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36 MusicWeek 04.05.12 PROFILESONY CLASSICAL A CLASSIC CASE OF REVIVAL


Sony Music’s new UK head of classics and crossover, Liam Toner, on turning his label into a contender - and making a “vital and important” contribution to his parent company’s output…


LABELS  BY TIM INGHAM


L


iam Toner loves three-minute pop songs and the bubblegum melodic genius of Cathy Dennis. He also has misgivings about parents


who force their unsmiling children “into the drawing room after dinner to listen to Schubert”. He is, on this evidence, perhaps an unlikely


industry advocate for classical music. But his CV certainly proves otherwise: Toner has enjoyed notably successful spells at the likes of Deutsche Grammophon, Decca and Phillips Classics. The exec’s pervading sense of frustration with


the elitism surrounding the classical genre is carved from a passionate love for the music, plus an annoyance at how potential fans are frozen out. During his career, this attitude has helped drive forward some of history’s biggest crossover artists; from Andrea Bocelli to Pavarotti and Andre Rieu. The Dubliner has now begun a new chapter,


heading up Sony Music’s classical and crossover department in London. Take a quick glance at the UK classical chart in


any given week, and you’ll see he has his work cut out: Universal’s dominance makes it rare to see more than two or three other labels in the Top 20 albums. Toner was busy fulfilling his life’s ambition to


learn Japanese language at University when he received a phone call from Sony’s global head of classics, Bogdan Roscic: “He said the magic words to me: ‘We’re getting serious about classical in the UK,’” recalls Toner. “Sony’s catalogue is considerably smaller than Universal’s three classical labels, but there’s a lot of untapped potential here – and Bogdan has transformed it to a large extent already.” No-one at Sony Music is kidding themselves


about their chances of wrestling too much power away from the leviathans of Decca or Deutsche Grammophon just yet – but there is a feeling that the label’s roster hasn’t been pushed to the public with enough oomph, particularly on these shores. “The UK has been one of the fastest growing


markets for Sony Classical in the last two years but we think there’s a lot of upside ahead,” Roscic tells Music Week. “Together with Sony Music UK and a team


strengthened by Liam joining we will be much more aggressive in the Crossover and Classical space and taking full advantage of the unique opportunities this market offers.” Toner adds: “I’d like Sony Classical to become as


vital and important a part of the company as Decca has for Universal. There’s a lot of support here. Right now, Sony’s classical power bases are New York and Berlin – and they want another one in London. That’s what I intent to do.” Talk to Toner for any length of time about the


historic classical greats he handles at Sony, and he’ll tempt you to delve into their work. His raw enthusiasm is matched with an ability to frame a composer’s character - or perhaps the colourful


backdrop to their output - in unthreatening everyman terminology. (He teaches us that Toscanini was “the Hendrix of his day”, whilst modern songwriters concerned by the digital age could learn a lot from Puccini – who edited his later works to ensure they fitted on the technology of the day, 78 discs, without complaint.) Toner says that Sony’s heritage classical artists


are “some of the best in the world” – from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould to Arthur Rubinstein – who “haven’t been presented properly for a long time”. In response, Toner and his team are working on


a number of “super Dark Side Of The Moon-type efforts” – box-sets stuffed with rare photographs, out-takes and other special treats for super-fans. A recently-released Toscanini special edition, The Complete RCA Collection, contains 85 discs and features performances from the greatest orchestras in the world. However, it is in the crossover space that Sony


sees most opportunity for growth. Toner predicts that the label will enjoy success on two counts this year: with core artists covering mainstream-friendly compositions, and with new releases from modern household names such as Russell Watson.


“It’s no secret that some of what Sony are keen


on in is the Il Divo effect,” he explains. “You could argue that Sony Classics started the whole crossover thing with James Galway back in the Seventies, and then Charlotte Church. But they didn’t really develop it after that. “I’m interested in crossover artists – but I’m not


interested in gimmicks. Crossover’s expensive; you don’t have radio play, so you’re writing out cheques for TV. We should do it, but only with artists who have a lifespan. Our flagship is Russell Watson – the original crossover British tenor.” Another strand of Sony’s 2012 classical roster


will come in the soundtrack space, which often features orchestral collections, but also strays into newer territory – such as the electric OST to recent cult movie hit Drive. “Our classical marketing manager here, Polly


Gunning, is a soundtracks specialist – she knows everything,” says Toner. “We’ve had War Horse and The Artist this year, but our big deal, which will be coming in June, is the soundtrack to the Rock Of Ages movie. It’s based on the Broadway smash and it’s full of Eighties power ballads. It’s kind of like Spinal Tap meets Glee. Tom


RIGHT Man on a mission: Liam Toner plans to revitalise Sony Classical’s catalogue and give its modern roster a major push


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“I’d like Sony Classical to become as vital and important a part of


the company as Decca has for Universal” LIAM TONER, SONY


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