William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS ) from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States .
78-438: RED Music , stylized RED MUSIC , formerly RED Distribution, LLC ( R elativity E ntertainment D istribution) was a Sony -owned sales and marketing division that merged under The Orchard in 2017. RED previously handled releases for more than sixty independent record labels. Founded in 1979 as mainly a hard rock music distributor called Important Record Distributors, which originally distributed Metallica 's first two LPs in
156-432: A conflict of interest , since if Jackson's career failed, he would have had to sell his share of the catalog at a low price. Jackson sought an early exit from his contract. In July 2002, Jackson alleged that the then-Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola was a "devil" and "racist" who did not support his African-American artists, using them merely for his own gain. He charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv Gotti
234-524: A "fat nigger ". Sony refused to renew Jackson's contract, and claimed that a $ 25 million promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the United States. In May 2012, Sony Music filed charges against the website IsoHunt . The plaintiff's claims in the court document filed at the Supreme Court of British Columbia read: "The IsoHunt Websites have been designed and are operated by
312-516: A 2004 merger, and a subsequent 2008 buyout. In 1995, Sony and Michael Jackson formed a joint venture which merged Sony's music publishing operations with Jackson's ATV Music to form Sony/ATV Music Publishing . In August 2004, Sony entered a joint venture with an equal partner Bertelsmann , by merging Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group , Germany, to establish Sony BMG Music Entertainment . However, Sony continued to operate its Japanese music business independently from Sony BMG and BMG Japan
390-456: A Horse in 1936 and donated it to the MoMA in 1964 however its Nazi-era provenance turned out to be problematic and resulted in a claim for restitution filed by the heirs of Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy who said it had been sold under duress. The lawsuit, known as Schoeps v. The Museum of Modern Art, was about to go to trial when a settlement between the parties was announced. Other works from
468-454: A Story . "And he decreed that there would be no bridge between them.... In short, Paley was the guy who put Frank Sinatra and Edward R. Murrow on the radio and 60 Minutes on television." Paley was not fond of one of the network's biggest stars. Arthur Godfrey had been working locally in Washington, DC and New York City hosting morning shows. Paley did not consider him worthy of CBS, being
546-477: A boycott of Sony Music and all other Sony-affiliated businesses after rape allegations against music producer Dr. Luke were made by musical artist Kesha . Kesha asked a New York City Supreme Court to free her from her contract with Sony Music, but the court denied the request, prompting a widespread public and media response. William S. Paley Paley was born on September 28, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois,
624-576: A central role in promoting cultural diplomacy and Pan Americanism as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy . In 1943, he and Chester were awarded the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit by the Cuban government in recognition of his efforts to foster greater understanding between the peoples of Cuba and the United States of America, in recognition of services performed by
702-618: A chain of sixty-four stations in eighteen countries which would subsequently be known as La Cadena de las Americas (The Network of the Americas). By 1942, Paley's innovative network was broadcasting both news and cultural programming live from CBS in New York City in cooperation with the government's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs under the direction of a young Nelson Rockefeller . During World War II, these broadcasts played
780-567: A chief creative officer. On August 5, 2008, Sony Corporation of America (SCA) and Bertelsmann announced that Sony had agreed to acquire Bertelsmann's 50% stake in Sony BMG . The acquisition was completed on October 1, 2008. On July 1, 2009, SME and IODA announced a strategic partnership to leverage worldwide online retail distribution networks and complementary technologies to support independent labels and music rights holders. In March 2010, Sony Corp partnered with The Michael Jackson Company in
858-679: A considerable influence over Paley's political views. She later said: "I can't believe he would have voted Democrat without me." Dorothy began to become estranged from Paley during the early 1940s because of his infidelity. They divorced on July 24, 1947, in Reno, Nevada . She retained custody of their two adopted children, Jeffrey Paley and Hilary Paley. In 1953, Dorothy married stockbroker Walter Hirshon; they divorced in 1961. Paley married divorcée, socialite and fashion icon Barbara Cushing Mortimer (1915–1978) affectionally referred to as "Babe" on July 28, 1947 and they remained married until her death. She
