News

NY, 18 May 2012 – Sadly, iconic performer, singer, guitarist and songwriter Chuck Brown passed away on May 16th at the age of 75 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Known as the “Godfather of Go-Go”, Chuck is considered to be the fundamental force behind significantly shaping the brand of funk music. Go-Go is a subgenre of funk, developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late-1970s. Chuck combined Latin beats, African call and response chants and American Jazz, throwing in a touch of soul with a continuous drumbeat. This nonstop dance music is and has been a trademark of original creative music from the nation’s capital, and has gained Chuck Brown worldwide fans.

His most celebrated hits “Bustin’ Loose”, “Blow Your Whistle”, “Chuck Baby”, “Wind Me Up!” and “Love” amongst many others have not only been hits at the time, but also inspired many artists such as Nelly, Amerie, Eve, Jill Scott and Wale to imitate and implement Chuck’s Go-Go sound into their own music.

We will miss you.

For more information on the incredible artist, please visit his official homepage

London, 17 May 2012 – Classic-rock crossover visionary and violinist David Garrett launches his album Legacy in the US (New York) on June 5th this year. Legacy includes the Beethoven Violin Concerto in D-Major op. 61 and works of Fritz Kreisler.

Only one man combines those qualities that make David Garrett such an interesting artist and handsome crowd winning talent on stage and in life. After having established himself as authentic classical and baroque musician and also after fascinating the audience by coupling rock with classical music in Virtuoso and Rock Symphonies, David launches Legacy, an album that returns to entirely classical sounds. Together with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he recorded works from Beethoven and Kreisler, two luminaries of violin composition.

Since the release of Legacy in Germany in Autumn 2011, the album topped the classical album charts, entering at #6 and was awarded gold within a short time. Thereupon David: “Beethoven has earned it”.

In July 2012, David Garrett will prove that he has even more qualities by make his acting debut as lead Paganini in the movie “Paganini – The Devil’s Violinist” which he himself will also executive produce.

For further information on David Garrett, please visit the official homepage

NY, 15 May 2012 – We congratulate talented musician Sara Watkins on the release of her second wonderful album Sun Midnight Sun on May 8, 2012. In Sun Midnight Sun Sara displays her instrumental breath: Not only as acclaimed singer-songwriter, but also by underlining her songs by playing the fiddle, the guitar and the ukulele.

The first single “When It Pleases You”, co-written by BMG writer Dan Wilson, is only one of many sweet-voiced tracks on the album that features special guest appearances by Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Benmont Tench and her brother Sean Watkins. In celebration of the release of Sun Midnight Sun, Watkins will embark on a nationwide tour this spring and summer, including a series of special tour dates with Dawes.

After the release of her first album Sara Watkins she has been co-working and touring as vocalist and fiddle player with artists such as the Decembrists, Béla Fleck, the Chieftains, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Lee, Dan Wilson, Richard Thompson, Alex Woodward and more. Also she starred on Garrison Keillor’s nationwide Summer Love performance tour.

Sara first gained recognition as a founding member of the Grammy Award–winning, platinum-selling trio Nickel Creek which was founded by the time Sara was only 12 years old.

For further information and tourdates, please click here.

New York, May 7th, 2012 – BMG artist John Legend is appearing in the new ABC reality singing competition, Duets, that will air this summer. Legend will be part of a superstar panel on a quest to find the ultimate singing partners from across the country. Contestant and superstar will compete as a team every week in order to win a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke round out the panel and MTV’s Quddus hosts. The series premieres Thursday, May 24th at 8 pm on ABC.

Berlin, 7 May 2012 – BMG songwriters Ali Tennant and Neil Thrasher have been awarded with #1 chart results this week:

Tulisa’s top hit single “Young” which was released in late April, peaks at #1 in the UK Singles Top 100 for the third week in a row. “Young” co-written by BMG songwriter Ali Tennant is the first single by Tulisa, former lead-singer of N-Dubz. To watch the refreshing video, click here.

In Nashville Rascal Flatts’ single “Banjo”, co-written by BMG Chrysalis writer Neil Thrasher, has also topped this week’s #1 on the Country Singles Charts. Listen to “Banjo” here

Congratulations!

London, 2nd May 2012 – Young Guns have been nominated for 2 Kerrang! awards 2012, Best Single and Best Album. This comes shortly after their February 2012 release of their second album ‘Bones’ which soared into the UK charts at number 19.

The Guardian Kerrang! 2012 article

DEAF HAVANA ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE ‘LITTLE WHITE LIES’ (FEAT. PORTIA CONN) FOR RELEASE ON MAY 28^th

London, 2nd May 2012 – Following the band’s sold out tour of the UK, Deaf Havana announce plans to release their anthemic single ‘Little White Lies’ from their hugely successful full length ‘Fools & Worthless Liars’.

The brilliantly comical video for the single was shot over a weekend at an 80s night club in Reading. You can watch it here:

Frontman James Veck-Gilodi says of the video - “We had such a great time shooting the video.  It was really good to do something a little more fun and light-hearted. We’re all massive fans of 80s culture, so to embrace that was brilliant”

 Deaf Havana will be playing their biggest headline tour of the UK to date in November. After the notable success of latest album Fools and Worthless Liars and the continued support of BBC Radio 1, coupled with the band opening the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals this summer, the November tour felt like a natural progression for the band.

 “Honestly it’s been mind-blowing, when we wrote this record we didn’t expect the response it has had so we cannot wait to get out and play these rooms.  We grew up going to some of these venues seeing bands we loved so to be able to play them is going to be surreal” – James V-G

 Tickets for Deaf Havana’s November headline tour are now on sale. Full dates are:

November 8th – Coventry Kasbah

November 9th – Leeds Met Uni

November 10th – Manchester Ritz

November 11th- Glasgow ABC

November 12th – Newcastle Academy

November 14th – Portsmouth Pyramids

November 15th – Norwich UEA

November 16th – London Shepherds Bush Empire

Tickets available from http://seetickets.com, http://kililive.com and all usual outlets.

Buy the album ‘Fools & Worthless Liars’ (BMG Chrysalis) now –

Digital - http://bit.ly/IlnioK 
Physical - http://bit.ly/JShQyG

 http://Facebook.com/DeafHavana

Nashville, 2 May 2012 – ASCAP and BMI recently celebrated the creative teams behind Dierks Bentley’s chart-topping song “Home” at Arnold’s in Nashville. The song is the title track to Bentley’s latest album Home and the singer’s ninth career No. 1 hit. Bentley co-wrote “Home” with Brett Beavers and Dan Wilson. Congratulations!

(L-R): BMG Chrysalis's Daniel Lee, ASCAP's Marc Driskill, Dierks Bentley, co-writer/co-producer Brett Beavers, co-producer Luke Wooten, and BMI's Jody Williams. Photo: Ed Rode

NY, 2 May 2012 – BMG Chrysalis US has announced that they have signed a co-publishing agreement with dancer, musician, and songwriter Mark Ballas. The Emmy-nominated Ballas has wowed over 20 million viewers on ABC’s top-ranked show, “Dancing with the Stars,” for eight consecutive seasons. He’s a two-time show champion (Season 6 with Kristi Yamaguchi and Season 8 with Shawn Johnson), and was the focus of a media frenzy when he took performance newcomer Bristol Palin all the way to the finals in Season 11. He garnered a 2011 Creative Arts Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography for his creative pieces during Season 12, and is currently topping the scoreboard on this season’s edition with his partner, classical singer Catherine Jenkins.

Born in Houston to a family of international dancers, Mark began playing the guitar at the age of ten, training in classic flamenco. By the age of twelve, he was writing and performing his own music, playing guitar, drums, and bass. With rhythmic style and soulful melodies that showcase his talent not only as an accomplished singer/songwriter, but also as a skilled guitar player. His debut solo album, HurtLoveBox, was released in March 2011. He was named the Clear Channel “Artist To Watch” in July, 2011, and his first single “Hotwire” was the winner of MTV’s Freshman Five for 2011.

As an actor, Mark has played the lead in the musical Copacabana, toured with the musical Maria de Buenos Aires and guest starred on television shows “Melissa and Joey” and “Samantha Who?”
“I’m super excited to take on BMG as a partner. Writing for myself and others is something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so grateful to be getting that opportunity,” said Mark Ballas.

