Michinori Mizuno, Chairman of the Board, Sony Music Foundation　

The driving force behind delivering music is that I love seeing people be moved.

Chairman, Sony Music Foundation　Mizuno Michinori　(Water Path)

■ Profile

After graduating from the School of Education at Waseda University in 1981, he joined CBS Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment Inc.) and was assigned to the Character Division. After serving as representative of the Sony Music Group's character and solutions business company, he became Representative Director and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in 2015. After retiring from that position, he has held his current position since 2020 as Chairman of the Sony Music Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation.

Michinori Mizuno, chairman of the Sony Music Foundation, has a strong desire to provide an equal education to children through high-quality music, and to create and support a platform where young musicians can thrive. Mizuno says he wants to spread the appeal of music to children in particular through classical music.

■My life with Sony Music Entertainment

I had a strong desire to work in the media industry since I was a student at Waseda University's School of Education. At the time, the 1970s, culture was changing dramatically, and new information magazines and other publications were being launched one after another. Inspired by this, I started an information magazine for students on campus with a friend in my second year of university. It was so popular that we sold out 1000 copies in one month. This magazine is still in existence today, more than 40 years later. I also played the piano as a child, loved music, formed a band, and studied Japanese dance.
When I was looking for a job, my first choice was the broadcasting industry, but I ended up working for CBS Sony (now Sony Music Entertainment), which at the time was involved in a variety of businesses, including not only music but also publishing. My first assignment was to Sony Creative Products, a group company that runs the character business, and at first I was unhappy that I was in an industry that was different from what I had hoped for, but as I became involved in the character business, I came into contact with customers who were so moved by the characters that they got excited at events and in shops, and I felt that my work was very rewarding, and I eventually became the representative of the company.
I then moved to another group company, Sony Music Communications (now Sony Music Solutions), as representative director. This company offers comprehensive entertainment solutions, including CD manufacturing, concert merchandise production and sales, and live event production. It was the company with the largest number of employees in the Sony Music Group, and I managed a diverse team of staff, both senior and junior, in a variety of specialties for 10 years. I believe this experience led to my appointment as Representative Director and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, the parent company, in 2015. During my time as CEO, I not only produced hit music, but also expanded artist management, created a hit mobile game branching out from anime, and successfully expanded the group's various businesses, including character and solutions businesses. I am extremely grateful to the staff who worked so hard to create and deliver moving experiences. I then retired as representative director in 2020 and currently serve as chairman of the Sony Music Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation.

■About the Sony Music Foundation

We are working on four themes.
① Providing high-quality music to children
② Creating an environment where anyone can easily enjoy classical music
3) Nurturing and supporting young artists
④ Subsidies for educational activities for children through music

① Providing high-quality music to children
So that even preschoolers can experience authentic performances,Concert for KIDS" is held all over the country. In addition, " is a program that allows elementary school students to high school students to experience classical music at a reasonable price.Dream Seats During Golden Week in May last year, we co-hosted a four-day classical music festival called the "Children's Music Festival" with the Suntory Foundation for Arts, which attracted approximately 30,000 people and a live stream of approximately 100,000 viewers, an unprecedented number in the classical music world.

② Creating an environment where anyone can easily enjoy classical music
Classical music is said to be difficult to access, and only a limited number of people attend concerts. In reality, there is no clear definition of the genre, and the Beatles may be considered classical music in a few decades. We hope to lower the barrier to classical music as much as possible so that more people can enjoy high-quality music.Japanese Red Cross Blood Donation Charity Concert " and a high degree of freedom where photography, social media, and chatting are allowed.That's classic!” is being held.

3) Nurturing and supporting young artists
The "Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award" and " to discover and nurture oboe players from around the world, an important instrument in the orchestra.International Oboe Competition The foundation also provides young artists with a platform to shine by inviting registered artists to participate in the foundation's music activities.

4. Educational activities for children through music
There are many children who have few opportunities to come into contact with music due to disparities in their region, environment, and economic situation, and who are unable to learn musical instruments even if they are interested in them. Therefore, in order to support various organizations nationwide that are engaged in educational activities through music,Sony Music Foundation Children's Music Fund" was also established to allow children to enjoy classical music.Children's Music Newspaper" is published regularly for elementary and junior high schools across the country, and "Childrearing Classic Navi" app, which provides information and distributes videos, games, and more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic,Sony Music Foundation COVID-19 Special Support Project" and has been supporting young performers who have lost opportunities to express themselves by collecting and producing "classical music videos for children." At the same time, by making these videos available for free on the official YouTube channel, the group has been creating opportunities for children to experience music.

■Message to university students

Throughout my time in the entertainment business, the people I want to work with are those who have a strong desire to deliver emotion. I would be very happy if someone was moved by something I have been involved in. I believe that creating and releasing a "hit" means delivering emotion to people. The root of entertainment is to entertain people. To do that, it is important that you enjoy it yourself first. I would like to meet people who have a strong desire to entertain others, to make them happy, and to deliver emotion.
I also want all students to be aware of social issues in their daily lives. Face even one thing that you think is a problem and keep it in mind. In the future, I myself would like to devote my efforts to supporting the next generation, the younger generation, and children. Humans can never live alone. That is why I would like to tell all students to cherish connections with others.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on February 17, 2023 by Maria Okabe, second-year student at Kunitachi College of Music