Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has promoted Sarah ‘Pixie’ Pickering to Vice President, Creative & Writer Services, Co-Head of Sync.

Based in London, Pickering will continue to report to SMP’s Co-Managing Director UK Tim Major and President & Co-Managing Director UK, SVP International David Ventura.

According to the company, Pickering has played “an integral role in the growing sync success of SMP UK’s roster, co-leading an exceptional team and establishing strong relationships with sync clients and songwriters alike.”

Pickering first joined EMI Production Music in 2009 as a music consultant. In 2012, following the company’s merger with EMI, she relocated to London to manage the production music sales team.

She later transitioned into commercial sync at Sony Music Publishing (then Sony/ATV), and in 2020, she was elevated to Vice President, Creative, taking on a leadership role co-heading the UK sync team alongside Chris Jones, Vice President, Licensing.

In her new position, Pickering will continue to co-lead Sony Music Publishing UK’s Sync division, “implementing creative strategies to grow opportunities for SMP’s UK and global roster across all media.”

She will also take on new responsibilities to “advance creative activity for SMP songwriters and catalogs across the Sony ecosystem, working in close collaboration with Sony’s sister companies to fuel synergies.”

Pickering commented on her new role: “I am delighted to work even closer with our incredible roster of songwriters, creating new opportunities beyond the traditional sync model.

“The One Sony initiative is something that I’ve felt passionate about for a long time and am thrilled to be able to work towards new and exciting innovative ventures in this space.”

“I am delighted to work even closer with our incredible roster of songwriters, creating new opportunities beyond the traditional sync model.”

pixie pickering, sony music publishing

Tim Major, Co-Managing Director, Sony Music Publishing UK, said: “We are very excited to promote Pixie into a role that puts her even closer to our songwriters and even more at the centre of our mission to create opportunities for them, both inside and outside of the Sony ecosystem.

“We are very excited to promote Pixie into a role that puts her even closer to our songwriters and even more at the centre of our mission to create opportunities for them, both inside and outside of the Sony ecosystem.”

tim major, sony music publishing

“I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to take this to another level. We know that Pixie will bring her trademark energy, positivity and flair to this challenge and have no doubt that she will continue to shine in this role.”

President & Co-Managing Director UK, SVP International, Sony Music Publishing, David Ventura added: “One Sony initiatives are central to our ethos, being the only music company in the world with such a wide scope of activity across movies, gaming, hardware and, of course, music.

“The creation of this expanded role represents a pivotal time for SMP, and is a natural progression for Pixie, who has co-run the UK sync team consistently with excellence.

“The creation of this expanded role represents a pivotal time for SMP, and is a natural progression for Pixie, who has co-run the UK sync team consistently with excellence.”

David Ventura, Sony Music Publishing

“With new initiatives growing exponentially across the business, Pixie’s expanded focus presents a great opportunity for our songwriters.”

The ‘One Sony‘ initiative is the idea that Sony Music Group — unlike its key competitors Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, who are both standalone companies — benefits from being part of the wider Sony ecosystem by forging partnerships with other Sony-owned media divisions, such as Sony Pictures and Sony Game & Network Services.

An example of this could include Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India, a joint venture between Sony Music and Sony Pictures focused on “ventures for media talent in India.”

Other cross-collaborative projects include the Sony Corporation of America subsidiary Sony Immersive Music Studios, launched in January 2021.Music Business Worldwide

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Banco Santander SA Executive Chair Ana Botin differs with JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon’s pessimistic outlook on Europe, saying she sees “only upside” for the Continent.

The European Commission is planning to open a “full-scale” investigation into Universal Music Group‘s proposed acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.

That’s according to a report published by Reuters this morning (July 16), citing “three people with direct knowledge of the matter”.

UMG’s Virgin Music Group revealed in December that it had agreed to buy Downtown Music Holdings LLC in a $775 million deal.

The EC announced in April that it was preparing to investigate the proposed acquisition.

Last month, after UMG formally notified it of the deal, the EC set a provisional deadline of July 22 (Tuesday next week) to make a decision in an initial Phase 1 investigation.

If competition concerns were identified during this initial 25-day Phase 1 review of the proposed deal, the case could progress to a more extensive Phase II investigation lasting up to 90 working days, which is what Reuters‘ report appears to suggest will happen.

In a statement issued to Music Business Worldwide in response to the Reuters report, a Universal spokesperson said: “Given that the European Commission has not announced a decision, we are unable to comment.”

“Our initial projected timeframe for the completion of the transaction remains unchanged.”

Universal Music Group

They added: “We do, however, remain confident that the combination of Virgin and Downtown will create an improved offering in the growing and highly competitive label services category that today consists of roughly 100 companies, one that will provide a wide range of services to help independent artists, labels and entrepreneurs achieve their commercial and creative goals.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely and constructively with the Commission to convey the benefits this transaction will bring to the independent community, as well as to address the wilful misrepresentation of market data by self-interested parties who represent a tiny fraction of the thousands of independent labels that make up the broader independent community globally.

“Our initial projected timeframe for the completion of the transaction remains unchanged.”

As previously reported by MBW, the UMG-Downtown deal did not meet the EU’s standard turnover thresholds that would typically require notification to Brussels, but it did trigger notification requirements in both the Netherlands and Austria based on their respective national thresholds.

The EC decided to look into the deal because the Netherlands triggered a legal mechanism in EU competition law called Article 22. Austria subsequently joined the referral.

The European Commission describes a Phase II investigation as “an in-depth analysis of the merger’s effects on competition.” A Phase II investigation is opened “when the case cannot be resolved in Phase I”.

The EC explains on its website that “from the opening of a Phase II investigation, the Commission has 90 working days to make a final decision on the compatibility of the planned transaction with the EU Merger Regulation” and that “extensions of either 15 or 20 working days can be granted”.

If the EC does announce that it has decided to launch a Phase II investigation into the deal, that 90-day deadline means that it will have until around November 22 to make its decision unless a 15 or 20-day extension is granted.

According to European Commission statistics, “more than 90% of all cases are resolved in Phase I, generally without remedies,” which implies that less than 10% of cases proceed to Phase II.

At the conclusion, the Commission can either clear the merger (with or without conditions), or prohibit it entirely if competition concerns cannot be adequately addressed.

As the investigation continues behind closed doors in Europe, the global music industry debate about the deal’s implications has been getting louder.

Earlier this month, Virgin Music Group’s bosses slammed what they called “juvenile and offensive falsehoods” spread by opponents of VMG’s planned Downtown acquisition.

Last week, over 200 people signed a letter objecting to UMG’s proposed takeover of Downtown, including 20 employees from Beggars Group and Secretly Group companies.

On July 2, the European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) issued an open letter to the European Commission on Wednesday (July 2) urging it to block the planned acquisition.Music Business Worldwide