Denis Handlin’s Challenge After 30 Years At The Top

In October 2014 about 700 people gathered at Sydney’s The Star to celebrate a music industry anniversary like no other. It wasn’t just 30 years of service, but it was 30 years at the top, a feat hard to believe in any industry, let alone music.

But 30 years as the boss of Sony Music in Australia is exactly what Denis Handlin has achieved, having become Chief Executive of the Australian Record Company in 1984. That eventually became Sony Music Entertainment Australasia, which he was made Chairman of in 1996. He now oversees the Australian, New Zealand and Asian operations of the label. Not bad for someone who started in the ARC distribution warehouse back in 1970.

Handlin is more than the ‘great survivor’ though, he’s built a career worth of friendships and relationships with some of the world’s biggest artists – and beyond. Tributes from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Simon Cowell and Tony Abbott were testament to that at the anniversary event.

“In this business the minute you think you know it all you know bugger all!” Handin says. “It’s a constant changing landscape and you have to learn and self-educate every day. I love talking to the interns and hearing their views and ideas.”

Handlin has faced some battles in his time, but perhaps none have been as difficult or vital as the piracy crusade of the last half-decade. He admits the immediate challenge is “the constant protection of artist and the industry against piracy and trying to get some practical laws and participation to minimise the massive theft of creative content online. This has always been a huge challenge and it has at times been like trying to knit spaghetti!”

In recent years industry stakeholders have been working closer with government than ever before – acrosss a number of industry topics. But copyright is one of the most difficult battles given the scope of federal legislation that will need to be altered and the resistance from those outside of the music sector, who are nervous about controlling internet usage.

“We are getting there,” Handlin assures, “and the government seems to be on the doorstep of updating online laws to provide content creators and legitimate retailers an improved market system to better service music consumers and support creative talent.”

He adds, “Despite all the change however, the constant feature stays the same – it is always about brilliant stars, hits and artists’ stories together with the marketing and promotion skills of the record company to capture the public’s attention. We have always gone forward with the view that – the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”

More with Denis Handlin in the AMID Power 50.