Sony Music Entertainment's Asia-Pacific supremo Denis Handlin has said today that he no longer uses the popular 'content is king' catch phrase as the company looks to battle a changing industy.
Delivering a keynote speech at the inaugural ARIA Week Masterclass at Sydney's Star today, Handlin described the current climate as "the most critical time in the history of the industry."
"Content will always be the bottle of the triangle," Handlin said, in a speech which focused on key themes of passion and determination. "We don't use 'content is king' in our company anymore, we say content must be compelling and relevant to the consumer and it's all about finding the hits, the stars and their story."
He added, "Great songs, with great talent, with brilliant marketing will always come through."
Quoting Steve Jobs and encouraging members of the audience to apply for jobs at Sony, Handlin encouraged a unification of the music industry and downplayed gabs between indie and major labels.
"They will never build a statue to a critic," he said, "We need to present a united front, we need each other... Positive leaders look at problems, and when they see them see challengers and opportunities."
