DMN Interview: Sony Software Synergy
In this exclusive interview, DMN’s Charlie White talks with Sony officials about the acquisition of Sonic Foundry and the implications of blending the hardware prowess of Sony with software applications such as Vegas, Sound Forge and Acid. Bob Ott, vice president of professional audio and video products for Sony Electronics Broadcast and Production Systems Division, and Paul Foschino, Sony Electronics' national marketing manager for the Sony Media Software products, talk about the present and future of the former Sonic Foundry’s software products as they become part of the Sony product line, and reveal tantalizing clues as to what’s in store for these powerhouse applications.DMN: I guess it’s challenging getting this Vegas team to sing the Sony song.
Bob Ott: No, it’s not a big challenge. In fact, they’re singing Sony’s lyrics to us. I’m the VP of the group and Paul’s the national marketing manager for it, and I thought we’d give you a little preamble on it as to what the whole story is. How’s that? DMN: That’s fine. I understand that Sony is going through a reorganization, and you’re making the former Sonic Foundry products fit into the Sony product line. How’s this going to work?
Ott: Well, actually, it’s not fitting them into it, it’s working alongside it. Because quite honestly, the Vegas line, the Acid line, Sound Forge, CD Creator – all these products work with any number of products including Sony’s. The products are great, and it happens to be that we’re the finest hardware manufacturer in the world, and the two combined make for some phenomenal results. Basically what we’re looking at is, we make great hardware in video and in audio – from acquisition to actual playback in both of those domains – and now we’re adding software to it. For the first time, one company delivers a full hardware audio, hardware video and software solution that applies to both disciplines across the board. So what you’re handing people is a tool that has never been handed to them as a tool before. You’re going to the video editors for the first time and saying, “Oh, by the way, you can also edit some great audio tracks, and while you’re at it, you can create your own audio tracks.” That just isn’t coming from one company at any particular time.
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DMN: Now this is all part of Sony Pictures Digital?
Paul Foschino: Sony Pictures Digital is a company under the Sony corporate umbrella. That’s the division that actually acquired a portion of Sonic Foundry’s business. They acquired the software side. The software side is still staying in place under a new heading now called Sony Media Software (SMS). The engineering power and strength of all the people out there in Madison, Wisconsin that developed Sound Forge and then moved on to things like Vegas and Acid, is still in place and are now employed and working under the Sony Pictures Digital company and division. They now have this new group called Sony Media Software, and Sony Pictures Digital has asked Sony Electronics to market, sell and distribute this product line for them.
Ott: And by the way, the former Sonic Foundry team is also supporting the product. Since they’re the ones who know the product intrinsically, we’ve decided to keep their support online as well as on the phone. And because we have product support for our hardware, the two mesh very well. They’ll trade between each other. If it’s a hardware situation, we’ll be able to bounce from them to us, and if it’s a software situation we’ll be able to bounce from us to them. So it’s a reciprocal thing, the reciprocity level is overwhelming.
DMN: How are you going to lash these two together? Sony has this tremendous hardware strength and then Vegas with its software power – it seems like there would be a great way for you to blend those two together so you could get a synergy that wouldn’t be possible with each one separately. How are you going to do that?
Foschino: Right now, by taking on this software editing part of the business, what we get is a much more powerful story to bring to our dealers to discuss with their customers. We can answer more of their customers’ needs with products coming from Sony. And here we have software that helps to act as glue for both the audio and video products that we already offer. Before we could say, here’s some great wireless or hard-wired microphones, here’s some great mixers, and here’s some great video equipment in the way of VTRs and camcorders. But we said, if you want to edit any of that product, well then please go look at somebody else. Now we don’t have to say that any more. Now we can say, “And, if you want to edit everything that you’ve just captured, here’s a great software solution that we can offer you under the Sony brand.” Now looking down the road, it’s going to take a little time because we just started bringing this product into our lineup and just started taking over sales for it. But as we think ahead three to six months, what we have the opportunity to do now is offer some very creative packages and bundles to our customers. And they can pass that along to their customers. It will just be a natural to start to think down the road how we can marry these all together, putting them together into a creative bundle at a good price. Now we can offer a complete video and audio editing suite for the customer.
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