Sonoton
Encyclopedia
Sonoton claims to be the world's largest independently owned Production Music
Library. Formed 1965 by Rotheide and Gerhard Narholz
in Munich (Germany), the company owns the copyrights of over 130.000 compositions and musical recordings of all genres. With subsidiaries in more than 30 countries, Sonoton licences the use of its music for TV, motion picture, advertising and internet productions.
Rotheide and Gerhard Narholz
establish Sonoton as a company in Munich, Germany
. Gerhard Narholz, songwriter for artists such as Petula Clark
, Bill Ramsey and Heidi Brühl, and composer for German feature films and television series, provides specific film and television music as background music
, thus introducing library music
in Germany.
1965 - 1970
Sonoton continues to develop the library business in Germany. The initial TV-specific music catalogue is expanded into a variety of genres through works of other composers.
1969 Sonoton enters the international market through the British BERRY MUSIC company, who sub-publishes Sonoton productions worldwide on the library music labels CONROY, STUDIO ONE and PROGRAMME PRODUCTIONS.
Sonoton enters the commercial record market, producing Easy Listening Music
for Japan, which is released on Polydor Records
and King Records, Tokyo.
1970 - 1980
Using the a.k.a. Norman Candler, Gerhard Narholz
composes, arranges and conducts over 20 LPs with his large string orchestra
, the MAGIC STRINGS, internationally released on the labels Decca Records
/ Telefunken
and King Records.
In 1971, Norman Candler receives the “3 Star Award” from BBC London
for “Best Album of the Year”.
Sonoton expands its Easy Listening catalogue with recording artists
Nelson Riddle
, Billy May
, Ted Heath, Acker Bilk, Xavier Cugat
, Horst Jankowski
and Franck Pourcel
.
1973 EMI
buys BERRY MUSIC, the former Sonoton agent in the UK. This marks the birth of Sonoton's own record label
. The unicolored album covers for library music LPs are replaced with individually designed, full color sleeves.
1975 Sonoton introduces the British KPM label to the German market. More international labels follow.
1981 Sonoton establishes its world music
label SAS (Sonoton AUTHENTIC SERIES).
1984 Sonoton is the first library to release its music on CD.
1987 Sonoton establishes the CNS label (COMMERCIALS NON STOP), featuring specific commercial and promo tracks.
1991 Sonoton represents SONIA Classics, a collection of classical works on CD, for synchronization.
1992 Sonoton is the first music library to present its own music search programme, SONOfind, on floppy disk
.
1993 Sonoton is represented by ASSOCIATED PRODUCTION MUSIC (APM) in USA.
1995 Sonoton begins operating its own music recording studio in Munich, Germany.
1997 Sonoton creates its own sound effect
s series, SONOspheres, which focuses on atmospheric sounds and effects.
1998 Sonoton introduces an online music search programme and makes its entire repertoire accessible via the Internet.
2001 Sonoton opens a new digital 5.1 music recording studio in Munich and presents library DVDs with 5.1 mixes of large orchestral recordings.
2006 Sonoton offers its entire repertoire on hard drive.
of its compositions and recordings, and licenses these rights to the audio-visual industry on a track-by-track or project-by-project basis. In countries where a Mechanical Copyright Society is in function (such as MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society
) in UK or GEMA
in Germany), Synchronization Rights (the right to combine music with audio-visuals or/and advertising) are licenced through these societies. In all other countries (such as US) synchronization licenses have to be obtained from the local Sonoton representative.
Performing Rights (the right to perform music publicly, live or in any media, such as TV, film, etc.) are granted through local performing right societies, which usually have blanket agreements with broadcasters. Composers get their shares of licenses either through membership of a Mechanical and/or Performing Rights Societies, and/or through Sonoton, depending on the local legal conditions.
Production music
Production music is the name given to recorded music produced and owned by production music libraries and licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media.-Introduction:...
Library. Formed 1965 by Rotheide and Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz is a classically trained composer, arranger and conductor, dedicated to easy listening and film score music. 1958-1965 he wrote pop songs for artists such as Petula Clark, Heidi Brühl, Bill Ramsey and film scores for various German feature films and TV series...
in Munich (Germany), the company owns the copyrights of over 130.000 compositions and musical recordings of all genres. With subsidiaries in more than 30 countries, Sonoton licences the use of its music for TV, motion picture, advertising and internet productions.
