SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

By:
Hien Vu
Shawn Garner
EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

| PESTEL Analysis
| The Five-Forces Model
P.E.S.T.L.E. ANALYSIS
| Political Factors
| Economic Factors

| Socio Cultural Factors

| Technological Factors

| Legal Factors
POLITICAL FACTORS
| Sony Corporations
Corporation s head quarters are based within Minato
Minato,
Japan
| SMEs corporations polices are entirely different although
it iis considered
id d a bbranchh office
ffi
| Legislation
y The Consumer Broadband & Digital Television Promotion Act
y P2P Piracy Prevention Act
| Upon the agreement of the joint venture SME received the
bl i off the
blessing h European
E Union
U i believing
b li i that
h theh merger
will drive growth, job creations, and innovation 1.
ECONOMIC FACTORS
| Success for music is determined byy the taste of
the people who listens to it.
| Incorporated as many labels (Public and
I d
Independent)
d t) as possible
ibl
| Invest in generally favored genres as they
provide the safest investment.
| Decline in album sales and the rising costs of
producing music.
SOCIO CULTURAL FACTORS
| Marketingg toward demographics
g p
| Large enough to produce material for all genres,
ages, and gender.
| Houses a number of popular artists on the
Billboards.
TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS
| Digital
g Rights
g Management
g
| Investment in Mp3 technology

| First to offer DRM free songs

| Allow their music database to be available for

download with 200,000 songs available at
Amazon.
Amazon
| Extended Copy Protection XCP and Media
Max.
y Invasion of Privacy
LEGAL FACTORS
| Known for actively violating consumer privacy
| Extended
E d d Copy
C P
Protection
i XCP andd M
Media
di M
Max
y Installation of software application without consent
y Left
e t Co
Computer
pute vulnerable
vu e ab e to V
Viruses
uses a
and
d Spywa
Spyware e
y Patches criticized for masking files and installation of
software that could not be removed
LEGAL FACTORS II
Discoveryy led to a mass p
product recall
Numerous lawsuits followed for the violation of privacy.
States (Texas, California, Florida) all ruled that the
applications installed were forms of spyware and
immediately removed from all IP addresses from those
respective states.
FIVE-FORCES MODEL
SUPPLIER POWER
| Supplier Power is stretched both ways
| Level of Influence and bargaining power over SME is
determined by
y Who the Artists are
y How famous they are
y How in demand they are

| However, due a massive pool of artists to choose from,

However from
SME lessens the power that artists have over them.
BUYER POWER
| Consumers have a lot of buyer power.
| May
M not necessarily il need
d or want to buy
b iti
| Digital music era
y Illegal Downloading
y Peer-to-Peer
y File Sharing
y Streaming Free Music Online

| Consumers may ultimately affect the company and the

music industry itself reflected by the three
three-year
year
decline in album sales
DEGREE OF RIVALRY
| Significant
g factors such as
y Brand identity
y Product differentiation

| M i competition
Main i i derived
d i d from
f the
h Big
Bi Four
F
y Universal Music Group
y Warner Music Group
y EMI Group

| Uniqueness and branding sets SME apart and gives it

the
h strength
h to be
b ahead
h d off the
h competition.
ii
THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS
| Barriers to entryy are high.
g
| The power of influence and competition by Big
Four provide difficulty for small labels to
survive.
i
| Not an easy feat to accumulate a roster of
current artists that includes a broad array of
both local artists and international superstars
| It would require a lot of capital and a great deal
off time
i and
d expertise
i to bbuild
ild the
h largest,
l oldest,
ld
and most diverse catalog of musical recordings in
the world
THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES
| Substitution is easy
y and viable
| Online Entertainment
y Download or stream music (legally or illegally)
y Mp3 vs. Physical CDs
INTERNAL ANALYSIS
SME Value Chain and VRINE

Retailers Promotions
ArtistsPool Efficiency Consumers Advertisements Customer
NewTalent > HumanCapital >
Internet
>
Movies
>
Support
Intensive Performances Radios
Television

