Team Librarian Consultation

Sony BMG Music Entertainment

Assignment: Sony BMG Music Entertainment: trends in the music industry, what type of changes is the industry facing, are new companies entering the industry; how does Sony compare with its competitors; what are Sony's strengths, weaknesses; how does Sony define its own success; how does Sony segment its clients, how is Sony trying to get and retain clients; who are Sony's major competitors, who is making money in music, how do competitors view Sony, what advantages does Sony's competition have on Sony; how did Sony music get to where it is, company trends (revenue, earnings, debt, etc.) (BA 500, 5 November 2004)

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Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of business databases on its homepage; see under Business Databases. For more information on the three dozen Foster business databases, click here. For more information on which of the three dozen Foster business databases to use, click here. For more information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, click here. For information about responsible database usage, click here.

Hoovers Online: Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Hoovers Online offers information about 14,000 public and private companies worldwide, with links to company homepages and annual reports, charts, company capsule, competitors, divisions, earnings, financials, Fortune and Forbes rankings, history, industry information, insider trading, mission statements, news links, press releases, officers, patents, products, SEC filings, splits, subsidiaries, etc.

See the company fact sheet for Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture, formed in mid-2004, of Sony Corporation of America (in turn, a subsidiary of public company Sony Corporation) and the private German company, Bertelsmann AG. This recent subsidiary of Sony was formerly known as Sony Music Entertainment; see this latter link for the complicated history of Sony Music. No competitors are listed for Sony BMG so try those for their competitor, Universal Music Group. Go to the link for Sony Corporation's Products/Operations and Financials. See also their industry overview for the Music Industry, which mentions the Sony—Bertelsmann merger, and for its sub-industry, Internet Music Distribution & Downloads.

Euromonitor: This database provides global consumer market information, with demographics, trends and developments, market background, market sizes and forecasts, market shares, key players, and company profiles. This database provides over 1,800 reports with market data and detailed company profiles, including market shares, brand information, company strategy and SWOT analyses of the companies, for many countries. For eight major countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States), in-depth industry information is also available.

A search in this database, in titles, for Music, produced four reports, including recent reports on Prerecorded Music and Video Software Formats, in the U.S., France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A search for Audio Products also produced four reports, all recent, on the same countries.

Forrester Research: Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Forrester Research provides access to reports and briefings on the effects of technology change on businesses, consumers, and society, and analyzes such technology areas as new media, computing, software, networking, telecommunications, and the Internet. To use this database, UW users must establish a personal account from a UW IP address. (Available from off-campus.)

A search in this database for the "Sony Music" retrieved just one report; a search for the "Music Industry," retrieved just 19 reports.

Investext: On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Investext contains indexing and the full text of company and industry research reports prepared by leading Wall Street firms, as well as regional and international brokerage and financial firms. All reports are in PDF format.

A company search for Sony, with the ticker symbol SNE, produced a list of over 660 reports. A keyword search for Sony and Music produced over fifty reports; for the Music Industry, over 45 reports.

Lexis-Nexis Academic: On the Foster homepage, under Business Databases. To find company information, go to Business and then to Company Financial where you can obtain financial and other data for companies. Information is available from twenty different sources (each of which must be searched separately). SEC filings, particularly company 10K annual reports, are a particularly rich source of company as well as industry information. Use your browser's Find command (or Control-F) to locate references to particular terms of interest in 10K filings such as trends, strategy, competitors, industry, etc.

Since Sony is not a U.S. company but does trade stock here, it files S.E.C. 20-F reports, for foreign companies, rather than S.E.C. 10-K and other filings. This database includes over thirty SEC 20-F filings (or parts of filings) for Sony. The June 25, 2004 report provides information on the company's history and development of the company, with references to various forms of Sony Music, as well as itemization of music sales and revenues.

Mergent Online: On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Online access to the print edition of the Mergent Manuals, with extensive information on 11,000 U.S. and 17,000 international companies, including financials, stock, properties, joint ventures, annual reports, subsidiaries, S.E.C. filings, etc. For search tips, see About Mergent Online.

