Raymond Gubbay: ‘I left my own company because I couldn’t work with Sony’

Theatre impresario Raymond Gubbay has given his most frank account yet of why he parted ways with the company that still bears his name, claiming he felt then-owner Sony was “remarkably ignorant” about music.

Gubbay left Raymond Gubbay Ltd in 2016, when it was partly owned by Sony Music. Earlier this year, Sony took full control of the organisation.

Now, Gubbay has opened up about his decision to leave the company.

He told The Stage: “I didn’t like the new owners. I didn’t like Sony.”

He added: “I thought for a music company they were remarkably ignorant about music and were only interested in the bottom line. For me, this is a business about passion and having an interest in it and putting your life and soul into it. That, for me, is very important.”

Gubbay also alluded to attitudes within Sony that made him “uncomfortable”.

“All I will say is, I was aware in my dealings that on occasions there was an undercurrent that made me extremely uncomfortable,” he said.

Gubbay has recently launched a new venture with producer Edward Snape, called Fiery Angel Entertainment, which will produce the forthcoming semi-staged version of Guys and Dolls at the Royal Albert Hall, and circus show Circus 1903 at the Royal Festival Hall.

He said the company would focus on the “non-West End, non-drama” area of the sector.

“We have no blueprint other than to find some nice enterprises that would be both interesting and profitable,” he said.

He added that he wanted to enjoy the experience, claiming he had “lost all that enjoyment in the last few years” with Raymond Gubbay Ltd.

Raymond Gubbay Ltd and Sony could not be reached for comment.