Sony 2015 Annual Report Download - page 30

Recorded Music:
“Recorded Music” includes the distribution of physical and digital recorded music and revenue derived from
artists’ live performance. SME, a global entertainment company, excluding Japan, is engaged primarily in the
development, production, marketing and distribution of recorded music in all commercial formats and genres.
SMEJ is an entertainment company focused on the Japanese market, which includes a Japanese domestic
recorded music business that produces recorded music and music videos through contacts with many artists in all
music genres.
Music Publishing:
“Music Publishing” includes the management and licensing of the words and music of songs. Sony/ATV
Music Publishing LLC (“Sony/ATV”), is a U.S.-based music publishing business that owns and acquires rights
to musical compositions, exploiting and marketing these compositions and receiving royalties or fees for their
use.
Visual Media and Platform:
“Visual Media and Platform” includes various service offerings for music and visual products and the
production and distribution of animation titles. This business is operated primarily by SMEJ.
Financial Services
In the Financial Services segment, on April 1, 2004, Sony established a wholly-owned subsidiary, SFH, a
holding company for Sony Life, Sony Assurance and Sony Bank, with the aim of integrating various financial
services including insurance and savings and loans, and offering individual customers high value-added products
and high-quality services. On October 11, 2007, in conjunction with the global initial public offering of shares of
SFH, the shares of SFH were listed for trading on the First Section of the TSE. Following this global offering,
SFH remains a consolidated subsidiary of Sony Corporation, which is the majority shareholder of SFH.
SFH conducts insurance and banking operations primarily through Sony Life, a Japanese life insurance
company, Sony Assurance, a Japanese non-life insurance company, and Sony Bank, a Japanese Internet-based
bank, which are all wholly-owned by SFH.
All Other
All Other consists of various operating activities, including the disc manufacturing business outside of Japan
and the PC business, which was sold in July 2014. Certain costs related to the PC business remain in All Other.
Sony’s products and services are generally unique to a single operating segment.
Sales and Distribution
Electronics*
* The term “Electronics” refers to the sum of the MC, G&NS, IP&S, HE&S and Devices segments.
Sony’s electronics products and services, excluding those in the game business, are marketed throughout the
world under the trademark “Sony,” which has been registered in approximately 200 countries and territories.
In most cases, sales of Sony’s electronics products are made to sales subsidiaries of Sony Corporation
located in or responsible for sales in the countries and territories where Sony’s products and services are
marketed. These subsidiaries then sell those products to unaffiliated local distributors and dealers or through
direct sales via the Internet. In some regions, sales of certain products and services are made directly to local
distributors by Sony Corporation.
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