TOKYO (CelebrityAccess) – Sony Corporation, the parent company of Sony Music Group, has launched a $100 million fund to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Sony, the fund will provide support in three key areas: Assistance for those individuals engaged in frontline medical and first responder efforts to fight the virus; support for children and educators who must now work remotely; and support for members of the creative community in the entertainment industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
In the area of medical support, Sony says $10 million will be devoted to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO powered by the UN Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, as well as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In the area of education, Sony says it is exploring ways to leverage its technologies in support of educational activities for children whose school year has been disrupted due to closures and that it will cooperate with educators to implement these measures.
Finally, in the realm of entertainment – which includes motion pictures, television, music, games and animation – Sonys says it is seeking ways to “support up-and-coming creators, artists and all those in professions supporting the industry, who have been impacted by the cancellation or postponement of concerts and live events, or the shutting down of film and television productions.”
The Tokyo-based tech and entertainment giant also said it will match COVID-19 donations made by its approximately 110,000 employees worldwide.
Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony Corporation, said: “Sony extends its condolences to the families of those who have passed away as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and extends its sympathies to all those who have been impacted. In order to overcome the unprecedented challenges that as a society we now face around the world, we will do all we can as a global company to support the individuals on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19, the children who are our future, and those who have been impacted in the creative community.”
Sony’s relief fund follows similar efforts by other major entertainment industry players and tech companies including Netflix ($100m), Warner Media ($100m), Tencent ($100m), GEMA (up to $43m), Spotify (up to $10m) and Live Nation (up to $10m), plus the likes of Universal Music Group, PRS For Music and SACEM among others.
