EMI Music Publishing

EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by Sony Music Publishing.

In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pending regulatory approval. Sony has agreed to pay $2.3 billion to acquire EMI, as well as assume EMI's debt of $1.359 billion. In July 2018, Sony bought out the Michael Jackson estate's 10% stake in EMI for $287.5 million. With Sony and Jackson's share valued at $1.091 billion that gives EMI Music Publishing a valuation of $4.75 billion. On 26 October 2018, the European Commission approved of Sony's acquisition of EMI. In November 2018, Sony Music Publishing completed its acquisition of EMI, which was completely merged into Sony Music Publishing. Following these transactions, Sony owned 100% of EMI Music Publishing.

EMI currently exists for the artists that it signed pre-2012, effectively becoming an in-name-only unit of Sony Music Publishing. EMI Music Publishing controls over 2 million songs; including the Motown Records catalogue, and classic songs by Carole King and Queen, along with contemporary releases by Kanye West, Blink-182, Drake, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, P!nk, Calvin Harris and Sia. EMI owns the recorded catalogue of Philles Records, with distribution handled by Sony's division Legacy Recordings.

The origins of EMI Music Publishing date back to the EMI Group's entry into music publishing in 1958 through the formation of Ardmore and Beechwood. In 1969, EMI greatly expanded its presence in music publishing through the acquisition of Keith Prowse Music for US$1.2 million in cash and 70,000 ordinary stock units. In 1973, EMI acquired Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd. In 1973, EMI acquired Affiliated Music Publishers for US$8.75 million. In 1974, EMI renamed its music publishing division as EMI Music Publishing. In 1976, EMI Music Publishing acquired the Aldon Music, Screen Gems and Colgems music libraries from Columbia Pictures, making it a major publisher of film music. In 1989, EMI acquired SBK Entertainment, which included the CBS (April/Blackwood), MGM, and UA musical catalogs. In 1990, EMI acquired Filmtrax, which included the Mills Music, Ivan Mogull, and Al Gallico catalogs.

In July 1997, Motown founder Berry Gordy sold a 50 per cent stake in the label's Jobete Music publisher to EMI for $132 million. In 2003, EMI bought an additional 30% stake in Jobete for $120 million, then the final 20 per cent in 2004 for $80 million.

In July 1999, EMI acquired 40,000 copyrights from Fujisankei's Windswept Pacific publisher (including the Morris Levy songs) for $200 million.

In May 2011, EMI Music Publishing began bundling performance rights previously represented by ASCAP with mechanical and synchronization rights.

In 2007, EMI agreed to be purchased by Terra Firma, a UK-based private equity, beating out Warner and others. The deal value was about $6.5 billion, including $4.7 billion for the shares listed in the London stock exchange, and about $2 billion of debt. The deal represented a very high multiple of EBITDA, meaning it added large debt to EMI.