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Sony, Bertlesmann plan merger to cut losses
MUMBAI: The music industry is in consolidation mode battered and bruised as it is by Internet music sharing, poor retail revenues and competition with other sources of entertainment. Sony Music and BMG have announced their intentions to combine their music units. Another porposed combination involves EMI and Warner Music Group.
Should US and European regulators approve the deal, Bertelsmann and Sony will own an equal stake in the new entity which will become known as Sony BMG. The new company will not include the companies’ music publishing, physical distribution and manufacturing businesses. While there is plenty of time to go before any kind of deal is finalised, content wise there is plenty at stake. Sony has Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce Knowles and Celine Dion. Bertelsmann has Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and Elvis.
Sony BMG will be the worlds second biggest record label behind Vivendi Universal. The intended deal will affect artists including music groups such as Our Lady Peace, Sloan, The Strokes.
Reports indicate that the deal will cap BMG chief Rolf Schmidt-Holtz’s music career. Schmidt-Holtz will remain as chairman of the board of Sony BMG. Therefore he will still have a major voice in the direction of the new company. Sony Music chief Andrew Lack will become CEO and be in charge of day-to-day activities.
This is not the only merger being looked at. Time Warner’s Warner Music Group and EMI Group are also discussing a combination of their own. Banks are putting the final touches to a $ one billion funding package to pay for EMI’s bid for Warner’s recorded music unit. Separately, US media billionaire Haim Saban and former Seagram Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr are also exploring a bid for Warner Music. Time Warner is said to be conducting discussions with different parties.
While a strategic partnership with another music company would place Time Warner in a better position to compete a Saban-Bronfman-led acquisition would have less hassles with the regulatory authorities. Should the merger go through it would bring Beatles and Frank Sinatra under the same roof with Madonna and Norah Jones. Reports however indicate that the European Union would be cagey about letting both deals go through. Should that happen there would be just three major music labels left.
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Business Today MindRush returns to Mumbai, spotlight on India’s edge in a fractured world
Policymakers and corporate heavyweights gather to map supply chains, energy security and markets
MUMBAI: As fault lines widen across global trade and geopolitics, Business Today is doubling down on India’s moment. The 14th edition of Business Today MindRush & Best CEOs Awards lands in Mumbai on March 28, pitching India’s strategic edge at the centre of a fragmenting world.
The day-long summit, presented by PwC, will bring together a tight mix of policymakers, industry leaders and market voices to decode shifting supply chains, maritime strategy, defence priorities, energy security and capital markets—sectors now deeply entangled with geopolitics.
M Nagaraju, secretary, department of financial services, ministry of finance, will headline the event, setting the tone for discussions that aim to track how India is repositioning itself amid disrupted trade routes and volatile energy dynamics.
The speaker slate reads like a cross-section of India Inc’s command centre. Krishna Swaminathan will zero in on sea lanes and supply chains, while Prashant Ruia is set to push the case for self-reliance in oil and gas. Ashish Chauhan will weigh in on capital markets at a pivotal juncture, as a panel featuring Vibha Padalkar, Sanjiv Mehta, Amish Mehta and Sanjeev Krishan debates navigating economic uncertainty.
Leadership under pressure will be another running theme. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Sharvil Patel, Karan Bhagat and Anurag Choudhary will unpack how businesses are steering through disruption. Arun Alagappan will turn the spotlight on fertilisers, Arundhati Bhattacharya will reflect on leadership transitions, while Anish Shah and S Vellayan will outline blueprints for building future-ready conglomerates.
The event will close with Aroon Purie setting the broader editorial lens, before the Best CEOs Awards recognise standout corporate leadership across sectors.
At a time when the global order looks increasingly splintered, MindRush 2026 is positioning itself as more than a conference—it is a signal that India intends not just to navigate the churn, but to shape it.
