Sony Music Entertainment ( SME ) is an American recording conglomerate owned by Sony and merged as a public partnership of Sony Music Holdings Inc. through Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. The company was first established in 1929 as the American Records Corporation and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation in 1938, having been acquired by the Columbia Broadcasting System. In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records, and Sony Corporation bought the company in 1988, changing its name to its current name in 1991.
In 2004, Sony and Bertelsmann set up a 50-50 joint venture called Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which shifted Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group businesses into one entity. However, in 2008, Sony acquired Bertelsmann's shares, and the company returned to SME's name soon after; the purchase allowed Sony to acquire all BMG labels, including former Columbia Pictures branches, Arista Records, and RCA Records, and led to the dissolution of BMG, which was then relaunched as BMG Rights Management.
Sony Music Entertainment is the world's second largest "Big Three" record company, behind Universal Music Group (UMG) and above Warner Music Group (WMG). Sony's music publishing division is the world's largest music publisher after the acquisition of EMI.
Video Sony Music
History
1929-1938: American Record Company
In 1929, ARC was established through the merger of several record companies. In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, the Columbia Phonograph Company (founded in the US in 1888), including a subsidiary of Okeh Records, was acquired by ARC.
1938-1990: Columbia/CBS Records
ARC was acquired in 1938 by the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which, in turn, had been established by the Columbia Phonograph Company, but was later sold. ARC was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation. The Columbia Phonograph Company has subsidiaries and international affiliates such as Columbia Graphophone Company in the UK, but they were sold before CBS acquired American Columbia. RCA Victor Records executive Ted Wallerstein convinced CBS chief William S. Paley to buy ARC and Paley made Wallerstein the head of the newly acquired recording company. The renamed company made Columbia its flagship label and Okeh as its subsidiary, while he gave no other label to the ARC. This allowed ARC to rent Brunswick Records and Vocalion Records labels to return to previous owners of Warner Bros, which sold it to Decca Records. Columbia stores the recorded Brunswick catalog from December 1931 onwards on the Columbia label and around the same time the Vocalion label material was re-published on the Okeh label. Wallerstein, promoted in late 1947 from the presidency to the head of the record company, restored Columbia's status as a leading recording company and spearheaded the successful introduction of LP recordings before he retired as Columbia chairman in 1951. He was replaced by James Conkling as head of Columbia Records. In 1951, Columbia broke with an EMI record label of the same name and started a British distribution deal with Philips Records. Okeh Records continues to be distributed by EMI on the Columbia label.
Columbia founded Epic Records in 1953 and in 1956, Conkling left Columbia. He will help establish the National Academy of Records Arts and Sciences before finally becoming the first president of Warner Bros. Newly launched Records. His successor, Goddard Lieberson started the first of two tasks as the head of the record company. and in 1958, Columbia established another label, Recording Date, which originally brought out rockabilly music.
In 1960, Columbia/CBS began negotiations with its major international distributor, Philips Records with the intention of starting its own global recording company. The US-based Philips Mercury Records acquisition in 1961 paved the way for this. CBS reserves the right to name Columbia in North America; thus, an international arm founded in 1961 and launched in 1962 using the name "CBS Records", with Philips Records distributing labels in Europe. Elsewhere, the Mexican record company CBS, Discos Columbia, was renamed to Discos CBS in 1963.
In 1962, the Columbia Records production unit operated four factories around the United States, located in Los Angeles, California; Terre Haute, Indiana; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Pitman, New Jersey, which also produces records for independent record labels.
In 1964, Columbia began to acquire record companies in other countries for CBS Records International units and established its own British distribution company by acquiring Oriole Records. EMI continued to distribute Epic and Okeh label material on the Columbia label in the UK until a distribution deal with EMI expired in 1968 when CBS took over the distribution.
With a global operating recording company in 1965, the management of the Columbia Broadcasting System began contemplating the recording of their record subsidiary from Columbia Records to CBS Records.
By the end of 1965, Date's subsidiary labels were revived. This label releases first string strings for Peaches & amp; Herb and scored a few small hits from various other artists. The greatest success date is "Time of the Season" by Zombies, culminating in No. 2 in 1969. The label was discontinued in 1970.
In 1966, CBS reorganized its corporate structure and promoted Leiberson to lead the new "CBS-Columbia Group" that made CBS Records now renamed a separate unit of this new group run by Clive Davis.
Epic distributed Ode Records between 1967 and 1969 and between 1976 and 1979.
In March 1968, CBS and Sony formed CBS/Sony Records, a Japanese business joint venture. With Sony becoming one of the developers behind the digital compact disc music media, the compact disc production plant was built in Japan under a joint venture, allowing CBS to start supplying some of the first compact disc releases for the American market in 1983.
