BMG has introduced that it’s absolutely integrating its new launch and catalog recordings companies.
In doing so, the corporate claims to have grow to be the primary international music firm to desert what it calls “the outdated trade distinction” between new i.e ‘frontline’ and older i.e ‘catalog’ recordings.
The trade has traditionally outlined ‘frontline’ as any launch youthful than 18 months outdated, whereas ‘catalog’ has counted as any music older than 18 months.
BMG says that the transfer displays “the brand new actuality of a streaming market wherein older catalog recordings account for as much as three-quarters of income”.
With instant impact, BMG says that its recorded catalog will now report regionally as per its nation of origin after which globally by way of EVP World Repertoire Fred Casimir for all gross sales outdoors the proudly owning territory. This is similar construction the corporate makes use of for brand spanking new, or so-called ‘frontline’ recordings.
BMG’s recorded catalog consists of recordings from artists together with Black Sabbath, The Kinks, Motörhead, Rick Astley, Mötley Crüe, Kylie Minogue, Chris Rea and Nick Cave amongst others.
“Music is music no matter its age. Nice artists and nice music don’t have any expiry date and we consider it’s time for the music trade to replicate that.”
Hartwig Masuch
In keeping with BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch, “music followers reveal every day that they reject the music trade’s outdated privileging of recent music over older music”.
He added: “Music is music no matter its age. Nice artists and nice music don’t have any expiry date and we consider it’s time for the music trade to replicate that.”
The change implies that Casimir will now lead a group of round 90, accountable for advertising recordings world wide.
“There’s no nice secret to BMG’s success. It’s about wrapping ourselves round artists’ wants and adjusting to the realities of the streaming world.”
Fred Casimir, BMG
Casimir first joined the brand new BMG in 2009 as Managing Director BMG Germany from sister Bertelsmann firm FremantleMedia the place he was accountable for all of its music-related companies throughout Europe.
He turned EVP Continental Europe in 2012, EVP World Recordings and President Continental Europe in 2018, earlier than taking over his present function as EVP World Repertoire in 2019.
Worldwide success tales beneath Casimir’s management embody tasks from Louis Tomlinson, 5SOS, Lenny Kravitz, Katie Melua, Conkarah, Bryan Adams, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and LP, in addition to the event of BMG’s movies enterprise together with the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream and the hit Lewis Capaldi documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now, presently streaming on Netflix.
Fred Casimir stated: “There’s no nice secret to BMG’s success. It’s about wrapping ourselves round artists’ wants and adjusting to the realities of the streaming world.
“Profitable music catalogs deserve the identical effort, dedication and fervour as newer recordings. I’m delighted to tackle duty for advertising BMG’s recorded catalog.”
Asserting the information in a notice to BMG employees, CEO Hartwig Masuch wrote: “BMG was the primary music firm to acknowledge that in a streaming setting, older music could be comparatively extra vital than it had ever been previously. That is borne out by market statistics which present that the brand new launch frontline enterprise is right down to 30% or much less of streaming consumption.
“It’s why we now have invested closely in traditional repertoire and why the vast majority of our frontline new releases are by confirmed and established artists.
“However till now we now have at all times adopted trade follow in having a separate international reporting line for catalog recordings versus frontline.
“This now modifications. With instant impact recorded catalog now stories regionally as per its nation of origin after which globally by way of EVP World Repertoire Fred Casimir for all gross sales outdoors the proudly owning territory.”
Added Masuch: “This marks a major enlargement of Fred’s duties, and is a mirrored image of the success of the worldwide frontline advertising group he created in 2018. He’ll now as well as be accountable for the worldwide catalog advertising group and the London-based international licensing hub.
“It additionally implies that on a neighborhood degree, our repertoire leaders – Thomas Scherer in LA, Alistair Norbury in London and so on – will uniquely within the music trade oversee music publishing and frontline and catalog recordings of their native territories.
“This makes good on our long-term plan to create the world’s first absolutely built-in music firm, it empowers native leaders, it shortens reporting strains and it makes us extra responsive for our artist and songwriter shoppers.”
“Congratulations to Fred and to all of our repertoire and advertising groups who proceed to do such a terrific job.”Music Enterprise Worldwide