Numbers

The Big Four of the Recording Industry

• EMI Group Ltd.
• Sony Music Entertainment
• Universal Music Group
• Warner Music Group

How It's Used

"Guy Hands, who bought EMI for £3bn, is focused on revitalising a business in decline rather than cosying up with pop legends. One of the big four record companies, alongside Sony BMG, Universal and Warner, EMI has an impressive pedigree. Students researching this British company will find the Beatles, Queen and Pink Floyd in its lists."

"Also milling about was Andrew Lack, chairman of Sony BMG, one of the big-four music companies and a close friend of [David] Zaslav's [the head of Discovery Communications]. Heading a bunch of record labels comes with some perks, Zaslav noted.

"Zaslav told a story about recently getting a call from Lack, inviting him and his wife to dine with some other couples in New York. The other couples turned out to be 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart and his wife, and Bruce Springsteen and his wife, singer Patti Scialfa, also a Sony BMG artist."

"I like to boast, smugly, that I haven't paid for a CD in years. Instead, I subscribe to a music service called Rhapsody (rhapsody.com) that gives me all the tunes I want for $12.99 a month. But since social-networking giant MySpace unveiled its new music service on Sept. 25, I'm becoming less smug by the moment.

"To begin with, MySpace Music (myspace.com/music) is free—like every other online media play, it's supported by advertising--and users get instant access to a vast library of songs. The site has inked deals to upload the catalogs of major labels, including Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. (The last member of the Big Four, EMI, was still negotiating with MySpace at press time.) Throw in songs from the 5 million artists who have pages on the site, and MySpace has a pretty good starter set."

“The 'Big Four'—Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and EMI—all agreed that, effective today, they no longer need to encumber their artists' iTunes offerings with DRM. This means that you can give a friend a song you bought on iTunes—and it will actually play on his or her iPod!”

“Given how aggressively the recording industry likes to pursue file sharers, one would assume that the industry itself is in the clear when it comes to copyright infringement. But that assumption has been put to the test in Canada, where a massive infringement lawsuit is brewing against some major players. Members of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, including the Big Four (Warner Music Canada, Sony BMG Music Canada, EMI Music Canada, and Universal Music Canada), face the prospect of damages ranging from $50 million up to $6 billion due to their use of artists' music without permission. That's right: $6 billion.”

Also Known As (AKA)

The Big Four Record Companies

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