In 1970 CBS Records revived the Record of Embassy records in Britain and Europe, which have been dead since the CBS took control of the Embassy holding company Oriole in 1964. The purpose of the revived Embassy trace is to release budget updates from albums that have originally released in the United States on Columbia Records (or its subsidiaries). Many albums, by such diverse artists as Andy Williams, Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand, The Byrds, Tammy Wynette, Laura Nyro and Sly & amp; The Family Stone was issued at the Embassy, ​​before the label was stopped again in 1980. In 1971, CBS Records expanded into its own "CBS Record Group" led by Davis.
CBS Records Group was led by Clive Davis very successfully until his dismissal in 1972, after it was discovered that Davis had used CBS funds to finance his private life, including an expensive bar mitzvah party for his son. He was replaced first by former head of Goddard Lieberson, and then in 1975 by colorful and controversial Walter Kenynikoff's lawyer, who led the company until 1990.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a CBS brand label in the US known as CBS Associated Records. Tony Martell, CBS veteran and Epic Records A & amp; R Vice President is the head of this label and signed artists include Ozzy Osbourne, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Electric Light Orchestra, Joan Jett, and Henry Lee Summer. This label is part of the Epic/Portrait/Associated sub-label wing on CBS, which shares the same national and regional staff with other parts of Epic Records and is part of the global CBS Records distribution system.
In 1986, CBS sold its music publishing division, CBS Songs, to Stephen Swid, Martin Bandier, and Charles Koppelman for $ 125 million making it the basis of their SBK Entertainment.
In 1987, CBS was the only "big three" American television network that owned a joint-stock company. ABC sold its record division to MCA Records in 1979, and in 1986, NBC's parent company RCA was sold to General Electric, which then sold all other RCA units, including the record division (purchased by Ariola Records, later known as BMG ).
On November 17, 1987, Sony acquired CBS Records, which hosted acts such as Michael Jackson, worth US $ 2 billion. CBS Inc., now CBS Corporation, retains the rights on behalf of CBS for music recording but gives Sony a temporary license to use the CBS name. The sale was completed on January 5, 1988. CBS Corporation established a new CBS Records in 2006, which was distributed by Sony through its subsidiary RED.
In 1989, CBS Records re-entered the music publishing business by acquiring a Nashville Music International Publishing publisher worth more than $ 30 million.
In 1990, CBS Records renamed the classical music label CBS Masterworks to Sony Classical Records.
1991-2004: Birth of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony changed the name of Sony Music Entertainment (SME) record company on January 1, 1991, meeting the requirements set out under its 1988 purchase, which only granted transition licenses to the CBS trademark. CBS Associated label renamed to Epic Associated. Also on January 1, 1991, to replace the CBS label, Sony reintroduced Columbia's worldwide label, which it previously held in the United States and Canada alone, having obtained international rights to the trademark of EMI in 1990. Japan is the only country where Sony has no rights on behalf of Columbia as it is controlled by Nippon Columbia, an unrelated company. Thus, to date, Sony Music Entertainment Japan does not use the Columbia trademark for recordings of Columbia labels from outside Japan issued in Japan under Sony Records . The trademark holder of Columbia Records' trademark copyright in Spain is Bertelsmann Music Group, Germany, followed by Sony Music through the 2004 merger, and next year's purchase.
In 1995, Sony and Michael Jackson formed a joint venture that combines Sony's music publishing operations with Jackson's ATV Music to form Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
2004-2008: Sony BMG: In cooperation with Bertelsmann
In August 2004, Sony entered a joint venture with Bertelsmann's same partner, combining Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group, Germany, to establish Sony BMG Music Entertainment. But Sony continues to operate its Japanese music business independently of Sony BMG while BMG Japan becomes part of the merger.
The merger makes Columbia and Epic labels into RCA Records, once owned by RCA and thus CBS competitor, NBC. It also started the process of bringing Arista Records BMG back under common ownership with its former mother Columbia Pictures, a Sony division since 1989, and also bringing founder Arista Clive Davis back into the fold. Davis is still with Sony Music as Chief Creative Officer.
