Bandier Stepping Down At Sony/ATV
• Martin Bandier, Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing since April 2007, confirmed reports that he will be stepping down from his post at the end of March 2019. The text of his letter to the staff, obtained by Variety, reads, in part, “I want to let you know that I am planning to leave Sony/ATV at the end of my contract in March of next year, after what will have been 12 incredible years with the company. I can say without hesitation that my time here has been the absolute highlight of my career, and I am extremely proud of everything that we have achieved together.” He continued, “On this journey, we have grown from being ranked the world’s fourth biggest music publisher to becoming the clear No. 1. As I have always said, being and staying No. 1 is not a beauty contest, and we have grown into this position by being the best across the board — creatively, administratively and financially. This was underpinned by our most recent financial year, which was our best ever.”
Bandier added, “It is also important to note that, while we have been successful in growing our business and maintaining our position as the largest music publisher in the world, we have never lost sight of the fact that our priority is to fight tirelessly on behalf of our songwriters and to ensure that they are fully compensated for their work, both by streaming companies and other music services that use their songs. Rankings matter, but our songwriters and their music matter the most. I think we have made great progress in that regard, and I will continue that fight for songwriters after I leave Sony/ATV.”
• The news of Bandier’s 2019 departure seems to dovetail with the other recent news that Jon Platt is stepping down as Chairman & CEO of Warner/Chappell Music by the end of the year. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Platt is crossing the street to Sony/ATV as the heir-apparent to Bandier, his former boss at EMI.