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#1732876493241936-606: A consortium led by Sony/ATV acquired EMI Music Publishing , making Sony/ATV the world's largest music publisher at the time. This acquisition also reunited the common ownership of pre-1986 CBS Songs (as SBK Songs) catalog to Sony/ATV. Rob Stringer became CEO of Sony Music Entertainment on April 1, 2017. He previously served as chairman and CEO of Columbia Records . Sony has experienced many changes with its international labels. In February 2012, Sony Music reportedly closed its Filipino office due to piracy , and Ivory Music and Video had been handling distribution for its catalog
1014-618: A contract of more than $ 250 million, the largest deal in recorded music history. From 2009 to 2020, Sony owned 50% of Syco Entertainment , which operates some of the world's most successful reality TV formats , including Got Talent and The X Factor with Simon Cowell . Cowell acquired Sony's stake in 2020. Doug Morris , who was head of Warner Music Group , and later Universal Music , became chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1, 2011. Sony Music underwent restructuring upon Morris's arrival; with some artists switching labels and other labels eliminated. In June 2012,
1092-414: A dictum that led to the abrupt demise of Gilligan's Island , which had already been renewed for a fourth season. During the 1963–1964 television season, 14 of the top 15 shows on prime-time and the top 12 shows of daytime television were on CBS. Aubrey, however, fought constantly with Fred W. Friendly of CBS News, and Paley did not like Aubrey's taste in low-brow programming. Aubrey and Paley bickered to
1170-767: A few months earlier in July 2011. In early 2018, their distribution deal with Ivory expired and SME resumed its operations in the Philippines, with the new offices still located in Ortigas Center , Pasig . In July 2013, Sony Music withdrew from the Greek market due to an economic crisis. Albums released by Sony Music in Greece from domestic and foreign artists would then be carried by Feelgood Records. In June 2017, Sony announced that by March 2018 it would be producing vinyl records internally for
1248-524: A mere local host. When Paley went into the Army and took up his assignment in London, and Frank Stanton assumed his duties, he decided to try Godfrey on the network. By the time Paley returned, Godfrey was a rising star on the network with his daily Arthur Godfrey Time program. Paley had to accept the entertainer, but the two were never friends. Godfrey would, on occasion, mock Paley and other CBS executives by name, on
1326-484: A merger of Sony Music Entertainment and music publishing arm Sony/ATV to form the Sony Music Group. The merger was completed on August 1, 2019. As of 2023 , Sony Music Entertainment is the second largest of the " Big Three " record companies, behind Universal Music Group and followed by Warner Music Group . Its music publishing division Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV) is the largest music publisher in
1404-542: A total of five individual awards at the BRITs 2015, including Best Female Solo Artist for Paloma Faith , and Mark Ronson 's " Uptown Funk ", which picked up Best British Single. Several other of the label's artists – Foo Fighters , One Direction and Pharrell Williams – also collected awards. Sony's performance at the BRITs 2015 was the label's best in nearly 20 years, winning a total of 5 awards. In 2017, Sony Music UK celebrated
1482-408: Is estimated that customers were overcharged by nearly $ 500 million overall and up to $ 5 per album. British artist George Michael , signed to Columbia in the U.S. and Epic worldwide, advised Sony executives in 1990 that he would not be appearing in music videos to support his forthcoming album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 . Michael then accused Sony of not promoting the album at all. He sued in
1560-413: Is intended as a completely independent structure from Sony Music to represent only local musicians under the new brand Kiss Koala, which was later bought by the structures of former top managers of Warner Music Russia . Between 1995 and 2000, music companies were found to have used illegal marketing agreements such as minimum advertised pricing to artificially inflate prices of compact discs . This
1638-600: The Brazilian media company Grupo Globo sold its domestic record label Som Livre to Sony Music for an undisclosed amount. It was approved by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense on November 4, 2021. The UK media company Somethin' Else was acquired outright by Sony Music in 2021, to form a Global Podcast Division, headed up by the Somethin' Else principles, Steve Ackerman and Jez Nelson . The new division
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#17328764932411716-654: The University of Pennsylvania , where he was a member of the Theta chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He was expecting to take an increasingly active role running the family cigar business upon graduation. In 1927, Samuel Paley, Leon Levy (who was married to Paley's sister, Blanche ), and some business partners bought a struggling Philadelphia-based radio network of 16 stations called the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System . Samuel Paley's intention