2008-present: Back to Sony Music Entertainment and restructuring
On August 5, 2008, Sony Corporation of America (SCA) and Bertelsmann announced that Sony has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Bertelsmann at Sony BMG. Sony completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in Bertelsmann in a joint venture on October 1, 2008. The company becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation through a US subsidiary, SCA. Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (formerly CBS Records Inc.) which already existed as a shareholder of Sony BMG was renamed Sony Music Holdings Inc. in December 2008, and Sony BMG later renamed Sony Music Entertainment in January 2009. The last few albums to display the Sony BMG logo are Thriller 25 by Michael Jackson, I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncà ©  ©, Saving Gettin 'Better: A Decade of Visit i> by Christina Aguilera, and Safe Trip Home by Dido. The temporary logo was inaugurated from 1 December 2008 and now in March 2009.
On July 1, 2009, SME and IODA announced a strategic partnership to utilize the worldwide online retail distribution network and complementary technology to support independent labels and music copyright holders.
In March 2010, Sony Corp. partnered with The Michael Jackson Company in a contract of more than $ 250 million, the largest deal in recorded music history.
RCA/Jive Label Group CEO Barry Weiss left the company in March 2011 to become the new CEO of Island Def Jam and Universal Republic, both part of Universal Music Group. Weiss has been CEO of RCA/Jive Label Group since 2008 and has been the head of Jive Records since 1991.
Doug Morris, who was head of Warner Music Group, and then Universal Music, became chairman and CEO of the company on July 1, 2011. Sony Music restructured the arrival of Morris; he joined L.A. Reid, who is chairman and CEO of Epic Records. Under Reid, several artists from half Jive from the former RCA/Jive Label Group moved to Epic. Peter Edge became the new CEO of the RCA Records unit. RCA Music Group closed Arista, J Records and Jive Records in October 2011, and the artists of the label were transferred to RCA Records.
On the night of August 8, 2011, Sony's music distribution center in Enfield, London, UK, was destroyed in a firebomb attack during the 2011 British riots.
On October 11, 2011, Doug Morris announced that Mel Lewinter has been chosen as Executive Vice President of Label Strategy. Lewinter previously served as chairman and CEO of Universal Motown Republic Group. In January 2012, Dennis Kooker was elected President of Global Digital Business and US Sales.
In March 2012, Sony Music reportedly closed its offices in the Philippines due to piracy, causing it to move its SME distribution in the Philippines to Ivory Music.
In June 2012, a consortium led by Sony/ATV acquired EMI Music Publishing, making Sony/ATV the world's largest music publisher.
In July 2013, Sony Music withdrew from the Greek market due to the economic crisis. Albums released by Sony Music in Greece from domestic and foreign artists were brought by Feelgood Records.
By 2015, Sony has fully acquired its independent distributor The Orchard, as well as the Century Media Records metal label.
In 2016, it was reported that Sony Music (thanks to recent mergers with The Orchard and RED) garnered 27.5% of the total worldwide market share. On April 18, 2016, SME and Legacy Recordings merged with Genius Brands International to launch the GBI children's music label, Genius Brands Music.
In August 2016, Sony acquired Minsub Limited for £ 68.5 million. Over the next 18 months, Sony also acquired 49% of the shares in Promised Land Records, 49% stake in Black Butter Records, 51% stake in Sign Of The Times Records, and Wildstar Records (Craig David's earliest home release) amounting to Ã, Â £ 1.8 million.
In June 2017, Sony announced that in March 2018 it will produce an in-house record for the first time since halting their production in 1989. Reporting the decision, the BBC noted that, "Sony's move comes a few months after it completed Tokyo studios by cutting lathe, used to produce the master disc required for the manufacture of vinyl recordings "but added that" Sony is even struggling to find older engineers who know how to make notes ".
Sony Music Entertainment announced the release of the first video game publishing label, Unties, in October 2017. Unties will publish indie games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The name was chosen by Sony as a representative to help "unleash" the power of developing independent video games and "free" the developer from the traditional video game publishing process.
Maps Sony Music
Sony Music UK
Sony Music UK is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment in the UK. Since 2014, Jason Iley has been Chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK. Although owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music UK has a stand-alone operation in the UK to promote musicians in the UK.
Iley was recently crowned as one of 35 International Electrical Players in the music industry. In June 2017, it was announced that Sony would merge two independent distribution companies The Orchard and Red Essential.
2014 saw the success of Sony's best single for 33 years, with 11 number 1 singles. Sony Music Artists won a total of five individual awards at BRITs 2015, including Best Female Solo Artist for Paloma Faith and Mark Ronson 'Uptown Funk', which took the Best British Single. Several other label artists - Foo Fighters, One Direction and Pharrell Williams - also garnered awards.
Sony's performance at BRITs 2015 is the best label in nearly 20 years, winning a total of 5 awards. In 2017, Sony Music UK celebrated the most successful BRIT Awards in the company's history, winning seven of the 11 awards.
