Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG. The venture’s successor, the again-active Sony Music Entertainment, is 100% owned by the Sony Corporation of America.

History[link]

Sony BMG Music Entertainment began as the result of a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (part of Sony) and Bertelsmann Music Group (part of Bertelsmann) completed on March 4, 2004. It is one of the Big Four music companies, and includes ownership and distribution of recording labels such as Arista Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, RCA Victor Records, RCA Records, Legacy Recordings, Sonic Wave America, and others. The merger affected all Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group companies worldwide except for Japan, where it was felt that it would reduce competition in that country’s music industry significantly.

Financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually.

The company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, who succeeded Andrew Lack on February 10, 2006. In the first half of 2005, the company's share of new releases in the United States (US) declined from 33% to 26% according to Nielsen SoundScan. This, and Lack's negotiation of what some called an "ill-conceived" deal with Bruce Springsteen led to Bertelsmann informing Sony that it would not renew Lack's contract.

The company signed a content deal with the popular video sharing community YouTube.

On August 5, 2008 Sony Corp. agreed to buy Bertelsmann AG's 50 percent stake in the music company for $1.2 billion to get full control. The music company will be renamed Sony Music Entertainment Inc. and will become a unit of Sony Corporation of America.^[1] This will allow Sony the rights to artists on the current and historic BMG roster and would allow Sony Corporation to better integrate its functions with its PlayStation 3 and upcoming new media initiatives.

See also[link]

Companies portal

• Sony Music Entertainment
• Bertelsmann Music Group
• Big Four
• Sony Music Entertainment Japan, which was not part of Sony BMG, distributed Japanese Music in the US through Columbia or Epic, since around March 2007 when previous distributor, Tofu Records, was closed down
• List of record labels
• List of Sony Music Entertainment labels
• List of Sony Music Entertainment artists
• Columbia House

References[link]

• Leonard, Devin (Nov. 28, 2005). "Music Lessons." Fortune, pp. 31–32.

External links[link]

• Sony Commercial Music Group (CMG) – Official Site
• Sony Music Entertainment, Incorporated – Company Profile on Yahoo!
• Music Press Coverage of Sony BMG Merger Completion
• Business press coverage of merger completion
• Groklaw Page on Sony BMG DRM Issues and Litigation
• Sony BMG Litigation and Rootkit Info
• Sony BMG Sued for Software Piracy – Assets Seized
• Sony BMG's channel on YouTube

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Piotr Rubik (born 3 September 1968 in Warsaw) is a Polish composer of symphonic pop music for orchestra, films and theatre.

Piotr Rubik

Biography[link]

He learned to play the cello from the age of 7, went on to a musical secondary school, and then studied at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Later he became a member of the world-class orchestra Jeunesses Musicales. He studied film score composition in Siena, Italy, under Ennio Morricone.

Piotr Rubik worked with various Polish artists and musicians, such as Edyta Górniak with "Dotyk". He also did work on film tracks and television. His most popular songs have been Niech mówią że to nie jest miłość (Let them say it's not love), Psalm dla Ciebie (Psalm for You), Most Dwojga Serc (Bridge of Two Hearts), Nie Wstydź się mówić że kochasz (Don't be afraid to say that you love), and Miłość cierpliwa jest, lecz i nie cierpliwa (Love is patient, yet impatient).

Rubik has also performed North America numerous times since September 2007. In October–November 2010, the composer and conductor went on a tour of 17 concerts in the USA and Canada, starting in Trenton, New Jersey and finishing the tour in Chicago, Illinois.

Main works[link]

His magnum opus to date is the oratorio Tu Es Petrus, Latin for "You Are Peter", which he dedicated to Pope John Paul II. It forms only one part of his "Tryptyk Świętokrzyski" (Holy Cross Triptych) which he composed to texts written by Zbigniew Książek. The other parts are Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota (Holy Cross of Golgotha) and Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy (September Psalter) with Tu Es Petrus forming the second part.