Sony Corporation is included in this database, with extensive information. See also their information for Bertelsmann AG.

Statistical Universe: Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Statistical Universe is an index to statistical data in commercial, international and U.S. government publications. Use Tables Base for quick access to tables of data in GIF format.

A keyword search for "Recorded Music" produced just seven tables; for "Compact Discs," over fifty tables.

Value Line: On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Stock information and advice on 1,700 companies, 90 industries, the stock markets and the economy; an online version of the print Value Line Investment Survey. To search for companies or industries, go to the left menu for Look Up Company or Look Up Industry.

Sony Corporation is included in this database, in the Foreign Electronics Industry, not music.

CD-ROM database:

Mediamark Reporter: CD-ROM version of Mediamark Research, a tool for market research, with information on demographics, product and brand usage, and advertising media preferences based on survey responses from a sample of over 25,000 consumers in the United States. Print copies of Mediamark Research are available in over 20 volumes in the Foster Business Library reference collection, call number HF5415.3 .M43, dated spring 1998; the online version offers year 2000 data. Search tips for using this database are available by clicking here. Available only on PC #19.

See Electronics, Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Compact Discs.

Web Resources:

Unlike library databases, these Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the UW Connectivity Kit or the UW Libraries Proxy Server for authentication. When using web resources, be sure to

evaluate

Business Resources on the Web

homepage

Sony BMG Music Entertainment: The company webpages for joint ventures typically are product-oriented, marketing products rather than providing much, if any, corporate information. See their very brief Facts & Figures section for lists of their record labels and offices and the News section for press releases by the joint venture; see also their FAQ section for the reason behind the merger: "The recorded music industry is facing a global crisis. We have all seen a massive decline in sales while costs have risen and CD prices have fallen. By combining operations, and a program of cost savings, Sony BMG will be able to sustain and increase our investment in artists worldwide and in multiple genres, instead of continuing on our current course of streamlining and cutting costs in response to the challenging market conditions."
Sony Corporation: Public company webpages usually offer links to financials, company history, sales data, management biographies, annual reports—-a wealth of information. Go to this page for Sony Corporation's Global Headquarters, with links to Sony USA for the subsidiary's corporate information and to global Investor Relations for vastly more information, including Annual Reports from 2001 to 2004.
Bertelsmann AG: Private company webpagse are often sparse for corporate information. See their Financial Facts and Sony BMG
Yahoo! Finance: This site is excellent for company and investment information as well as an excellent source for financial ratio comparisons with industry, sector and S&P 500. See the company profile for Sony Corporation and their Key Statistics, as well as the excellent Competitors and Ratios sections. Sony is included in the Audio & Video Equipment industry.
The Recording Industry Association of America: Trade associations are often an excellent source of information about the industries that they represent, collecting and disseminating data and statistics in more detail than governmental sources. The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade association of the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes its members' creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of the sound recordings produced and sold in the United States. See the links to recording industry Research & Data and Facts & Figures.
IFPI: Formerly known as the International Federation for the Phonograph Industry, the IFPI is the trade organisation of the international recording industry, comprising 1400 record producers and distributors in 76 countries. It also has national groups in 46 countries. The website offers a search engine. Many of their publications are free only to members. See the menu headings for News, Market Info and Links. A search for Sony Music retrieved over sixty documents.
Future of Music Coalition: "The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between members of the music, technology, public policy and intellectual property law communities. The FMC seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music / technology issues, while also bringing together diverse voices in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in this space. The FMC also aims to identify and promote innovative business models that will help musicians and citizens to benefit from new technologies." See their Resources and Articles.

