Miroslav Žbirka

Bonton Music was a record label in Czech Republic and Slovakia. The name is a pun: bon ton means "etiquette" in French , but also may be understood as "good sound" and alliterates with Panton, another Czech label. In 1998 the Czech Bonton was merged with Sony Music Czech Republic and continued as... Sony Music Bonton, being the second largest Czech label at that time. Sony Music owned 51% of shares, while Bonton Music's parent company, the Bonton Group owned 49% of shares. In Slovakia, the business name was Bonton Music Slovakia s.r.o., headquartered in Bratislava. In 1999 it was also merged with Sony Music to operate as Sony Music / Bonton Slovakia s.r.o. since September 9, 1999. In 2003 Sony Music bought out the shares of the Bonton Group in the record label.
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Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG. The venture’s successor, the again-active Sony Music Entertainment, is 100% owned by the Sony Corporation of America. Sony BMG Music... Entertainment began as the result of a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group completed on March 4, 2004. It is one of the Big Four music companies, and includes ownership and distribution of recording labels such as Arista Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, RCA Victor Records, RCA Records, Legacy Recordings, Sonic Wave America, and others. The merger affected all Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group companies worldwide except for Japan, where it was felt that it would reduce competition in that country’s music industry significantly. Financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually.
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