The lovely merged music machine that is SonyBMG yesterday announced the appointment of the four men who will oversee the major's operations in each of the key territories around the world.
Former BMG UK boss Tim Bowen will oversee Sony BMG's operations in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sony's former Asia boss Richard Denekamp will take over SonyBMG Asia, coordinating all Asian operations, except those in Japan (Sony's Japanese label wasn't part of the merger, of course). Former BMG International President Maarten Steinkamp will take over continental Europe operations while Sony man Frank Welzer will head up SonyBMG Latin.
Announcing the appointments the major's COO, Michael Smellie, told reporters: "Together these executives offer the very best combination of creative management and business savvy based on a wealth of experience and impressive track records. I am thrilled to have such a talented team as we create a new industry leader based on our strong commitment to our repertoire centers and artists across the globe."
With BMG UK chief Bowen taking on a regional role, consensus is that Sony UK boss Rob Stringer will head up the merged major in Britian.
Elsewhere in SonyBMG news, and the merged major is reportedly getting ready to close the old Sony offices in Berlin, basing its operations at the BMG HQ. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, preparations are already underway to merge the two offices, meaning the German division of the merged major may be the first to see the job and roster cull that is going to be necessary to achieve the $350 million in cost savings the merged company hopes to achieve.