Rob Stringer - CMU | the music business explained

Did Sony’s Rob Stringer just hand regulators the case to tank Universal’s Downtown dreams?

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Sony Music • 6 min read

Did Sony’s Rob Stringer just hand regulators the case to tank Universal’s Downtown dreams?

Sony Music boss Rob Stringer couldn’t resist boasting about his company’s vast indie data empire at Friday’s investor day. By revealing exactly how majors use distribution intelligence to dominate the market, he may have just handed regulators the ammunition to kill Universal’s Downtown deal. Oops…

Sam Taylor • 16 Jun 2025

Spotify should have put up prices long ago; TikTok not a promo platform; AI will be a great tool for making music; Sony will take “more organic” approach to working with artists beyond releases, says Rob Stringer

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Sony Music • 4 min read

Spotify should have put up prices long ago; TikTok not a promo platform; AI will be a great tool for making music; Sony will take “more organic” approach to working with artists beyond releases, says Rob Stringer

Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer spoke at a Bloomberg’s Screentime conference last week, about getting more money out of TikTok, streaming subscribers, and opportunities for Sony and its artists. Those opportunities are stronger for Sony, he said, because it’s part of a wider entertainment group…

Chris Cooke • 14 Oct 2024

AI is a “generational inflection point” for the music business, says Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer

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Sony Music • 4 min read

AI is a “generational inflection point” for the music business, says Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer

Sony boss says the major will go where its artists want to go when it comes to AI - but reckless and unlicensed misuse of music by AI platforms is unacceptable. Short form video and ad-supported streaming need to pay more - and Sony isn’t interested in mad multiples when it comes to catalogue deals…

Sam Taylor • 30 May 2024