Jason Iley, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK and Ireland, said: "This is a truly crucial and historic night for Sony Music artists - and this is just a tribute to the dedication and hard work of many people I would like to congratulate and give homage to all our artists from all over the world Everyone at Sony Music is proud and humble every day to work with people with great creativity, encouragement and music I would also like to thank all the brilliant people at Sony Music, whose passion and determination has helped to realize the vision of the artists. "
In the past three years, Sony Music UK has made important acquisitions including establishing Insanity Records with Madness Management. Craig David became the first artist to sign an album contract with Insanity Records. Sony Music UK signed Robbie Williams, who released his 11th album The Heavy Entertainment in 2016. Jason Iley commented that the agreement was "once in a lifetime signing with the greatest male solo artist of our generation."
Sony Music UK also incorporated an independent sales and distribution company, Essential Music and Marketing - changed its name to Red Essential. In August 2016 Sony Music earned the Ministry of Sound Recordings, home to London Grammar, DJ Fresh and Sigala.
On April 5, 2017, two Sony Music UK labels won awards at the annual Music Week Awards. Columbia Records receives' A & amp; R of the Year ', while Syco was awarded the' Record Company of the Year 'Award.
On November 6, 2017, Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer was awarded the Music Industry Trusts Award at a star-studded gala in London.
Controversy
CD pricing
Between 1995 and 2000, music companies were found to have used illegal marketing arrangements such as the minimum advertised price to boost the compact disc price artificially. This was done to end the price war in the early 1990s among presses like Best Buy and Target. A settlement was reached in 2002 including music publisher and Sony Music distributor, Warner Music, Bertelsmann Music Group, EMI Music and Universal Music. In the restitution for pricing, they agreed to pay a $ 67.4 million fine and distribute $ 75.7 million in CDs to public and nonprofit groups but admitted there were no mistakes. It is estimated that customers are overcharged by nearly $ 500 million in total and up to $ 5 per album.
Prosecution of copyright infringement
In May 2012, Sony Music filed a lawsuit against IsoHunt's website. The plaintiff's claim in a court document filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia reads: "The IsoHunt Website has been designed and operated by defendants with the sole objective of benefiting from rampant copyright infringement that the defendant actively encourages, promotes, endorses, induces, assist, conspire, materially contribute and gain commercial advantage from. "In February 2016, in a lawsuit filed in California federal court, Sony Music Entertainment and its related brands (Arista Records and LaFace Records) accused the Belgian radio agonist Radionomy (owned by Universal's parents Music Group Vivendi) copyright infringement.
boycott 2016
In February 2016, 100,000 people signed online petitions in less than 24 hours, calling for a boycott of Sony Music and all other affiliated Sony businesses after allegations of rape against music producer Dr. Luke is made by Kesha musical artist. Kesha appealed to the New York City Supreme Court to release her from her contract with Sony Music but the court rejected the request, prompting widespread public and media responses.
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List of Sony Music Entertainment labels
For a complete list of SME record labels, see the list of Sony Music Entertainment labels.
Featured labels
- Columbia Recordings
- RCA Recording
- Epic Archive
Company Limited
- Roc Nation (distributed by Universal Music Group)
Limited-genre label
Previous affiliated label
- 19 Records (2001-2010) (formerly via BMG and RCA Music Group, now part of Universal Music Group via Interscope Geffen A & M)
- Def Jam Recordings (1985-1994) (previously via Columbia Records, now part of Universal Music Group)
- Loud Records (1992-2002) (previously via Zoo Entertainment, then RCA Records, and then Columbia Records, now a new company called SRC Records through Universal Music Group)
- Record of Chaos (1993-1995) (formerly part of Columbia Records, now disbanded)
- Working Group (1993-2000)
(previously via Epic Records, now disbanded) - Date Records (1958-1970) (previously via Columbia Records, now disbanded)
- Aware Records (1997-2010) (now part of Universal Music Group via Republic Records)
- PiperWorld Entertainment (2008-2013) (previously via Columbia Records)
- The Echo Label (2013-2017) (owned by BMG Chrysalis, now distributed by Warner Music Group)
See also
- List of Sony Music artists
- Sony/ATV Music Publishing
- Sony BMG
- Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
- Sony Music Entertainment Japan
- Sony Music Australia
- Sony Music UK
- Sony Music India
- List of record labels
References
External links
- Official site
- Yahoo! - Company Profile Sony Music Entertainment
- Sony Music Channels on YouTube
- Sony Music on IMDbPro (subscription required)
- Sony Music TV
- Catalog of Sony Music publishing on MusicBrainz
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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