Platt in 2019.SONY/ATV’S 25 YEARS OF SONGS
CHAIRMAN/CEO JON PLATT TALKS THE PUBLISHING GIANT’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY
AMID ITS REBRANDING AS SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING
BY GAIL MITCHELLI
n his 2020 year-end message to songwrit-
ers, Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/
CEO Jon Platt praised them for continuing
to change the world with their creativity
— especially in a tumultuous year framed by a
pandemic and racial unrest. “Thanks to all of you,” he
wrote. “History is always being written.” Those five
words also describe the company, recently rebranded
as Sony Music Publishing, and its journey to becoming
the No. 1 global music publisher, especially under the
12-year watch of legendary publishing executive Martin
Bandier and now Platt, who succeeded his former EMI
Music Publishing boss and mentor in April 2019.Now celebrating 25 years of songs, Sony/ATV was
established in November 1995 when Sony Music
Publishing partnered with Michael Jackson and his
ATV Music. Jackson had acquired ATV a decade
prior; at the time, he leveraged $11 million in equity
and $36.5 million in debt to buy the ATV catalog,
which included the rights to John Lennon and Paul
McCartney’s Beatles repertoire on Northern Songs,
for $47.5 million.
Sony/ATV’s legendary songwriters not only include
Jackson and The Beatles, but also Stevie Wonder,
Carole King, Leonard Cohen, Ashford & Simpson and
members of Queen. Its roster of contemporary talentfeatures Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Lady
Gaga, Daddy Yankee, Gabby Barrett, Luke Bryan,
Maluma, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and its latest
signing, JAY-Z.
Establishing Sony/ATV was part of Jackson’s
dream “to create the biggest publishing company in
the world,” says attorney John Branca, who has long
represented the pop icon and his estate. When Jackson
first hired Branca, he didn’t own his own masters.
“Thriller gave him the leverage and the platform for
me to go to Sony and get him the ownership of his
masters,” recalls Branca. “Michael was the person
who was single-handedly most responsible for the
growth of Sony/ATV, first by bringing ATV in and then
subsequently by being on the board of directors and
helping guide the company.”
Sony purchased the Jackson estate’s 50% share of
the publishing entity in 2016, making it a wholly owned
Sony company. Along the way to becoming the world’s
leading publisher, Sony/ATV acquired Famous Music,
whose assets include classic American film and TV
catalogs, in 2007. Five years later, Sony and a group of
investors also bought EMI Music Publishing, followed
in 2018 by Sony’s acquisition of the remaining owner-
ship interests in EMI. In addition to administering Jack-
son’s personal firm, Mijac Music (including the Sly &
The Family Stone catalog and songs by Ray Charles,
Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin), Sony/ATV owns or
administers such history-making catalogs as Jobete/
Motown and Leiber & Stoller.
When he took over at Sony/ATV in 2019, Platt
became the highest-ranking Black executive in the
music industry. Under his purview, the company
recently ushered in a strong fourth quarter, ruling
both Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs and Top Radio Airplay
charts for the third quarter in a row. Sony/ATV logged
59 titles on Hot 100 Songs, including Drake’s “Laugh
Now Cry Later,” featuring Lil Durk, and Cardi B’s “WAP,”
featuring Megan Thee Stallion. The publisher’s market
share on Hot 100 Songs fell over two percentage points,
to 24.14% from 26.68%, the previous quarter, while its
share of Top Radio Airplay songs jumped by one basis
point to 22.11% from 22.10%
Sony doesn’t report Sony Music Publishing’s finan-
cial results by itself but collectively with Sony Japan’s
music publishing results. Thus overall, Sony’s publish-
ing operations grew 13.3% to nearly $430.6 million
from $365 million compared with the corresponding
third quarter a year earlier — a resurgence from the
first six months when its revenue dipped 11.6% to
$642.3 million from the prior year’s $715.1 million.
As it embarks on its next quarter century of songs,
Sony/ATV is also reclaiming its heritage as a Sony
cornerstone. In February, the company announced its
rebranding as Sony Music Publishing, complemented
by a redesigned logo — a vibrant abstract depicting
sound waves — and a renewed commitment to its
“Songwriters first” mantra. Following the announce-
ment, Platt discusses Sony’s forward focus, upgrades
to its royalty payment system and navigating publish-
ing’s current Wild West climate.How would you assess the company’s legacy?
It’s a legacy of excellence, which has been proven time
and time again. It’s a legacy composed of some of the
greatest songs and songwriters in the world. And when
you look at the origination of Sony/ATV, it not only
represents partnerships with talented songwriters but also
with other companies and executives. On the executiveTHE PLAYERSFEBRUARY 20, 2021 • WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 7 3SAM
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