Tag: Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music & Verizon ink original video content partnership for go90

MUMBAI: Sony Music and Verizon have inked a multi-year agreement to distribute a slate of original video content programming from Sony Music through the go90 mobile platform.

As part of the new partnership, go90, a mobile video service and social entertainment platform, will feature a number of new original series from Sony Music, as well as special live music events and performances.

Initial shows in development for launch in 2016 include:

Crashed – a hidden camera comedy show created in partnership with Joel McHale’s Free Period Productions where unsuspecting fans, to their surprise and delight, are “crashed” by their favorite celebrities in music, sports and comedy.

Car Star – a competition series focused on singing in the car that includes videos in which amateurs go head to head to win the coveted title of “car star.”

A Live Festival – a multi-night musical concert series showcasing Sony Music artists shot live and featuring a mix of performances and artist interview segments.

“The intent of this partnership is to highlight cutting edge, emerging artists and rising stars. With strong positioning in sports and original content, the music community is another key audience we are aggressively going after,” said Verizon senior vice president of consumer product and marketing Brian Angiolet.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Verizon to develop music-based original video content for the go90 platform. Consumers are increasingly turning to mobile devices to watch web series and shows, and we are excited to offer them a diverse line-up of fun and highly engaging programs that provide an all new way to connect with their favorite music and celebrities,” said Sony Music Entertainment head of original content Lee Stimmel.

In addition to new original programming from Sony Music, the agreement also covers a slate of previously announced programming (cult hit talk show Tawk with Awkwafina and extreme challenge series Hey USA_X) from Astronauts Wanted, the joint venture between MTV veteran Judy McGrath and Sony Music Entertainment.

January 7, 2016
Sony Music’s Shridhar Subramaniam succeeds Ganesh Jain as PPL chairman

MUMBAI: Sony Music Entertainment president India & Middle East Shridhar Subramaniam has been unanimously elected as the chairman of Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) the by board of directors representing Saregama, Universal, Tips, Venus and Aditya Music.

Venus Worldwide Entertainment Private Limited chairman Ganesh Jain, who presided over PPL during one of the four most challenging years of the organisation.

Jain said, “It gives me great pleasure to pass on the baton to a stalwart in the music industry and I believe Shridhar with his unique ability and experience will steer the industry successfully into the next phase of expansion.”

“These are exciting times. The industry has great opportunities as well as challenges ahead and with the help of the Board and Management, I hope to bring a sense of optimism and inclusiveness to PPL and the industry and I am confident that we will collectively build the foundations for a strong future,” added Subramaniam.

Universal Music Group South Asia managing director Devraj Sanyal, Tips Industries managing director Kumar Taurani, Saregama India managing director Vikram Mehra and Aditya Music chairman Umesh Gupta expressed their support to Subramaniam.

President of Honour V.J. Lazarus, who spent the last 10 years at PPL will be concluding his long innings with the association in March 2016. Lazarus has a experience of 45 years in the industry, the first 35 as Universal Music Group India managing director and later chairman.

Lazarus said, “I will dedicate these final six months of my tenure to facilitate and support chairman Shridhar Subramaniam, the PPL Board and the Management through this transition.”

PPL was incorporated in 1941 and is the apex-licensing arm of the Indian music industry and administers Public Performance and Broadcasting rights on behalf of over 200 members, which include the leading music companies like Saregama, Sony, Universal, Tips, Venues, Aditya Music, Times Music, Eros and Music Today amongst others.

October 29, 2015
Sony Music signs Mumbai based rapper & hip–hop artist Divine

MUMBAI: Sony Music Entertainment has signed on Mumbai based award winning rapper and hip-hop artist Vivian Fernandes aka Divine to its artist roster.

According to Sony Music, hip hop has transcended into a global urban culture and goes beyond music, it is a lifestyle and an attitude for people. And an artist like DIVINE represents that culture and is known for being ‘the Voice of the Streets’.

Encouraging the same culture Sony Music through Divine is looking to represent the voice of the youth and the word on the streets. Commenting on this, Divine said, “I am excited to be associated with one of the best labels in India and I couldn’t have asked for more. Together we are going to break some rules and create some great music.”

Divine shot to fame with his first single Yeh Mera Bombay (This is My Bombay), an ode to the diversity of the city and the increasing gap between the rich and the poor. This video went viral and thereafter received a lot exposure across media. His recent 2015 summer-smash “Mere Gully Mein,” where he raps about the streets of Mumbai and the ghettos garnered him an international listenership.

One can also hear Divine in Nucleya‘s latest track ‘Jungle Raja’ which was last heard at the opening act for Skrillex, where he featured along with Nucleya.

Born and brought up in the ‘gullies’ of Mumbai, Divine, through his music, narrates tales of people that he’s grown up observing since childhood while paying homage to the characteristics of the city.

October 21, 2015
AFM Pension Fund sues Sony, Universal, Warner over music streaming dues

MUMBAI: The American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM Pension Fund) has sued Atlantic Recording Corporation, Hollywood Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group Recordings, Inc, and Warner Brothers Records, Inc for failing to make pension fund contributions.

