based Bertelsmann Music Group, which is facing a merger with Japanese electronics concern Sony. Two years ago BMG Deutschland said it would drastically reduce its work force, from 500 to around 230. Today it employs just 300 people. "Fewer artists mean fewer people to manage and take care of them," Steinkamp said.