Sony's Latin blend

Music ops in Americas combined in one unit

By JUSTIN OPPELAAR

Sony Music has consolidated all its Latin-music operations in the U.S., the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America under one division, to be called Sony Music Norte, and has tapped Latin music vet Kevin Lawrie to oversee the new unit.

Separately, Sony said Oscar Llord, the chairman of Sony Music Norte predecessor Sony Discos, has departed the company as part of the new reorganization.

Lawrie, who will be based in Miami and report to Sony Music Intl.'s Latin American chief Frank J. Welzer, will head up all day-to-day operations at Sony Music Norte, including A&R, marketing, promotion, sales and distribution.

Mexico chief

Exec was most recently president of Sony Music Mexico, a post he has held for the past four years. Exec worked his way up through the Sony Music organization over the past decade, starting in 1993 as SMI's senior director of finance for Latin America.

The creation of Sony Music Norte is one of several moves that Sony has made in recent years to regroup its Latin music operations and coordinate its efforts in the genre. Other recently formed units include Sony Music CEV (Columbia Ecuador Venezuela), Sony Music Sur (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay & Uruguay) and Sony Music Brazil.