Inbound Operations OutboundMarketing Service

Logistics Logistics &Sales
 SME FIRM STRATEGY

| Diversified
Di ifi d revenue portfolio
f li
| Digital distribution strategy

| Innovate mp3 formats

y FLAC or Mp4
| Limit acts of Piracy
y
| Legitimate alternatives to P2P Networks

| Legislation
SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
| Ease licensing
g restrictions
| Develop digital copy protections for music

| Invest more in online subscription services

| Focus on long-term potential instead of short-

term losses
| CD pricing
i i change
h (added-value)
( dd d l )
| Embrace MP3s as another retail form

| Adoption of SACD & DVD-Audio (higher quality)



SonyMusicEntertainment
CompanyAnalysis

MANA124
ShawnGarner
HienVu
12042008

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 TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
ExternalAnalysis............................................................................................................................3
PESTELAnalysis...........................................................................................................................3
PoliticalFactors........................................................................................................................3
EconomicFactors.....................................................................................................................3
SocioCulturalFactors..............................................................................................................4
TechnologicalFactors..............................................................................................................4
EnvironmentalFactors............................................................................................................4
LegalFactors............................................................................................................................4
FiveForcesModel.......................................................................................................................5
SupplierPower........................................................................................................................5
BuyerPower............................................................................................................................5
DegreeofRivalry.....................................................................................................................5
ThreatofNewEntrants...........................................................................................................6
ThreatofSubstitutes...............................................................................................................6
InternalAnalysis.............................................................................................................................6
ValueChain..................................................................................................................................6
VRINE...........................................................................................................................................7
FirmStrategy..................................................................................................................................7
Recommendations.........................................................................................................................8
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9
AppendixA...................................................................................................................................10
WorksCited..................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction

SongMusicEntertainmentbeganasofacorporatejointventurebetweenSMEand
BertelsmannMusicGroupinAugust2004.Inagreementwiththetermsestablishedbothcompanies
owned50percentofalllabelsacquiredbeforehand.SoonafterthemergerSMEandBMGSonyBMG
becamethelargestdistributorofmusicandlabelsintheworldsecondonlytoUniversalUMG.
OnAugust2008SonyCorporationofAmericaagreedtobuyBertelsmanns50%stakeinthe
musiccompanyfor$1.2billionto$1.5billion.ThenewlyboughtcorporationwasrenamedSonyMusic
EntertainmentInc.toreflectoftherevivalofSMEpriortothemergerin2004.HeadquarteredatNew
YorkCity,thecorporationhascontinuedtothriveasawhollyownedsubsidiaryofSonyCorporationof
America.

I
ExternalAnalysis

ThissectionwillanalyzeSMEasalargerecordlabelcompanybyusingboththePESTELAnalysis
andtheFiveForcesModel.ThePESTELAnalysiswillexaminethepolitical,economic,sociocultural,
technological,environmental,andlegalforcesimpactingthisindustry.TheFiveForcesModelwill
considerhowsupplierpower,buyerpower,degreeofrivalry,threatofnewentrants,andthreatof
substitutesaffectrecordlabels.

PestleAnalysis

PoliticalFactors
ConcerningthePoliticalPolicesofSMEitshouldnotbeconfusedwiththepoliciesofits
parentcompanySonyCorporation.DuetothefactthatSonyCorporationsheadquartersare
basedwithinMinato,Japan,thecorporationspolicesareentirelydifferentfromthatoftheUS.
BeforethemergerSonyMusicEntertainmentwasalabelcontrolledbytheSonyCorporationof
AmericaandBMGwasadivisionofBertelsmannbasedintheEuropeanUnion.Uponthe
agreementofthejointventureSMEreceivedtheblessingoftheEuropeanUnionbelievingthat
themergerwilldrivegrowth,jobcreations,andinnovation(NYPost).