“Up to 20 Million people per night love watching Mark demonstrate his virtuoso as a dancer and choreographer. What they may not know is that Mark is even more gifted as a world class guitar player, singer and songwriter! I love the fact that with all his success to date he is still humble, hungry and committed to reaching his maximum potential as a complete artist and you best believe that he has the full resources of BMG as his new creative partner. I am excited for the world to hear his incredible new music. If you love his Quick Step… wait until you actually see him flamenco on the guitar!”, said Venus Brown (for BMG Chrysalis)

New York, 30 April, 2012 – Lucky guests gathered on April 16th for an intimate concert with Carly Simon at BMG Chrysalis’ Los Angeles space, the first in a new series of showcases with the music rights company’s stellar signatures. Carly gave guests the gift of an unforgetable evening of music with hits that included “Your So Vain”, “Anticipation”, and debuted new songs including “I Can’t Thank You Enough.”

The following evening, Carly was honored with the Founders Award at ASCAP’s Annual Pop Awards for her unparalleled career spanning four decades of openhearted storytelling both in song and print.

Carly Simon and Ben Taylor

L to R: Maureen Crowe (President, Guild of Music Supervisors), Carly Simon, Laurent Hubert (President, Creative & Marketing, BMG Chrysalis NA), Wendy Griffiths (Senior VP, Marketing, BMG Chrysalis NA), Ed Razzano (VP, Licensing, Film & TV, BMG Chrysalis NA)

L to R: Richard Blackstone (Executive VP, Creative & Business Development, BMG Chrysalis NA), Laurent Hubert (President, Creative & Marketing, BMG Chrysalis NA), Carly Simon, Lionel Conway (Executive VP, Creative West Coast, BMG Chrysalis NA), David Hirshland (Executive VP, Client Services, BMG Chrysalis NA), Hartwig Masuch (CEO, BMG Rights Management)

Nashville/ New York, 30 April 2012 – BMG Chrysalis US announced today that Daniel Lee has been named Creative Director within the company’s Nashville operation. He will report to Darrell Franklin, Executive Vice President, effective immediately. Lee’s responsibilities will include the full spectrum of creative functions including the signing and development of new talent as well as song plugging.

“Daniel Lee is going to be a strong complement to our already outstanding creative team. He brings a great deal of experience and is well respected throughout the music community. Nashville is an increasingly important hub for the company and we are very excited to have him on board,“ said Darrell Franklin.

Daniel Lee joins BMG Chrysalis from Ten Ten Music where he held the position of Creative Director since 2007, working closely with songwriters Harley Allen, Angaleena Presley, Tia Sillers, Odie Blackmon, and Paul Brady, among others. Prior to that he was with Island Bound Music where he began his career in 2005.

He will join BMG’s growing team in Nashville which includes John Allen (Vice President) Sara Johnson and Taylor Lindsey (Senior Creative Directors), Kim Hylick (General Manager), and Kavin Lane (Creative Manager).  Recent successes include “Home” by Deirks Bentley, “Banjo” by Rascal Flatts, “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans, “Let It Rain” by David Nail, “Reality” by Kenny Chesney, and “Fly Over States” by Jason Aldean.

Pictured from (L) to (R) on back row are: Kevin Lane, Darrell Franklin, John Allen, & Daniel Lee. Front Row : Taylor Lindsey, Kim Hylick, & Sara Johnson.

Berlin, 27 April 2012 – Our Berlin office gave a warm welcome to the worldwide BMG synch team for the annual BMG International Synch Conference.

As BMG lives values such as quality of service and transparency, the close cooperation between all offices is considered essential and regular updates the basis. Following the invitation from the BMG headquarters in Berlin, the synch team gathered from Wednesday 25 April until late Thursday 26 April to discuss and brainstorm about the latest and upcoming issues.

Creating opportunities for our writers and artists on a truely international basis was the key interest. The simple but thriving BMG approach: One synch team across a number of offices and territories. Learning about the practices and procedures in each market enables us to provide even better service to the artists and rights owners who have entrusted their works to BMG.

The main focus of the conference were upcoming releases and the steadily growing BMG catalogue. With a solid and enhanced understanding of other territories’ markets, we can efficiently work on regional performances with a global perspective.

Paris, 26 April 2012 – Five member band Namasté and BMG just signed a co-publishing agreement. Since their first EP L’absurde in April 2010, Paris-based band Namasté has stayed at the top of the indie headlines in France.

Not only is Namasté the Indian/Nepalese salutation word, but it is also the name of the young French band happily mixing soul music, funk, hiphop and jazz. These childhood friends are all exceptional musicians, and their music has been influenced by figures such as Ray Charles, The Roots, Finlay Quaye, Aloe Blacc and many more.

Their music transformed BMG representatives after seeing them at a summer festival – under a pouring rain.

We look forward to hearing more from Namasté!

For further details, please visit: www.myspace.com/musicnamaste

London, 24th April 2012 – BMG Chrysalis UK has signed an exclusive publishing deal with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon for his latest solo album A&E which charted in the Top 40 on release.

BMG Chrysalis UK VP of A&R Ben Bodie said, “It is an honour to represent a songwriter whose work has helped define rock music over the past two decades.”

The 10-track A&E released by Parlophone is Coxon’s eighth solo album.

Coxon was a recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award at this year’s BRITs as one quarter of Blur.

He joins fellow Blur member Damon Albarn on the BMG Chrysalis roster.

London, 24th April 2012 – Multi-million selling Manchester rock group James have signed their publishing catalogue including the era-defining hit ‘Sit Down’ to BMG Chrysalis UK.

James, fronted by the charismatic Tim Booth, first emerged in the early Eighties with two EPs released on influential Manchester label Factory Records. Their breakthrough came in 1991 when ‘Sit Down’ from the album Gold Mother reached Number 2 on the Official UK Singles Chart.

The following years produced hits like ‘Laid’ and ‘She’s a Star’ together with a string of albums including Seven, Laid, Wah Wah and Whiplash which sold in their millions around the world.

BMG Chrysalis UK VP of A&R Ben Bodie said, “This is an outstanding catalogue of songs, and we are delighted that James have entrusted their catalogue to BMG Chrysalis.”

Visit their official website here.

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 20, 2012 – BMG proudly congratulates its songwriters who took home numerous trophies at this year’s ASCAP Pop Awards. The evening’s highlights included BMG’s Carly Simon, who was honored with the ASCAP Founders Award. A group of lucky guests gathered around the artist for an intimate concert the previous evening at BMG’s LA space. Ari Levine and Bruno Mars were awarded Song of the Year for their smash hit “Just the Way You Are” performed by Bruno Mars. BMG songwriters brought home an additional 9 trophies for the year’s Most Performed Songs. They are:

“F**k You” (Cee Lo Green)
BMG Writers:
Ari Levine
Bruno Mars

“Grenade” (Bruno Mars)
BMG  Writers:
Ari Levine
Bruno Mars

“Just The Way You Are” (Bruno Mars)
BMG Writers:
Ari Levine
Bruno Mars

“The Lazy Song” (Bruno Mars)
BMG Writers:
Ari Levine
Bruno Mars

“Lighters” (Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars)
BMG Writers:
Ari Levine
Bruno Mars

“Look At Me Now” (Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes)
BMG Writer:
Jean-Baptiste Kouame II

“Rocketeer” (Far East Movement ft. Ryan Tedder)
BMG Writer:
Bruno Mars

“Someone Like You” (Adele)
BMG Writer:
Dan Wilson

“Stereo Hearts” (Gym Class Heroes with Adam Levine)
BMG Writers:
Dan Omelio
Brandon Lowry

London, 19 April 2012 – Frontman to The Horrors’ Farris Badwan has designed a range of badges for Record Store Day. In association with Music Matters, a campaign which aims to tackle piracy within the music industry.

Quoted on the DigitalSpy website, Badwan said “”I’ve discovered so much music through independent record shops, particularly Rough Trade.

“It’s not the same experience buying records on the internet. I’ve always thought Record Store Day was such a great idea, limited 7″s from musicians who share a love of making actual records.”

The limited edition Record Store Day badges will be available in 192 record stores taking part in the annual event on April 21.

London, 19 April 2012 – the success of John Legend’s and co-writer will.i.am’s “Ordinary People” from 2005 never seems to reach its end. The song rocketed to #27 in the charts this week, the same position it peaked at in 2005.

After The Voice UK candidate Jaz Ellington performed a soulful version of  “Ordinary People” in the live show, it not only resulted in jury member will.i.am’s emotion display and Jessie J’s wet eyes but also pushed the song to move up in the charts. Also, his album Get Lifted made a re-appearance in the charts this week.