The suit states that the five recording companies failed to make pension fund payments from foreign audio stream revenue and foreign and domestic ringback revenue.

For over 75 years, the major recording companies have had contracts with the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) requiring the companies to share a portion of sales revenue with musicians. Most of the revenue was originally from record sales and later CD sales.

In 1994, AFM and the recording companies entered into an agreement, subsequently renewed, requiring the companies to pay 0.5 per cent of all receipts from digital transmissions including audio streaming, non-permanent downloads and ringbacks.

“The record companies should stop playing games about their streaming revenue and pay musicians and their pension fund every dime that is owed. Fairness and transparency are severely lacking in this business. We are changing that,” said AFM International president Ray Hair.

Last year independent auditors discovered that the recording companies had not made the required revenue payments from foreign audio streams, ringbacks, and foreign non-permanent downloads. Attempts to reconcile the issues outside of court have been ongoing for several months to no avail. Suit was filed in New York.

This is the fifth lawsuit filed against major media corporations for contract violations in the past few months. Under Hair’s leadership, AFM has begun aggressively enforcing existing contracts and standing up to large corporations that fail to pay musicians when their work is reused or offshored.

The suit seeks payment for all missing revenue owed the AFM Pension Fund, late payment penalties, interest, damages and legal costs.

August 12, 2015
Sony Music completes buy-out of The Orchard

MUMBAI: Sony Music Entertainment has entered into an agreement with Dimensional Associates, LLC to acquire the remaining interest in The Orchard, the global independent music, video and film distribution company.

The Orchard will continue to operate separately from Sony Music and will be led by its existing executive team.

The deal is aligned with Sony Corp.’s recently announced strategy identifying Sony Music as one of its growth businesses. Sony plans to proactively invest in and implement a variety of measures to promote growth across its entertainment businesses, including music.

The Orchard is focused on providing world-class digital distribution services for content creators including independent labels and filmmakers. It offers clients an end-to-end solution for music and video delivery to hundreds of services and digital storefronts worldwide, as well as efficient and transparent reporting of sales and revenue. The sales, digital marketing and business development offerings also included in The Orchard’s suite of services have helped it outpace the industry in growing revenue for its clients.

Sony Music became the majority investor in The Orchard in March 2012 following the merger of The Orchard with IODA, a Sony Music-owned digital distribution company. At that time, The Orchard became the digital distributor for RED and select catalogues from Sony Music affiliates outside of the US.

This investment in The Orchard will allow Sony Music to further enhance its relationships with distribution clients all over the world. It also will allow the companies to work more closely together to drive improvements throughout the digital supply chain and quality of revenue reporting. Sony Music remains committed to operating The Orchard independently with the goal of improving the revenue and profitability of its distribution clients.

The acquisition is subject to necessary regulatory approvals.

Citigroup served as the financial advisor to Sony Music Entertainment on the transaction and UBS Securities, LLC served as the financial advisor to The Orchard on the transaction.

March 20, 2015
Sony Music Entertainment brings on board iContract

MUMBAI: iContract, the digital agency offering from Contract Advertising, has been awarded the digital duties by Sony Music Entertainment India. The agency won the business following a multi-agency pitch. Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars.

Sony Music Entertainment India marketing director Sanujeet Bhujabal said, “Sony Music has been extremely aggressive in the digital space as it forms an integral part of our media mix across all repertoires. iContract brings with them a rich experience and we look forward to working with them. ”

A wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Sony Music Entertainment India, boasts of an extensive catalogue and is home to renowned and celebrated artists and several iconic Bollywood Film soundtracks.

iContract senior VP and digital head Prashanth Challapalli said, “Sony Music is a pioneer in the global music arena and is one of the leading entertainment brands in India. There are some exciting new plans and innovations on the anvil and we are hugely thrilled to partner their evolution in the digital space.”

Contract India CEO Rana Barua said, “Sony Music Entertainment India is a tremendous win for us. We look forward to them in their digital evolution in India, given the fact that digital is going to be the future of the music business”.

iContract also handles the digital mandate for several leading brands such as Shoppers Stop, UTI Mutual Funds, Acer, PepsiCo Slice, Wills Lifestyle as well as the BTL duties of Tata DoCoMo amongst other brands.

June 30, 2014
Sony Music Entertainment announces digital deal with Zee Music Company

MUMBAI: Global music giant, Sony Music Entertainment India and Zee Music Company today announced a strategic world-wide digital deal where in Sony Music will manage all digital assets for Zee Music’s upcoming Bollywood releases. The tie up further extends to exploring Publishing for Zee Music’s assets for the rest of the world through Sony/ATV. Apart from the Zee Music releases, Sony Music will also be working on also other tent pole films with leading production houses including Vishesh Films, Dharma Production and Fox Star Studios. This deal will cumulatively grow Sony Music’s digital market share by 15%.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited had recently announced its foray into the music label space with its venture, ‘Zee Music Company’ and acquired the music rights of over 20 major motion pictures. With this announcement Sony Music will have access to all of Zee Music’s releases including Holiday, Bang Bang, Bombay Velvet, Humshakal, Hawa Hawaii to name few.