EconomicFactors
Asthesuccessofmusicisdeterminedbythetasteofthepeoplewholistenstoit,itis
verydifficultforSMEtodeterminewhowillbecomeanAlistcelebrityandwhowillnot.To
counterthis,SMEhasadoptedasmanylabelsbothpublicandindependentaspossiblein
attempttobroadentheirvarietyandrangeofmusic.Inordertofollowtheeconomictrendsof
musicamajorityofartistswhoarewithSMEareinvolvedinRock,Pop,HipHop,andR&B.
Thesegenresaretypicallythemostwidelyacceptedandprovidethesafestinvestment.As
musictrendsshiftandmarketcycleschange,themajorrecordlabelsinvestheavilyinfinding
newtalentandcreatingpoolsofunusedmaterial.Thisenablestheartiststodrawuponand

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quicklyproducenewmaterialiftheyprovetobepopularwiththepublic.AswithUniversal
MusicGroup,SMEisaproductorientedbusiness.Withthemassivedeclineinalbumsalesand
therisingcostsofproducingmusic,Sonyhasadoptednewmeasurestoinvestin.Onesuch
measureincludespubliclysharedMp3savailablefordirectdownloadthatcanbeindividually
soldonlineviaiTunesorRhapsody.

SocioCulturalFactors
Asformarketingtowarddemographics,SMEisabusinesslargeenoughtoproduce
sufficientmaterialforeverygenretoappealtoanyageregardlessofgenderoreducation.
Basedsolelyontheirpopularartists,theynumberinthe100sspanningeverygenre.Asfor
othersocialaspectssuchasEthicalissues,Health,orOccupations,theydonotdirectlyaffector
impacthowwellanartistwillperform.Artistsmakemoneybasedonsalesorendorsementsof
theirmusic,andtheattendanceanddemandtoseethemliveforconcerts.

TechnologicalFactors
Asmentionedbefore,SMEisaproductorientedcompany;therefore,stayingontopof
technologydetermineswhetherthecompanywillcontinuetoflourishorfacecontinued
recedingprofits.Typicallyrevolvingaroundtechnologyhelpthwartpurchasersfrom
successfullyrippingtheirCDs;SMEhadalwaysbeenstrictabouttheirDigitalRights
Management.Inlater2005andearly2006,peoplediscoveredthatafterpurchasingBMG
products,SonyspearheadedaplanthatinstalledsoftwaretodisrupttheOperatingSystem
(Root).ItpreventstheusersfromsuccessfullyrippingtheCDsandultimatelyleftthecomputer
morevulnerabletovirusesandillegaltrackingIPaddresses.
Afterthescandal,SMEbegantoinvestinMp3technologyandinFebruary2008cameto
anagreementwithAmazon.comtoallowtheirmusicdatabasetobeavailableonAmazonwith
nearly200,000songsavailablewithinthefirstmonth.Thiswasthefirstonlinemusicstoreto
offerDRMfreesongsfromallofthefourmajorlabels(Wired).Laterthatmonth,SteveJobs
announcedthatmusicpublishedundertheSMElabelwouldalsobeavailablefromiTunes.

EnvironmentalFactors
EnvironmentalissuesaretheleastofSMEsconcerns.Allproductspublishedunderthe
labelareintellectualpropertyandisincreasinglybecomingmoreMp3basedformatratherthan
CDbasedformats.IfSMEbecomescompletelyinternetbased,thenthecompanywouldbe
evenmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyasitwouldgiveoffnoexcesswastethatcouldbeharmful
totheenvironment.

LegalFactors

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 Knownin2005foractivelyviolatingconsumerprivacy,SMEincludedcopiesof
ExtendedCopyProtectionXCPandMediaMax.Thesoftwareinstalledprogramstoa
consumerscomputerwithouttheirconsentandpreventedthemfromsuccessfullyrippingthe
music.Moreover,itleftthecomputermorepronetovirusattacks.MarkRussinovichwasone
ofthefirstcomputeruserstonoticetheproblemanddemandedthatsomethingbedoneabout
it.SMEquicklyreleasedapatchtodeletethesefilesfromuserscomputers.However,upon
furtherinspectionitwasdiscoveredthatthepatchesmerelyunmaskedthehiddenfilesand
installedadditionalsoftwarethatcouldnotberemoved.Thisdiscoveryledtoamassproduct
recallforamajorityofSMEbasedproductsandeventuallyleadtonumerouslawsuitsfromthe
statesagainstSMEfortheviolationofprivacy.StatessuchasTexas,California,andFloridaall
deemedthattheadditionalprogramsinstalledwereformsofspywareandshouldberemoved
immediatelyfromallIPaddressesfromthoserespectivestates.