To watch the live performance, click here
For more details on John Legend, please visit: www.johnlegend.com

John Legend

NEW YORK / BERLIN, 18 APRIL 2012 – BMG has scooped the worldwide rights to an unreleased posthumous solo album from former Ramones frontman Joey Ramone, who died 11 years ago aged 49.

The 15 track album “…ya know?” will be preceded on April 21 by a limited-edition 7” vinyl for lead track “Rock ‘N Roll Is the Answer” produced exclusively for Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independent record stores.

The album is being released in 20 countries worldwide in the biggest demonstration, yet of BMG’s commitment to releasing master recordings as a complement to its core rights management and music publishing business.

The Ramones were named among Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums. In 2002 – the same year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – the Ramones were ranked #2 in Spin’s 50 Greatest Bands Of All Time, second only to The Beatles.

BMG Chrysalis US Vice-President, Masters, Jason Hradil said, “Joey Ramone was one of the key figures in a musical revolution whose impact is still being felt today. We are honored that Joey’s brother Mickey and his estate have entrusted this album to BMG.”

“…ya know?” will be released in the US on May 22, in Continental Europe on May 25 and in the UK on May 28.

The album represents the very best of recordings Ramone left behind on his death which were later assembled by his brother Mickey Leigh, manager Dave Frey and trusted producer Ed Stasium. It features contributions from a stellar cast of Ramone’s friends and collaborators, including Joan Jett, Little Steven Van Zandt, former Ramones drummer Richie Ramone, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye and members of the Ramones’ punk-era contemporaries The Dictators.

The Joey Ramone deal marks the latest development in BMG’s plan to double its business in master recordings. The company has already announced that it will release One Day I’m Going To Soar, the first album from legendary UK soul band Dexys, since 1985, on June 4.

Unlike the traditional record deal which tends to comprise a cash advance and a small royalty with creative aspects and marketing decisions controlled by the record label, the BMG masters model is based on rights owner and company jointly agreeing upon a budget and a plan to be executed in partnership with the majority of the economics of the deal going to the artist.

Dominique Kulling, Vice President Master New Recordings / TV & Film, who heads up the masters division out of Berlin said, “Ever since we announced the expansion of our masters program, we have been inundated with enquiries from artists and their representatives. We believe this shows there is a huge appetite for an alternative to the traditional record deal.”

The album will be distributed by RED in the North America and Rough Trade throughout Europe.

Joey Ramone 1977, Credits: BMG / Janet Macoska

London, 17 April 2012 – Successful artist and writer Marlon Roudette releases his single “New Age” in the UK today.

“New Age” has already topped  #1 in the Charts for eight weeks in Germany and in many European countries. His album Matter Fixed was declared the album of the week on Smoothradio (UK). We are very eager to hear more from Marlon in the near future.

To see the “New Age” music video, click: www.tape.tv/musikvideos/Marlon-Roudette/New-Age

For more information and more videos of Marlon Roudette, visit: www.marlonroudette.com

Berlin, 16 April 2012 – Having enjoyed international success with their dance beats, German group Cascada released their new single “Summer of Love” which has promptly entered the Charts this week.

Songwriter Tony Cornelissen and producer Manuel Reuter (both BMG) were involved in the production of “Summer of Love” which places #13 in Germany, #7 in Austria and #13 in Switzerland. Congratulations!

Listen to the new single: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHp6NNjdxbE
For more details, visit: www.cascada-music.de

Stockholm, 13 April 2012 – Congratulations to Carl Falk, who’s co-write “What makes you beautiful” by One Direction hit the 1 million mark this week and climbed to #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week.

His Nicki Minaj Single “Starships” places #6 on Billboard Hot 100, making us eagerly await the outcome of her next single “Pound the alarm”. Nicki’s album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded  tops #1 on Billboard 200 – Carl’s second #1 album in 2012.

For more details, please visit: www.flavors.me/carlfalk

London, 11th April 2012 -  Swiss Lips play tonight in Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, Frank Turner to headline Wembley Arena on Friday, TEED album available to pre-order, Matt Corby sells out on his national tour, Asteroids Galaxy Tour perform last night in London, Rumer currently in an interview with The Times today.

Swiss Lips play tonight in Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, check out their video below for “U Got The Power”.

Frank Turner to headline Wembley Arena on Friday, retweet his Wembley announcements to have a chance of winning tickets. Additionally, buy tickets her:

Frank Turner Wembley tickets

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs self-titled album is now available to pre-order on ITunes, to be released on 11th June. Check out his latest music video for “Tapes And Money” below.

Matt Corby sells out on his national tour in Australia in just over a week, big news for the budding artist, with all London dates also sold out – Corby’s next gigs in London will be Tuesday 17th April at The Bowery, Saturday 21st April at the London Secret Garden Show, 25th April at The Garage, and then 26th April at Shepherds Bar. Check him out in a live session performing “Brother”

Asteroids Galaxy Tour perform last night in Cargo, London to avid fans singing along. AGT have featured in the previous Heineken ad campaign below, with their track “The Golden Age”.

Rumer  is currently in an interview with The Times today so stay tuned for some information on her up-and-coming covers album. Check out her debut single “Slow” below.

L-r: Jamie Osman (manager), Tom Overbury, Tom Ogden, James Veck-Gilodi, Lee Wilson, Chris Pennells

London, 10th April 2012 - Deaf Havana spent the Easter weekend shooting their video for third single ‘Little White Lies’.

The filming took place both backstage at the Camden Barfly and surrounding streets in London on Friday and Saturday, as well as 80s themed nightclub ‘Rewind’ in Reading on Sunday and Monday.

The video is set in 1982, has a humorous tone to it and features a cameo appearance from singer Portia Conn.

A&R Manager, Tom Overbury, went along on the Sunday and said, “There was a high energy atmosphere and genuine excitement in the room for the performance scenes that were filmed in the nightclub, as the band chose a few lucky fans to play the audience, rather than hiring extras. The guys were hilarious as their 80s alter egos and from the playback we got to see, its going to be an excellent video”.

Deaf Havana have also recently announced that they will be opening the main stage at this year’s Reading & Leeds Festivals.

Deaf Havana on Facebook

BERLIN, 10 April 2012 – Million-selling Swedish rock band and European festival favourites Mando Diao have signed an exclusive publishing deal with BMG Germany.

Led by singer-songwriters Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén, the band has released five studio albums, a Best Of and an MTV Unplugged set over the past nine years with total sales of over one million albums, 600,000 of them in Germany.

Besides the upcoming regular Mando Diao album, the deal with BMG coincides with the release of two special projects from the band this year:

- Back To Earth, an album from Dixgård and Norén’s Gorillaz-type side project Caligola which features contributions from German DJ Paul van Dyk, singer Agnes Carlsson, Oskar Bonde from Johnossi and Swedish hip-hop producers Masse und Salla Salazar;

- A Swedish language album where they interpret a renowned Swedish writer known for his poems about alcohol and women.

The regular Mando Diao album is expected to follow, but in the meantime the band will be playing three major European festivals this summer – In Music, Zagreb in Croatia, Das Festival in Schauffhausen, Switzerland and Sziget in Budapest, Hungary.

Mando Diao’s last album Give Me Fire entered the German, Swiss and Austrian charts at Number One and its lead single sold 300,000 units in Germany alone.

BMG’s Fred Casimir, responsible for European Repertoire said, “Mando Diao have scored the rare achievement of consistently increasing their fan base while maintaining their musical credibility. We look forward to working with them to further grow their success internationally.”

BMG´s Maik Pallasch, responsible for German Repertoire said: “Björn and Gustaf´s creative output is incredible at the moment. We are very happy to work with them at such an exciting point of their career.”

Mando Diao: “We are glad to cooperate with BMG who have a lot of confidence in our different projects. The future is exciting and it will be great to see what we can do together.”

Left to right: Matthias Steur (Attorney Mando Diao), Gustaf Erik Norén (Mando Diao), Maik Pallasch (BMG German Repertoire), Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (Mando Diao), Fred Casimir (BMG European Repertoire), Carlos Barth (Management Mando Diao)

Nashville, 10 April 2012 – BNA Records’ Kenny Chesney and songwriter Brett James celebrated their recent co-written No. 1 chart-topper “Reality,” produced by Buddy Cannon, at Sambuca’s Sky Room on Thursday (4/5). BMI and ASCAP co-hosted the event, which honored Chesney’s 23rd trip to the top of the charts.