History
1965Rotheide and Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz is a classically trained composer, arranger and conductor, dedicated to easy listening and film score music. 1958-1965 he wrote pop songs for artists such as Petula Clark, Heidi Brühl, Bill Ramsey and film scores for various German feature films and TV series...
establish Sonoton as a company in Munich, Germany
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Gerhard Narholz, songwriter for artists such as Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, Bill Ramsey and Heidi Brühl, and composer for German feature films and television series, provides specific film and television music as background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
, thus introducing library music
Music library
A music library contains music-related materials for patron use. Collections may also include non-print materials, such as digitized music scores or audio recordings. Use of such materials may be limited to specific patron groups, especially in private academic institutions...
in Germany.
1965 - 1970
Sonoton continues to develop the library business in Germany. The initial TV-specific music catalogue is expanded into a variety of genres through works of other composers.
1969 Sonoton enters the international market through the British BERRY MUSIC company, who sub-publishes Sonoton productions worldwide on the library music labels CONROY, STUDIO ONE and PROGRAMME PRODUCTIONS.
Sonoton enters the commercial record market, producing Easy Listening Music
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
for Japan, which is released on Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
and King Records, Tokyo.
1970 - 1980
Using the a.k.a. Norman Candler, Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz
Gerhard Narholz is a classically trained composer, arranger and conductor, dedicated to easy listening and film score music. 1958-1965 he wrote pop songs for artists such as Petula Clark, Heidi Brühl, Bill Ramsey and film scores for various German feature films and TV series...
composes, arranges and conducts over 20 LPs with his large string orchestra
String orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, the MAGIC STRINGS, internationally released on the labels Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
/ Telefunken
Telefunken
Telefunken is a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft...
and King Records.
In 1971, Norman Candler receives the “3 Star Award” from BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
for “Best Album of the Year”.
Sonoton expands its Easy Listening catalogue with recording artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
, Ted Heath, Acker Bilk, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
, Horst Jankowski
Horst Jankowski
Horst Jankowski was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music.-Biography:...
and Franck Pourcel
Franck Pourcel
Franck Pourcel was a French easy listening musician.-Biography:Born in Marseille, Pourcel's father started to teach him music at the age of six...
.
1973 EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
buys BERRY MUSIC, the former Sonoton agent in the UK. This marks the birth of Sonoton's own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The unicolored album covers for library music LPs are replaced with individually designed, full color sleeves.
1975 Sonoton introduces the British KPM label to the German market. More international labels follow.
1981 Sonoton establishes its world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
label SAS (Sonoton AUTHENTIC SERIES).
1984 Sonoton is the first library to release its music on CD.
1987 Sonoton establishes the CNS label (COMMERCIALS NON STOP), featuring specific commercial and promo tracks.
1991 Sonoton represents SONIA Classics, a collection of classical works on CD, for synchronization.
1992 Sonoton is the first music library to present its own music search programme, SONOfind, on floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
.
1993 Sonoton is represented by ASSOCIATED PRODUCTION MUSIC (APM) in USA.
1995 Sonoton begins operating its own music recording studio in Munich, Germany.
1997 Sonoton creates its own sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s series, SONOspheres, which focuses on atmospheric sounds and effects.
1998 Sonoton introduces an online music search programme and makes its entire repertoire accessible via the Internet.
2001 Sonoton opens a new digital 5.1 music recording studio in Munich and presents library DVDs with 5.1 mixes of large orchestral recordings.
2006 Sonoton offers its entire repertoire on hard drive.
Business model
Based on cortracts with composers and recording artists, Sonoton owns the Synchronization and Performing RightsPerforming rights
Performing rights are the right to perform music in public. It is part of copyright law and demands payment to the music’s composer/lyricist and publisher . Public performance means that a musician or group who is not the copyright holder is performing a piece of music live, as opposed to the...
of its compositions and recordings, and licenses these rights to the audio-visual industry on a track-by-track or project-by-project basis. In countries where a Mechanical Copyright Society is in function (such as MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society
Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society is an organisation that pay royalties to composers, songwriters and music publishers when a composition is manufactured into any format. This includes copies of the music alone such as CDs and downloads, and also products that use the music as a part of...
) in UK or GEMA
GEMA
GEMA may be:* Georgia Emergency Management Agency* * gema, a General Purpose Macro Processor* Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte, or GEMA, a performance rights organisation in Germany...
in Germany), Synchronization Rights (the right to combine music with audio-visuals or/and advertising) are licenced through these societies. In all other countries (such as US) synchronization licenses have to be obtained from the local Sonoton representative.
Performing Rights (the right to perform music publicly, live or in any media, such as TV, film, etc.) are granted through local performing right societies, which usually have blanket agreements with broadcasters. Composers get their shares of licenses either through membership of a Mechanical and/or Performing Rights Societies, and/or through Sonoton, depending on the local legal conditions.
Credits
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