It's no wonder that Denis Handlin, Sony's longest-running staffer in the world, continues to reign in the Power 50 top five, given the year the company have had.
2016 saw the launch of Sony Music A&R Academy, the highest rated ARIA Awards in years and number one albums from the likes of Jessica Mauboy, Rufus and Delta Goodrem.
So far, Live Nation Aus/NZ's Michael Coppel has come in at #5, triple j's Richard Kingsmill has come in at #6, UNIFIED's Jaddan Comerford has come in at #7, Future Classic's Nathan McLay and Chad Gillard have come in at #8, Apple executive Janelle McCarthy has come in at #9 and Spotify's Alicia Sbrugnera and Marcus Thaine has come in at #10.
Head here to pre-order the AMID Power 50 for the full list.
4 (last year 5)
Denis Handlin
Sony Music
Chairman & CEO Australia & New Zealand, President Asia
"In my 46 years in the industry, there has never been a more exciting time to be in the business," enthused the Sony chief in his opening keynote address at Singapore's All That Matters music conference in September. Reflecting on the global market's first growth in 15 years and the direct marketing possibilities created by social media, he detailed Sony's plans to "invest with intelligent aggression" as they sought to increase "investment and resources in A&R and local artist development, right across the Asia-Pacific region". It wasn't just PR bluster; the company made significant changes to its A&R team in 2016, welcoming back some big names and finding inventive ways to blood the next generation of talent spotters.
With A&R director Pat Handlin (Denis' son) accepting a senior A&R position in the UK, Peter Karpin, Claes Uggla and Robert Rigby have all joined Sony Music Australia's A&R team. Karpin is an industry veteran of 40-plus years and has a long history with Sony both here and in the US; Uggla comes from Sony Music Sweden, where his extensive list of achievements included signing and developing Norwegian producer/DJ Alan Walker; and Rigby is another with previous Sony experience, also a former A&R head of The Voice.
But perhaps the most significant change to the company's A&R operations is the creation of Sony Music A&R Academy, a new initiative established in association with the Australian Institute Of Music, Queensland University Of Technology, RMIT University and Melbourne University. Each year a handful of graduates will be awarded 12 months' full-time employment with the company, during which time they will be mentored and receive hands-on experience in the signing and development of artists. At the completion of the year, Sony has the option of offering them ongoing employment or investing in them as entrepreneurs. Beginning with positions in Sydney and Melbourne, the company intends to roll out the program across Australia and key Asian markets.
Sony expanded its Australian roster significantly in 2016, signing the likes of self-proclaimed sun-soaked popsters The Lulu Raes, hard-rockers Strangers (both via its Verge Records imprint), rising country-pop singer-songwriter Missy Lancaster, Gold Coast musician Amy Shark and electronic pop artist ADKOB (the latter two to the Wonderlick imprint) alongside talent show alumni Nat Conway (The X Factor) and Fletcher Pilon (Australia's Got Talent). The development of another former X Factor star, Jai Waetford, continues to be a huge priority for the label. A stint on Neighbours, an upcoming sponsorship deal with KFC in Indonesia and a 2016 promo tour that took him through Europe and Asia is all paving the way for a major international push. At the other end of the scale, the reception that greeted John Farnham at this year's ARIA Awards (led by members of Violent Soho, no less) suggests there is a whole new generation of fans ready to unironically embrace new music from The Voice should he enter the studio to cut something other than a live/acoustic/Christmas album.
Four of five of the company's Australian artist number one albums in 2016 came from giants of their local roster (Jessica Mauboy, Human Nature, Delta Goodrem and Anthony Callea). It also saw solid returns on investment, however, from the likes of Rufus (their second album Bloom debuted at number one, was certified gold and scored them six ARIA nominations), Gang Of Youths (Let Me Be Clear EP, number two peak), Dami Im (Classic Carpenters, number two peak), Drapht (Seven Mirrors, number four peak) and Montaigne (Glorious Heights, number four peak). Im in particular looks set for international stardom after her second-placing at this year's Eurovision contest.
One of the local branch's most impressive results was taking Japanese metal idol band Babymetal into the Australian top ten; the number seven peak for their second album Metal Resistance was its highest outside the group's homeland. Sony was also responsible for the respectful campaign that delivered David Bowie's posthumous Blackstar to the top of the chart, while Beyonce, The 1975, Zayn and Barbra Streisand also delivered number one albums (the latter personally thanking Handlin in a statement).
Alongside his roles as chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand and President, Asia, Handlin is also chairman of ARIA. The 2016 awards, held at The Star in Sydney and broadcast on Ten, were the highest rated in six years.
After 32 years in charge of Sony Music Australia's operations, and as the company's longest-serving staffer in the world, Handlin is still operating at the top of his game.
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