1794-528: The 33-1/3-rpm LP record , which could hold more than 20 minutes' worth of music on each side, and became a standard recording format through the 1970s. Also, CBS Laboratories and Peter Goldmark developed a method for color television. After lobbying by RCA President David Sarnoff and Paley in Washington, D.C., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the CBS system, but later reversed
1872-532: The CBS news division (and by then a vice president of CBS), suffered during the 1950s over the hard-hitting tone of the Murrow-hosted See It Now series. The implication was that the network's sponsors were uneasy about some of the controversial topics of the series, leading Paley to worry about lost revenue to the network as well as unwelcome scrutiny during the era of McCarthyism . In 1955, Alcoa withdrew its sponsorship of See It Now , and eventually
1950-661: The Columbia Broadcasting System's Latin-American shortwave radio network. During World War II, Paley served as director of radio operations of the Psychological Warfare branch in the Office of War Information at Allied Force Headquarters in London, where he held the rank of colonel. While based in England during the war, Paley came to know and befriend Edward R. Murrow , CBS's head of European news who expanded
2028-749: The Columbia Records productions unit was operating four plants around the United States located in Los Angeles, California ; Terre Haute, Indiana ; Bridgeport, Connecticut ; and Pitman, New Jersey . Columbia's international arm was launched in 1962 under the name "CBS Records", as the company only owned the rights to the Columbia name in North America. In 1964, the company began acquiring record companies in other countries for its CBS Records International unit and established its own UK distribution outfit with
2106-828: The Museum of Broadcasting. From 1991 to 2007, it was known as The Museum of Television and Radio; its new location was known as the Paley Building. An L.A. branch opened in 1996, and closed in 2020. Paley met Dorothy Hart Hearst (1908–1998) while she was married to John Randolph Hearst , the third son of William Randolph Hearst . Paley fell in love with her, and, after her Las Vegas divorce from Hearst, she and Paley married on May 12, 1932, in Kingman, Arizona . Dorothy called on her extensive social connections acquired during her previous marriage to introduce Paley to several top members of President Franklin Roosevelt 's government. She also exerted
2184-527: The Paley collection include Paul Cézanne L'Estaque which he acquired in 1935, Henri Matisse's Woman with a Veil, which he acquired in 1936, Paul Gauguin's Washerwomen, which he acquired in 1958 and Paul Cézanne's Milk Can and Apples. The MoMA organized a special exhibition of the William Paley Collection in 1992. In 2022, twenty-nine artworks, including five on long term loan to the MoMA, from
2262-497: The Paley collection were auctioned at Sothebys on consignment from the William S. Paley Foundation. In the 1940s, William Paley and his brother-in-law Leon Levy formed Jaclyn Stable, which owned and raced a string of thoroughbred race horses . He enjoyed photographing Picasso in Cap d'Antibes. Like Picasso, Paley drove an exotic French Facel Vega Facel II , the fastest four-seater car in
2340-524: The RCA markings off of the equipment, and later relying exclusively on Philips - Norelco for color equipment beginning in 1964, when color television sets became widespread. PAL or Phase Alternating Line, an analogue TV-encoding system, is today a television-broadcasting standard used in large parts of the world. "Bill Paley erected two towers of power: one for entertainment and one for news," 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt claimed in his autobiography, Tell Me
2418-583: The Russian Federation in 1999. In 2000, the first contract was signed with the Russian group Bi-2 . For 2021, experts estimated the company's share in the Russian recording market at approximately 15-20%. Sony Music Entertainment LLC's revenue in 2021 amounted to 2.56 billion rubles ($ 42.7 million). Net profit amounted to 132.9 million rubles ($ 2.22 million). On March 10, 2022, in connection with Russian invasion of Ukraine , Sony Music Entertainment announced
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2496-478: The UK in 1992, asking to be released from his contract. Sony ultimately prevailed in the courts in 1994, but Michael's contract was bought out by other labels. Some 11 years later, Michael licensed tracks to Sony for release. The release of Invincible was preceded by a dispute between Michael Jackson and Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him sometime in
2574-621: The US, it became RED Distribution in the 1990s. In October 1999, Sony Music Entertainment sold 80% of RED Distribution to Edel SE & Co. KGaA . In March 2016, Sony announced the acquisition of Essential Music and Marketing. As part of this deal, a new company was launched, Red Essential , which is based at the Cooking Vinyl Group's West London offices. The company is now located in Farringdon. This division had very little correlation to RED in