Foster Business Library Reference Collection:

The entertainment, media and advertising market research handbook.
This large paperback covers how consumers use their leisure time, key players in the entertainment, media, and advertising industries, with profiles of major companies in each industry as well as rankings. There are also chapters on branding, including top brands; on direct marketing and outdoor advertising; on sponsorships and licensing, including sports, plus naming rights; on entertainment marketing, on television and TV advertising and programming; on TV stations, cable, pay per view, satellite, video on demand, film and video, film studios, recorded music, radio, satellite and internet radio, and print media; sports; and a series of chapters on the demographics of various markets, from children to seniors, to ethnic markets.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: GV174 .E58 2004.
See Recorded Music on pages 209 to 222, including profiles of both Sony and BMG Entertainment.
International marketing data and statistics.
Demographic trends and forecasts, economic indicators, labor force, trade, energy, environment, consumer expenditures and market size, and retailing information for the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania; companion volume to European marketing data and statistics.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA42 .I56. 2003.
See CDs, Retail Sales, on page 448.
Statistical abstract of the United States.
Information about many industries as well as demographic information; check index for references to tables. The sources for each table are often a valuable source of additional information.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA202 .U56 2003.
See tables 1041, 1124, 1125, 1141, 1142, 1237, and 1240 for Music Listening and Expenditures and Industry Receipts.
European marketing data and statistics.
Demographic trends and forecasts, economic indicators, labor force, trade, energy, environment, consumer expenditures and market size, and retailing information for European countries.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA1107 .E87 2001.
See CDs, Retail Sales, on page 316.
Standard & Poor's industry surveys.
This three-volume set provides 30-page profiles on 52 industries with a focus on the current economic environment, trends, regulation and outlook for each industry. Major companies in each industry are profiled, with references to sources of additional industry information.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.6 .S74 (Quarterly)
See volume three for Movies & Home Entertainment for references to the music industry.
International directory of company histories.
This set of over sixty volumes offers histories of more than 4,000 companies, worldwide, with each history running just two to four pages; check the company index in the most recently published volume to locate a specific company history or update as well as any other references to that company in other company histories.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2721 .I57
Since neither Sony BMG nor Sony Music Entertainment is an independent company, neither is included in this set. There are references to the parent company, however. See Sony Corporation in volume one, pages 101 to 103, with updates in volume 12, pages 453 to 456, and volume 40, pages 404 to 410. See also Bertelsmann AG in volume IV, pages 592 to 594, with updates in volume fifteen, pages 51 to 54, and in volume 43, pages 63 to 67.
Market share reporter.
An annual compilation of market share information for U.S. companies culled from thousands of periodical articles; use the company, product or brand indexes in the back of the volume to identify the company that you are researching.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .M35 2004.
See Music on pages 241 to 243, with references to both Sony Music and BMG.
World market share reporter.
An annual compilation of market share information for worldwide companies culled from thousands of periodical articles; use the company, product or brand indexes in the back of the volume to identify the company that you are researching.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .W67 2001/2002.
See Music on pages 241 to 242, with references to both Sony Music and BMG.
U.S. market trends & forecasts.
This large volume provides an overview and projections for 400 significant industries and their component products or services, arranged alphabetically by industry name. For each product or service, there is a brief indication of the value of the U.S. market in 1998 and the compound U.S. market growth rate from 1993 to 1998 as well as a graph depicting market value in dollars and the growth rate. There is also a brief analysis of the market sectors for the product or service and a description of the market segmentation by volume for 1997, plus U.S. market share and market forecast information.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.1 .U8 2001
See Recorded Music on page 396.
The lifestyle market analyst.
Market analysis information including demographic, geographic and lifestyle information to identify who customers are, where they live, how they spend their time and money and how to reach them.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.33 .U6 .L54 2004.
See the lifestyle profiles for Own a CD Player on pages 874 to 87 and Listen to Records, Tapes and CDs on pages 854 to 857.
Entertainment industry economics.
This single volume covers the financial aspects of major entertainment enterprises including movies, television, cable, music, casinos, theme parks, and toys in considerable detail, written by a former entertainment industry analyst at Merrill Lynch.
Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: PN1590 .F55 .V6 2002.
See chapter five on Music, on pages 148 to 172.

