Separated at birth?

Marc Anthony says:

I have worked as a senior executive for over thirty years in branding, packaging and product development for one of the world’s top ten brands. All of my spare time is devoted to listening to music and following the business of music. When I see something like this, it confirms to me, yet again, that this “business of music” is managed and lead by total incompetent amateurs. I truly believe that the demise of the classical music labels was totally brought on by the unprofeesionalism and amateurism of those running it and not, as they would have everyone believe, by changing consumer tastes, the Internet, declining music education, etc.

First, when I see this package design for Mr. Kavakos’s new recording, the similarity to the earlier David Garrett recording is too close for comfort. The brand identity is confused, the more so when you are dealing with a real human as the ” brand”. Something like this would be unthinkable in any other industry and it would be met by an immediate lawsuit. Second, bearing in mind all of the vulgar revelations concerning Mr. Garrett and the generally acknowledged fact that as violinists, Garrett and Kavakos are as different as night and day. One is a competent and very serious musician, the other a fraud who needs social media, trash stories in the press and tabloid encounters with whores, sex slaves and other non-musical details in order to sustain and deflect attention from his inferior and mediocre musicianship. That Decca would even subtly attempt to link or try to show a similarity between the two violinists, either in their personas or in their music making, is a “crime” beyond forgiveness. Especially now, with all of the trash out there about David Garrett, any professional brand would pull the product immediately and quickly alter its packaging in order to disassociate it from the other. Apparently Decca and its new director don’t see anything wrong with creating this similarity and probably actually desire it. In the real world of branding, packaging and product development, the management would be sacked for such a thing. It is all extremely cheap and very short-term. Fine for a business that is cheap and short term. The classical music business, in particular, is not, by its very nature, cheap and short-term.

Message for Mr. Kavakos: Decca is doing you a tremendous disservice. They are ruining your image and subliminally associating and trying to brand you in the same way as David Garrett. As an accomplished musician of the highest caliber, you certainly understand the dangers and what this means. You do not need Decca. They desperately need you. Through appalling management, they have destroyed a once proud and respected brand and you are now a victim of their incompetence. They are finished as a brand. Your career and image can only flourish if you avoid associating yourself with them, or others similar to them.

Message for Universal Music: You have recently made management changes at Decca. The gentleman who you have put at the top is not going to achieve anything except populist short term strategies and the total destruction and demise of the brand and artists that you have entrusted him to oversee.