'Four Corners' Report Details 'Systemic Bullying & Misconduct' Within Sony Music Australia

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Further misconduct allegations have emerged from Sony Music Entertainment Australia with the airing of ABC's Four Corners investigation last night.

The program - titled Facing The Music - focused on the global label's Australian offices with former employees detailing their experiences to "expose a toxic workplace culture" under the leadership of Denis Handlin, former Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand who was exited from the business in June this year. 

Several former Sony Music Entertainment Australia employees shared their experiences working for Handlin, with the program speaking with over 100 current and former staffers "as part of an investigation into decades of systemic bullying, discrimination and misconduct at the company under Handlin's toxic regime".

The program detailed Sony Music Australia's culture under Handlin's leadership, including a video of Handlin portraying Adolf Hitler in an internal staff video parodying a Mel Brooks song while "making light of the competitive company culture", the alleged dismissal of women during or following pregnancy, a culture of heavy drinking and more. 

The program also revealed that "Handlin allowed two alleged perpetrators of sexual misconduct to remain at the company, despite formal complaints against them". 

This included an incident where "a female employee alleged that during a work event at the Sony office, a naked male manager confronted her in a bathroom and sexually assaulted her" in 2016 with the incident reported directly to Handlin and Sony HR. 

It's reported that the "despite an internal investigation confirming that some of the conduct had occurred and was deemed totally unacceptable to the company, the alleged perpetrator continued on in a senior role at Sony Music Australia for several more years" with the woman leaving the company with an $80,000 pay out and a non-disclosure agreement.

Former Sony A&R Coordinator Tamara Georgopoulos shared her experience of working at the company from 2011-2015, alleging that herself and other young female employees were the target of sexual harassment by male superiors at work events.

"The executives would get very, very drunk, to the point of slurring their speech, grabbing you, pulling you in for hugs, touching your body," said Georgopoulos. 

"Sometimes it felt as though we were just there as props… to kind of be preyed upon and to not be taken seriously in our careers.

"I was sexually harassed when I worked at Sony.

"Things that have happened to me that I normalised, and thought was OK, like an executive grabbing my chest at a concert.

"I've had friends sexually assaulted. It's just the norm."

READ MORE:

• Sony's Workplace Culture Crisis: Where To From Here?

• Five Lessons Australia’s Music Industry Needs To Take Away From The Sony Workplace Crisis

• Sony Artists & Managers In The Dark: 'We Found Out The Same Way As Everyone Else'

• Sony Music Aus Fallout Continues As ARIA Withdraw Award To Denis Handlin

• QMusic Revoke Denis Handlin Honorary Awards Following Four Corners Report

A former Sony Music Australia financial controller, Phil Barter, shared that during his time with the business he was asked to investigate "misuse of company funds" to report where Handlin "may have used company funds for personal benefit rather than corporate benefit". 

The show went on to say that Barter found evidence of a dozen different occasions where this allegedly occurred, including up to $15,000 on his school reunion in Brisbane which also included a payment for a well-known Australian Sony artist to perform at the event. Additionally, the report also detailed an allegation that Handlin had "spent company money at brothels". 

The program went on to detail Handlin's suspension from the company in the late '90s following a report from senior executives filed to the company's New York head office. The absence was described as "medical leave" by Handlin at the time. It was believed by staff that Handlin would not return to the business, only for the CEO to be reinstated after a three month break. 

The report also included "specific examples of Handlin's management style and behaviour, including 'common, everyday occurrences'" including that "he is abusive daily", "goes into frequent mad rages of screaming and bullying", "purposely sets out to destroy people for power", "constantly humiliates staff in meetings", "enjoys intimidating staff" and "cannot treat women as equals". 

Handlin's former chauffeur Shane Earle, who worked for Sony Music Australia from 1997 to 2001, said that he endured "constant verbal and psychological abuse" during his employment. 

During the program, Earle detailed an incident where he picked up Handlin following "a late night drinking session" in the Sydney CBD and then took him to Harry's Cafe de Wheels where Handlin then allegedly berated him for not having any money to purchase a pie, with the abuse then escalating while driving Handlin home and resulting in Handlin throwing a phone at Earle's head. Earle said he pulled the car over and left. 

Earle was later fired in March 2001 and said that he tried to report Handlin's ongoing "abuse behaviour" to the New York head office. The report goes on to say that he was paid out but nothing further was done about the behaviour. 

Longtime Sony Music Australia executive Tony Glover also appeared on the program, addressing his firing from the business in April this year when he was dismissed following inappropriate behaviour allegations.

Glover, who worked with the company for 17 years, was dismissed following an "an independent investigation into complaints he'd bullied and sexually harassed female staff". It's reported that five women were interviewed. 

It's also alleged that young female employees avoided him at functions as he was known as a "compulsive groper".

Glover however claims that he was made a "scapegoat" and does not recall any instances of "inappropriate touching because it's possible he was drunk at the time".

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour has taken to Twitter to say that the program "contacted many Sony artists. None of them would talk on the record about the decades long scandal within Sony Music". 

Sony Music Entertainment Australia, as well as the New York head office, are yet to publicly respond following the airing of the Four Corners investigation. 

Four Corners' Facing The Music report is available to watch on ABC's iView platform.