Over 100 current and former Sony Music Australia has spoken out on a culture of systemic bullying, discrimination and misconduct under the leadership of former chief executive Denis Handlin.
In front of the Music, a Four Corners talk intended to chronicle the rise and fall of one of Australian music’s most powerful players will air at 8:30 p.m. tonight.
The documentary, reported by Grace Tobin, will examine Sony Music’s toxic culture during Handlin’s reign, promising to reveal “the inner story, where fear and intimidation lurked in the halls for decades.”
Handlin abruptly left Sony Music on June 21, after more than 51 years with the company, with a 37-year tenure at the top. His departure was confirmed in an internal email distributed by the company’s New York-based global president Rob Stringer.
The internal email read: “I am writing to inform you that Denis Handlin will be leaving Sony Music Entertainment after more than 50 years with the company, effective immediately.”
Handlin’s departure follows several reports published by Sydney Morning Herald on allegations of discrimination, bullying and harassment within Sony Music Australia.
Sony Music’s global headquarters said it was investigating “workplace culture,” but wrote that Handlin’s departure was due to a “time for a change in leadership.”
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Talk with ABC, Former Sony Music Australia CFO Alan Terrey, who worked as Handlin’s second in command for 14 years, called the statement a “load of hogwash”.
“What has upset most of us … is that [Sony] New York said, “Oh, we just found out about this problem, it just came out,” Terrey said.
The report alleges that Sony Music’s world headquarters in New York City was made aware of Handlin’s behavior several times during the 1990s, but the complaints were ignored.
The situation worsened in June 1986, after an American leader reported Handlin’s conduct. Greg Lockhardt, Sony’s director of human resources in the 90s, was commissioned to write a report detailing Handlin’s behavior.
The document, co-authored with three other executives, including Alan Terrey, gives detailed examples of Handlin’s “abusive” management style, which includes “frequent mad rages of screaming and intimidation”, “humiliation” and “Intimidation” of staff; and Handlin’s inability to treat women as equals. It was never published.
As a result of the report, Handlin was suspended and 10 Australian executives were airlifted to New York for one-on-one talks with head office. Ultimately, to no avail – three months after the suspension, World Headquarters announced that Handlin would be returning.
The report details that there was a “laddish” culture within Sony’s ranks, where discrimination and objectification of women were rife.
“It made it possible for people who wanted to have that laddish outlook on life to do it,” said former general manager Matthew McQuade. “There was no consequence in doing so because, in the end, one person held all the power. He set the tone.
Four Corners confirmed that at least seven employees were laid off while on maternity leave over a six-year period in 2013.
An internal staff video obtained by Four Corners crystallizes Handlin’s grim and aggressive “we all sleep better when we fuck NDE” mentality, chants Handlin, dressed as Adolf Hitler.
“I remember during sales meetings he blackmailed everyone, ‘Fuck EMI. Fuck Warner, ”said Eleanor McKay, who joined Sony in 1986.“ It wasn’t enough to say ‘We’re awesome, we’re the best’, it’s like ‘Everybody’s shit’. “
After Handlin left, in the midst of the Global Headquarters “workplace culture” investigation, four other Sony executives left the company without explanation.
In a statement, Sony Music Entertainment said, “We take all allegations of bullying, harassment and other inappropriate behavior by our employees very seriously and are vigorously investigating them.”
“It is only recently that complaints have surfaced and we are investigating them quickly.”
Greg Lockhart says this response is “insulting” and that global headquarters should take responsibility for ignoring the welfare of its Australian staff for decades.
“For them to just say, ‘Oh, we found out about a month or two months ago,’ that’s just unbelievable,” he said. “It is insulting to everyone who has worked there and faced this abuse for all these years.”
Face the Music, reported by Grace Tobin, will air on Monday 11e October at 8:30 p.m. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS on Saturdays at 8:10 p.m. AEST, ABC iview and on abc.net.au/4corners.
