Marty Bandier's Triumph

MAN WITH THE CIGAR: Today’s European Commission approval for Sony/ATV’s acquisition of EMI Music Publishing represents a triumph for industry vet Marty Bandier, who is reunited with the company he built and left in October 2006, eventually replaced by Roger Faxon. Bandier originally co-founded SBK Entertainment World with partners Charles Koppelman and Stephen Swid in 1984, acquiring CBS Songs shortly thereafter for $125 million, which turned out to be a bargain. The company was acquired by Thorn-EMI five years later, with Marty named Chairman of EMI Music Publishing. He was there for 17 years, joining Sony/ATV in 2007, and within weeks acquired the valuable Leiber-Stoller and Famous Music catalogs to add to the treasure trove of Beatles songs it already controlled. Among his accomplishments at EMI Music was buying Berry Gordy’s Jobete publishing. (4/18p)