2652-519: The United Kingdom. Since 2014, Jason Iley has been chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK. Though owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music UK has standalone operations in the UK to promote musicians within the UK. In June 2017, it was announced that Sony would be merging its two independent distribution companies The Orchard and Red Essential. In 2014, Sony had its best singles success of 33 years, with 11 number 1 singles. Sony Music artists won
2730-525: The United States besides its name. On June 1, 2017, Sony Music announced that it would merge RED's British affiliate, Red Essential, into The Orchard . On June 5, Sony also included the American RED Distribution in its merger with The Orchard. The "RED" name will remain active as a new entity named RED MUSIC, which will provide marketing, label services, and joint ventures between Sony's labels and independent labels. As of September 2019, RED MUSIC
2808-409: The acquisition of Oriole Records . By 1966, Columbia was renamed CBS Records and was a separate unit of the parent company, CBS-Columbia Group. In March 1968, CBS and Sony formed CBS/Sony Records , a Japanese business joint venture. In 1971, CBS Records was expanded into its own "CBS Records Group", with Clive Davis as its administrative vice president and general manager. In the 1980s to
2886-520: The advertising. The advertisers then became the network's primary clients and, because of the wider distribution brought by the growing network, Paley was able to charge more for the ad time. Affiliates were required to carry programming offered by the network for part of the broadcast day, receiving a portion of the network's fees from advertising revenue. At other times in the broadcast day, affiliates were free to offer local programming and sell advertising time locally. Paley's recognition of how to harness
2964-424: The agreement was "a once in a lifetime signing with the biggest male solo artist of our generation". Sony Music UK incorporated the independent sales and distribution company Essential Music and Marketing – renamed to Red Essential . In August 2016, Sony Music acquired Ministry of Sound Recordings , home to London Grammar , DJ Fresh and Sigala . On April 5, 2017, two of Sony Music UK's labels won awards at
3042-417: The air. Godfrey's massive revenues from advertising on the popular morning programs and his two prime-time shows Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and Arthur Godfrey and his Friends, protected him from any reprisals. In private, Paley and his colleagues despised Godfrey. The relationship between Paley and his news staff was not always smooth. His friendship with Edward R. Murrow, one of the leading lights in
3120-574: The annual Music Week Awards. Columbia Records was awarded A&R of the Year, and Syco was awarded Record Company of the Year. In 2021, Sony agreed to buy Kobalt neighboring rights division and independent distribution company AWAL , from the Kobalt Music Group for $ 430 million. Sony Music Entertainment Russia was the Russian music label of Sony Music Entertainment. The company opened its division in
3198-453: The coming war and built the CBS news division into a dominant force just as he had previously built the network's entertainment division. As early as 1940 Paley envisioned the creation of a network division within CBS tasked with serving much of South America. In collaboration with his news director Paul White and his director of short wave operations Edmund Chester , Paley laid the foundation for
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3276-403: The decision based on the CBS system's incompatibility with black and white receivers. The new, compatible RCA color system was selected as the standard, and CBS sold the patents to its system to foreign broadcasters as PAL SECAM . CBS broadcast few color programs during this period, reluctant to supplement RCA revenue. They did, however, buy and license some RCA equipment and technology, taking
3354-643: The defendants with the sole purpose of profiting from rampant copyright infringement which defendants actively encourage, promote, authorize, induce, aid, abet, materially contribute to and commercially profit from." In February 2016, in a lawsuit filed at a California federal court, Sony Music Entertainment and its associated brands ( Arista Records and LaFace Records , formerly owned by Bertelsmann Music Group ) accused Belgian radio aggregator Radionomy (owned by Universal Music Group's parent Vivendi ) of copyright infringement. In February 2016, 100,000 people signed an online petition in less than 24 hours, calling for
3432-500: The early 1990s, the company managed several successful labels, including CBS Associated Records, which signed artists including Ozzy Osbourne , the Fabulous Thunderbirds , Electric Light Orchestra , Joan Jett , and Henry Lee Summer . In 1983, CBS expanded its music publishing business by acquiring the music publishing arm of MGM/UA Communications Co. CBS later sold the print music arm to Columbia Pictures . By 1987, CBS