Foster Business Library Books:

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of over 70,000 books on all business topics. To identify relevant books, go to the

UW Libraries Catalog

Circulation status is indicated on the right of each online catalog record, on the right. Available indicates that the book should be on the shelves under that call number and available for you to check out. Due and a date indicates that the book is already checked out to someone and is due back on the date indicated. You can have the Request/Place Hold feature to recall the book for your use.

The Foster general stacks collection is located south of the main part of the Foster Business Library, through the two pass-throughs into the basement of Balmer. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

A keyword search for Sony Music, limited to printed materials (to eliminate records for recorded music), retrieved no relevant records.

A keyword search for the Music Industry retrieved 40 records, with no relevant records in the Foster Business Library. A search for the subject of the Music Trade retrieved over 140 records, with just one record in the Foster Business Library (with no references to Sony Music).

Foster Business Library Corporate Annual Reports:

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of several thousand annual reports for hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies. These reports are filed in lateral filing cabinets near the Foster Reference desk under the sign Corporate Annual Reports. Annual reports for companies in an industry can be a valuable source of information about the industry itself. For a list of all the companies in the Corporate Annual Reports collection, click here. For an index to corporate annual reports in the collection by industry sector, click here. For an index to companies in the collection with headquarters outside the U.S., click here.

Most music industry companies are subsidiaries of much larger media companies. For instance, for the music industry, the Foster Business Library annual reports collection includes such companies as Time Warner, parent of Warner Music, Sony Corporation and Vivendi. See the Media sector.

Foster Business Library Articles:

In addition to the 800 journals in the Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection, the Foster Business Library offers access to 11,000 full text periodical articles through its full text article databases such as: ABI/Inform Global, Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed alphabetically under Business Databases.

Of these three main sources, all but Factiva are available from any computer on the campus network (as well as from home) via the UW Connectivity Kit or via the Libraries' proxy server. The easiest of these databases to use is ABI/Inform Global. For more information about accessing Foster Business Library databases from off campus, click here. For more information about business databases, click here.

ABI/Inform Global:
This database offers full text articles from thousands of scholarly journals, magazines, industry and trade periodicals, and newspapers. To find articles on specific topics, search by word or phrase by keying your search phrase into the search box. ABI/Inform Global includes journals but not national or Washington state newspapers (though the Wall Street Journal is included). It also does not include valuable trade and industry and other periodicals. Your searches will span the widest possible array of publications by expanding your search to all databases in ABI/Inform. To expand your search to include all collections in this database, click on Select multiple databases, to the right of the search box. Click on all of the databases.
Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article. For tips on searching this database, click here.
For example, a search in all databases, for the new name CO(Sony BMG Entertainment), produced just fourteen articles; for CO(Sony BMG, just sixteen articles.
Searches for the older names, such as CO(Sony Music), produced over 330 articles; for CO(Sony Music Entertainment Inc), over 470 articles. A more targeted search for CO(Sony Music Entertainment Inc) and Strengths produced just two articles; for CO(Sony Music Entertainment Inc) and Weaknesses, zero articles; for CO(Sony Music Entertainment Inc) and Market Segments, also no articles.
A search for CO(BMG Music) produced eighty articles; for CO(BMG Entertainment), over 180 articles.
A search for SUB(Music Industry) produced over 15,000 articles; for SUB(Music Industry) and Trends, over 500 articles; for SUB(Music Industry) and Changes, over 800 articles; for SUB(Music Industry) and "New Companies," over 35 articles.

Help:

The Foster Business Library Reference Desk is staffed nearly all of the

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For research guides on a wide variety of industries, products, companies, issues and topics, see the Team Librarian Consultation archives.

4 November 2004; updated 22 December 2004. Peter Stevens, Business Librarian, Foster Business Library, at stevens@u.washington.edu.