[edit] Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota

Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota is an oratorio based on the life of Jesus Christ as found in the Bible. The title is translated as "Holy Cross of Golgotha." The cross of the title refers to the manner in which Jesus died — crucifixion at the hands of the Roman authorities in Jerusalem. Golgotha is the hill outside of Jerusalem upon which Jesus was crucified and died. The oratorio follows the life and death of Jesus, although the prologue was originally written for the Polish film Quo Vadis and deals with St Peter.

Świętokrzyska Golgota premiered on April 6, 2004 at the Cathedral Basilica in Kielce, Poland.

[edit] Tu Es Petrus

Tu Es Petrus was written in 2005 as a tribute to and birthday present for Pope John Paul II, but the Pope died before its completion. Rubik later called it an "epitaph" for John Paul II. "Tu Es Petrus" is Latin for "You Are Peter," a reference to Matthew 16:18, a statement which Catholics believe made Peter head of the Church (and by extension, Peter's successors) by the authority of Jesus Christ.

Tu Es Petrus premiered on July 2, 2005 to critical and popular success. Following the popularity of Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota, which had opened the year before, and compounded by the intense interest in the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II after his death just a few months earlier, Rubik's new oratorio was immediately hailed as his magnum opus. The following years would see the oratorio performed in cities across Poland, as well as in cities with large Polish populations in Canada and the United States, to popular acclaim.

The oratorio is based in part on the writings of Pope John Paul II, particularly his poetry, specifically in the songs "Zdumienie" (Wonder) and "Strumień" (Stream). Tu Es Petrus is written in three parts, which look, respectively, at the mystery of creation, the mystery of the Cross, and the mystery of love — three areas which the Pope addressed and wrote about repeatedly during his 26-year pontificate. Each part contains four songs and a "litany" and "intermezzo" piece, with the entire oratorio bookended by a prologue and epilogue piece titled "Tu Es Petrus", the only two songs directly addressing the life of John Paul II.

The song "Niech mówią, że to nie jest miłość" (Let them say that it's not love) was frequently played in mainstream Polish radio stations and charted on high positions. Furthermore, a music video featuring Rubik's soloists (and Rubik himself) was filmed and aired on Polish television.

[edit] Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy

Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy ("The September Psalter") takes its inspiration from the Book of Psalms and looks at their relevance to us today. The "Septembers" in question are September 11, 2001 and September 1, 1939, when the Nazis invaded Poland — a device referring to the forces of evil, whenever and wherever they strike. In keeping with this theme, Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy opened on September 11, 2006 in Kielce. As with Tu Es Petrus, Rubik toured this oratorio through Poland and North America.

Despite the titular subject matter, Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy remains a commentary on the triumph of the human spirit over the tyranny of evil. It delves deep into Christian tradition in its texts. The oratorio is divided into four parts — Psalms of Faith, with songs referring to the Apostles' Creed, Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Moses; Psalms of the Angels, which speak of the heavenly protectors; Psalms of Hope, which range from themes of repentance to the defeat of despair; and Psalms of Love, a series of love songs, including the popular hit song "Psalm dla Ciebie" (Psalm for You).

[edit] Zakochani w Krakowie

In the summer of 2007, Rubik again teamed with Zbigniew Książek to write and conduct an orchestral and choral cantata for the 750th anniversary of Cracow's township, called Zakochani w Krakowie (roughly translated "In love, in Cracow"). It proved to be wildly popular among Cracovians, with multiple encores played at the sole performance that took place in Cracow's town square on June 1, 2007.

Zakochani w Krakowie follows the history of the city of Cracow, from its rebuilding in 1257 by King Bolesław V the Chaste to the present, chronicling Polish heroes from artist Vit Stwosz to Pope John Paul II, as well as historically significant places, such as Wawel Cathedral and its Bell of Sigismund.

