Martin Bandier To Stay With Sony/ATV, Signs Long-Term Contract Extension

Music industry veteran Martin Bandier, who joined Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2007 after 17 years at the helm of EMI Music Publishing, has signed a long-term contract extension to remain Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV, the company announces today.

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His stay at Sony/ATV stands should ease the transition as an investment consortium (comprised of Sony Corporation of America in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, Mubadala Development Company PJSC, Jynwel Capital Limited, the Blackstone Group's GSO Capital Partners LP and David Geffen) moves forward with its Nov. 2011 bid to acquire EMI Publishing. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

“I am humbled by the confidence and support that Sony and the Estate of Michael Jackson continue to place in me for the development and growth of their joint venture,” says Bandier in a statement. “With the addition of EMI Music Publishing, a company I spent over 17 years building, the future looks very promising for many more shared successes.”

A joint venture between Sony Corporation and the Estate of Michael Jackson, Sony/ATV Music was named the ASCAP Pop Publisher of the Year in 2009 and BMI Pop Publisher of the Year in 2011, in addition to receiving Sony Corp’s own award for excellence, recognizing an operating company’s stellar performance in a given fiscal year.

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The Sony/ATV catalog includes songs by some of the biggest names in music, including The Beatles, Brooks & Dunn, Leonard Cohen, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, Jessie J and Taylor Swift.

Twitter: @THRMusic