Presentations were made by BMI’s Clay Bradley and ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, as well as Warner/Chappell’s Steve Markland, Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, and BMG Chrysalis’ Sara Johnson. Avenue Bank’s Ron Cox presented a financial contribution in the name of the writers to Chesney’s preferred charity, Plan!t Now.

“I’ve been very blessed with a lot of great people that have been part of a really incredible ride,” said Chesney. “The thing that makes me the happiest is when I can sit down with a guy like Brett James and create something that touches people. Thank you everybody for giving us a greatreality.”

Brett James also thanked everyone for the accolades and added, “We wrote ‘Out Last Night’ and ‘Reality’ on the same day. Thank God for that day!”

(L-R): (front row) BMG/Chrysalis' Sara Johnson; Warner/Chappell Music's Steve Markland; co-writers Brett James and Kenny Chesney; manager Dale Morris; and Sony/ATV Music Publishing's Troy Tomlinson; (back row) ASCAP's Mike Sistad; Sony Music Nashville's Gary Overton; producer Buddy Cannon; BMI's Clay Bradley; and BNA Records' Norbert Nix. Photo: Rick Diamond/Musicrow

New York, April 9, 2012 – We are pleased to announce that songwriter and musician Daniel Bensi has recently signed a co-publishing agreement with BMG. The agreement encompasses all nine songs that appear on BMG artist Diego Garcia’s 2011 release, Laura, which were co-written by Bensi. Click here to watch the video for their song ‘You Were Never There.’

BOSTON / BERLIN, 5 April 2012 – Singer-songwriter Chris Smither lives true cosmic blues through his 12th album Hundred Dollar Valentine (Signature Sounds), which will be available in US stores on June 19.

Smither’s cosmic blues are on full display in Hundred Dollar Valentine, a brilliant amalgam of equal parts past, present and future. It is music that has deep traditional roots, anchors its rhythms and textures in today, and reaches forward into the future, asking the Big Questions.

Smither’s unmistakable sound of fingerpicked acoustic guitar and evocative sonic textures meshed with spare, brilliant songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice, has truly become his trademark. Producer David “Goody” Goodrich is a natural partner for Smither. “He knows me and my music so well that I trust his ideas implicitly and he keeps coming back with new ones,” says Smither. “This is my fifth project with Goody and each time he raises the bar.” The album features all original songs and session support from Morphine, Groovasaurus and The Lemonheads players.

On Hundred Dollar Valentine, Chris Smither makes music that simultaneously breaks and fortifies one’s heart. It’s music that acknowledges that even as we are together, we are alone. This is music that stares into that absolute abyss and does not lie. This is music that locks its gaze with life and death and does not look away. Chris Smither sings the cosmic blues.

www.smither.com

Chris Smither on tour: http://mongrelm.com/artist.php?aid=A102

London/Berlin, 2 April 2012 – As of today, BMG Chrysalis UK will be operating from brand new offices at 33 Wigmore Street in London, W1U 1QX. You can reach us under our new phone number
+44 (0)203 214 1200. We’re looking forward to welcoming you here soon!

Nashville, March 28th, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis has the honor of participating in this year’s Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville, TN. Tin Pan South is an annual event that celebrates Nashville’s unique music scene and puts the spotlight on what the town is most known for: songwriting. The event is named in honor of New York’s iconic Tin Pan Alley.

BMG Chrysalis has 23 songwriters participating in the festival. BMG’s participants are Allen Shamblin, Victoria Banks, Kevin Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Jeff Stevens, Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Neal Carpenter, Adam James, Jon Mabe, Melissa Peirce, Steven Lee Olsen, Jonathan Singleton, Kylie Sackley, Jaron Boyer, Angelo, Matt Wertz, Tommy Lee James, Kendell Marvel, Joie Scott, Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll and Paul Williams. The festival runs from March 27th through March 31st.

New York, March 27, 2012 – The much-awaited release of The Hunger Games (March 23), the film adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s hugely popular young adult novel, was the week’s major US box office event. The film’s companion soundtrack, titled “The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond”, was released on March 20th and is expected to make a big debut on the US sales chart this week. The Civil Wars are featured prominently on the soundtrack with two titles, “Kingdom Come” and “Safe and Sound”, the soundtrack’s breakout single performed with Taylor Swift. The prestigious list of acts also participating includes Arcade Fire, Miranda Lambert featuring The Pistol Annies, The Punch Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Taylor Swift, The Decemberists, and Kid Cudi.

Berlin, March 23, 2012 – BMG congratulates all our writers and artists on their success at the annual German music awards, the Echo!

BMG writers Fraser T. Smith and Dan Wilson triumph as Adele adds to her haul of awards – the British soul diva picked up the trophies for ‘Best Female Artist Rock/Pop International’ and ‘Best Album’ for 21, which includes significant contributions from both authors.

Bruno Mars, who signed on with BMG earlier this week, won Best Male Artist Rock/Pop International. His album Doo Wops and Hooligans also features songs by BMG-signed writer Ari Levine.

French DJ David Guetta was awarded ‘Best Club/Dance’ for the album Nothing But the Beat, which contains the song “Nothing Really Matters” by will.i.am.

We also congratulate BMG writers Thomas Azier, Thomas Küchler, Benjamin Bistram, and Friedrich Kautz, whose shares in the album XOXO helped German rapper Casper to the Echo for ‘Best Hip-Hop/Urban’.

New York/Berlin, 21 March 2012 – BMG Chrysalis US announced today that it has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Bruno Mars. The multi-talented singer/songwriter/producer/musician’s debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans has earned 36 Platinum certifications worldwide.

Mars’ first solo single “Just the Way You Are,” hit number 1 in multiple countries across the world and won the critically-acclaimed artist a Grammy Award for “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.” Doo-Wops & Hooligans has claimed two additional hit singles “Grenade” and “The Lazy Song.” Mars is a 13-time Grammy Award nominee and has now sold over 36 million singles worldwide.

In addition to the songs he has authored and recorded himself, Mars has become a prodigious source of hits for some of the most sought-after acts in music today. As a member of the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons (Mars, Ari Levine, Phil Lawrence), he has co-written and/or produced several multi-platinum singles including B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You,” Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” and Cee Lo Green’s Grammy-nominated “Fuck You.”

Most recently, Mars scored his 11th top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single “It Will Rain” from the blockbuster film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. Also in 2012, Bruno took home the Brit Award for Best International Male Solo Artist.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “We are happy that Bruno Mars– one of contemporary music’s most creative and prolific songwriters – has joined the BMG roster. His decision to sign to with us reflects our commitment to make BMG a home for the best music talent in the world.”

“In such a short time, Bruno Mars has created a tremendous footprint in the musical world. Whether he’s writing for himself or others, he creates magic and there is simply no limit to where his talent can take him,” added Richard Blackstone, Executive Vice-President, BMG North America.

Credit: Andreas Laszlo Konrath

Stockholm, 21 March 2012 – The success continues for Swedish writer Carl Falk! We are very proud to
announce that the One Direction album Up All Night, featuring 3 songs co-written by Falk, now debuted
#1 on Billboard 200, making history as the first British group to make such achievements! The album features also songs written by Toby Gad and Tom Meredith.

We are thrilled to see that the single “What Makes You Beautiful” keeps climbing on Billboard
and is charted all over the world together with second One Direction single “One Thing”.

New York, March 19th, 2012 – BMG welcomes songwriter and producer Steve Fox to our roster. Fox’s songs have appeared on albums by Sugar Ray, Donavon Frankenreiter and reggae/rock band The Dirty Heads. Click here to listen to ‘Knows That I’ off The Dirty Heads’ Any Port In A Storm album.

Hilversum, 15 March 2012 – Aiming at the discovery and development of new talent, TV presenter and singer Angela Groothuizen has joined the BMG family.

Angela has forged an impressive career. Alongside her work as a TV presenter and her role as coach in two seasons of the Voice of Holland she is a successful singer herself. Not only is she renown in Holland, but she even enjoyed an international career when she was part of the girl group Dolly Dots. Recently, she released her own album I defend, a beautiful collection of Dutch songs. The album can already be found in the charts.

Frank Bruens, Managing Director of BMG Benelux: “I am thrilled about this new partnership with Angela and I am convinced that we will combine forces for both Angela’s own songs and the new talents we will pick up and develop through her network.”

Angela: “In the days when being part of the Dolly Dots I already started writing and producing for myself and additionally reached out to young talent. Now, I want to focus on writing again. I love to work with other musicians and I cannot wait to write for special projects. I really look forward to working with the BMG team.”

