Sony Music
Music label and publishing
One of the three major music companies: record labels such as Columbia, RCA and Epic, song publishing, and anime and live events in Japan.
Music label and publishingSince 1991New York, USA
How it started
Sony bought CBS Records.
$2Bpaid by Sony in 1988
Sony bought CBS Records, then the world's largest record maker, in January 1988 and renamed it Sony Music Entertainment in 1991.
How big it is
How big is Sony Music?
¥2.12TMusic segment salesFY2025
¥853BRecorded music streaming salesFY2025
11,400EmployeesMar 2026
Its place in Sony
One in six yen of Sony sales.
16.8%of Sony salesFY2025
Sony Music is a steady, high-margin earner that owns hit catalogues and adds anime through Aniplex in Japan.
Who it competes with
UUniversal Music GroupWWarner Music GroupBBelieve
What Sony does not disclose
- Market share of recorded music
- Number of artists or songs in the catalogue
- Streams or listeners
- Sales by label
The group behind itSony
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Sources
Every number on this page comes from Sony's own reports.
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