Commenting on the same, Sanujeet Bhujabal, Marketing Director Sony Music India said, “In the past we have worked with leading content creators like YRF and Disney. This strategic association will provide a global foot print to all the prestigious releases. This is a huge opportunity and together we believe we will be able to provide the best of music entertainment to fans.”

Further adding on Anurag Bedi , Head Zee Music Company said, “We’ve had a great relationship with Sony Music in the past, and are excited to have them as the digital partner for some of our forthcoming films. Partnering with Sony Music will be mutually beneficial as we have a robust slate for this year which includes about 20-25 films, all of which are produced by leading production houses.”

The soundtrack of Holiday featuring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha will see Pritam collaborate for the first time with A. R. Murugadoss ad the songs are already creating ripples! Humshakals with Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh who will be seen in a triple role Sajid Khan promises to be a laugh riot with some crazy music by the effervescent Himesh Reshammiya. While Bang Bang the action thriller film directed by Siddharth Raj Anand and featuring nations heartthrob Hritik Roshan and Katrina Kaif will have music by the magical duo Vishal –Shekhar. The much talked about Bombay Velvet feature Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in lead roles while Karan Johar plays the primary antagonist features Music director Amit Trivedi who began working on the soundtrack after the release of Dev D and adds that the music of the film reflects the age of 1960s Jazz era of Bollywood. The lyrics are being written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

April 19, 2014
Sony Music gets the fastest 1 million subscribers on Line

MUMBAI: Sony Music Entertainment’s exclusive tie-up with Line has garnered a massive response by crossing a subscription of 1 million users.

It has earned the fastest million subscriptions on the application by providing the latest music information in India.

The official account of Sony Music EWntertainment caters to fans of major genres of music including Bollywood, Indipop, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and International music with a catalogue of over a million songs.

Commenting on the same, Sony Music Entertainment India marketing director Sanujeet Bhujabal said, “We are extremely thrilled with the response of 1 million users on LINE. We are the only Music Label actively engaging with the Social platform and it has helped us to move a step further and directly engage with consumers With this tie-up, we are very sure that LINE will secure its position as a favourite app for music in the near future.’

Line, the free messenger application, broke the 200-million download mark worldwide. Since the initial launch, the company has expanded the service to roughly 230 countries in 11 languages, including Chinese, Spanish and Indonesian.

December 28, 2013
Spotify plans free mobile version of its service

MUMBAI: Spotify AB is planning a free, ad-supported version of its streaming-music service on mobile devices, according to reports doing rounds, after previously making mobile users pay a monthly fee.

The Sweden-based music company has reached licensing deals with all three of the global music companies to use its recordings on the new service. Until now, a free version of Spotify was available only on desktop and laptop computers.

Spotify, which has six million paying subscribers and 20 million active users world-wide, has negotiated with three major record companies – Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group and Access Industries’ Warner Music Group – over the rates it will pay them to play songs on the free mobile service, and over how much direct control users have over what they listen to, reports claimed.

The new ad-supported offering will allow nonpaying mobile users to play a limited number of songs on demand, but will mostly serve up music based on the user’s input, much like custom radio services such as Pandora Media.

Spotify launched its own custom radio feature last year. Spotify’s premium service, which costs $10 a month, delivers unlimited, on-demand music from its 20 million-song catalog on any device. Until now, free users have been able to play music on demand, with ads, on their computers – but they can’t use the service from their mobile phones or tablets, unless they enter their credit-card information to sign up for the 30-day premium-service trial.

December 7, 2013
Spotify plans free mobile version of its service

MUMBAI: Spotify AB is planning a free, ad-supported version of its streaming-music service on mobile devices, according to reports doing rounds, after previously making mobile users pay a monthly fee.

The Sweden-based music company has reached licensing deals with all three of the global music companies to use its recordings on the new service. Until now, a free version of Spotify was available only on desktop and laptop computers.

Spotify, which has six million paying subscribers and 20 million active users world-wide, has negotiated with three major record companies – Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group and Access Industries’ Warner Music Group – over the rates it will pay them to play songs on the free mobile service, and over how much direct control users have over what they listen to, reports claimed.

The new ad-supported offering will allow nonpaying mobile users to play a limited number of songs on demand, but will mostly serve up music based on the user’s input, much like custom radio services such as Pandora Media.

Spotify launched its own custom radio feature last year. Spotify’s premium service, which costs $10 a month, delivers unlimited, on-demand music from its 20 million-song catalog on any device. Until now, free users have been able to play music on demand, with ads, on their computers – but they can’t use the service from their mobile phones or tablets, unless they enter their credit-card information to sign up for the 30-day premium-service trial.

December 7, 2013