For more details, visit: http://www.angelagroothuizen.nl/

Angela Groothuizen, Photographer: Nick van Ormondt

Berlin, 15 March 2012 – Influential German production team The Krauts have entered into an exclusive Songwriter and Co-Publishing Agreement with BMG Germany.

The Krauts team of David Conen, Vincent Graf von Schlippenbach and Dirk Berger have sold millions of albums with their co-operations, projects and co-writes with national German stars such as Peter Fox, Seeed, Beatsteaks, Marteria, Cassandra Steen, Die Fantastischen Vier, Ich und Ich, as well as international ventures with P.Diddy, Amy Winehouse and currently Plan B, blending electronic beats with vintage sounds.

In 2009, The Krauts and Peter Fox were jointly awarded the ECHO prize – German equivalent of the Grammys – as best production team for Peter Fox’s phenomenally successful Stadtaffe, which has now sold over 1.1m copies.

The Krauts: “Our cooperation with BMG allows us to focus on what we do best: our creative work. And BMG’s enthusiasm and dedication towards us and our work is incredible.” Their latest work includes projects with Adel Tawil, Ms Platnum, Marteria and Yasha, which will be the first release on their own label at Sony.

BMG Vice-President German Repertoire Maik Pallasch: “The Krauts are a fantastic songwriting and production team. We are thrilled to have found a partner who has worked with some of the most successful German artists and at the same time is focused on new talent.”

From left to right - Back: Götz v. Einem (BMG SVP Business & Legal), Klaus Bölitz (Transporterraum Management), Maik Pallasch (BMG VP German Repertoire), Fred Casimir (BMG SVP European Repertoire), Front: Vincent von Schlippenbach (The Krauts), Dirk Berger mit Greta (The Krauts), David Conen (The Krauts) Credits: BMG / Jörg Carstensen

NY, 14 March 2012 – Bruno Mars, celebrated Grammy Award Winner and currently one of America’s hottest musicians, will star on the cover of this year’s March issue of the Playboy Magazine.

As the 10th male to adorn the cover of Playboy, alongside Miss April Raquel Pomplun, he pays homage to the memory of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in (hair-) style and appearance. At the risk of maybe disappointing some of you, he will be fully dressed, wearing his own Armani suit on the cover and presenting a cool and colorful version of himself in Ray-Ban glasses and Re-Mix loafers inside the magazine.

Since 1967 the privilege has only been granted to a few chosen male celebrities such as Peter Sellers, Burt Reynolds, Steve Martin, Gene Simmons and latest Seth Rogen in 2009.

For more details on Bruno Mars, visit: http://www.brunomars.com

Paris, 14 March 2012 – Three months ago, French six-member rap band 1995 (pronounced Un-Neuf-Neuf-Cinq) was still unsigned. Today, they perform among top ranks in the charts.

Who could have imagined that successful French Hip Hop band 1995 managed its’ first release with neither the benefit of a label nor any significant marketing? La Source, the entirely self-produced and self-distributed EP, climbed up to #7 in the French Digital Album charts and #23 in the Physical Album charts in June 2011.

The band, that has the potential to fill huge concert halls, has now signed with BMG France and just ranked #2 in this week’s Digital Album charts and # 11 in the Physical Album charts with their EP La Suite.

Both the debut EP La Source, the current EP La Suite, the upcoming album, future releases and solo projects, which most members are working on, are part of the publishing deal with BMG.

We are thrilled to be working with 1995!

Nashville/ London, March 13, 2012  – We are all very excited for UK singer/songwriter Lucie Silvas who has landed her first US television placement. Her powerful track “Reset” will be featured on the final season of One Tree Hill, which airs this Wednesday the 14^th at 8/7c on The CW. “Reset” is one of Lucie’s personal favorites off her forthcoming album, Letters To Ghosts, due later his year. Head here to hear “Reset” and listen for Lucie tomorrow night on One Tree Hill.

Stockholm, 13 March 2012 – Carl Falk, celebrated songwriter and producer, has bounced to the top of international charts.

His latest credits include hits such as One Direction’s “One Thing” and “What Makes You Beautiful” and Taio Cruz’ “Troublemaker”, all of which are currently listed among the iTunes Store Top 10 songs in Australia, the US, Canada, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

“Too Late for Hallelujah”, written by Falk and performed by Irish band Aslan topped at #1 on the iTunes Top 10 chart in Ireland.

Nicki Minaj’s highlight “Starships” is rocketing towards the top at #3 of the UK singles charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

For the impressive sales figures of 350 000 One Direction albums in the US and his successful ascension in international charts, we congratulate Carl Falk!

For more details, visit www.flavors.me/carlfalk

London, 13 March 2012 – Last night on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show Beth Dito from The Gossip announced their new album, released in May, will be called Perfect World, and gave the unsuspecting public their first bite.

Their new track, also called “Perfect World”, has a mellow, driving bass line behind Dito’s cutting vocal, and has not lost an ounce of attitude; it has a real Fleetwood Mac feel, not afraid to slow down at times, letting the listener settle into the confidently catchy taster to the upcoming album.

The excitement behind the album is being posted all over the internet with a range of articles from AltSounds, NME, Gigwise, etc. Being their first album since 2009, and produced by the likes of Mark Ronson and Xenomania’s Brian Higgins, we can definitely expect an outlook not yet heard from The Gossip.

The Gossip “Perfect World”

Berlin, 12 March 2012 – Rights management company BMG has appointed seasoned music executive Sanken Sandqvist to expand its operations in Scandinavia, based in Sweden, the world’s third biggest music export nation.

Sandqvist – an accomplished producer, engineer, recording studio owner, A&R executive and record label president – takes up the role of General Manager with immediate effect.

He said, “Scandinavian writers and artists are hungry for an alternative route to the world market while international writers deserve better representation in Scandinavia. BMG has the resouces and the infrastructure to fill both of those gaps in the market and to become a creative flagship across the region.”

Most recently Sandqvist was responsible for International A&R Exploitation at Warner/Chappell Scandinavia where he was responsible for signing hit folk duo First Aid Kit, Max Martin collaborator songwriter Alexander Kronlund (Britney Spears, Robyn) and producer/songwriter Lasse Mårtén (Lykke Li, Primal Scream).

His production credits at his own internationally-renowned ToyTown studio in Stockholm include Killing Joke, Paradise Lost and Clawfinger. Previously he was President of MVG Records, then known as one of the most creative independent Swedish labels.

BMG Managing Director of European Repertoire Fred Casimir said, “Scandinavia is one of the most creative music markets worldwide and BMG will continue to grow by converging the new recording and music publishing business models. Sanken Sandqvist brings us great experience from both sides and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Sanken Sandqvist replaces as BMG Scandinavia General Manager Åsa Enström who will switch to the role of General Counsel.

London/Berlin, March 7, 2012 – Legendary UK soul band Dexys have confirmed they will release One Day I’m Going To Soar, their first album since 1985, in partnership with rights management company BMG.

Dexys is the most high profile signing to BMG’s record release programme since it announced it planned to double revenue from master recordings during 2012.

Dexys manager Tim Vigon said, “When you’re talking about one of the most legendary artists the UK has ever produced, it’s important to be able to hand-pick a team that has the necessary clout and passion. The BMG model has given us that freedom. BMG are very committed and we have worked out every detail of this release together. It’s a team effort and feels very exciting.”

Unlike the traditional record deal which tends to comprise a cash advance and a small royalty with all marketing controlled by the record label, the BMG masters model is based on band and company jointly agreeing a budget, working together to manage costs and then paying the artist a much larger royalty.
Danny Watson, Manager Masters UK at BMG said, “It is a huge honour to work with Kevin Rowland and Dexys. The album is extraordinary and is set to be one of the musical highlights of 2012.”
Alexi Cory-Smith, Senior Vice-President of BMG Chrysalis UK, said, “Artists are increasingly demanding a say in the way their music is sold. They want transparency and an alternative to the old-style record deal. That is what the BMG masters deal is about.”

One Day I’m Going To Soar will be released on Monday 4 June 2012 and will be preceded in early May by four live shows in Treorchy (4 May), Glasgow (6 May), Whitley Bay (7 May) and London (8 May).
The album will be distributed in the UK by Absolute Marketing and Distribution.
Radio promotion is by Joe Bennett at JBPR. Press is with Steve Phillips at Big Mouth Publicity. Online PR is Paul Piggott at LA Digit. TV Promotion is with Laura Ohnona TV.

