Sony Global Relief Fund

On April 2, the $100 million Global Relief Fund launched, and is designed to bring relief to medical workers on the front lines; protect children and educators facing challenges arising from school closures; and support creators, artists and other partners in the entertainment community who have been impacted by COVID-19. 

Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group, commented about Sony Music Group’s work as part of the Global Relief Fund here.

Employee Matching Program

On April 14, a 1:1 matching program was implemented, dedicated to helping the communities most directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sony Music matched full-time employee charitable donations dollar-for-dollar to a select group of more than 100 global organizations throughout the months of April and May.

Giving Tuesday launched the following week. Every Tuesday, during the months of April and May, Sony Music Group matched 2:1 any employee donation made to a select group of food banks around the world, helping to feed families facing food insecurity.

Community Cares

On May 18, Community Cares launched, with a goal of bringing awareness and aid to communities around the world that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The support from Community Cares will come in the form of financial assistance, outreach programs and opportunities for employee and artist engagement and ongoing connections between Sony Music and music communities around the country. 

Beginning in the U.S., Sony Music Group partnered with leading national and international organizations: Operation USA and The National Urban League. Each partnership is designed to raise awareness and provide relief aid to vulnerable communities throughout the United States. 

Through individual grants, Operation USA will support local Black and Hispanic community-based nonprofit organizations with relief efforts that focus on music and the arts as well as education, mental health and food insecurity in the hardest hit areas across the country. Current grant recipients include organizations within Austin, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans and New York. Additional cities and communities in the U.S. and abroad will continue to be added. 

Social Justice Fund

On June 5, Sony Music Group announced the launch of a $100 million fund to support social justice and anti-racist initiatives around the world. The Company, inclusive of all of its recorded music and content divisions and music publishing company, immediately began to donate to organizations that foster equal rights. 

In making the announcement, Rob Stringer, Chairman, Sony Music Group, said, “Racial injustice is a global issue that affects our artists, songwriters, our people and of course society at large. We stand against discrimination everywhere and we will take action accordingly with our community fully involved in effectively using these funds.”

Equal Justice Employee Matching Program

Throughout the month of June, the Company reinstated its Giving Tuesday program, branded Equal Justice. The initiative was designed to raise awareness and support anti-racist initiatives around the world. All employee donations were matched – every Tuesday – to a list of more than 80 organizations dedicated to fostering equal rights and impacting long-term change.

Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote

In August, Sony Music Group launched a U.S. voter campaign committed to empowering and energizing communities around the electoral process and strengthening democracy. With Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote, the Company invited everyone to exercise their right to vote and offered critical tools and information for employees, artists and songwriters to share across their networks.

To ensure all U.S. SMG employees had the opportunity to vote and encourage others to vote, the Company observed a full paid day on Election Day, November 3.

As part of the campaign’s work to close the race and age voting gap, Sony Music partnered with key partners including Rock The Vote, When We All Vote, Color of Change, Voto Latino, Movement Voter Fund, Black Futures Lab, APIA Vote and The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).

Season of Giving

Beginning November 17, Sony Music Group brought back the Giving Tuesday employee donation matching program through the end of 2020. The Season of Giving campaign occurred every Tuesday as part of SMG’s COVID Global Relief Fund.

A list of charities around the world – ranging from food banks to shelters to educational services – was provided. All full-time regular employees were eligible to have their donations matched, without a minimum or maximum donation.

The Giving Tuesday initiative joined the Company’s previous successful campaigns as well as additional philanthropic impacts we’ve made to effect change in 2020.

Sony Music Germany’s Turning Tables Partnership

Sony Music Germany announced a new partnership with non-profit Turning Tables, providing coaching and mentoring in music industry skills for local and refugee children and young people in Berlin. 

The new program kicked off in March 2021 and focused on young people between the ages of nine and 27 and was jointly funded by Sony Music Germany and the Federal Government backed Fonds Soziokultur (Socioculture Fund). 

Sony Music UK’s Social Justice Fund

Seven new organizations have received funding from Sony Music UK’s Social Justice Fund, as part of the global Sony Music Group commitment to support anti-racist initiatives and educational opportunities in under-served communities. Grantees funded in this round tackle a range of social justice issues, from broadening access to education and skills, to improving representation, to providing holistic support for people of color.

The partnerships launched in April 2021, with a third round of funding in June. Social Justice Fund beneficiaries are chosen by a diverse advisory board representing labels and divisions across Sony Music UK, from label presidents to members of Sony Music’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, HUE (Helping Unite Everyone).

Beyond The Instrument

Sony Music Group (SMG) announced Beyond The Instrument, a new, annual program designed to stimulate creativity, advance educational resources and promote career development within the music industry. 

Save The Music and Music Forward are SMG’s first nonprofit partners for the program. In collaboration with Grammy® nominated artist Noah Cyrus, the initiative kicked off with a virtual classroom discussion with Metropolitan Nashville’s Public School students, led by Music Forward, where Cyrus will share her journey to becoming a hit singer-songwriter. It will also consist of a four-week series of music industry education workshops with students from Antioch High School in Nashville and will culminate in the delivery of musical instruments and technology equipment to the schools later this year.

The educational workshops provided by Music Forward are a series of music industry readiness programs and will cover topics ranging from Music Business 101 to Music Marketing, Monetizing Creativity, and more.

Designed to ensure all children have equity and access to in-school music education, the Beyond The Instrument program will fund the Save The Music J Dilla Music Technology Grant, a comprehensive package of musical instruments, sound engineering equipment, and technology software. Upon delivery at the start of the 2021-22 school year, this new program will empower Antioch High School students through learning the fundamentals of electronic music creation, recording, and production.

Partner Organizations

COVID-19 Relief Fund

The list below identifies partner organizations that Sony Music Group has dedicated funds to in order to help communities most directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social Justice Fund

Together with our community partners, Sony Music Group has donated funds to help strengthen the fight for social injustice. A list of charities working with the Company can be found below.