Sony Music Publishing has rebranded, introducing what it describes as “a new brand identity with a redesigned logo and revitalized mission.”
Under the leadership of Jon Platt, chairman & CEO since 2019, the renewal of the Sony Music Publishing name signifies an important step in the company’s evolution and further aligns the business with Sony’s entertainment brands, according to the announcement. The rebrand is intended to reflect the identity of Sony as “A Creative Entertainment Company with a Solid Foundation of Technology.”
The announcement continues, “The new Sony Music Publishing honors its heritage as a Sony company and lays the foundation for its future as a songwriter-first, universally inclusive company. The central visual of the new brand identity is a refreshed logo, which is designed as an abstraction of sound waves — with resonance and vibrations that express infinitely expanding opportunities for songwriters. Complementing the symbol, the Sony Music Publishing ethos is ‘every voice matters’, elevating the vision and goals of songwriters.”
While the rebrand removes ATV from the publisher’s name, the announcement stresses the importance of ATV to the company’s legacy. Sony/ATV was established in 1995 through a joint venture with Michael Jackson that brought together the original Sony Music Publishing with Jackson’s ATV Music. In 1985, Jackson acquired ATV Music, which owned the Northern Songs catalog — including the rights to all the songs that John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote during their time with the Beatles. In 2016, Sony acquired the Michael Jackson Estate’s 50% share of Sony/ATV making it a wholly owned Sony company. In 2007, Sony/ATV acquired Famous Music, which included many great American film and television catalogs; and of course in 2012 Sony, along with a group of investors, purchased EMI Music Publishing in one of the biggest deals in music industry history. In 2018, Sony bought out the remaining ownership interests in EMI.
All of the above contributed to making Sony the world’s leading music publisher, with catalogs also including Queen, Ashford & Simpson, Motown, Carole King, Leiber & Stoller, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder and songwrtiers including Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris, Cardi B, Daddy Yankee, Gabby Barrett, Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more.
The company hinted at the move with a social media post on Tuesday that reads, “History is always being written.”
In announcing the rebrand, Platt commented: “Sony Music Publishing has always embraced the power of songwriting to connect cultures and bring people together. Since its inception, Sony Music Publishing has supported the careers of songwriters and continues to defend their rights. Returning to the Sony Music Publishing name reconnects us to our legacy and further unifies our mission and culture with the Sony Corporation. Our new brand embodies a modern vision to be an authentic reflection of the music and songwriters we represent.”
Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer added: “By re-energizing the Sony Music Publishing brand, Jon and the company are charting a new course for the business and an exciting path forward for its songwriters and its people. The publishing division’s bold new image also conveys Sony Music Group’s evolution as a future-forward creative entertainment company, adding distinction to our positioning.”
Sony Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida stated: “Sony Music Publishing’s dynamic new brand conveys the promise of our creative approach and our leadership in the music and entertainment space. Jon and Rob are continuing to advance Sony’s business and strengthen our reputation as a ‘Creative Entertainment Company with a Solid Foundation of Technology’ with artists and songwriters around the globe. As a company that has been and continues to empower songwriters, I strongly believe that its inclusive brand message will lead to bringing people closer together, more than ever.”
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