FiveForcesModel
SupplierPower

Supplierpowerisstretchedbothways.Dependingonwhotheartistsare,howfamous,
andindemandtheyarewilldeterminetheirlevelofinfluenceandbargainingpoweroverSME.
ArtistslikeBeyonceandUsherhavetalentsthatareunique;theirservicesareindemand.For
thisreasontheywouldhavemorestrengthandcontroltoinfluenceandimpactSMEthan
someonewhoisrelativelynewlikeJordanSparks.Ontheotherhand,SMEhaveamassivepool
ofartiststochoosefrom,thereforelesseningthepowerthatartistshaveoverthem.Ifone
artistdoesnotwork,thenthecosttoswitchtoanotherwouldberelativelylow.

BuyerPower

Consumershavealotofbuyerpower.Althoughtheycanlikethemusicalbums
provided,theydonotnecessarilyneedtoorwanttobuyit.Withthedigitalmusiceracomes
illegaldownloading,piertopierfilesharing,andfreemusiconline.Whatconsumersdecideto
docanultimatelyaffectthecompanyandthemusicindustryitself;hencethethreeyearlong
declineinalbumsales(Hoovers).

DegreeofRivalry

Likeothercompetitiveindustries,factorssuchasbrandidentityandproduct
differentiationaresignificanttorecordlabelslikeSME.BehindUniversalMusicGroup,SMEis
the2ndlargestmusicbusinessintheworld.Althoughtherearevariousindependentlabels,
SMEsmaincompetitioncomesfromthreemaincompaniesUniversalMusicGroup,Warner
MusicGroup,andEMIGroup,thatwithSMEmakeuptheBigFour.Eventhougheach
competitoroffersequallyattractiveproductsandservices(artists),itistheuniquenessand

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brandingofeachartistthatSMEoffersthatsetsthecompanyapartandgivesitthestrengthto
beaheadofthecompetition.Forexample,therewillonlybeoneandonlyoneElvisPresley
whohappenstobeunderSME.ItisthisartistbrandingthatgivesSMEacompetitiveedge.

ThreatofNewEntrants

Consideringthetangibleandnontangibleassetintensivenatureofrecordlabels,the
barrierstoentryarehigh.However,thatisnottosay,newcompetitioncannotenter;itisjust
thematterofbeingabletosurvivewithinthemarketwhenthepowerofinfluenceand
competitionfromtheBigFouraresogreatandintense.Afterall,itisnotaneasyfeatto
accumulatearosterofcurrentartiststhatincludesabroadarrayofbothlocalartistsand
internationalsuperstarsasisthecasewithSME(Indeed).Thecompanyhasartistsfromevery
letterofthealphabetexceptforZ,whoarediscoveredfromalldifferentpartsoftheworld.Itwould
takealotofcapitalandagreatdealoftimeandexpertisetobuildthelargest,oldest,andmost
diversecatalogofmusicalrecordingsintheworld(Thinkmap).

ThreatofSubstitutes

Withsubstitutionbeingeasyandviable,itweakensSMEspowerbothtocompeteandoverits
customers.Duetothedigitalrevolution,consumersdonotneedtorelysolelyonmusicalbumsand
servicesprovidedbyrecordlabelstogettheirmusic.InsteadofgoingtoTargetorthemalltobuyCDs,
consumerscansimplygoonlinetodownloadmusic(legallyorillegally),orjustlistentomusicdirectly
onlineprovidedbysiteslikeImeemorYouTube.

