Sony To Own 90% Of EMI Music Publishing
• Sony Corporation of America has reached an agreement with Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company to purchase the consortium’s approximately 60% equity interest in EMI Music Publishing for $1.9 billion. When the deal is done, Sony will indirectly own approximately 90% of the equity interest in EMI Music Publishing and it will become a consolidated subsidiary of Sony. While the final purchase price is subject to customary closing adjustments, the total cash consideration Sony expects to pay to consolidate EMI Music Publishing is approximately $2.3 billion.
The original transaction and the investor consortium that partnered with Sony and the Michael Jackson Estate to acquire EMI Music Publishing were sourced and assembled by Mubadala Capital’s private equity business, which has controlled and managed EMI Music Publishing on behalf of Mubadala and other third-party investors since 2012.
Kenichiro Yoshida, President & CEO of Sony Corporation said, “We are thrilled to bring EMI Music Publishing into the Sony family and maintain our No. 1 position in the music publishing industry. I would also like to convey my gratitude to Mubadala, our equity partner in EMI Music Publishing, for sharing our long-term perspective on the potential success of music publishing and their support as we grew the business. The music business has enjoyed a resurgence over the past couple of years, driven largely by the rise of paid subscription-based streaming services. In the entertainment space, we are focusing on building a strong IP portfolio, and I believe this acquisition will be a particularly significant milestone for our long-term growth.”
EMI Music Publishing owns or administers over two million songs, including classics by Queen, Carole King and the Motown catalog, along with contemporary songs from Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Drake, Sam Smith, P!NK, Pharrell Williams, Calvin Harris and many others.
