RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:
The music label behind the Rolling Stones and the Beastie Boys is slashing a third of its workforce. British papers are reporting that EMI plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs. It's part of a big restructuring by the company's new owners. A private firm bought EMI last year and is trying to improve its profits in the face of falling CD sales and illegal downloads. EMI's owners say thousands of artists could also lose their contracts. Some of their biggest acts, including singer Robbie Williams and rock band Coldplay, plan to protest the changes.