Los Angeles, March 5, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis is thrilled to announce the addition of soul/jazz legend Bohannon to our catalog and artist roster. Coinciding with his signing, Bohannon will be releasing an innovative new album titled Let’s Start the Dance Electronic Soul Train, his first album of new material in 22 years.

Cutting his teeth as Stevie Wonder’s drummer and Motown’s touring band leader, Bohannon emerged as a leading hitmaker in the 70s and 80s, racking up 19 Billboard singles from 1974 to 1983. Bohannon’s music has influenced generations of writers and artists, and his music has been heavily sampled by dozens of top artist including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Nine Inch Nails. To learn more about Bohannon’s new album and his past achievements, please read the full press release below.

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New York, March 5, 2012 - We are excited to announce singer/songwriter Valerie June has signed a co-publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis. June’s songs are a silky pastiche of country, delta blues and Americana roots musical styles. Her new album is co-written by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and will be released at the end of 2012. Click here to watch her video for ‘Workin’ Woman Blues’ and here to watch her performing on John Forte’s ‘Give Me Water.’

New York, March 5, 2012 – BMG welcomes Canadian singer, songwriter and artist Steven Lee Olsen to our roster. Olsen’s songs have been recorded by numerous artists including The Judds, Emerson Drive, Westlife and Armin van Buuren. As a performer, Olsen has achieved two top twenty hits on Canadian radio and was nominated for a Canadian Radio Music Award for his song “Now“.

Jon Sidel (BMG US A&R), David O'Bryan (BMG UK Sync), Charlie Caplowe (Manager), Frank Turner and Hugo Turquet (BMG UK A&R) from left to right

London, 5 March 2012 – BMG Chrysalis UK has signed folk-punk singer-songwriter Frank Turner to an exclusive music publishing agreement.

The deal, signed in the face of significant competition, comes just weeks before Turner scores yet another breakthrough with his biggest London show to date, headlining Wembley Arena on April 13.

It will round off an exceptional year for Turner that has included headlining festivals, main-stage sets at Reading and Leeds and his self-released Top 20 album England Keep My Bones.

BMG Chrysalis UK VP of A&R Ben Bodie – who scored the deal with A&R Director Hugo Turquet – said, “This is a significant signing of an artist who is clearly on the verge of a major breakthrough. If you look at what is happening in the album market, it’s all about proper artists with real songs. Frank is a real contemporary artist, an exceptional songwriter with a unique vision all his own.”

The addition of Frank Turner to the BMG Chrysalis UK roster comes amid an unprecedented signing spree by the company.

In recent weeks the company has signed:

• Tame Impala songwriter Kevin Parker;
• London electro-pop group Flash Fiktion;
• Pop songwriter Alex Reid, who boasts cuts with the likes of Rusko, Simon Webbe and Joe McIlderry;
• Five-piece indie rock band Zulu Winter;
• Island Records signing Slow Moving Millie;
• French writer-producer Dimitri Tikavoi;
• Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan;
• Acoustic/folk newcomer Nina Nesbitt.

BMG Chrysalis UK Senior Vice-President Alexi Cory-Smith said “There is lots more to come. The music business has changed. Writers want a new alternative. BMG Chrysalis is proving it has the resources, the technology and the creative vision to provide that alternative.”

Berlin, March 5, 2012 – Ian Anderson, founder and head of the legendary rock band Jethro Tull, will receive the NatureLife Award for his commitment to biodiversity.

Ian Anderson, whose work has influenced the musical world with titles like “Locomotive Breath”, “Bungle in the Jungle” and the albums Aqualung or Thick as a Brick has proven that music is not his only passion. For decades now, he has engaged in environmental issues and has promoted the protection of endangered species and habitat renaturation.

While innovatively stirring up the musical world with the transverse flute mixed with heavy rock sounds, Anderson simultaneously helped protect the St. Lucia Reservation in South Africa, planted 35,000 trees in Scotland – his homeland – and saved woodlands from industrial acquisition.
Wildcats in their natural habitat and in zoos all around the globe have to thank Anderson for his financial aid.

For this dedication, the artist will receive the NatureLife Award. According to NatureLife-International, “Ian Anderson is an extraordinary role model. He engages in sustainable activities by supporting ecological, cultural and social initiatives.”

NatureLife-International is a foundation supporting the idea of worldwide environmental protection and international environmental dialogue. Currently it is focusing heavily on protecting climate as well as endangered species, poverty reduction and reforestation.

For more details, visit http://www.naturelife-international.org and http://www.j-tull.com

Stockholm, March 1, 2012 – BMG is delighted to announce the signing of Swedish hard rock band Blindside.

Blindside – Christian Lindskog, Simon Grenehed, Marcus Dahlström and Tomas Näslund – was born a decade ago in the suburbs of Stockholm. The band debuted in April 1997 in Sweden with their self-titled album. With its momentum building, Blindside became the first band signed to Warner/Elektra’s 3 Points imprint, and in 2002 released Silence, a tighter, more produced record.

After tours with Hoobastank, Papa Roach, P.O.D. and Linkin Park, the band returned with the melodic About a Burning Fire which hit the top 40 on the US Billboard albums charts. The 2006 album The Great Depression followed, with the band making a move back from the US to focusing on Europe. After years of extensive touring, Blindside released the brand new album With Shivering Hearts We Wait in 2011 in the US. In 2012 it will be launched throughout Europe and Asia accompanied by many live appearances.

Blindside manager Michael Sundén said: “The band found what they have been looking for; a great new partner on the creative side. They are really excited to be part of the BMG team!”

Left to right: Marcus Dahlström (Blindside drums), Thomas Scherer (BMG International Repertoire), Fred Casimir (BMG European Repertoire), Christian Lindskog (vocals), Tomas Näslund (bass), Michael Sundén (Blindside Manager), Simon Grenehed (guitars). Credits: BMG.

The transaction adds 12,000 copyrights including 35 Top 10 hits and the catalogue of German rock icons Die Toten Hosen to BMG’s music publishing assets.

BERLIN, 1 March 2012 – BMG Rights Management (BMG) announced today the completion of a transaction whereby BMG acquired the assets of R2M Music (Lux) S.a.r.l (“R2M”). The transaction adds 12,000 copyrights including 35 Top 10 hits and many top songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s to BMG’s music publishing assets.

R2M was founded by former Sony/ATV Music Publishing executives Paul Russell, Richard Rowe and Phil May in 2006. The assets sold by R2M pursuant to the transaction include the LeFrak catalogue, home to seven Number One pop hits by the likes of 2Pac “California Love”, Neil Sedaka “Laughter in the Rain”, Captain and Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together”, Jim Croce “Time in a Bottle”, and Tony Orlando and Dawn “Knock Three Times”. LeFrak’s collection of master rights includes Jim Croce’s greatest hits.

With the acquisition, BMG also takes over the catalogue of one of Germany’s most renowned rock bands, Die Toten Hosen, representing the majority of the songs on the six albums the band has recorded since 1996, five of them Number Ones in Germany. The R2M assets acquired by BMG as part of the transaction also include the music publishing assets of former Transcontinent Musikverlag GmbH, including rights to an extensive German Schlager music catalogue.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “R2M had assembled a high quality catalogue of outstanding copyrights and we are delighted to be able to extend our services to their writers. We are confident we will do a great job for them.”

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Berlin, February 29, 2012 – We are proud to present our nominees for the 2012 ECHO Award, the German equivalent to the Grammy, or the Brit Award. The show will take place in Berlin on March 22, and will be broadcast live on German national televison.

The winner in the category ‘Best Video National’ is selected by the audience. Click here to cast your vote online (until March 11) and support Haudegen, Lena (writer: Gus Seyffert) and 23 (writer: Vincent Stein).

