Sony Says They May 出價Bid For EMI
05/10/2010
(UPDATED) We've heard the rumors before, but this one comes from the top. "We are in a position that allows us to seize every opportunity in the market - including EMI," the head of Sony Music, Rolf Schmidt-Holz, told German Sunday paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
On Thursday Warner Music Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman declined to comment during an earnings call about speculation that he was also eyeing EMI.
On Monday morning Dow Jones reported that no talks between Sony and EMI are currently under way.
索尼音樂正考慮收購英國競爭對手EMI
新聞來源: CNBETA
索尼音樂公司星期日稱，它正在考慮競價收購陷於困境之中的英國競爭對手EMI。索尼音樂公司的主要競爭對手對收購EMI都不感興趣並且拒絕對他們自己的打 算發表評論。
據德國星期日報紙《法蘭克福彙報》報導稱，索尼音樂公司負責人Rolf Schmidt-Holz說，我們所處的地位允許我們抓住市場上的每一個計畫，包括EMI。
據一位消息靈通人士上個月對路透社說，EMI的擁有者、收購公司Terra Firma正要求投資者為這家英國音樂公司提供3.6億英鎊（5.57億美元）以防止EMI落入債權人之手。
EMI是家喻戶曉的披頭四樂隊和酷玩樂團（Coldplay）的東家。EMI在與索尼音樂公司和環球音樂集團進行談判之後，沒有在今年3月達成其北美版權的許可證授權交易。
華納音樂首席執行官Edgar Bronfman上週四表示，他不願意對美國公司試圖收購EMI的推測發表評論。
BMG負責人上周對《金融時報》說，BMG不會在近期競價收購EMI，儘管它希望把自己在美國的成功複製到英國。
維旺迪旗下的全球最大的音樂公司環球音樂公司在今年3月曾表示，它沒有與Terra Firma舉行有關收購EMI的談判。
This Is The Week That We Learn The Future Of EMI
Insiders are claiming that Guy Hands is "close" to getting the approval of enough Terra Firma investors to give EMI just enough cash to keep lender CitiGroup from foreclosing. That may be true or it may be wishful thinking designed to gather investor momentum .
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling. Queen is said to be moving their lucrative catalog. Candid remarks by the head of Sony showed they are interested and have the cash. But reports early on Monday say no talks are underway. That may be because any buyer wants to know who the seller is going to be - EMI or Citi. Universal is said to be circling and waiting out the week. WMG group is holding its cards closer to the chest; and while it's interest in EMI is well known, it has much less cash to work with. Others are interested in only EMI's more profitable publishing division and some unusual partnerships are possible.
Meanwhile morale is low and frustration is high within the walls of EMI as employees wait for any news. More layoffs, particularly in North America, seem inevitable. But how many and who?
Vote: Should EMI Be Saved?
We should learn this week if EMI is going fall into the hands of creditor Citi or continue to operate as an independent company. But should EMI be saved? When companies like EMI are sold off in pieces many good people loose their jobs and artists careers are stalled if not ruined. But is the day of the major label over? Or do we still need big labels to deliver big hits and create stadium level artists?
