Sony Corporation

Which  subsidiary labels do Sony BMG own?

Some of the music labels owned by Sony Entertainment:
Columbia Music Group
Epic Label Group
Roc Nation
RCA Music Group
Sony Music Nashville
Sony Masterworks
Provident Music group
Legacy Recordings
RED Distribution
IODA Labels
Sony Music UK
Sony Music Japan

They also distribute for many independant labels.


How are Sony vertically integreated (how do they profit from the different stages of music production, distribution and consumption)?

Sony owns several companies throughout the different stages of music production, distribution and consumption. The record labels give them the ownership of the songs that are produced by their signed acts such as pop artist, Christina Aguilera. They distribute the music to their audience through CDs, and online sites, such as iTunes. Sony being the massive company that it is, also sells products which consumers can listen to the songs on; they sell mp3 players, CD players, Radios etc. Another advantage they have is that they own companies which create games and films. This means they can promote their songs within these also.

How do Sony profit from media convergence at the level of the media product (for example, a film soundtrack or music in a videogame)?

The existence of Sony Pictures entertainment and Sony Computer entertainment makes it relatively easy for the songs created through Sony Music entertainment to get recognised. When creating a film, as they already have legal ownership over songs on their record label, they are likely to choose one of them to feature in it. Similarly with games, they will most likely use a song they already own the rights for within their product. Not only does it mean extra advertising for the music, but it also means more profit can be made.