[edit] Oratorium dla Świata: Habitat

Following the success of Zakochani w Krakowie, Rubik wrote a new oratorio, with the incomprehensibly long title of Oratorium dla Świata, część I: Habitat, moje miejsce na ziemi ("Oratorio for the World, part I: Habitat, my place on earth"). Featuring six new, younger soloists, Habitat opened in December 2007 with a decisive new twist: the addition of a DJ and beatboxers to Rubik's traditional hundred-member orchestra and hundred and twenty-strong choir. Habitat proved to be much more pop than classical (although Rubik had always blurred these lines) with the addition of several innovations, such as the piece "Most Dwojga Serc" (Bridge between hearts), which featured the composer and conductor himself playing the piano and singing. Other notable features include the Gospel-esque chorus of "Serce Dzwonu", translated as "Heart of the bell" (with its ringing refrain of "Gloria, Gloria"); the operatic "Katedra" (Cathedral); the children's song "Schody donikąd" (Staircase to nowhere); and the beatboxing featured in the epilogue piece "Habitat".

Habitat is another commentary on human society, emphasizing the need for peace in a troubled world and harmony among peoples. Each song is subtitled with a phrase or word such as "peace", "faith", "neighbor", "tolerance" etc. The oratorio texts were written by Polish poet Roman Kołakowski, Rubik having parted ways with Zbigniew Książek after Zakochani.

[edit] Santo Subito: Cantobiografia Jana Pawła II

October 2009 was the premiere of Santo Subito, Rubik's work about the story of John Paul II. Libretto for this work was written by Jacek Cygan. The story starts with the song "Lolek", beginning with Wojtyła's early life in Wadowice. It continues with songs mentioning Karol Wojtyla's love of theater, his priesthood, and papacy. In many of the pieces in Santo Subito, the text contains various facts and interesting information regarding culture and the pope's life.

Santo Subito featured soloists Zofia Nowakowska, Anna Józefina Lubieniecka, Marta Moszczyńska, Grzegorz Wilk, Michał Gasz, and Michał Bogdanowicz. Soloist Ewa Prus replaced Anna Józefina Lubieniecka in May 2010.

[edit] Opisanie Świata

November 8th, 2011 was when Rubik released Opisanie Świata. The project once again united him with Zbigniew Ksiązek, who wrote the lyrics. Opisanie Świata was, to a degree, similar to "Habitat", in which love was a central theme. This work also was described as a rock opera by Piotr Rubik, as it included drums and guitars, unlike any of his other compositions.

The soloists featured in Opisanie Świata were Zofia Nowakowska, Grzegorz Wilk, Marta Moszczyńska, Michał Gasz, and Ewa Prus.

Popular and critical appeal[link]

Some claim Rubik's work is classical music, although some critics point that he is very active in the world of popular mass media and that his compositions are rather more similar to popular music with sacral elements, and arranged for orchestra. Unlike many composers considered classical, Rubik often gives interviews to popular media and records music videos to his compositions.

His acclaim in the popular culture is very warm, indeed — his albums are one of the most frequently bought CDs in Poland. Furthermore, some the individual songs from "Tu Es Petrus", "Psałterz Wrześniowy" and "Habitat" have been re-recorded as pop songs and music videos created for them.

Critics[link]

Some music critics in Poland have suggested that Rubik's work is amateurish and banal, especially after the completion of Zakochani w Krakowie. Stanisław Krawczyński, head of the Academy of Music in Cracow, called it a "scandal"[1] that his Academy had been passed over in favor of Rubik to open the 750th anniversary celebrations. At the same time, fellow composer Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar called him an "amateur,"[2] and Cracovian filmmaker Artur Więcek rhetorically asked why his (taxpayer) money should be spent on Rubik's "pseudoreligious" work for the festival.^[1]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2004 Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota 1x Platinum
• 2005 Oratorium Tu Es Petrus - Ty Jesteś Skała - #2 PL, 2x Platinum
• 2006 Rubikon - #1 PL, 3x Platinum
• 2006 Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy - #1 PL, 2x Diamond
• 2007 Cantata Zakochani w Krakowie
• 2007 Oratorium dla Świata: Habitat

