The Sony Music Publishing Asia leadership transition marks more than a routine executive appointment. With the promotion of Roslyn Pineda to President, Asia at Sony Music Publishing (SMP), the company is positioning itself for an accelerated phase of expansion across one of the fastest-growing entertainment markets in the world.
Pineda succeeds Carol Ng, who will retire at the end of March after nearly three decades with the company. The leadership shift comes at a pivotal moment for the global music business, where Asia is no longer considered an emerging opportunity but a strategic growth engine.
For executives and entrepreneurs watching the entertainment and intellectual property sectors, this transition reflects deeper structural shifts in the music publishing industry, particularly around regional power, catalog acquisition, and creator monetization.
Asia’s Rising Influence in the Global Music Economy
The global music industry has undergone rapid transformation over the past decade, driven by streaming platforms, cross-border consumption, and the growing value of music rights. Asia’s contribution to global music revenues continues to climb, with markets like Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Greater China expanding in both digital adoption and local content production.
According to reports from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Asia represents one of the fastest-growing regions for recorded music revenue. Meanwhile, data from Goldman Sachs projects long-term structural growth in global music revenues, with streaming penetration and catalog monetization as key drivers.
For music publishers, the opportunity is even more strategic than for record labels. While labels focus on recorded masters, publishers control underlying compositions — the long-term assets that generate recurring income through streaming, sync licensing, live performance royalties, and derivative works.
Under Carol Ng’s leadership, SMP expanded aggressively across Asia, launching offices in Jakarta (2021), Bangkok (2025), and paving the way for Manila. This footprint expansion reflects a broader entertainment business expansion strategy: build local presence to secure regional catalogs before global competitors.
Pineda now inherits not just a portfolio but a platform primed for scale.
The Strategic Weight of the Sony Music Publishing Asia Leadership Transition
The Sony Music Publishing Asia leadership transition is strategically significant for three reasons: cross-functional leadership, catalog acquisition experience, and integrated artist development.
1. From Label to Publishing: A Cross-Vertical Perspective
Pineda joins from Sony Music Entertainment, where she served as General Manager, Philippines, and previously as Vice President of Artist Relations & Business Development, Asia. Her two-decade tenure included work across Hong Kong and the Philippines, managing artists such as John Mayer, Alicia Keys, and One Direction.
This background matters. Publishing executives increasingly require fluency in artist ecosystems, branding, cross-border marketing, and digital strategy not just royalty administration. The traditional wall between labels and publishers is softening as intellectual property becomes the core asset class.
Pineda’s experience reopening Sony Music Entertainment’s Philippines office in 2018 and signing breakout regional acts like Ben&Ben and SB19 demonstrates operational growth capability, not merely creative oversight.
2. Catalog Acquisition as a Competitive Lever
In 2024, Pineda led the acquisition of the ABS-CBN music catalog — a move that underscored the increasing importance of legacy and regional intellectual property. In an era where global investment firms and music funds are aggressively buying catalogs, securing culturally resonant local IP is both a defensive and offensive strategy.
Publishing is now a financial asset class. Institutional capital views music rights as predictable, long-duration revenue streams. For SMP Asia, strengthening global music rights management capabilities will be central to protecting and monetizing these assets across platforms.
3. Regionalization of Global Strategy
Guy Henderson, President, International, emphasized Asia as one of SMP’s “most important and continuously expanding international regions.” This language signals that Asia is no longer managed as an outpost but as a strategic pillar within Sony’s global structure.
With Pineda reporting directly to international leadership and based in Hong Kong, SMP appears to be reinforcing Asia’s role in shaping global creative flows, not simply exporting Western catalogs into Eastern markets.
Carol Ng leaves behind a fortified regional structure. Pineda inherits a scalable platform aligned with global strategy and rising regional influence.
A Defining Moment in the Sony Music Publishing Asia Leadership Transition
The Sony Music Publishing Asia leadership transition is not merely an executive reshuffle — it represents a generational pivot in one of the music industry’s most dynamic regions.
With Roslyn Pineda’s blend of artist development expertise, operational expansion experience, and catalog acquisition leadership, SMP Asia appears poised to deepen its regional dominance while integrating more tightly into global creative networks.
For business leaders, the message is clear: Asia’s creative economy is entering a new phase of institutional maturity. Intellectual property, local leadership, and global monetization are converging and companies that adapt early will define the next decade of growth.