top secret-Mails gehackt: Sony plante ....

Sony Planned to Sell Music-Publishing Unit Owning Beatles

Sony Corp. (SNE) was considering the sale of its music-publishing business, including a partnership with Michael Jackson’s estate that owns the Beatles catalog, as recently as last month, e-mails released by hackers show.
The “top secret” plan was being handled in the U.S. by Sony Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Michael Lynton, Sony Corp. of America President Nicole Seligman and their U.S. Chief Financial Officer Steve Kober, according to a Nov. 21 e-mail from Kober. The company had concluded the business had few growth prospects.
Top management at Tokyo-based Sony was concerned about the complex ownership and governance of the business, whose owners also include billionaire David Geffen and Abu Dhabi investors. Details of the sale plan, including possible terms or suitors, couldn’t be determined. The documents were released as part of the cyber-attack on Sony over the movie “The Interview.”.......
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/…-unit-owning-beatles.html

Eine Englischfee wäre jetzt toll, die eine kurze inhaltliche Zusammenfassung geben könnte!

Zum ersten Post hierzu die beiden vollen Artikel, die dazu kursieren. Hier handelt es sich um hochaktuelle gehackte Mails aus Oktober und November 2014, die offenbaren, dass Sony es in Betracht zieht Sony/ATV zu verkaufen bzw in der höchsten Führungsetage zur Debatte stellt hinsichtlich der Entwicklung von Musikrechten /Streaming-Kultur und des komplexen Aufwandes der Verwaltung des Katologes. Aus den Mails geht nicht hervor, ob sie nur von ihrem Anteil vom Katlaog sprechen oder ob es um den Gesamt-katolg geht.
In einem Artikel wird vom Verfasser spekuliert, dass dies ein Weg für Sony sein könnte eine große Summe Cash zu erhalten und seine in Schwierigkeiten geratene Eletroniksparte auf die Sprüge zu helfen. Sony hatte einen Nettoverlust von 1,2 Milliarden am Qurtalsende 30. September.

Schwer zu sagen, was das für die Sony/ATV-Hälfte vom MJ-Estate heißen kann. Geht man davaon aus, dass Sony nur über den Verkauf seines eigenen Anteils verfügen kann, dann könnte es heißen, dass der MJ-Estate schon bald einen anderen Partner (nicht mehr Sony) hat mit dem er sich den Katlaog teilt. Bleibt wohl nichts anderes übrig als die Entwicklungen/Entscheidungen abzuwarten.

Der 2. Post bezieht auf geleakte E-mails von 1994 oder 1995 und gehört meines Erachtens eher in den TDCAU-Thread. Zu Geffen ist im übringen intressant zu wissen, dass er es war, der MJ dazubrachte sich erstmalig Anfag der 1990er von Branca zu trennen.

Sony Exploring Sale of Music Publishing Unit, Leaked Emails Show
Highly Profitable Unit Is Co-Owned by Sony and Michael Jackson’s Estate
By HANNAH KARP And ALEXANDRA BERZON
Dec. 23, 2014 4:17 p.m. ET
0 COMMENTS
Sony Corp. has been exploring the sale of its Sony/ATV Music Publishing unit, the company’s recently leaked internal emails suggest.

The music publisher, co-owned by Sony and the estate of the late pop star Michael Jackson , is the world’s biggest and is highly profitable, according to people familiar with the matter. Estimated to be worth between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, it owns the copyrights to most of the Beatles’ songs, among thousands of others.

It was unclear from documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal whether Sony is considering selling just its stake in the venture, or whether the whole unit might be put up for sale. Also unclear was the price Sony expects the publishing business to fetch, or when the company might try to sell it.

Spokesmen for Sony and Sony/ATV declined to comment.

For Sony, the potential sale would represent an easy and logical way to raise cash to prop up its long-struggling electronics division, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking. Sony posted a $1.2 billion net loss for the quarter ended Sept. 30.

