Tony Glover worked at Sony for almost 17 years until he was dismissed in April following an independent investigation into sexual misconduct.
Instagram page ‘Beneath the Glass Ceiling’ began posting anonymous allegations of sexual assault and toxic behaviour at major record labels in late 2020.
Companies were not explicitly named but it was obvious to former employees that the majority of the posts were related to Sony Music.
Glover believes he was a “scapegoat” for the company, saying he does not recall the alleged incidents due to the “drinking culture” at Sony Music, despite initially denying the allegations:
“I think that the thinking was, ‘The heat’s coming, we need to do something about this. What’s the best way to deal with it? Let’s take out a senior exec,'” he told Four Corners.
“Nothing to see here, move on.”
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These comments were made after Four Corners initiated their own investigation into decades of systematic bullying, discrimination and misconduct.
Speaking to over 100 current and former employees, the investigation uncovered the shocking workplace culture where senior executives would grope and assault staff at parties:
“The executives would get very, very drunk, to the point of slurring their speech, grabbing you, pulling you in for hugs, touching your body,”
Tamara Georgopoulos worked as an A&R coordinator at Sony Music from 2011 to 2015. She described the toxic culture and how any claims of misconduct were swept under the rug.
“Everyone in the music industry knows about Sony Music,” Ms Georgopoulos said.
“It’s widely known what kind of culture they foster and cultivate, and everyone’s just swept it under the rug.”
Georgopoulos said the treatment she endured while at Sony resulted in “years” of counselling and that she left the company as a shell of her former self.
“Things that have happened to me that I normalised, and thought was OK, like an executive grabbing my chest at a concert.
Sony’s Chief executive Denis Handlin left the company in June, it is speculated that his exit was also related to allegations of toxic behaviour.
So we had our own hideous Harvey Weinstein in Denis Handlin.#4Corners pic.twitter.com/3XLMyXhxqT
— C h r i s (He/Him)🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌏🌲🖤💛❤️💉💉 (@Chris86767838) October 11, 2021
In a statement Mr Handlin said:
“I would never tolerate treating women in an inappropriate or discriminatory manner. At any time I was made aware of this sort of behaviour, I took action to ensure that it was stopped and didn’t occur again.”
“Over the years, this included seeing people at all levels leave the company.
“With issues of sexual misconduct, I always took immediate action.
“This included commissioning independent inquiries using external advisors and lawyers and providing counselling.”
Last night, Four Corners episode delved into the fall of Sony Music Australia’s CEO Denis Handlin and the company’s toxic work culture. It was watched by over 600,000 viewers, making it Australia’s 9th most-watched program.