The nominees list:

CATEGORY: RADIO ECHO

“Nur in meinem Kopf” by Andreas Bourani (Andreas Bourani, Thomas Olbrich)
Song taken from the album Staub und Fantasie

CATEGORY: MALE ARTIST ROCK/POP INTERNATIONAL

Doo-Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars
The Awakening by James Morrison*
*Controlled songs: “The Awakening”, “In My Dreams” (Dan Wilson), “Forever” (Fraser T. Smith), “Up”, “One Life”, “Slave To The Music” (Toby Gad)

CATEGORY: FEMALE ARTIST ROCK/POP INTERNATIONAL

21 by Adele*
*Controlled songs: “Don´t You Remember”, “One and Only”, “Someone Like You” (Dan Wilson), “Set Fire To The Rain” (Fraser T. Smith)

CATEGORY: FEMALE ARTIST ROCK/POP NATIONAL

Mir so nah by Cassandra Steen*
*Controlled songs: “Gebt alles”, “Tanz” (Heike Kospach, Adel Tawil, Sebastian Kirchner, Vincent Stein), “Leben” (Heike Kospach), “Gib mir mehr” (Heike Kospach, Adel Tawil, Sebastian Kirchner), “Der erste Winter” (Heike Kospach, Vincent Stein)

Good News by Lena*
*Controlled songs: “Taken By A Stranger” (Gus Seyffert), “Teenage Girls” (Viktoria Hansen)

CATEGORY: ROCK/ALTERNATIVE INTERNATIONAL

Evanescence by Evanescence

Wasting Lights by Foo Fighters (Nate Mendel, Pat Smear)

CATEGORY: GROUP ROCK/POP NATIONAL

Rock’n'Roll Therapy by Dick Brave & The Backbeats*
*Controlled songs: “Use Somebody” (originally by Kings of Leon), “Just the Way You Are” (originally by Bruno Mars)

CATEGORY: BEST VIDEO NATIONAL (VOTING)

23 – “So mach ich es” (Vincent Stein)
Haudegen – “Ein Mann ein Wort” (Albertsson/Gillert)
Lena – “Taken By A Stranger” (Gus Seyffert)

CATEGORY: HIP-HOP/ URBAN NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL
CATEGORY: NEWCOMER NATIONAL
CATEGORY: CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD NATIONAL

XOXO by Casper*
*Controlled songs: “Lilablau” (Thomas Azier, Thomas Küchler), “Das Grizzly Lied”, “So Perfekt” (Benjamin Bistram), “Der Druck Steigt” (Benjamin Bistram, Friedrich Kautz), “XOXO”, “230409″, “Alaska” (Thomas Küchler)

CATEGORY: CLUB/ DANCE NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL

Befehl von Ganz Unten by Deichkind (Roland Knauf, Christian Hartmann)

Nothing But the Beat by David Guetta*
*Controlled song: “Nothing Really Matters” (Feat. will.i.am)

CATEGORY: FOLK MUSIC

Zwei Herzen by Hansi Hinterseer*
*Controlled song: “Denk ich an zu Haus” (Norman Brinkmann, Bernd Gedike)

For more details, visit the official ECHO website (German language only).

Berlin, February 28, 2012 – BMG Germany is happy to announce a publishing partnership with Björn Meyer (Edition Excellence Extreme Publishing), and the joint signing of Jesper Strömblad.

After several years of experience as A&R, Björn Meyer is now managing hard rock and metal bands. At the same time he remains active as freelance A&R, scouting bands for the record label Nuclear Blast.

Jesper Strömblad is writer/guitarist of The Resistance and got well-known as founding member of the band In Flames. He signed an exclusive songwriter agreement when meeting with Björn Meyer and Florian Schrödter (A&R Manager, BMG Germany) in his hometown Gothenburg.

Strömblad is also a talented film composer. Together with Daniel Flores, he wrote the score for the film “Isdraken” (“The Ice Dragon”), which was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this month.

Find out more about The Resistance at http://www.facebook.com/theresistanceswe.

From left to right: Florian Schrödter (A&R Manager Germany), Jesper Strömblad und Björn Meyer (Edition Excellence Extreme Publishing).

New York/Los Angeles, February 22, 2012 – We are pleased to announce that Carly Simon will be presented with the ASCAP Founders Award during its 29^th Annual Pop Music Awards. This prestigious honor is being presented to Carly for her pioneering and timeless songwriting, artistic legacy, and her contributions to music. We congratulate Carly on receiving this esteemed award!

To find out more about the Carly Simon’s ASCAP Founder’s Award honor, please read ASCAP’s official press release below:

“ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) will honor Carly Simon with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award during its 29^th Annual Pop Music Awards, it was announced today by President and Chairman Paul Williams. The Invitation-only gala will take place on April 18, 2012 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and will also honor the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed pop songs of 2011.

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London, 22 February 2012 –  BMG writers were again to the fore when the BRIT Awards were announced in London last night.

Following its clean sweep of the Grammys, Adele’s 21 featuring songs by BMG-signed Dan Wilson and Fraser T Smith was named Mastercard British Album of the Year as well as helping Adele to the Best Female Solo Artist award.

BMG signed writer Bruno Mars picked up the award for International Male Solo Artist. His album Doo Wops and Hooligans also includes significant contributions from BMG signed Ari Levine.

Meanwhile Ed Sheeran, whose album contains a contribution from BMG writer Gordon Mills, won the awards for British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act.

Rihanna, whose album Talk That Talk includes contributions from BMG writers Ernest Wilson and Kevin Randolph, won the award for International Female Solo Artist.

And One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful – co-written by BMG writer Carl Falk – was named Best British Single.

Foo Fighters, whose Nate Mendel and Pat Smear, are both signed to BMG were given the award for International Group.

Finally – and the climax of last night’s show – the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award was given to Blur, whose lead singer Damon Albarn is signed to BMG Chrysalis.

Click here for the BRITS 2012

New York, February 20, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis welcomes Brooklyn-based band, Exitmusic, to the roster via our joint venture with Frenchkiss. The husband and wife duo will release their new album in 2012.

Watch the music video below for “The Hours” off their October 2011 EP From Silence.

Berlin, February 17, 2012 – We are happy that “Standing Still”, performed by Roman Lob, will make its way to the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan on May 26, 2012. The song was chosen as the German entry for Baku by the audience of the casting show Unser Star für Baku. “Standing Still” was written by Steve Robson (BMG/Stage Three Music) alongside Jamie Cullum (EMI Publishing), and Wayne Hector (Sony/ATV).

Grammy nominee Steve Robson has sold over 30 million records as a songwriter and producer.  He has written hit songs for Take That, James Morrison, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Jonas Brothers, Leann Rimes, or Tina Turner.

Paris, February 15, 2012 – BMG France is happy to announce the acquisition of publishing and master rights of French pop group GOLD. The band enjoyed tremendous success in the late 1980s, producing hits that many in France can hum along: “Capitaine abandonné”, “Ville de lumière”, “Laissez-nous chanter”, “Plus près des étoiles” or “Calicoba” have become evergreen standards. GOLD broke up in 1989. Their master recordings are currently distributed by Warner Music.

About ten years ago, former lead singer Emile partnered with IMAGES to land an impressive comeback under the name Emile & Images. Together, they re-recorded GOLD’s and IMAGES’ hits and sold over a million copies of both the studio and the subsequent live album. Emile tours regularly playing GOLD’s and Emile & Images’ music, recently in the context of the extremely successful RFM Party 80 tour.

We are delighted to promote these great songs.

Nashville, February 14, 2012 – ASCAP hosted a No. 1 Party for David Nail’s “Let It Rain,” a song Nail co-wrote with Jonathan Singleton. Producers Chuck Ainlay and Frank Liddell were also honored at the event alongside publishers BMG Chrysalis and Carnival Music.

From left to right: LeAnn Phelan (ASCAP), Singleton, Taylor Lindsey (BMG Chrysalis) and Sara Johnson, David Nail and Ryan Beuschel (ASCAP). Photo: Ed Rode

London, February 13, 2012 – Skindred have released a new video to their track “Doom Riff” from their album Union Black. Our Welsh rock band is due to headline the Jagermeister Music Tour, playing 5 gigs all over the UK in April 2012.

Los Angeles / Berlin, February 13, 2012 – BMG writers won a brace of Grammys at last night’s ceremony in LA including credits on Album of the Year ‘21’ from six-time Grammy winner Adele.

In all, BMG writers contributed to victory in 25 of the 78 categories.

Biggest winners on the night were Adele and Foo Fighters, who won five.

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Berlin, February 13, 2012 – Research from international record companies trade association the IFPI shows that BMG-signed writers accounted for five of the Top 10 biggest selling tracks of the past 12 months worldwide.

Leading the rankings with sales of 12.5 million units was ‘Just The Way You Are’ performed by Bruno Mars and co-written among others by BMG writers Bruno Mars and Ari Levine. The successful pairing of Mars and Levine was also among the writers of the second biggest-selling track of the year, ‘Grenade’, which sold 10.2 million downloads and ‘The Lazy Song’ which sold 6.5 million units.

The two other songs in the Top 10 from BMG writers were LMFAO’s ‘Party Rock Anthem’, which BMG represents in Scandinavia and the Baltic States, co-written by BMG writers Stefan Gordy, Skyer Gordy, David Listenbee, and Peter Schroeder, and ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’, performed by The Black Eyed Peas and co-written by BMG writers Will Adams, John DeNicola, Damien Leroy, Donald Markowitz, and Allan Pineda.

