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Marty Bandier extends his time at the top of the Sony/ATV tree

By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 13 January 2016

Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier has agreed to renew his contract with the world’s biggest music publisher, meaning he will both continue to run the business and take on the weighty task of having the word ‘Chairman’ as well as ‘CEO’ written on his business cards.

All this only took eight months to agree, following reports last May that talks were underway to extend the industry veteran’s contract, with a rumoured $7 million a year remuneration package. Which is a lot of Spotify streams. I do hope Sony/ATV is getting in all its mechanical royalties OK.

Obviously the official confirmation that Bandier’s contract had been extended didn’t sully itself with talk of money, so we don’t know precisely how much loot he managed to bag for himself. But he did said he was “thrilled” about the deal. So either he did very well for himself indeed or he just OK-ed a lazy press release quote written for him by the PR machine without even thinking about it all that much. Or maybe it was both. Imagine if it was both. What an exciting world we live in.

Anyway, here are the words Bandier is now apparently shouting from the rooftops: “I am THRILLED to continue my role at Sony/ATV Music Publishing and continuing to work with a talented group of colleagues. Since my arrival, we have become the number one music publisher and I am proud to say we represent many of the world’s best-loved songs alongside some of its greatest songwriters”.

Sony/ATV is, of course, a joint venture between Sony Entertainment and the Michael Jackson estate. Or at least it is for now. Both are apparently interested in buying the other out of the business. Which would be interesting. Especially if it was Sony that was bought out of the venture, making the most powerful music publisher independent of any entity with an interest in recorded music. But for now Bandier is assuring he stays in the good books of both his shareholders.

“I would like to thank Sony and John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the estate of Michael Jackson, for their support and confidence in me”, he gushed in the latter moments of his latest PR quotage. “And I am looking forward to sharing many more successes with them over the next few years”.

Ah, isn’t that nice? It’s all about the sharing. But what about the sharers? We’re they also excited about this exciting news? “Marty Bandier is a legend in the music industry”, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton declared, loudly and boldly. “And we are THRILLED that he will continue his work at Sony/ATV”. So, pretty excited then. “Since he first joined in 2007, the company has reached amazing heights, and we expect that it will continue to flourish under his guidance”.

Ah, isn’t that nice? It’s all about the flourishing. But the real excitement was over at the offices of the Jackson Estate, where an emotional Branca and McClain hummed in unison: “Renewing Marty’s relationship with Sony/ATV avails the estate of his enormous creative and executive talents as we strategically and profitably meet the challenges of our evolving business”.

Ah, isn’t that nice? It’s all about the strategically and profitably meeting of challenges.