It's Official: Sony Music Names Doug Morris CEO

Doug Morris

Confirming the ALL ACCESS bulletin sent earlier in the day, SONY CORP.'s SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT has appointed longtime UMG CEO/Chairman DOUG MORRIS as CEO. He takes over on JULY 1st. SONY MUSIC's current CEO, ROLF SCHMIDT-HOLTZ, will step down when his employment contract expires at the end of MARCH; SONY CORP. CEO/Pres. SIR HOWARD STRINGER "will oversee the executive decision-making at SME," wrote SONY in a press release.

"I have known DOUG MORRIS for many years, and am delighted that he has agreed to lead SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT," STRINGER said. "At this critical time in the evolution of the music industry, I can think of no one more qualified as a proven executive, an innovator, a music impresario and a statesman than DOUG MORRIS.  I welcome him to the Company and look forward to our working together to drive SONY MUSIC to preeminence in the industry.

"I also want to thank ROLF SCHMIDT-HOLTZ for his tremendous contribution to SONY MUSIC," he continued.  "From his time as Chairman of the SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT joint venture in 2004, through his operational role as CEO beginning in 2006, ROLF has been a courageous, candid and forward-thinking executive, and our entire Company has benefited greatly from his leadership.  We wish him great success as he undertakes new challenges upon his return to EUROPE."

"I'm delighted by the opportunity to work with HOWARD and the entire SONY MUSIC team," MORRIS stated. "At such a pivotal time for music, it's more important than ever to develop a fertile, creative environment that generates the highest quality of  artists and music, while seeking to fully exploit the many opportunities that new digital services and products provide in reaching audiences around the world."

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