Martin Bandier to remain Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV
PRESS RELEASE:
Martin Bandier has signed a contract extension to remain as Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which is a joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and the Estate of Michael Jackson.
Under Mr. Bandier’s leadership, Sony/ATV has become the world’s leading music publisher with a catalog of more than 3 million songs. These include songs by contemporary superstars such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams as well as works by all-time legends including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Queen, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. In 2011/2012, Mr. Bandier played a key role in the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing by Sony Corporation of America, the Estate of Michael Jackson and an investment group headed by Mubadala Development Company, for whom Sony/ATV administers the EMI catalog.
During his time at Sony/ATV, Mr. Bandier has championed fair value for songwriters, leading ongoing industry efforts to reform the outdated U.S. system for licensing the performance of songs. In this role, he has worked endlessly to ensure that writers are fairly compensated for their work by music streaming services.
Mr. Bandier said: “I am thrilled to continue my role at Sony/ATV Music Publishing and continuing to work with a talented group of colleagues. Since my arrival, we have become the No. 1 music publisher and I am proud to say we represent many of the world’s best-loved songs alongside some of its greatest songwriters. I would like to thank Sony and John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, for their support and confidence in me, and I am looking forward to sharing many more successes with them over the next few years.”
“Marty Bandier is a legend in the music industry, and we are thrilled that he will continue his work at Sony/ATV,” said Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc. “Since he first joined in 2007, the company has reached amazing heights, and we expect that it will continue to flourish under his guidance.”
“Renewing Marty’s relationship with Sony/ATV avails the Estate of his enormous creative and executive talents as we strategically and profitably meet the challenges of our evolving business,” said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson.
Mr. Bandier joined Sony/ATV as Chairman and CEO in 2007, adding another new chapter to a distinguished career that had already made him the most successful music publishing executive in the industry. His appointment followed a 17-year spell running EMI Music Publishing, which he took over in 1989 after his company SBK was acquired by EMI and which he turned into what was then the world’s leading music publishing company.
While at Sony/ATV he has negotiated the acquisitions of both the Famous Music catalog, which includes scores for film such as The Godfather, Braveheart and Mission Impossible, and the Leiber & Stoller catalog whose hits include “Stand By Me”, “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock”. Finalized in 2007, the acquisition of the historic Leiber & Stoller catalog fulfilled a dream and business goal that Michael Jackson specifically iterated in the agreement for the formation of Sony/ATV in 1995.
Throughout his tenure the company and its songwriters have won numerous awards, including this last year when Sony/ATV was named Pop Publisher of the Year by both ASCAP and BMI in the U.S. In February 2015 he became the first ever music publisher to receive the Grammy Awards’ President’s Merit Award for his work in the music industry during a Grammy weekend when many of the company’s songwriters, including Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams, were also honored. He has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, while among his many industry roles he serves on the boards of the City of Hope, ASCAP, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).
Under his management, the company has enjoyed significant success on Broadway with Motown The Musical and the double Tony Awards winner Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, both of which have expanded into hugely popular U.S. tours. Beautiful is now also an award-winning production in London’s West End, while Motown The Musical is set to launch there in the spring.
Mr. Bandier is additionally a trustee of Syracuse University where in 2006 he founded a music and entertainment degree program called The Bandier Program for Music and Entertainment Industries. Last year, Billboard magazine named it one of the top schools in the U.S. to learn about the music industry.