Photo Credit: Yo-Yo Ma by Joi Ito / CC by 2.0
Amid continued cost-cutting at major labels, whispers emerge of Sony Classical enacting mass layoffs.
As major labels continue their onslaught of cost-cutting endeavors, classical music news site Slipped Disc reports whispers of mass layoffs at Sony Classical.
“People we’ve tried to contact are no longer there,” writes Norman Lebrecht. “Among them is the boxed-set reissue specialist Robert Russ at the company’s headquarters in Berlin.”
“Our mole says, ‘Just heard this: a huge shake up at Sony Classical. Everyone has been fired. A lot of the masters being stored at Iron Mountain in New Jersey are going to just do nothing because all the people who knew what is there have been fired,’” the post continues.
Digital Music News reached out to Sony Classical directly, but did not receive a response in time for press.
Sony Classical was launched in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. The label was renamed in 1980 to CBS Masterworks Records, and renamed again in 1990 after its acquisition by Sony in 1988. Sony Classical has represented the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Yo-Yo Ma, and Hans Zimmer.
Despite rumors of job cuts, the label announced just last week the signing of 23-year-old Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev to an exclusive agreement. Malofeev has performed with orchestras like the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala.
“Alexander Malofeev is undoubtedly one of the most exciting pianists of his generation,” said Per Hauber, President of Sony Classical. “Despite his young age, he can already look back on an impressive career on stage.”
At age 13, Malofeev won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2014, and garnered the Grand Prix at the First International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano in Moscow. In 2017, he was announced as the first Yamaha Young Artist, and he has been a guest at numerous festivals, including Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Verbier Festival.
“In Sony Classical, I have found the right place to bring my personal recording vision to life — with genuine trust, openness, and a shared sense of artistic curiosity,” said Malofeev. “Recording for me is about capturing a moment that feels magical and honest. It’s an exciting beginning.”
Malofeev’s debut album with Sony Classical is set for release this fall.
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