Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a major global record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies. According to Variety, on October 2, 2008, Sony had completed the acquisition of Bertelsmann's 50% stake in the Sony BMG joint venture, and Sony BMG will be re-branded into Sony Music Entertainment. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993247.html?categoryid=19&cs=1]

History

In 1988, the Sony Corporation of America acquired CBS Records for US$2 billion. CBS Inc., now CBS Corporation, retained the rights to the CBS name, and Sony renamed the label Sony Music Entertainment in 1991.

Sony re-introduced the Columbia label after it bought the international rights of the label from EMI. Epic Records is the other major branch of Sony Music. The only country where Sony does not have rights to the Columbia name is Japan, where the name is controlled by Columbia Music Entertainment. Columbia label recordings from outside Japan are issued in Japan on the Sony Records label, sharing the same Walking Eye logo as Columbia outside Japan.

BMG Merger

In August 2004, Sony Music Entertainment created a joint venture with BMG to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment; however, Sony continues to operate its Japanese music business independently from Sony BMG.

In November 2005, Texas Attorney General as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (a digital rights group based in California) separately filed civil lawsuits against Sony BMG Music Entertainment for hiding spyware software on its compact discs that left computers that run the Windows operating system vulnerable to hackers.

Sony BMG will become simply Sony Music Entertainment Sony has purchased Bertelsmann's half of the venture. On March 27, 2006, the "New York Times" reported that Bertelsmann was looking to raise money by leveraging some of its media assets, and that executives from both companies were in talks about possibly altering the current venture. Bertelsmann sold its shares to Sony for a total of $1.5 billion cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST946520080612/|title=UPDATE 1-Bertelsmann asks $1.5 bln for Sony-BMG stake -FT] , .

ony Music Entertainment

The international media and entertainment companies Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG announced on August 5, 2008, that Sony agreed to acquire Bertelsmann's 50% stake in Sony BMG. The company, to be called Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SME), will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

According to Variety, on October 2, 2008, Sony had completed the acquisition of Bertelsmann. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993247.html?categoryid=19&cs=1]

List of Sony Music Entertainment labels

*Columbia Records
**Aware Records
**Burgundy Records
**Chaos Recordings
**C2 Records
**LBW Entertainment
**Loud Records
*Epic Records
**Caribou Records
**Daylight Records
**550 Music
**Ruthless Records
**WTG Records
**The Work Group
*Federation Records
*GUN Records
*Kinetic Records
*Legacy Recordings
**Windham Hill Records
**Private Music
*Ode Records
*Ravenous Records
*RCA Music Group
**RCA Records
**Arista Records
**J Records
***Full Surface Records
***US Records
***Polo Grounds Music
**Bluebird Records
**Phonogenic Records
*Provident Music Group
**Provident Label Group
***Brentwood Records
***Benson Records
***Essential Records
***Flicker Records
***Beach Street Records
***Reunion Records
***Praise Hymn Music Group
***Provident Special Markets
**Provident-Integrity Distribution

*RED Distribution
**Cashville Records
**Red Ink Records
*Sony BMG Nashville
**Open Wide
**Arista Nashville
**BNA Records
**RCA Nashville
**Columbia Nashville
*Sony BMG Masterworks
**Masterworks Broadway Records
***Playbill Records
**RCA Victor Red Seal Records
**Sony Classical
**Sony Broadway
**Odyssey Records
**Arte Nova Classics
**Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
*Sony Wonder (moved)
*Zomba Music Group
**Battery Records
**Epidemic Records
**La Face Records
**Jive Records
**Music for Nations Records
**Pinacle Records
**Scotti Brothers Records
**Silvertone Records
**Verity Records
**Volcano Records/Zoo Records
**X-Cell Records
*Sony BMG International Companies
*BMG Music Japan
*Sony Discos
*TriStar Music

Independent labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment

*Almost Gold Recordings
*BNM Records (Australia)
*Century Music Malaysia
*Dancing Cat Records (through Windham Hill)
*D-Town Records
*GOOD Music
*Gun Records
*Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
*Independiente Records
*Nick Records
*NotNowMum! Records
*One Records
*Rukus Avenue
*Shout! Factory
*Thrive Records
*Thugtertainment
*Wind-up Records
*Platinum Star Records (Future sub-label of Sony BMG, in about 24 hours)