3510-442: The early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material however he pleased and keep the profits; however, clauses in the contract set the revert date years into the future. Jackson discovered that the attorney who had represented him in the deal had also been representing Sony. He was also concerned that for years Sony had been pressuring him to sell his share in its music catalog venture; he feared that Sony might have had
3588-404: The earnings potential of radio and recognized that good programming was the key to selling advertising time and, in turn, bringing in profits to the network and to affiliate owners. Before Paley, most businessmen viewed stations as stand-alone local outlets, as the broadcast equivalent of local newspapers. Individual stations originally bought programming from the network and, thus, were considered
3666-621: The first time since ceasing its production in 1989. Reporting the decision, the BBC noted that, "Sony's move comes a few months after it equipped its Tokyo studio with a cutting lathe , used to produce the master discs needed for manufacturing vinyl records" but added that "Sony is even struggling to find older engineers who know how to make records". On February 5, 2019, a group of 1970s-era musicians including David Johansen and John Waite filed lawsuits accusing Sony Music Entertainment and UMG Recordings, Inc. of improperly refusing to let them reclaim
3744-467: The international rights to the trademark from EMI in 1990. Japan is the only country where Sony does not have rights to the Columbia name as it is controlled by Nippon Columbia , an unrelated company. Thus, Sony Music Entertainment Japan issues labels under Sony Records. The Columbia Records trademark's rightsholder in Spain was Bertelsmann Music Group, Germany , which Sony Music subsequently subsumed via
3822-412: The most successful BRIT Awards in the company's history, winning seven of the 11 awards. Sony Music UK has made key acquisitions including forming Insanity Records with Insanity Management. Craig David became the first artist to sign an album deal with Insanity Records. Sony Music UK signed Robbie Williams , who released his 11th album The Heavy Entertainment Show in 2016. Jason Iley commented that
3900-515: The move will help expand their merchandising team and take artists' merch to the next level. In January 2023, Sony Music and Alamo Records founder Todd Moscowitz launched Santa Anna, an artist and label services company. In April 2024, it was announced Sony Music Entertainment's Global Podcast Division had acquired the Los Angeles-headquartered podcast production company, Neon Hum Media for an undisclosed amount. Sony Music Canada
3978-406: The network's clients. Paley changed broadcasting's business model not only by developing successful and lucrative broadcast programming but also by viewing advertisers and sponsors as the most significant element of the broadcasting equation. Paley provided network programming to affiliate stations at a nominal cost, thereby ensuring the widest possible distribution for both the programming and
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#17328764932414056-527: The news division's foreign coverage with a team of war correspondents later known as the Murrow Boys . In 1946, Paley promoted Frank Stanton to president of CBS. CBS expanded into television and rode the postwar TV boom to surpass NBC , which had dominated radio. CBS has owned the Columbia Record Company and its associated CBS Laboratories since 1939. In June 1948, Columbia Records introduced
4134-485: The notable Gertrude Stein collection. He subsequently became chairman, stepping down from the museum post in 1985. In 1974, Paley dedicated the second building at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University . He also personally dedicated the Samuel L. Paley library at Temple University named in honor of his father. The Paley Center for Media was founded by Paley in New York City in 1976 as
4212-503: The operations of Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), but Sony bought out Bertelsmann's stake four years later and reverted to using the 1991 company name. This buyout led to labels formerly under BMG ownership, including Arista , Jive , LaFace and J Records into former BMG and currently Sony's co-flagship record label, RCA Records , in 2011 and led to the relaunch of BMG as BMG Rights Management . Arista Records would later be revived in 2018. On July 17, 2019, Sony announced
4290-474: The point that Aubrey approached Frank Stanton to propose a take-over of CBS. The takeover never materialized and, when CBS's ratings began to slip, Paley fired Aubrey in 1965. In 1972, Paley ordered the shortening of a second installment of a two-part CBS Evening News series on the Watergate scandal , based on a complaint by Charles Colson , an aide to President Richard Nixon . And later, Paley briefly ordered
4368-420: The potential reach of broadcasting was the key to his growing CBS from a tiny chain of stations into what was eventually one of the world's dominant communication empires. During his prime, Paley was described as having an uncanny sense for popular taste and exploiting that insight to build the CBS network. As war clouds darkened over Europe in the late 1930s, Paley recognized Americans' desire for news coverage of
