Som Livre (Portuguese for "Free Sound") is a Brazilian record company that was founded in March 1969 in order to commercialize the soundtracks for TV Globo (its then parent company) soap operas[1] and later expanded to recording studio albums. As of 2024, it is owned by Sony Music.
Today, Som Livre is Brazil's largest domestic label and was formerly part of Grupo Globo, which is the biggest media conglomerate in Brazil.[2] In November 2020, Globo placed the label up for sale.[3] In April 2021, it was acquired by Sony Music Entertainment (initially for an undisclosed amount,[4] later to be revealed as USD 255 million[5]). The sale was approved by the national competition regulator Cade on 4 November 2021[6] and was completed on 4 March 2022.
History
Som Livre was founded in March 1969 by music producer João Araújo. It was founded with the purpose of developing and commercializing soap opera soundtracks produced by TV Globo. Its first telenovela soundtrack was O Cafona (1971).[7] Other notable soundtracks produced by the label include: O Bem-Amado, O Bofe, O Primeiro Amor (The First Love), O Espigão (The Spike), Corrida do Ouro (The Gold Rush), Os Ossos do Barão (The Bones of the Baron), and O Rebu.
In 1999, the company started selling its products online, reaching R$1.342 million in sales within four months.[13] Som Livre was the first Brazilian record label to release cell phone ringtones.[14]
In 2007, Som Livre released its SLAP label, which focused on signing on new Brazilian talent. New artists collaborations included: Latin Grammy-nominated Maria Gadú and Michel Teló, Tiago Iorc, and Little Joy.[15][16][17] In celebration of its 5-year anniversary, SLAP hosted a music festival at Cine Jóia in São Paulo. The festival featured: Maria Gadú, Silva, Thaís Gulin, Tiago Iorc, Ana Canãs, Dani Black, and Jesuton and Marcelo Jeneci.[18][19]
In 2014, Som Livre partnered with Eagle Rock Entertainment, signing onto international artists such as The Rolling Stones and Elton John.[20] In 2016, the label launched its Austro Music label, dedicated to electronic music. Austro Music has worked with DJ DIB, Elefantz, Naza Brothers, and WAO.[21]
With the rise in streaming service popularity, Som Livre partnered with Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, and Globoplay.[22][21] With Spotify, the two companies developed a new component through app which paired 27 iconic telenovela characters to their respective soundtrack.[21][23] In 2018, the label worked with Apple Music to stream its music on Apple's platform.[21][24] Som Livre’s partnership with Globoplay led to an "on demand" service, in which the label released artist content exclusively for its subscribers.
Gospel
Som Livre was the first record label to invest in Brazil’s gospel music market. In 2009, Som Livre released its first gospel album “CD Promessas,” which sold 500,000 copies.[25][26] The following year, the label launched Festival Promessas, the biggest evangelical music event in Brazil.[27]