The possible sale of Sony/ATV was mentioned in emails last month between top Sony executives. The emails were among the thousands of documents leaked several weeks ago by hackers trying to stop the release of the Sony Pictures film “The Interview,” a lowbrow comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. officials have blamed the cyberattack on North Korea, and President Barack Obama last week promised a “proportional response.” North Korea temporarily lost Internet connectivity Monday, though the U.S. hasn’t taken responsibility for the outage.

Following Sony’s annual “mid-range plan” meeting last month, the Tokyo-based secretary for Sony Vice President Kazuhiko Takeda sent an email to Sony Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Lynton, requesting a response to a number of “follow-up” items discussed at the meeting. A list of the discussion items appeared to have been attached to the email. Six other executives, including Sony Corp. of America Chief Financial Officer Steve Kober, were copied.

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Later that day, Mr. Kober sent a private email to Mr. Lynton, offering to take the lead on responding to Mr. Takeda but asking Mr. Lynton not to forward the first email to “anyone in your organization,” because the attached list of discussion items included “a follow-up point talking about the sale of Sony/ATV.”

“As you are aware, we are trying to keep this top secret and manage this among a very small group,” Mr. Kober wrote in his email.

Sony Corp. of America President Nicole Seligman also emailed Mr. Lynton that day warning him not to forward the note from Mr. Takeda’s secretary.

The email “mentions the ATV issue,” Ms. Seligman wrote. “We have asked that it be deleted going forward.”

Mr. Jackson, the late pop star, bought ATV Music Publishing for $47.5 million in 1985, and sold Sony a 50% stake in the business for $90 million 10 years later, creating the joint-venture. He died in 2009 while preparing for a comeback tour.

In 2012, Sony and Mr. Jackson’s estate joined with other investors, including Abu-Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Co. and music mogul David Geffen, to acquire EMI Music Publishing for $2.2 billion. Sony/ATV Music now administers the EMI catalog on the investor group’s behalf.

It was unclear from the leaked Sony emails whether EMI would be packaged with Sony/ATV in a sale.

Activist investor Daniel Loeb had been urging Sony for more than a year to sell some of its entertainment assets to focus on its electronics business. But Mr. Loeb no longer has sway: his hedge fund, Third Point, sold its 7% stake in the company in October.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/sony-exp...how-1419369448

Im nächsten Post der weitere Artikel:

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Sony Planned to Sell Music-Publishing Unit Owning Beatles
By Lucas Shaw and Christopher Palmeri Dec 23, 2014 2:33 PM ET 0 Comments Email Print

Sony Corp. was considering the sale of its music-publishing business, including a partnership with Michael Jackson’s estate that owns the Beatles catalog, as recently as last month, e-mails released by hackers show.

The “top secret” plan was being handled in the U.S. by Sony Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Michael Lynton, Sony Corp. of America President Nicole Seligman and their U.S. Chief Financial Officer Steve Kober, according to an Nov. 21 e-mail from Kober. The company had concluded the business had few growth prospects.

Top management at Tokyo-based Sony was concerned about the complex ownership and governance of the business, whose owners also include billionaire David Geffen and Abu Dhabi investors. Details of the sale plan, including possible terms or suitors, couldn’t be determined. The documents were released as part of the cyber-attack on Sony over the movie “The Interview.” Publishing accounts for 14 percent of Sony’s music revenue, the main part being recorded music.

Bob Lawson, an outside spokesman for Sony with Rubenstein Communications, didn’t have an immediate comment.

Sony Corp. (6758)’s Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida raised questions about the future of music publishing, in an Oct. 3 e-mail to his boss, CEO Kazuo Hirai, and Lynton, a prelude to a meeting of the three, according to messages released by the hackers.

“I’d like to hear your thoughts on the Music Publishing business, which has a rather complex capital and governance structure and is impacted by the market shift to streaming,” Yoshida wrote in the message.

Sony Deliberations

Sony’s deliberations on the publishing business were included in a planning document sent to at least half a dozen Sony executives, according to the Nov. 21 e-mail. That included a presentation that outlined they were considering the sale.

