Label wars: DG snatch Sony queen
mainThe yellow label today signed Valérie Gross, sometimes known as the human face of Sony Classical.
Based in Berlin, Valérie has been Vice President A&R Sony Classical International, which meant that she exec-produced such artists as Jonas Kaufmann, Vittorio Grigolo and Lang Lang (who has since gone back to DG).
At DG, Valérie will be A&R Director Vocal & Opera Productions, starting immediately, which is unusual.
It appears her relations with Sony are now non-existent.
Sony is apparently disintegrating.
I read Sony just became market leader for classical music in Germany, a market where classical means real classical music even in the recorded music industry. Sounds like the opposite of disintegration
I thought the human face of Sony Classical was a skull.
On Label Wars: More interesting question is how are the labels actually doing in today?
MusikWoche just recently posted Sony Classical has become market leader in Germany for classical music – Germany, a country where even in the recorded music industry classical music still means real classical music. While DG and DECCA have lost their leader position, Warner still does not exist, Sony has become the power house for the industry. Quite the opposite of disintegration.
While the major labels live in the shadow of their former glory, the sad truth is that sales-figures for their releases rarely exceed double or triple-digits. The party ended years ago, and so the few remaining classical departments of recording companies function as a tax write-off for their parent-companies.
Actually it’s a comeback to DG. She left DG years ago with Bogdan Roscic to Decca in London and followed him later to Sony in Berlin.
in this picture she looks much like Jackie Onassis (?), put that last name for her cause it is somehow closer to the world of big opera …..
Interesting read: The Decline of the Yellow Label
https://van-us.atavist.com/deutsche-grammophon