3 July 2024
Under the Radar: Sony Music Entertainment on ASEAN pop culture, Singapore as a live music hub, relationship between record labels and streaming, social media platforms, stance on AI
Pop diva Celine Dion, American country music singer Nate Smith, and Korean girl group Blackpink’s Lisa. They have all worked with the company we’re going to talk to for today, in one capacity or another.
With a footprint spanning across 100 countries, our guest Sony Music Entertainment, an American music recording company owned by the Sony Music Group.
The company prides itself as sitting at the intersection of music, entertainment and technology, bringing imagination and expertise to the newest products, platforms, embracing new business models and breakthrough tools as it helps artists push through creative boundaries and reach new audiences.
It supports a diverse roster of international superstars, developing and independent artists and visionary creators, and is said to be one of the big three recording labels in the world as of last year.
According to data from Statista, Sony Corporation's music segment revenue for 2023 stood at a whopping US$10.35 billion, up from the US$9.15 billion seen in FY2022.
But to what extent is this driven by Sony Music Entertainment, and how far have markets in Southeast Asia, and in particular Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam contributed to the numbers?
Which are the key trends to watch in the music industry and which will be the key markets that will lead the pop culture in ASEAN? How will changing patterns in music consumption augment the power dynamics between record companies and streaming players, and increasingly, social media platforms?
And what value does Singapore bring to record labels with the country being the hotspot for live music events with global acts by international names such as Tate Mcrae and Laufey?
Plus – what is Sony Music Entertainment's stance towards the use of artificial intelligence in music creation?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Kenny Ong, Managing Director for Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore and Special Projects Southeast Asia, Sony Music Entertainment.

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