Phil Wiser Appointed Chief Technology Officer, Sony Corporation of America

Phil Wiser has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Sony Corporation of America (SCA), it was announced by Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SCA.

As CTO, Mr. Wiser leads SCA's Sony Digital Entertainment Division. He oversees the team responsible for the development of the company's digital services businesses and infrastructure, including Sony Connect Inc. (which operates the Connect Music Store), and provides critical leadership across all U.S. operating companies under the SCA umbrella. In this role, Mr. Wiser is responsible for developing strategy with respect to media technologies and formats for SCA, including digital rights management and interoperability for digital services and devices.

Mr. Wiser also serves as the co-President of the Connect Company of Sony Corporation, a cross-company organization that will further solidify the collaboration between Sony Connect Inc. and Sony Corporation on digital music products and services. The Connect Company optimizes the global resources for software development for digital music products.

"The seamless integration of our hardware and content businesses is vital to Sony's success," said Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO, Sony Corporation of America. "Phil's expertise in digital services, coupled with his broad background in the creation of hardware and software products for digital media and his vision for creatively and securely distributing content, make him the right person to lead this effort." Mr. Wiser will report to Mr. Stringer.

"This is an important strategic move for Sony, as the U.S. is the center of our content business and a critical region as the industry transitions to digital entertainment," said Ken Kutaragi, Executive Deputy President and COO of Sony Corporation. "Strengthening the collaboration between electronics and entertainment in technology development is critical in order for us to advance the secure distribution of digital content to the next level. Phil's appointment will accelerate Sony's global effort in developing digital services and applications, utilizing Sony's assets in entertainment content, devices and software."

In addition to Sony Connect Inc., SCA's Sony Digital Entertainment division consolidates several of Sony's technology businesses in the U.S. including: Media Software and Services, which manages both professional and consumer media creation software titles including Vegas®, ACID® and Sound Forge® software; Sony's digital service platform, which provides the infrastructure for all of SCA's digital services; and Sony's loyalty programs, including the Sony Card and My Sony.

Mr. Wiser joined SCA from Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SMEI), where he held the post of Chief Technology Officer, and Senior Vice President, Digital Services. At SMEI, he spearheaded the company's digital business strategy. He was responsible for overseeing all digital media initiatives, including digital music distribution, new physical music formats, anti-piracy technologies, and the creation of SMEI's mobile ringtone business.

Prior to joining SMEI in 2002, Mr. Wiser co-founded Liquid Audio, Inc., in 1996 and served on its Board of Directors and as Chief Technology Officer of the Company through June 2001. He has also worked in key industry standard groups such as MPEG, SDMI, and AES to accelerate the adoption of networked technologies for media distribution.

Prior to Liquid Audio, Mr. Wiser worked extensively in the Silicon Valley. During this time he developed audio algorithms and audio processing systems for several professional and consumer audio organizations. He directed audio compression work at Chromatic Research, a multimedia semiconductor device company. He also served as director of digital signal processing research for Studer Editech Corporation, a professional audio recording equipment company. Prior to that, he developed audio software systems for Sonic Solutions and Euphonix, both developers of professional digital audio products.

Mr. Wiser holds a summa cum laude B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1993. He spent time at the world-renowned Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) during his tenure at Stanford. He focused his research on digital audio signal processing algorithms and technologies. Mr. Wiser has developed several patents covering digital rights management, music distribution systems, and signal processing. He has also published research in the area of auditory neural processing and other areas of neurophysiology.

About Sony Corporation of America

Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., and a 50% interest in Sony BMG Music Entertainment, one of the largest recorded music companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $72 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, and it employs 162,000 people worldwide. Sony's consolidated sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 were $20.4 billion. Sony Corporation of America's homepage is: http://www.sony.com/SCA/index.shtml

SOURCE: Sony Corporation of America

CONTACT: Mack Araki, +1-212-833-6821, Mack_araki@sonyusa.com, or Lisa
Gephardt, +1-212-833-6826, lisa_gephardt@sonyusa.com, both of Sony Corporation
of America

Web site: http://www.sony.com/
http://www.sony.com/SCA/index.shtml