There's a lot of speculation on the FECC messageboard about the persons involved with "Elvis 30 #1 Hits" CD and other BMG related products. Here's a statement from BMG producer Ernst Mikael Jorgensen about all this.
There is no personnel drama in relation to Elvis 1. The original idea ( not very original-but it works ) was developed by Schmalenbach, Omansky, Semon and Jørgensen back in 2000. When BMG decided to create the HERITAGE division in the summer of 2001, it was decided that The Elvis Presley catalog would go to this division. Obviously Semon and Jørgensen would work for HERITAGE with an immediate brief to develop TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER (Omansky and Schmalenbach left the company). The 1 album remained with RCA since it's whole basis was a MAJOR marketing effort - a task too big for the newly started HERITAGE division -both financially and from a staffing point of view. When RCA president Jack Rovner started working on the project he had to use his own people as Jørgensen & Semon wasn't working for RCA any longer. When Jack Rovner left the company in February, Jørgensen & Semon were asked to come back to work on the project after finishing TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER. David Bendeth was already in the process of producing the album, and Jørgensen & Semon were working in other areas like photo search and clearances, RIAA certifications, legal matters, web-site and much more. There are plenty of real life dramas in the recording business - this is NOT one of them.
Ernst Mikael Jorgensen