Sony BMG Music/ Laura Music Studios Home Entertainment

## **CBS Music Video Enterprises (1986-1991)**

Nicknames: "The Triangles", "The Pyramids", "CMV" "Sony Music I"

Logo: On a black background, we see a 3-D pyramid spinning around, with the letters "C", in red, on one side, "M", in green, on another side, and "V", in blue, on the other. Then, two more triangles just like the first one slide out of the pyramid and they all spin. Then, the pyramids get together, and as they do that, each of them turn into triangles, and the letters turn white. "E N T E R P R I S E S" fades in under "CMV".

FX/SFX: Excellent CGI! It holds up very well today despite being made in the 1980s.

Music/Sounds: A modern-sounding synth theme with ticks throughout and 3 deep bangs as the pyramids turns into triangles.

Availability: Very rare. It can be found on CBS Music Video releases, such as the 1987 VHS release of *Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium* and a Laserdisc release of *The Forbidden Dance is Lambada*.

## **SMV Enterprise (1991-2005)**

Nicknames: "The Triangles II", "The Pyramids II", "SMV" "Sony Music II"

Logo: Same as the CMV Enterprises logo, but the "C" is replaced by an "S", the font is bolder, and the colors are a bit brighter.

Variant: On the 1996 VHS of *Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie*, the logo is shortened to the last few seconds.

FX/SFX: Same as the CMV Enterprises logo. It warrants a mention that this logo somehow is able to change parts of the previous logo without resorting to cheap chyron effects.

Music/Sounds: Same as the CMV Enterprises logo. On the variant, we hear just re-arranged drumbeats and the synth strum.

Availability: Uncommon. It can be seen on many Sony Music Video releases from the era such as the VHS releases of *Celine Dion: Unison, Celine Dion: All the Way - A Decade of Song and Video,* and *Mariah Carey: #1's*. It can also be found on many 90's MTV Home Video releases from the era, such as early *Beavis and Butt-Head* and *MTV Unplugged* VHS releases. The short variant appeared on the 1996 VHS of *Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie*.

## Sony Music Entertainment (1996-2005)

Nicknames: "SMV II" "The Smoking Circles" "The 3 Cloud Swirl Balls" "Sony Music III"

Logo: On a black background, we see a yellow ball moving upward. Then, two blue balls move downward, left and right of the yellow ball. These move away, as it fades into 3 black smoking circles with the left and right circle with blue outlining and the middle circle with yellow outlining. These outlines then spin around, as the smoke disappears and the letters "S" on the left circle, in white, "M" on the middle circle, in blue, and "V" on the right circle, in white. The circles turn to the colors of the outlines of the circle. The words: s o n y m u s i c entertainment appear one-by-one. "sony music" is spaced out more to fit the width of "entertainment".

FX/SFX: More great CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last two logos.

Availability: Seen on many Sony Music Entertainment VHS and DVD releases from the era, including Computer Animation Festival, Alice in Chains: Music Bank - The Videos, Jennifer Lopez: Feelin So Good, Short Circuit 20th Anniversary Kipper The Dog, Godzilla Movies, and Kathy Smith re-releases from the company. It also appears on many late 1990's-early 2000's MTV Home Video releases such as MTV Gamebrain, Beavis and Butt-Head and The Real World video tapes. Strangely, this logo made a surprise appearance on the packaging of the 2006 Shout! Factory DVD sets The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Best of the Electric Company, but this logo never appeared on the DVDs themselves. Editor's Note: TBA

## 2010

Nickname: "The Red Paintbrush"

Logo: On a white background, we see a simple red paintbrush effect drawing down and the text "**SONY MUSIC**" in the respective Sony font appears in. The logo would slowly zoom in afterward.

Variant: An in-credit version appears on reruns of the two shows listed below.

FX/SFX: The paintbrush drawing. The zooming in.

Music/Sounds:

* On *Big Time Rush*, the end theme of the show plays over.
* *Victorious* has a "swoosh" sound when the paintbrush draws followed by a random quote that varies on each episode of the show.
* Split-screen credits (later generic) airings of both shows has this logo silent.

Availability: Seen on music video releases. It also appeared on *Victorious* and *Big Time Rush* on Nickelodeon and TeenNick.