“We are very surprised that the attached listing includes the comment about the sale of Sony/ATV,” Kober wrote. “As you know quite well, this is a top-secret project that is being handled by me working directly with Michael and Nicole.”

The publishing division includes Sony/ATV Music Publishing and EMI Music Publishing.

Sony/ATV was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Sony and Jackson, who had acquired ATV 10 years earlier. Former Beatle Paul McCartney had also tried to purchase the catalog.

In 2012, Sony paid $2.2 billion for the larger EMI Music Publishing, along with investors including Jackson’s estate, Blackstone Group’s GSO Capital Partners LP, Geffen and Mubadala Development Co. owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Sony/ATV administers EMI on behalf of the investors.

Music Royalties

Music publishers collect royalties from album sales, use on TV and other performances. The combined Sony publishing business represents stars from Bruce Springsteen to Lady Gaga and more than 2 million songs, including “New York, New York,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

The Japanese company and Jackson’s estate each own half of Sony/ATV, which owns more than 750,000 songs, according to a press release from 2012. EMI Music Publishing, in which Sony holds a 30 percent stake, has 1.3 million songs in its catalog.

Together, Sony/ATV and EMI represent the world’s biggest music publishing business, with Sony estimating a global market share of more than 30 percent.

The music publishing business generates about $500 million in annual revenue and $100 million in operating profit, according to a mid-range plan of Sony’s music business in October that was released by the hackers.

Publishing Growth

Sony’s music publishing business will see sales rise 13 percent over three years to $617 million by fiscal year 2018, according to the mid-range plan circulated internally. Operating profit will rise 23 percent to $123 million during that period.

The e-mails were released as part of a devastating hack on Sony that the FBI said was committed by North Korea over the Hollywood studio’s plan to release the satirical movie “The Interview” about an assassination plot against the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-1...g-beatles.html

Sony music honcho plugs leak on sale
By Claire AtkinsonJanuary 9, 2015 | 11:42pm

The head of Sony’s music publishing business said it’s not for sale — despite leaked emails showing the parent company weighed unloading the division late last year.

“I have been advised by Sony Corp. that Sony/ATV is not for sale,” Sony/ATV boss Martin Bandier said in an internal memo to staffers on Friday.
"Ich bin von Sony Corp. unterrichtet wurden, dass Sony/ATV nicht zum Verkauf steht" sagt Sony/ATV Boss Martin Bandier in einem internen Memo an Mitarbeter am Freitag.

Sony/ATV had its best year ever in 2014 — both financially and creatively — with a roster of hot young acts, including Charli XCX, Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor, according to Bandier, who has run the business since 2007.
“Who wouldn’t want to own a company like that, including Sony Corp.?” he quipped.

Sony / ATV hatte sein bestes Jahr im Jahr 2014 - sowohl finanziell als auch kreativ - mit einer Liste von heißen jungen ACTs einschließlich Charli XCX, Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith und Meghan Trainor, sagt Bandier, der das Geschäft seit 2007 leitet.
"Wer würde nicht ein solches Unternehmen besitzen wollen, einschließlich Sony Corp.?", witzelte er.

As recently as November, Sony executives discussed selling Sony/ATV, in part because of its complex ownership structure, according to emails stolen by hackers.

Sony/ATV is a joint venture between Sony Corp. and the estate of Michael Jackson. Sony is also part-owner of EMI’s former publishing assets, alongside David Geffen, Abu Dhabi’s investment vehicle Mubadala and other investors.

“I’d like to hear your thoughts on the music publishing business, which has a rather complex capital and governance structure and is impacted by the market shift to streaming,” Sony’s chief financial officer, Kenichiro Yoshidaon, wrote in a leaked Oct. 3 email.