4446-493: The program's weekly broadcast on Tuesdays was stopped, though it continued as a series of special segments until 1958. In 1959, James T. Aubrey Jr. became the president of CBS. Under Aubrey, the network became the most popular on television with shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan's Island . However, Paley's personal favorite was Gunsmoke ; in fact, he was such a fan of Gunsmoke that, upon its threatened cancellation in 1967, he demanded that it be reinstated,
4524-498: The publishing division, Sony Music Publishing . Founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation , it was acquired by the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1938 and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation . In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records . Sony bought the company in 1988 and renamed it SME in 1991. In 2004, Sony and Bertelsmann established a 50–50 joint venture known as Sony BMG to handle
4602-469: The record company Sony Music Entertainment (SME) on January 1, 1991, fulfilling the terms set under the 1988 buyout, which granted only a transitional license to the CBS trademark. The CBS Associated label was renamed Epic Associated. Also on January 1, 1991, to replace the CBS label, Sony reintroduced the Columbia label worldwide, which it previously held in the United States and Canada only, after it acquired
4680-507: The rights to songs they had signed away earlier in their careers. The lawsuit cites U.S. copyright law, which gives artists who formerly bargained away their rights on unfavorable terms a chance to reclaim those rights by filing termination notices after 35 years. The plaintiffs claim that Sony and UMG have "routinely and systematically" ignored hundreds of notices, having taken the position that recordings are "works made for hire" and are therefore not subject to being reclaimed. In April 2021,
4758-408: The rights to the CBS name for music recordings but granted Sony a temporary license to use the CBS name. The sale was completed on January 5, 1988. CBS Corporation founded a new CBS Records in 2006, which was distributed by Sony through its RED subsidiary. In 1989, CBS Records re-entered the music publishing business by acquiring Nashville-based Tree International Publishing . Sony renamed
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#17328764932414836-471: The son of Goldie ( née Drell) and Samuel Paley. His family was Jewish , and his father was an immigrant from Ukraine who ran a cigar company. As the company became increasingly successful, Samuel Paley became a millionaire, and moved his family to Philadelphia in the early 1920s. William Paley matriculated at Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois but later transferred to, and recorded his degree from,
4914-422: The suspension of instant and often negatively critical analyses by CBS news commentators which followed presidential addresses. Over the years, Paley sold portions of his family stockholding in CBS. At the time of his death, he owned less than nine percent of the outstanding stock . In 1995, five years after Paley's death, CBS was bought by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and, in 1999, by Viacom , which itself
4992-558: The suspension of operations and new releases in Russia, while Russian employees of Sony Music Group receive pay indefinitely. On September 8, Sony Music officially announced its final withdrawal from Russia. The company recalled all foreign catalogs from the Russian streaming services Yandex Music , Zvooq and VK Music, and tracks from AC/DC , Beyoncé , Britney Spears , Bring Me the Horizon and many other artists were removed. The Russian division
5070-685: The world in the early 1960s. In 1964, CBS purchased the New York Yankees from Del Webb and Dan Topping . Subsequently, the storied baseball team fell into mediocrity, not making the postseason for the next ten years. In 1973, Paley sold the team at its low ebb for $ 8.7 million to Cleveland shipbuilder George Steinbrenner and a group of investors. Under the Steinbrenner regime, the Yankees grew in value to what, in April 2006, Forbes magazine estimated
5148-493: The world. The American Record Corporation (ARC) was founded in 1929 through a merger of several record companies. The company grew over the next several years, acquiring other brands such as the Columbia Phonograph Company , including its Okeh Records subsidiary, in 1934. In 1938, ARC was acquired by the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) under the guidance of chief executive William S. Paley . The company
5226-465: Was $ 1.26 billion, or about $ 280 million in 1973 dollars. Encouraged by Paley's avid interest in modern art and his outstanding collection, the Rockefeller family 's Museum of Modern Art made Paley a trustee in the 1930s; in 1962 he was tapped by then-chairman David Rockefeller to be its president. In 1968, he joined a syndicate with Rockefeller and others to buy six works by Picasso for the museum from
