Coldplay's impact on the financial fortunes of label giant EMI Group reared its ugly head again today after the band's hint at a breakup or extended rest sent EMI shares tumbling.

In accepting an award at Wednesday night's Brit Awards, Coldplay front man Chris Martin said, "Thank you. That's it. We won't see you for a very long time. It's going to be a few years before you see us again. People are fed up with us--and so are we."

Several UK media reports took the remark as a sign that Coldplay is breaking up or taking an extended break, with the London Evening Standard running the headline "Coldplay Quit,'' above an article that said the band will "quit the music scene for up to two years.''

In trading today, shares in London-based EMI declined as much as 8 pence, or 3.2 percent, to 245 pence, before closing at 249.5 pence in London after EMI issued a statement denying the reports.

"Coldplay are categorically not splitting up," the company said in a statement. "They are on the road until July, when their 16-month X&Y World Tour ends in Japan. They will then be having a well-deserved rest before working on their fourth album."

Martin also further clarified his comments afterwards, telling the Hollywood Reporter, "We need to go away. We've got a lot of work to do, that's all."

This isn't the first case of Coldplay news damaging EMI's share price. In February 2005, EMI delayed the release of Coldplay's latest album, X&Y, beyond the end of the company's fiscal year on March 31.

The news sent EMI shares down more than 16 percent that day.

The album eventually was released in June and became a worldwide hit, debuting at the top of the Billboard album chart in the US and selling more than 2.7 million copies in the US and more than 4.5 million copies worldwide.