Hartwig Masuch: Last News

APPOINTMENTSBMG has announced that CFO Thomas Coesfeld will move into the CEO role at the company from 1 Jul, six months earlier that originally planned. Current CEO Hartwig Masuch announced in January that he is stepping down, though the original plan was for Coesfeld to take over at the start of 2024. Mathis Wolter will become the firm’s new CFO, moving over from sister company RTL Group.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In an unusual move that seems intended to eliminate age-discrimination in music releases, BMG, one of the world’s largest music companies, announced Tuesday that it has become the first global music company to abandon the “outdated” industry distinction between “frontline” — a.k.a. new releases — and older catalog recordings. The company, which notes that older catalog recordings account for up to three quarters of revenue in the streaming era, will fully integrate its new release and catalog recordings businesses. CEO Hartwig Masuch, who has led the company since its 2008 relaunch, said, “Music fans demonstrate on a daily basis that they reject the music industry’s outdated privileging of new music over older music. Music is music regardless of its age. Great artists and great music have no expiry date and we believe it is time for the music industry to reflect that.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor BMG posted its strongest year of growth in 2022, with annual revenues of $911 million (up 30% over last year) and made more than $400 million worth of acquisitions in the booming catalog market, the company announced Thursday in its annual earnings report. The company’s annual operating EBITDA was up by more than 35% to $205 million. Founded in 2008, the Berlin-based company has been a steady presence in the music industry, basing its strength on tried-and-true artists and catalogs that range from Adam Lambert to Cypress Hill, from T. Rex to the Trojan reggae label. Its publishing division is one of the biggest in the industry, and it has made bold moves into the music documentary business — including a major stake in the critically lauded David Bowie doc “Moonage Daydream.”

BMG has announced a new deal with the George Harrison estate. It can put it on the shelf next to its existing deal with the Harrison founded Dark Horse Records label and the deal to administrate the late Beatle’s songs catalogue.

APPOINTMENTSRalph W Peer has been named MD of Peermusic Australia. Not to be confused with Ralph S Peer, his grandfather, who founded Peermusic in 1927, or Ralph Peer II, his father, who is currently Peermusic’s Executive Chair.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor BMG has posted the best-ever half-year results in its 14-year history, with revenues up 25% year over year, according to an announcement from the Berlin-based music company and its parent, Bertelsmann. According to the report, revenue for the period that ended June 30 was up 25% to approximately $405.7 million and operating EBITDA increased 46% to $79.8 million. And even as the catalog market is cooling elsewhere due to high prices and interest rates, its spending on catalog acquisitions tripled over the same period last year as part of Bertelsmann’s Boost program. The company’s revenue for the half year was also diversified, with 60% from publishing, and 40% from recordings.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBMG announced early Thursday that it has acquired the entire music publishing back catalog of French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre.The deal brings the rights in such groundbreaking albums as “Oxygene” and “Equinoxe” together with Jarre’s writer’s income stream. The company previously acquired the sound recordings of Jarre’s first three albums when it bought noted independent record label Francis Dreyfus Music in 2012.Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although for context, according to the announcement, Jarre has racked up 85 million-plus album sales over his career.Jarre said of his deal with the German-based company, “This partnership with BMG means a lot to me.

BMG has acquired the song rights of Jean-Michel Jarre. The company already controls the electronic musician’s recordings, having acquired the Francis Dreyfus Music record label a decade ago.“Jean-Michel Jarre is not only a ground-breaking pioneer in electronic music, he is a polymath and a shining ambassador for culture and internationalism”, says BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBertelsmann has announced its annual results, including details of its music division’s financial performance in 2021.BMG’s figures show its strongest performance yet, based on its investment in acquiring music catalogues and the performance of its recordings business, where vinyl sales more than doubled.Major catalogs acquired by the company in 2021 include Tina Turner, Mötley Crüe and ZZ Top, while key signings and re-signings included 5 Seconds of Summer, Bryan Adams and Louis Tomlinson in records and D’Mile, Diane Warren, the Juice WRLD estate and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in publishing.In 2021, overall revenues grew 10.1% to €663 million (approximately $748 million) while profit measure EBITDA increased by 5.4% to €144m. According to the announcement, catalog recordings and production music both grew revenue by a quarter, while publishing revenues from streaming grew by a fifth.

Gallery: Famous songs music legends are selling for millions (Lovemoney)The CEO of BMG, Hartwig Masuch said, “we are honored to take on the job of managing Tina Turner’s musical and commercial interests. It is a responsibility we take seriously and will pursue diligently.

Tina Turner has sold the artist's share of her music rights to BMG, who will now be able to use her name and likeness for brand partnerships and more.The company's CEO Hartwig Masuch confirmed the news toRolling Stoneon Tuesday with a sweet statement on the superstar's legendary career.'We all know how iconic Tina's work is,' the German music executive, 67, told the outlet.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith overall revenue growth of 9% and a 7% gain in EBITDA, BMG boasts of its best first half since parent company Bertelsmann returned to the music business with a new-look model in 2008. While the pandemic stymied growth in music publishing, BMG’s core business, a 29.4% uptick by recorded music carried the day for the fiscal period that ended June 30.Revenue for the period was €296 million, EBITDA at €50m.

American roots and Americana music have a new home at BMG, which today (March 10) launched Renew Records, a new label that will focus on artists and special projects in the genre. Based in Los Angeles, the label will be led by BMG executive vp David Hirshland, who has “his fin