List of Sony Music Entertainment artists

A

*AC/DC
*A.R.Rahman
*Aerosmith
*Air Supply
*Alice in Chains
*Alicia Keys
*Alkaline Trio
*Amy Pearson
*Anastacia
*Andy Williams
*Angelas Dish (Australia)
*Annie Lennox
*Anti-Flag
*Aram Quartet (Italy)
*Asia Cruise
*Avalon Drive
*Avril Lavigne

B

*Backstreet Boys
*Beyoncé
*Billy Joel
*Bob Dylan
*Boney M.
*Bow Wow
*Brad Paisley
*Brian Melo
*Brandy
*Britney Spears
*Brooke Barrettsmith
*Bruce Springsteen
*Bullet For My Valentine

C

*Costel Busuioc (Romania)
*Chevelle
*Calle 13
*Calvin Harris
*Camila
*Carola Häggkvist
*Carrie Underwood
*Celine Dion
*Chris Brown
*Chris Daughtry
*Christina Aguilera
*Ciara
*Coheed and Cambria
*Courtney Johnson
*
*Cyndi Lauper

D

*Dave Matthews Band
*David Archuleta
*David Gilmour
*Delta Goodrem
*David Campbell
*Dido
*Dixie Chicks
*DMX
*Dolla
*Duran Duran
*Destiny's Child
*Doynna

E

*Earth, Wind & Fire
*Elvis Presley
*Eurythmics
*Evan Yo
*Evanescence

F

*Faye Wong (Hong Kong)
*Fireflight
*Fiona Apple
*Franz Ferdinand
*The Fray
*Foo Fighters

G

*George Michael
*Gloria Estefan
*Good Charlotte
*Gretchen Espina
*Guy Sebastian
*Genesis

H

* H-Blockx
* The Hoosiers
* Human Nature

I

*Incubus
*INXS
*Il Divo

J

*Jay Chou (Taiwan)
*Jennifer Lopez
*Jessica Simpson
*Joaquín Sabina
*Joe Satriani
*John Farnham
*John Mayer
*Johnny Cash
*Jordin Sparks
*Jorge Celedon
*Journey
*Julieta Venegas
*Justin Timberlake

K

*Kalan Porter
*Kat Deluna
*Keith Whitley
*Kelly Clarkson
*Kelly Rowland
*Kenny G
*Kenny Loggins
*Kool Savas
*Kochie & Mel

L

*La Quinta Estación (Spain)
*Leehom Wang (Taiwan)
*Leona Lewis (UK)
*Lyfe Jennings
*Lordi
*Louise Carver

M

*Maria Lawson
*Mario
*Massari
*Mayré Martínez
*Michael Jackson
*Michelle Williams
*Mika Nakashima (Japan)
*Madonna ("Erotica", "Bedtime Stories", "Something To Remember" & "Evita")
*My Chemical Romance
*Mónica Naranjo (España)

N

*Natasha Bedingfield
*Newton Faulkner

O

*Oasis
*Ozzy Osbourne
*Outlandish
*OJ

P

*Paula DeAnda
*Paul Potts
*Pearl Jam
*P!nk

Q

*Qwote

R

*R. Kelly
*Rage Against The Machine
*Rainie Yang (Taiwan)
*Ricardo Arjona
*Ricky Martin (Latin America)
*Rogue Traders

*Samanda
*Samantha Jade
*Santana
*Scouting For Girls
*Sean Kingston
*Sean Mac
*Shakira
*Shannon Noll
*Steps
*Simon and Garfunkel
*Steve Barakatt
*System of a Down
*Seven Network
*The Strokes
*Soulja Boyz

T

*Tata Young
*The Ting Tings
*Three Days Grace
*Three 6 Mafia
*Toni Braxton
*Tori Amos

U

*Usher

V

*Victor Manuelle
*Virginia Maestro (España)
*VL Mike
*Velvet Revolver

W

*Weird Al Yankovic
*Westlife
*Whitney Houston
*Will Smith

Y

*YUI
*Yuridia
*Young Divas

ubsidiaries

*Columbia Records
*Columbia Nashville
*Epic Records
*Legacy Recordings
*Sony BMG Masterworks
*Sony BMG Nashville
*Sony Wonder (Moved under Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

See also

* Sony Music Entertainment Japan
* Sony/ATV Music Publishing
* Sony Urban Music
* List of record labels
* 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal

References