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Piotr Rubik

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

Andrew James Tierney (born 20 June 1974) is a member of Human Nature.^[1]

Andrew and brother Mike are the main songwriters of the group, co-writing the singles, Got It Goin' On, Telling Everybody, Don't Say Goodbye, Whisper Your Name, Be There With You, When We Were Young (with the rest of the band), Always Be With You and Don't Come Back. Andrew is known for his high falsetto.

Andrew is married to Heather Tierney , the older sister of Andrea Tierney who is married to Andrew's brother Mike Tierney. hey currently lve in Campbelltown Sydney Australia and have small partys about 4 times a year^[2]

References[link]

This article on an Australian singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Natasha Margaret Kaplinsky^[1] (born 9 September 1972 in Brighton)^[2] is a British newsreader and television presenter, currently employed by ITN produced ITV News and London Tonight having previously worked for Channel 5, Sky News and the BBC. She won the first series of the TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life[link]

Kaplinsky's parents are Raphael Kaplinsky, an exiled Jewish South African^[3] economics professor at the Open University, and his wife Catherine Kaplinsky née Charlewood, a psychotherapist.

Her paternal grandparents originated from Slonim (then in Poland, now in Belarus), and emigrated to South Africa in 1929. Kaplinsky was born in Brighton, but spent her early life in Kenya (where she claims to have been fluent in Swahili),^[4] although she later returned to the United Kingdom, where she was brought up in Barcombe, East Sussex. She attended Ringmer Community College, until the age of sixteen when she moved to Varndean College in Brighton.

After graduating in English from Hertford College, Oxford in 1995,^[2] one of her first jobs was working in the press offices of Labour leaders Neil Kinnock and John Smith.

Kaplinsky was the subject of one of a series of BBC television programmes, Who Do You Think You Are?, in which well-known people trace their family trees. Kaplinsky's programme was broadcast on 6 September 2007.^[5][6] She followed her paternal line to Slonim and was shown official documentation relating to her cousin's family. This included the death of family members during the "liquidation" – massacre – of the Slonim ghetto by the Nazis and another's escape to the partisans and eventual emigration to Australia. Her maternal line included an apothecary to King George III.

Broadcasting career[link]

Early career[link]

Kaplinsky started out presenting on F2F, a youth chat show, for Granada Talk TV in 1996^[2] with co-host Sacha Baron Cohen. She then moved to presenting early morning news bulletins at Meridian. Within six months she was co-presenting their evening news programme Meridian Tonight. In 1999 she moved to ITV's London News Network^[2] where she hosted London Today and London Tonight and a political programme called Seven Days.

In November 2000, she moved to Sky News, where she co-presented Live at Five with Jeremy Thompson, as well as the breakfast news programme Sunrise.

BBC News[link]

Kaplinsky joined the BBC to present BBC Breakfast in November 2002, from Monday to Thursday alongside Dermot Murnaghan, following the departure of Sophie Raworth to present the BBC News at Six. Kaplinsky eventually left Breakfast in May 2005, to become an occasional presenter on the News at Six. Kaplinsky also acted as main weekday presenter on the News at Six, when Raworth was on maternity leave in October 2005. She was replaced as the main weekday presenter on Breakfast by Sian Williams.

In 2006, Kaplinsky became only the third woman to present the BBC's Ten O'Clock News, after Fiona Bruce (regular presenter) and Sian Williams who had co-presented the programme from the studio in Westminster with Huw Edwards in April 2005. She continued to present the programme occasionally in 2007, and was also on the One O'Clock News.

