Wowsers - Tony Wadsworth, Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK & Ireland, has announced today that he is stepping down. The move is reported to be "part of ongoing re-structuring at EMI Music". His role is going to be split up between Roger Ames, who takes control over A&R for the UK and Ireland, and Mike Clasper, who will assume control of all other duties that Wadworth previously held.

The announcement comes at a bad time for EMI, with ex-label acts such as Paul McCartney and Radiohead criticising the label in the pages of the national press, and with speculation still running rife as to what the future holds for other EMI acts such as Coldplay.

The delay in releasing Coldplay's last album, 'X&Y', was enough to reduce the shareprice of EMI - if they choose to leave the label, it could have catastrophic effects. With the band set to release a new album later this year, a lot of people are whispering that the band will complete their 5-album deal with the troubled major with a Best-Of. That will leave them free to re-negotiate with the label on their own terms...or perhaps not at all?