Sony Music has promoted Stephanie Yu to General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, placing her in charge of the company's business, legal, and governmental affairs strategies worldwide. Music Business Worldwide

Yu reports to Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group, and Kevin Kelleher, Chief Operating Officer of Sony Music. The appointment fills the gap left by Julie Swidler, who departed the company at the end of June after 18 years as EVP, Business Affairs and General Counsel.

Before the promotion, Yu spent more than two years as Executive Vice President and US Lead of Business and Legal Affairs at Sony Music. Her career at the company began further down the ladder. She joined Epic Records — one of Sony's flagship label imprints — in 2011, eventually rising to Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, a post she held for nine years. Sylvia Rhone, who has led Epic Records since 2014, elevated Yu to that EVP role. Hits Daily Double

During her tenure at Epic, Yu's remit included oversight of brand marketing and sync licensing — the business of placing music in films, television programmes, advertisements and other media, a revenue stream that has grown materially as streaming flattened recorded-music sales growth.

The general counsel role at a major label group sits at the intersection of nearly every commercial decision the company makes. Contract negotiations with artists, publishing splits, licensing deals with streaming platforms, regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions, and the growing thicket of AI-related legal questions all pass through the legal affairs division. Yu now oversees that function globally for one of the three major record companies, alongside Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

Swidler's departure after 18 years closes a long chapter. She had been one of the most senior legal executives in the recorded-music industry, and her exit in June left Sony Music without a permanent general counsel for roughly five weeks before Yu's appointment was confirmed on 4 August.

For Yu, the promotion caps a 15-year rise through Sony Music's ranks — from a legal affairs role at a single imprint to the top legal post across the entire group.