From May 2007, Kaplinsky took part in a trial on BBC One in Birmingham, where she presented a news update at 20:00, between 60–90 seconds long.^[7]

On 5 October 2007 the BBC confirmed that Kaplinsky had decided to depart the BBC to become a presenter of Five News. She presented her last Six O'Clock News on 5 October with former Breakfast colleague Dermot Murnaghan.^[8] Her BBC salary was a reported £175,000 and her salary at Five was reported to be "in excess of" £300,000.^[9]

Five News[link]

On 18 February 2008 Kaplinsky presented her first broadcast for Five.^[2] Her first bulletin which aired at 17:00 was reported to have been watched by a million viewers.^{[citation needed]} She also presented a second programme at 19:00, Monday to Thursday with news correspondent Matt Barbet presenting each Friday.

On 21 August 2008, she begun her first maternity leave from Five, Isla Traquair and Barbet stood in for her until 16 February 2009. Following her return she only hosted the 17:00 programme. From 18 March 2010 she started her second maternity leave with Barbet again standing in for her.

On 14 October 2010, Kaplinsky announced that she was leaving her job at Channel 5 at the end of 2010, having spent much of her three years at the broadcaster on maternity leave.^[10] On 23 December 2010, she presented her final bulletin for Five News.

ITN[link]

On 3 August 2011, it was announced that Kaplinsky will provide maternity leave cover for Nina Hossain, the main presenter of London Tonight and relief presenter of ITV News programmes from mid-September until Spring 2012.^[11]

Other TV work[link]

In 2004, Kaplinsky participated in the first series of the celebrity ballroom dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing and along with partner Brendan Cole, went on to win the competition. She then co-presented the first half of the second series in 2004 with Bruce Forsyth, as maternity cover for regular presenter, Tess Daly.^[12]

She has also appeared in a number of episodes of the sitcom My Hero, reading the news, mainly reports of character Thermoman's heroic deeds. In July 2005 she hosted the one-off special Strictly African Dancing alongside Martin Offiah. Kaplinsky has also hosted Making Your Mind Up, the UK qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest.

On 18 November 2005, Kaplinsky hosted the BBC's annual Children in Need charity telethon, alongside Fearne Cotton and Terry Wogan, and again in 2006, on 17 November. Kaplinsky also presented the BBC's New Year Live, celebrating the arrival of the year 2006 and 2007. She has made at least one appearance on Have I Got News For You, also with Bruce Forsyth hosting.

In 2008, she made a cameo appearance in the BBC television series Torchwood as archive footage for the millennium in the directory of geological studies by DkMd in 2005.

Kaplinsky returned to television in July 2011, hosting Born to Shine for ITV.^[13][14]

Personal life[link]

On 21 August 2005, Kaplinsky married Justin Bower, an investment banker from London at Babington House, Somerset,^[15] whom she met on a blind date six months earlier.^[16]

In April 2008, Kaplinsky announced she was pregnant with their first child, six weeks after her debut on Five News. On 25 September 2008, Five News revealed that Kaplinsky had given birth to a son,^[17] whom she and Bower later named Arlo, over two weeks after he was born.

On 7 October 2009, Natasha informed Five bosses she was pregnant again.^[18] On 9 April 2010 she gave birth to a daughter, Angelica Pearl Bower.^[19][20]

On 8 February 2011, Natasha commented in a BBC radio interview on Steve Wright in the Afternoon that she and her husband Justin Bower had performed as disguised extras for the English National Ballet although she "had insisted that her name was not used in the programme". In the production of Romeo and Juliet she had performed as "Wench number 7" at the London Coliseum.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Natasha Kaplinsky

• Who Do You Think You Are? - Natasha Kaplinsky BBC
• "Natasha Kaplinsky talks at campaign dinner". Jewish Care. 4 July 2007. http://www.jewishcare.org/news/archive-2007/july/natasha-kaplinsky-talks-at-campaign-dinner/. Retrieved 9 July 2009.