## **Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2005-Present)**

Nicknames: "Spinning Treble Clef", "Symbol Clef" "Sony Music IV"

Logo: On a white background, we see a spinning fuchsia and blue treble clef. It slowly zooms out to the words "**SONY**" and "**BMG**" (in their corporate fonts) and the treble clef falls on the words. Then a flash occurs and two lines and the words "**MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT**" in Trajan Pro Bold font fade in. The treble clef shines.

Variants:

* On the 2006 DVD of *Transformers the Movie*, the words "**HOME ENTERTAINMENT**" fade in a few seconds later.
* On movies from the company, the word "**FILM**" appears by a light effect.

FX/SFX: The treble clef spinning, the names zooming out, all in great CGI.

Music/Sounds: Wind sounds, followed by a loud synth chord and some twinkling sounds.

Availability: Common. It appeared on many music DVDs and DualDisc releases such as *Michael Jackson: Thriller 25*, *Beyonce B-Day*, and the infamous *Trapped in the Closet* series. The home entertainment variant appears on *Transformers The Movie: 20th Anniversary Edition*. The "FILM" version is uncommon, and it appeared on the films *Ghosts of Cité Soleil* and *Feel the Noise*. It was also seen on the trailer for *Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten*.

## **Columbia Music Video (1993-2008)**

Nickname: "CMV" "Sony Music V"

Logo: Same as the CBS Music Video Enterprises logo, but "ENTERPRISES" is replaced with "COLUMBIA MUSIC VIDEO".

FX/SFX: Same as the 1st CBS Music Video and SMV Enterprises logos.

Music/Sounds: Same as the CBS Music Video and Sony Music Video logos.

Availability: Seen mainly on VHS and DVD video releases of music-related films as well as titles from Columbia Records artists, like MGM's *Pink Floyd: The Wall*. It is seen on DualDisc releases by Columbia artists as well, but is often hidden in the bonus features--for example, the logo can be accessed on the DualDisc of John Mayer's *Heavier Things* by accessing the bonus features menu and selecting the short *The Paul Reddy Show*. Despite the print logo appearing on the packaging, this logo does not appear on the DVD included with the CD/DVD combo *Axis of Justice: Concert Series Vol. 1*.

## Laura Music Studios Home Entertainment (2012-Present)

Nicknames: "Sony BMG Music Boxes III", "Part III: Will This Logo Ever Die?!", "Sliding Boxes", "Dark Purple RG Boxes", "Day of the Boxes", "Laura Music" "Sony Music VI"

Logo: We see a screen full of clouds forming, tossing about in a time-lapse. Then, "Laura Music STUDIOS" zooms out from above, and "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" shrinks out from below as we see the clouds zoom out, as part of a golden-bordered box on a Dark Purple & Red gradient background. The box then duplicates itself and the two boxes slide to the left and the right whilst FireRed Charizard & Squritle on the left and LeafGreen & Ivysaur on the right (in their the same styles as before) appear in the boxes, as the wording takes its position. The text shines for a few seconds after the logo is formed.

FX/SFX: The zooming out effects; nice CGI for the time.

Music/Sounds: Begins with a rather dramatic synth theme with a climaxing synth-piano fanfare at the end, a theme that has held up well today. the same as Columbia Tristar Home Video in 1993.

Availability: Very common, even today. On VHS & DVDs Such As Garfield & Friends, Digimon, Kipper, Eyewitness Insect, Dinosaur, Winnie The Pooh & Kirby Right Back at YA, The Alamo, Bad Santa, Comforter Animation Quality, Muppet Show, Jonah The WALL-E Simpsons Movie, Kipper's Pond years, The Shootist, Pterodactyl In Friends & Foe, Speed (1994), THX 1138, Mongolia's Army, & Others.

## DVD (2012-2013)

Nicknames: "LMVS Boxes VIII", "S-M DVD", "Part VIII: The Boxes of Splendor", "The Last of the Boxes", "Sony Music VII"

Logo: On a screen filled with clouds, The clouds clear, revealing a nice backdrop of clouds and two white, glowing boxes. As the light in the boxes die down, FireRed Charizard & Squritle zooms in towards us in the left box, and we see LeafGreen & Ivysaur, stretch his wings in the right box, as the wings cross over to the Columbia box. The words "Laura Music" and "STUDIOS" later change to gold lettering and position themselves under the boxes, and "DVD" zooms out from the top, at warp speed, landing below the C-T text, causing the phaser effect to appear around it, which suddenly disappears.