InternalAnalysis

Internallyacompanyisaboutitsresourcesandcapabilities.SMEhasmanyresourcesinthe
formofitswealthofartistsandrecordcatalogs.Thecompanyreliesoninboundlogisticsbasedonits
abilitytocontinuouslycontractnewtalent.Utilizingthegreatamountofrecordlabelsanddiversepool
ofhumancapital(artists)itholds,SMEhascreatedvaluethatotherrecordlabelcompanieshas
difficultymatching.Inadditiontoitswidevarietyofmusicselectionsandlabels,SMEalsohavemany
independentlabelsthatitdistributestoenablethecompanytoremainstrong.

ValueChain
SMEalsohasmanycapabilitiesasdescribedbytheValueChain[SeeAppendixA].SMEs
strongestcapabilityisitsdiversifiedrosteroflocalandinternationalartists.Thecompanyhasawide
arrayofmusicgenresranginganywherefromHipHoptoPoporR&B,Rap,Classicaletc.Withthe
natureofthisindustrybeinghighlyhumancapitalintensiveandthrivingonthedemandforwhatits
artistsproduce;itisessentialtomaintainagoodrelationshipwithbothitsartistsandaudiences
(consumers).Thepurposeistobeabletogaugewhattheaudiencewants,andprovidethemwiththe
rightpeopleandmusicfromtheirmassivepooloftalents.

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 SomeofSMEssupportactivitiesincludethesizeofthecompanyanditshumanresources.The
continuoussearch,acquirement,andendorsementoftalentssupportthecompanysgrowthand
recognitionwhiletheacquisitionsandmergersenablethecompanytogrowandbeaslargeasitis
today.OriginallySMEwasrecognizedasSonyBMGbecauseitwasajointventurebetweenSonyand
BertelsmannBMGin2004.ThelargemergercreatedamusicgiantthatwasabletopropelSonyBMG
intothenumbertwopositionpastEMI.Nevertheless,onOctober1st2008,Sonyboughtouttheother
50%ofBertelmannsholdingintheventurefor$1.2billionincashandtookfullcontrolofthecompany.
ThebuyoutwasbeneficialsinceitendedapartnershipthatwasoftentimesturbulentbetweenSony
MusicEntertainmentandBMGEntertainment(Hoovers).

Despitecontinuouslybringinginfreshnewtalentandexpandingthecompany,SMEstillwasa
victimtomusicpiracyofbothphysicalCDsandonlinedigitalmusic.Afterseveralfailedattemptsof
usingsometimesillegalmeansoftechnologytostopmusicpiracy,SMEoptedforamorepreventive
ratherthanreactiveapproach.Theyfinallyrealizeditwasbettertoappeasetheverypeoplewhoare
themaincontributorstotheirrevenuestream,ratherthanfightthem.Therefore,asslowasSMEwere
toadaptingandembracingdigitalmusic,whentheydidmadetheswitch,theylaunchedaservicewitha
proprietaryencodingsystemthatrequirednospecificsupportinitsplayerstoaccommodatethetypical
MP3format(MobileCast).Inaddition,thecompanydroppedtheoldandcumbersomemainframe
licenseISandwentforSybasetechnologytoenhanceitsservicesintheextremelycompetitivemarket
(Sybase).ThetechnologyenablesSMEtodevelopaflexibleandpowerfulsystemprovidingmuchmore
clarityandefficiencythroughoutthecompany.

