Berklee College of Music has named Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman Jon Platt to its board of trustees, beginning Oct. 1. The highest ranking Black executive in the music business, Platt's tenure at the market-leading company, which he joined in 2019, has seen its ranks diversify by race and gender, while its roster has expanded to include such giants as Beyonce and Rihanna as well as recent Emmy winner Labrinth.Said Berklee President Roger H. Brown: “We’re looking forward to having Jon...
Sony Music Publishing
Jon
Platt
Chairman / CEO
New name, same market leader. In February, the company jettisoned its “ATV” initials for the more streamlined moniker of Sony Music Publishing, but it still tops that world, as it has since absorbing EMI Music Publishing in 2018. Music & Copyright estimates the company’s share at 24.5%. To maintain that status, Sony signed rising stars including Olivia Rodrigo and the Kid LAROI and experienced artist-writers like Janelle Monáe and Kane Brown. Paul Simon’s catalog deal made news, while Sony also landed the works of Gilberto Gil and River House Artists (Luke Combs) and started administering AC/DC in a partnership with Alberts. Platt’s commitment to writer-friendly service led to the advent of the cash-out option and real-time access to royalty accounting, historic earnings and foreign earnings.