Sony Music Entertainment (SME or Sony Music) is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.

The company, which evolved into Sony Music, was founded in 1929 as the American Record Corporation (ARC) through the merger of several smaller record companies. In the depths of the Great Depression, the Columbia Phonograph Company (founded in 1888) in the U.S. (including its Okeh Records subsidiary) was acquired by ARC in 1934.

ARC was acquired in 1938 by the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (which itself had been formed by the Columbia Phonograph Company, but then sold off). The Columbia Phonograph Company had international subsidiaries and affiliates such as the Columbia Graphophone Company in the United Kingdom, but they were sold off prior to CBS acquiring American Columbia. RCA Victor Records executive Ted Wallerstein convinced CBS head William S. Paley to buy ARC and Paley made Wallerstein head of the newly acquired record company. CBS made Columbia its flagship label with Okeh its subsidiary label while deemphasizing ARC's other labels. This allowed ARC's leased labels Brunswick Records and Vocalion Records to revert to former owner Warner Bros. which sold the labels to Decca Records. Wallerstein restored Columbia's status as a leading record company and spearheaded the successful introduction of the long playing (LP) record before he retired as Columbia's chairman in 1951. James Conkling then became head of Columbia Records. Also in 1951, Columbia severed its ties with the EMI-owned record label of the same name and began a distribution deal with Philips Records. Okeh Records continued to be distributed by EMI on the Columbia label.

Camilo Blanes Cortés (born September 16, 1946), better known as Camilo Sesto, is a Spanish singer, composer and producer who enjoyed fame during the 1970s and the 1980s. Probably the most prominent male voice of Spanish pop music at that time, he became famous for his powerful, carefully arranged ballads, pop and rock. He has the world record of more number ones in the world: 52 overall and 18 in the list of 40 Principales.

Camilo Sesto was born in Alcoi, a city located in the province of Alicante, on September 16, 1946. Sesto sang in two pop bands during the 1960s and won a contest in a Madrid TV show. He also played a part in the Spanish filming of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Later, he teamed up with singer and producer Juan Pardo.

Sesto took a rest in 1987 to take care of his newborn son. In Mexico, DJs stopped playing his music and most of his fan base was lost. This bulletin did not make it to TV or radio in the United States due to marketing.

Sesto has or had homes in Torrelodones, near Madrid, and Coconut Grove (Miami area), Florida.

Sascha Reimann (born 2 October 1973 in Neuwied), alias Ferris MC, is a German musician, rapper and actor.

Ferris spent his youth in Neumünster, Kiel, and then Bremen. A recurring theme of social exclusion is predominant in his music.

He graduated from Hauptschule and served his apprenticeship as an auto mechanic. At the same time, he was a radio DJ and actor (i.e. Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten).^{[citation needed]}

Together with Flowin Immo and DJ Pee, Ferris founded the Freaks Association Bremen (FAB), which, in the quickly-growing German hip hop scene, achieved success rather quickly. They performed at several events, festivals, and on MTV and VIVA.

In 1994, FAB released their first album Freaks, on the small indie label MZEE. Three years later, they disbanded over a private, professional dispute.^{[citation needed]}

Ferris moved to Hamburg and in with Tobi Tobsen and finds DJ Stylewarz, who turned out to be a patient live DJ that was more fitting to Ferris' musical style. He released several records on Yo Mama.

Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003. In 2005, she formed the country music duo The Wreckers with friend and fellow musician Jessica Harp, and produced the Grammy-nominated single "Leave the Pieces". The Wreckers disbanded in 2007 to pursue their respective solo careers. She has had several commercially successful songs, most notably winning a Grammy with Santana for "The Game of Love".

Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch was born on July 2, 1983, in Phoenix, Arizona, to David and Peggy Branch, six months after they were married. Her father is of Irish descent, and her mother is of Dutch Indonesian and French descent. Her siblings include an older half-brother named David and a younger sister named Nicole.

Beginning to sing at the age of three, Branch enrolled in voice lessons at Northern Arizona University when she was eight, and received her first guitar for her fourteenth birthday. After teaching herself chords, she composed her first song "Fallen" within a week of receiving her guitar. She initially attended Sedona Red Rock High School, but finished the last two years of her high school education through home schooling so that she could focus on her music career. To support Branch's interests, her parents helped her book local gigs in Sedona, AZ, and later financed her independent album Broken Bracelet. Her set list at these gigs included covers by Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and Fleetwood Mac.

Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally by his stage name Marc Anthony, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads.

Anthony has won numerous awards and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions. He was the recipient of the 2009 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Chair's Award. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009. Anthony holds the record having the most number-one singles on the Billboard Tropical Songs.

Anthony is a minority owner/limited partner of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.

Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally by his stage name Marc Anthony, born in New York City to Guillerminna, a housewife, and Felipe Muñiz, a musician and hospital lunchroom worker. Anthony is of Puerto Rican descent, and his parents named him after Mexican singer Marco Antonio Muñiz. Anthony grew up in East Harlem as the youngest of 7 children. He was raised Roman Catholic.