VRINE
SMEsextensiverosterofartistsattractsandappeasescustomersfromdiversedemographics
andregionsallovertheworld(SeeAppendixA).ApplyingtheVRINEmodel,SMEsabilitytoprovidean
arrayofmusicaltalentsandgenresiswhatgivesthecompanysuchhighvalueforconsumers.
Furthermore,themodelalsoindicatesthatthedistinctpooloftalentsisSMEscorecompetence.No
othercompetitorshavetheexactsameartistsunderthemthatSMEhas.Itistheuniquebrandingand
recognitionattainedbytheartiststhatbooststheirpopularityanddemandwhichmakesisdifficultto
imitate.Thedifficultyandexpenseofsearchingfortalentandmakingthattalentuniquelyahithas
givenSMEarareadvantagethatisnonsubstitutable.Whenpeertopeerfilesharinganddigitalmusic
cametothemusicindustrytakingbusinessfromtherecordlabels,itwasdifficultforSMEtoexploitits
productandservices.Butnowastheyarequicklyadaptingtothenewdigitalmusiceraandattacking
theonlinemusicmarketwithavengeance,SMEisabletoonceagainoffercompetitivelypricedservices
andproducts(music).

FirmStrategy

Foronecompanysolarge,itisnotsurprisingthatitwouldhavemorethanonestrategyto
tackle.AccordingtoNewsBlaze,SMEwillaggressivelypursueitsdigitaldistributionstrategyandexploit
newopportunitiesinpackagedmediafromformatssuchasUMDandBluraydisc.Thegoalwas
synergy.Theywanttolinkallthesegmenteddigitalmusiceffortssuchasinthehardware,onlinesales,

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andsoftwareunitstoassistthecompanyincreatingamoreuserfriendlydigitalmusicsystem(Williams).
Byworkingcloselytogether,itwillmakeiteasierandmoreefficienttoinnovateMP3formats.In
addition,pursuingthedigitaldistributionmethodwillalsohelpSMEcutdownonitsmanufacturing
costs.

Atthesametime,thecompanyalsoaimstotakefulladvantageofitscorecompetenceand
exploititswealthofuniqueartiststotheaudiencesthedifferentiationstrategy.Bycreatingalarge
poolofindemandandirreplaceableperformers,itwillsecureSMEsplacewithintheindustryandmake
itharderforcompetitorstofollowsuit.Tobedifferentisgood,buttobedifferentandgoodatwhat
youdoisevenbetter.Consumerswouldbemorewillingtospendmoneyonsomethingiftheydeemit
moreworthyoftheirtimeandmoneythansomeotheraveragething.Sothepointistohaveartists
whoaregood,unique,andpopularenoughtodriveandsustaindemand.

SMEalsoendeavortokeeponexpandingthesizeofthecompanyanddiversifyingitsrevenue
portfoliointheformofroyaltiesandmusiclicenseswithinthevariousentertainmentindustries.OnOct
9,2006,thecompanysignedacontractwithGoogletomaketheirexpansivemusicvideocollection
availableforonlinestreamingthatcostsnothingforusers(Press).Whileofferingthemusicvideo
catalogforfree,revenueisgeneratedthroughGooglesadvertisers.Earlylastyear,thecompany
announceditsinvestmentinACCESSChinaMediaSolutionstodevelopanddistributeworldclass
solutionsfordeliveringmobilemusicandmultimediaentertainmenttowirelesscustomersthroughout
ChinaandotherAsiaPacificmarketsectors(ACCESS).Thesesolutionswillprovidemusicexperiences
inthehighestqualitywithuserfriendlyinterfacesandfeaturesonmobileplatforms.Itwillbe
economicallyviableforSMEtodistributetheirproductsandservicesintheChinamarketand
throughouttherestoftheworld.

Asforaddressingtheproblemswithmusicpiracy,SMEhastakenmeasuressimilartothoseof
othermajorrecordlabels.Litigationsandlegislationswerefiledandenforced.Copyprotectionand
preventivestepssuchasdataencryption,watermarking,andspoofingwereimplemented.However,
themainfocuswastopromotelegitimatealternativestoP2Pnetworkswhileatthesametime,
discouragethepracticeofillegaldownloading.WhenSMEwasstillSonyBMG,thetwogiantcreated
PressPlayasasubscriptionbaseddownloadserviceinattempttolimitillegaldownloading.Later,SME
startedofferingPlatinumMusicPass;anewdownloadingservicewheretheMP3formatisfreefrom
protectionschemes.

