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Sony Music Entertainment is a major global record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the big four major labels. According to Variety, on October 2, 2008, Sony had completed the acquisition of Bertelsmann's 50% stake in the Sony BMG joint venture, and Sony BMG was renamed Sony Music Entertainment.[1]
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On November 17, 1987, the Sony Corporation of America acquired CBS Records for US$2 billion. CBS Inc., now CBS Corporation, retained the rights to the CBS name, and Sony renamed the label Sony Music Entertainment in 1991.
Sony re-introduced the Columbia label after it bought the international rights of the label from EMI. Epic Records is the other major branch of Sony Music. The only country where Sony does not have rights to the Columbia name is Japan, where the name is controlled by Columbia Music Entertainment. Columbia label recordings from outside Japan are issued in Japan on the Sony Records label, sharing the same Walking Eye logo as Columbia outside Japan.
In August 2004, Sony Music Entertainment created a joint venture with BMG to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment; however, Sony continues to operate its Japanese music business independently from Sony BMG.
The international media and entertainment companies Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG announced on August 5, 2008, that Sony agreed to acquire Bertelsmann's 50% stake in Sony BMG. The company, to be called Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SME), which was also its name before the merger, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Sony Corporation of America.
According to Variety, on October 2, 2008, Sony had completed its acquisition of Bertelsmann Music Group.[2]
David Cook's debut album became the first album to be released by the new Sony Music Entertainment, while David Archuleta was the last artist signed to the old Sony BMG label.
Christina Aguilera's Keeps Gettin' Better—A Decade of Hits was the last album with the BMG logo on the back cover. Beyonce's I Am… Sasha Fierce was the last album ever released by Sony BMG.
The new version of SME uses the BMG catalog-number system, as did Sony BMG.
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