Sony’s US based chief financial officer, Steven Kober, wrote back that he was surprised because a potential sale was a “top secret project,” known to only Michael Lynton, the head of Sony’s entertainment business, and Nicole Seligman, Sony’s US president.

http://nypost.com/2015/01/09/sony-mu...-leak-on-sale/

Zitat von LenaLena

"Ich bin von Sony Corp. unterrichtet wurden, dass Sony/ATV nicht zum Verkauf steht" sagt Sony/ATV Boss Martin Bandier in einem internen Memo an Mitarbeter am Freitag.

Warten wir die Entwicklung ab. Hieß es nicht, es war nicht unbedingt zum Vorteil von Sony, dass die Verkaufsabsichten bekannt wurden. Dann würde ich das jetzt auch sagen. Interne Memos kann man auch manipulieren, wenn man weiß, dass sie mitgelesen werden könnten. Die Zeit wird es zeigen.

Zitat von Maike

Warten wir die Entwicklung ab. Hieß es nicht, es war nicht unbedingt zum Vorteil von Sony, dass die Verkaufsabsichten bekannt wurden

Bleibt generell auch nichts anderes übrig und wen kümmert es was wenn Sony seinen Sony/ATV-Anteil verkaufen möchte?

Ich sehe die Mails ohnehin nur als Gedankenspiele zur Diskussionsgrundlage und so ist es in der Mail auf forumliert in den Führungsetagen, die im übrigen nicht besonders strateg. wirken in Hinblick auf deren Investionen, die sie noch in den vergangen Jahren in den Katlaog investierten. Wo man dürber nachdenken kann ist natürlich, dass die betreffende Führungskraft, die es in den Raum wirft die Lukrativität des Kataloges (Verhältnis von Aufwand/Gewinne) in Frage stellt.

Noch ein weiterer Artikel, diesmal mit einem Zitat vom Chef des Sony-Entertainemt-Buisiness:

Sony Corp. (6758) has no plans to sell the music publishing business that controls rights to songs from the Beatles and Taylor Swift, as was suggested by leaked e-mails, Sony Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Michael Lynton said.

Sony’s music-publishing business, the largest in the world, has a catalog of more than 2 million songs. Music publishers collect songwriting royalties from album sales, use on TV and other performances.

E-mails and documents released in the cyber-attack on Sony mentioned a “top secret” plan to sell the music publishing business because it had few growth prospects, Bloomberg News reported last month. Top management at Tokyo-based Sony was concerned about the complex ownership and governance of the business.

In an Jan. 8 interview, Lynton said a sale isn’t under consideration.
In einen IV vom 8. Januar sagt Lynton ein Verkauf wird nicht in Betracht gezogen.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-0...nton-says.html

Branca ist einer der Board-Direktoren von Sony/ATV und hat zusätzlich eine Beraterrolle. im Artikel werden Fragen (nicht genannter Personen, typ. New York Post, Stayci Browns Verbreitungsblatt gestellt,) ob dies ein Interessenkonfklikt darstellen könnte für Sony oder seiner Rolle hinsichtlich Estate-Verwalter.

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Es ist nur Recht und gut, dass Branca einer der Board-Direktor von Sony//AtV ist, da der Estate 50% Besitzer des Unternehmens ist und somit ein großes Intresse darin hat. Alles andere wäre seltsam. Ob seine zusätzlich Beraterrolle ein Intressenkonflikt für Sony darstellt hängt von deren Policen/Regelungen ab und müssen sie entscheiden und darum ging es in den Mails. Ist er einer für seine Rolle als Estate-Verwalter. Kann ich beim besten Willen nicht erkennen. Branca berät das Unternehmen Sony/AtV wie es die besten Gewinne machen kann, welche neuenn Musikrechte intressant sind, das ist gut für Sony, das ist gut für den Estate (die Einkünfte der Kinder). Ob es manchen passt oder nicht, wenn das Ergebnis aus Sony/ATV für Michaels Kinder gute Einkünfte schafft, dann macht es das gleichzeitig auch für Sony. Das Unternehmen ist eben ein Joint Venture zwischen Sony und Michael Jackson (und nun dem Michael Jacksonn-Estate).