5304-474: Was a notorious womanizer his entire life. Indeed, his first marriage to Dorothy ended when a newspaper published a suicide note written to Paley by a former girlfriend. As a result of another relationship he provided a stipend to a former lover, actress Louise Brooks , for the rest of her life. In his later years he enjoyed keeping company with several women. Paley was included in a list of the ten most eligible bachelors compiled by Cosmopolitan magazine in 1985;
5382-460: Was completely shuttered and consolidated into The Orchard. Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment ( SME ), commonly known as Sony Music , is an American multinational music company owned by Sony Entertainment and managed by the American umbrella division of multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation . It is the recording division of Sony Music Group , with the other half being
5460-498: Was done in order to end price wars of the early 1990s among discounters such as Best Buy and Target . A settlement was reached in 2002 that included music publishers and distributors Sony Music, Warner Music , Bertelsmann Music Group , EMI Music and Universal Music . In restitution for price fixing , they agreed to pay a $ 67.4 million fine and distribute $ 75.7 million in CDs to public and non-profit groups but admitted no wrongdoing. It
5538-500: Was formed when Sony Music acquired Canadian assets of CBS Records in 1990 (itself formerly Columbia Records Canada in 1954). Sony Music Canada is operated by Sony Canada , which evolved from General Distributors or Gendis, which had been founded in Winnipeg in 1954 by Albert D. Cohen , who had made a deal with Sony to market its transistor radios in the same year. Sony Music UK is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment in
5616-491: Was later renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, and changed again to Columbia Records Inc. in 1947. Edward Wallerstein, who served as the head of Columbia Records since the late 1930s, helped establish the company as a leader in the record industry by spearheading the successful introduction of the LP record . Columbia's success continued through the 1950s with the launch of Epic Records in 1953 and Date Records in 1958. By 1962,
5694-410: Was made part of the merger. The merger made Columbia and Epic sister labels to RCA Records, which was once owned by CBS rival, NBC . It also started the process of bringing BMG's Arista Records back under common ownership with its former parent Columbia Pictures , a Sony division since 1989, and brought Arista founder Clive Davis back into the fold. As of 2017, Davis was still with Sony Music as
5772-544: Was once a subsidiary of CBS. Today, CBS is owned by Paramount Global , after merging with the "new" Viacom in 2019. Paley acquired an art collection consisting of approximately forty works, many of which are today in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Paley's collection included works by Cezanne , Matisse , Picasso , Toulouse-Lautrec , Degas , Derain , Bonnard , Gauguin , and Rouault . He acquired Picasso's Boy Leading
5850-633: Was the daughter of renowned neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing . William and Babe Paley, in spite of their successes and social standing, were barred from being members of country clubs on Long Island because he was Jewish. As an alternative, the Paleys built a summer home, "Kiluna North," on Squam Lake in New Hampshire and spent the summers there for many years, routinely entertaining their many friends, including Lucille Ball , Grace Kelly , and David O. Selznick . The couple had two children, William and Kate. Paley
5928-599: Was the only " big three " American TV network to have a co-owned record company. With Sony being one of the developers behind the compact disc digital music media, a compact disc production plant was constructed in Japan under the joint venture, allowing CBS to begin supplying some of the first compact disc releases for the American market in 1983. In 1986, CBS sold its music publishing division, CBS Songs, to SBK Entertainment On November 17, 1987, Sony acquired CBS Records for US$ 2 billion. CBS Inc., now Paramount Global , retained
6006-513: Was to have teams in New York, LA and London. In 2022, Sony Music Entertainment acquired boutique branding and merchandising agency, Ceremony of Roses (CoR). CoR would handle SME's 'branding, design, media and events'. The newly acquired company would merge with Sony's existing merch division and continue under the CoR banner. The merger brought together artists like Adele , A$ AP Rocky , and Lil Nas X under one merchandising house. According to Sony,
6084-466: Was to use his acquisition as an advertising medium for promoting the family's cigar business, which included the La Palina brand. Within a year, under William's leadership, cigar sales had more than doubled, and, in 1928, the Paley family secured majority ownership of the network from their partners. Within a decade, William S. Paley had expanded the network to 114 affiliate stations. Paley quickly grasped
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