ConclusionSolutions&Recommendations

ImposingfearupontheconsumersthroughlitigationsandlegislationswillonlyhelpSMEtoa
certainextent.WhatSMEshoulddoisfocusmoreonlongtermpotentialgainsratherthanonshort
termlosses.Thecompanyshouldlearntoembracethetechnologicalchangesthatcomealonginstead
ofresistingit.Whiletheycancontinuetodevelopdigitalcopyprotectionsfortheirmusic,theycanalso
investmoretimeandmoneyinonlinesubscriptionservices.Furthermore,sincethesalesofCDshave
beengraduallydeclining,itwouldbewisetomarketCDsthathasaddedvalue(i.e.freeposter,deluxe

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boxset,coupons,discountsetc.)Theaddedvaluewillgivetheconsumersmoreincentivetobuythe
CDs,becauseitwillgivethemthefeelingofgettingtheirmoneysworthandmore.Moreover,SME
couldalsostartembracingMP3sasanotherformofretailratherthanjustCDsalone.Andforthose
consumerswhoenjoyhighqualitymusic,SMEcanfocusonadaptingtheusageofSACD&DVDAdiosto
reachthemandfurtherexpandtheirrevenuestream.

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AppendixA
SMEValueChain

Efficiency Retailers Promotions
ArtistsPool
Human Consumers Advertisements Customer Primary
NewTalent > > > >
Capital Internet Movies Support Activities

Intensive Performances Radios

Television

InboundOperationsOutboundMarketingService
LogisticsLogistics&Sales

FirmInfrastructure
Hierarchical
CostCutting
HumanResources
Diverseworkforce(variouskindsandtypesofartists)
Continuoustalentsearch
TechnologyDevelopment Support
SybaseTechnology Activities
PlatinumMusicPass
DRM
Procurement
ManyAcquisitions
SizeofCompany
Merger

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"CaseStudy/SonyMusic."Thinkmap.2008.23Nov.2008
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sonybmgmusicentertainmenttogiveusersaccesstoexpansivecatalogofmusicvideos/>.

"SonyBMGEntertainment."Indeed.2008.23Nov.2008<http://www.indeed.com/cmp/sonybmg
musicentertainment>.

"SONYBMGMUSICENTERTAINMENTandWarnerMusicGroupAnnounceInvestmentinACCESSChina
MediaSolutions."ACCESS.2008.28Nov.2008<http://www.access
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"SonyBMGMusicEntertainmentSuccessStory."SybaseInc.2008.27Nov.2008
<http://www.sybase.com/detail?id=1032356>.

"SonyBMG."Wikipedia.2008.18Nov.2008<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sony_bmg>.

SONYBMGWINSMERGERAPPEALATTOPEUCOURTNYPOST.11July200811July2008
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"SonyCorporationAnnouncesCorporateStrategy2005."NewsBlaze.11Sept.2005.26Nov.2008
<http://newsblaze.com/story/2005092123123500001.mwir/topstory.html>.

"SonyEntertainmentInc."HooversAD&BCompany.2008.18Nov.2008
<http://premium.hoovers.com/subscribe/co/overview.xhtml?id=fffryhctsrjtkxtjkr>.

"SonyMusicEntertainment."MobileCast.2008.17Nov.2008
<http://64.233.169.132/search?q=cache:k8bo5otwp2wj:www.mobilcast.com/pdfs/
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clnk&cd=10&gl=us>.

Tildesley,William.Sonyconfirmsrootkitproblem.Ivirtua.MonSep03,2007.

<http://www.ivirtuaforums.com/sonyconfirmsrootkitproblemt10834>

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UniversalMusicGroupCaseStudy(Reference)

VanBuskirkElliot.SonyBMGWillAllowAmazontoSellItsMusicWithoutDRMWired.10Jan.2008
<Mhttp://blog.wired.com/music/2008/01/amazonaddsson.html>

Williams,Martyn."SonyExaminesMusicStrategy."PCWorld.21Jan.2005.27Nov.2008
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