FX/SFX: Mind-blowing CGI, which has made the logo a favorite of many who've seen it.

Music/Sounds: Whooshing sounds are heard as the words, "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" move into position. An ethereal humming noise as the boxes are revealed and animate. As the TriStar Pegasus unfolds and stretches his wings, we hear a low whoosh sound. Last, a phaser sound is heard as the certain text moves into place and we hear chime sounds.

Availability: It's seen on most DVD releases.

## Sony Wonder 1995-2008

Nicknames: "The Ribbon", "The Sunny 'WONDER' Ribbon"

Logo: On the time-lapsed cloudy environment. The word "WONDER" (in Herman font, more simple from before), in a pink ribbon, flies in from the top-right to the bottom of the screen and stops in the center. The ribbon then turns blue, and we then see a CGI yellow sun appear in place of the "O" in "WONDER" via a cheesy light effect. The Sony logo fades in at the top of the ribbon. The end result is almost the same as the first logo.

	+ Beginning with the ribbon flying in.
	+ Beginning just before the sun appears. Seen on Season 1 episodes of *The Beginner's Bible* (Surprisingly, it was also seen both the beginning and end of the 2002 Time Life Kids VHS of *The Beginner's Bible* episode "The Nativity".)
	+ Sometimes, the logo fades to black earlier.
	+ It is already-formed. Seen on *Rainbow Fish* (TV Series) and at the end of *Sesame Street* VHS promos.
* The color of the CGI sun in "WONDER" can vary.
	+ On nearly all Sony Wonder releases, it is gold-yellow.
	+ On many Sesame Street VHS releases from late 1996-early 1998 such as *Sing Yourself Sillier At the Movies* and *Kids' Guide to Life: Telling the Truth*, it is orange-yellow.
	+ On early 1996 Sesame Street VHS releases such as *Elmocize* and *Rock & Roll*, it is brighter, making it appear in a white-tinted color.

* Sometimes, like on Classic Media releases, the logo is surround by the light blue faded border.
* In 2014, the logo made its return for *The Swan Princess* installments beginning from *A Royal Family Tale* onwards. It is already-formed and still against a different cloudy sky environment.

FX/SFX: The ribbon flying, the sun and the Sony logo both appearing.

Music/Sounds: When the logo starts, we hear a riveting string note being held out, and when the ribbon appears, descending harp notes play in-sync with the ribbon. As the ribbon is in its position with the sun appearing, a brief flute melody plays, and when the Sony logo appears, everything rises to 1 majestic note complete with tubular bells that slowly stops once the logo fades. This is all synthesized, with some samples produced on the E-mu Proteus 2 Orchestral digital synthesizer.

Music/Sounds Variants:

* The second short variant has the music shortened.
* The fourth short variant has either the closing theme, or the show's music with the male announcer saying "Only from Sony Wonder."
* The logo's return version has the opening theme.

Availability: Common. It can be seen on many Sony Wonder VHSs/DVDs of the time, such as *Sesame Street* videos (Beginning from 1995 onwards) and releases from Random House Home Video & Golden Books Family Entertainment/Classic Media. It can also be seen on Canadian/American VHS/DVD releases of *Caillou*. This makes a surprise appearance on the 2007 DVD sets of *Sesame Street TV Episode Fun Pack Vol 1,* and *Vol 2* despite having the next logo on the packaging, even though the last release to use this logo on the packaging is the 2006 DVD of *Sesame Beginnings, Exploring Together* released on November 7, 2006. However, this doesn't appear on any Big Idea releases from the company.

It's a clean (and cute) logo.

## Gallery

CMV Enterprises (Late 80s)SMV Enterprises logoSMV-Sony Music Entertainment (1996) -60fps-FBI Warning, Sony Wonder, (Sesame Workshop, 4Kids Productions (1995) And Viz Video (1998) LogosSony BMG Music Entertainment variant -Home Entertainment- (2006)Columbia Music Video (2002)Laura Music Studios Home Entertainment (2012) LogoLaura Music Studios DVD Logo (2013)