London, January 31, 2012 – Spector’s new single ‘Chevy Thunder’ will be out on February 27th on Fiction label. The band will also be on tour throughout February and will be supporting Florence And The Machine on their UK and European Tour throughout March 2012.

Watch the new video for ‘Chevy Thunder’ shot on location in the wastelands of Southern California by clicking below.

Nashville, January 31st, 2012 – We are pleased to announce the release of Jason Aldean’s new single, “Fly Over States”, co-written by BMG Chrysalis writer Neil Thrasher. “Fly Over States” is the fifth single off Jason’s double-platinum album My Kinda Party, which was the top selling Country album of 2011. Congratulations to Neil and Jason on their release! Listen to “Fly Over States” by over on Jason Aldean’s official website.

Los Angeles, January 30, 2012 – American singer-songwriter Kina Grannis is starting her In Your Arms World Tour 2012  this Wednesday!

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Berlin, 29 January, 2012 – BMG, the global rights management business, has announced it is planning to double revenue from master recordings over the course of 2012.

The company says it has allocated a “significant” budget to increase this part of its business this year, as its emphasis moves from acquisition to organic growth.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Developing a strong catalogue of master recordings has formed part of our plan since BMG was founded in 2008. We see a lot of opportunity in the market and are now accelerating our investment.”

The BMG masters model differs from a traditional record deal in that artists benefit from a much-enhanced revenue split of around 70% of net receipts compared with an effective record label royalty rate of less than 20% after deductions. BMG does not pay traditional advances to artists. Instead it agrees a project budget with the artist and releases money for manufacturing, marketing and promotion which is then recouped according to the agreed revenue split.

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Dublin, January 27, 2012 – We congratulate our writers Brett Beavers and Dan Wilson on their nomination at the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards. Their collaboration “Home”, performed by Dierks Bentley, is nominated for Song of the Year!

Brett Beavers has written several number one Hot Country Songs for Dierks Bentley since 2001. Their partnership has produced hits like the Grammy Award-nominated “Long Trip Alone” and “Every Mile a Memory”. Brett Beavers has also written songs for Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, or The Band Perry.

For Dan Wilson, the nomination is a continuation of an impressive success streak: he contributed three songs to Adele’s multi-platinum LP 21, which is a favorite for the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Among Wilson’s credits are “Don’t You Remember” and the hit single “Someone Like You”. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Jason Mraz, Weezer, or The Dixie Chicks, with whom he won the 2006 Grammy for Song of the Year for “Not Ready To Make Nice”.

London, January 27, 2012  – Rizzle Kicks’ new single ‘Mama Do The Hump’ moved swiftly into number 2 of the UK charts last week, with their album also appearing back in the top 10. They are due to have an exciting headline performance at XOYO this Friday at ‘Q Now: The Session’ – Rizzle Kicks’ are really making some noise.

London, January 27, 2012 – The Maccabees started their sell-out UK tour last weekend, with their first gig in Sheffield receiving 4 stars in The Guardian. They describe the performance as ‘beautifully cinematic’, and added the following on the new album: ‘It says much about their confidence in the new material that little appears from their old albums, with no less than three quarters of Given To The Wild.’

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New York, January  27, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis is proud to announce the signing of producer Rodney Jerkins. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards including his first for Destiny Child’s “Say My Name”. He is recognized for his production on Toni Braxton, Lindsay Lohan, Keyshia Cole, Brandy, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Mary Mary, The Black Eyed Peas, Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls, TLC, Janet Jackson, Danity Kane, Beyoncé, Linda Király, Lady Gaga, Cascada, Tamia, Pussycat Dolls, Whitney Houston, Natasha Bedingfield, Mary J. Blige, Lionel Richie, JYJ, Wonder Girls, Austin Brown, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Utada Hikaru, LMFAO, and The Pussycat Dolls.

http://darkchild.com/

New York, January  27, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis is happy to welcome urban, pop and dance producer, Megaman. Based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Megaman has produced for platinum artists Lil Wayne, Drake, and Young Jeezy. His most recent cut “MegaMan” peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and can be found on Lil Wayneʼs album ‘Tha Carter IV’, which to date has sold over 1.9 million units in the US alone.

Paris, January 27, 2012 – BMG France is proud to announce a sub-publishing deal with GEDEON Programmes. BMG will administer GEDEON’s catalog worldwide and publish it outside of France.

GEDEON Programmes is one of the main television production firms in France. Founded in 1994, the company has produced over 600 television documentaries to date, and currently produces an average of 50 documentaries each year. Its programs are broadcast on various TV channels in France – notably France Television, Canal +, and Arte – and are also being sold to foreign broadcasters to be aired in many territories of the world.

Most music used in GEDEON’s documentaries is original music commissioned and owned by the company itself. To date, GEDEON Programmes has gathered a large library of instrumental music that can be used for synch in third-party programs.

For more information on GEDEON Programmes, visit www.gedeonprogrammes.com/en/index.php.

New York, January 26, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis welcomes Denver-based duo Gauntlet Hair who have signed via our joint venture with Frenchkiss. The band released their debut full-length in October 2011 on Dead Oceans Records.

Paris, January 23, 2012 – BMG congratulates our artists and writers to their nominations in the second and final round voting of the French Victoires 2012 Music Awards, the French equivalent of the Grammys:

Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
L (Totoutard/Wagram)

Breakthrough Live Act of the Year:
SKIP THE USE (Polydor/Universal)

Best World Music Album of the Year:
TINARIWEN – “Tassili” (V2/CO-OP)

New York, January 25, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis US welcomes acclaimed singer-songwriter John Sebastian to our roster. Most famously known as the founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Sebastian’s career spans four decades and includes appearances at the Woodstock Music Festivals in 1969 and 1994, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He was signed with Bug Music and has now signed an Admin agreement worldwide. Sebastian’s presence at BMG will be a great addition.

London, January 16, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis writers the Maccabees have kicked off 2012 in style with a Top Five entry for their third album, Given To The Wild, their first since signing to BMG Chrysalis in the middle of last year.

The album is already a critical hit, and this week it debuts on the UK charts at four to make The Maccabees the first breakthrough act of 2012.

BMG Chrysalis UK Vice-President of A&R Ben Bodie says, “This is a significant result which positions the band well for the year. This is a band which has hit its creative stride and we are delighted to be working with them.”

The Maccabees are on their third music publisher, having previously been signed to both Universal and EMI. Director of A&R Hugo Turquet, who signed the band, said, “We heard demos last year and we were so knocked out, we just signed them there and then.”

Given to the Wild  is one of a number of highlights for BMG Chrysalis on this week’s UK charts, with the company’s writers represented on the four top albums of the week. Number one is writer-performer Bruno Mars with Adele’s chart-topping album 21, featuring cuts from BMG Chrysalis-signed writers Dan Wilson and Fraser T Smith. Meanwhile BMG Chrysalis writer Gordon Mills is co-writer of the track “This” on Ed Sheeran’s album + which is positioned at number three.

New York, January 16, 2012 – BMG Chrysalis US welcomes Virginia Beach-based band We Are Trees who have signed a world-wide co-publishing deal via our joint venture with French Kiss. The band released EP Girlfriend in 2011 featuring single “I Don’t Believe in Love”. Check out their homepage and listen to the songs.

London, January 13, 2012 – BMG writers were to the fore when the BRITs announced nominations for the 2012 awards show yesterday. BMG writers are represented in 11 of the 13 categories in relation to 26 of the nominees.

Writer/performers represented include Laura Marling (British Female Solo Artist), Fleet Foxes (International Group), Bruno Mars and Ryan Adams (both for International Male). Key non-performer writers represented among the nominees are Dan Wilson and Fraser T Smith for their work on multiple nominee Adele’s ‘21’. Five of the 10-strong Best British Single nominations list were written or co-written by BMG writers. BMG writer Ethan Johns was nominated for his work as a producer in the Best Producer category.

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Berlin, January 10, 2012 – BMG shooting stars The Asteroids Galaxy Tour release “Heart Attack”, the first single taken from their upcoming album Out Of Frequency. The follow-up to the Danish duo’s highly acclaimed debut, Fruit, will be released on February 24, 2012. To shorten the wait, watch the video to “Heart Attack” here!

London, January 10, 2012 – BMG currently has shares in eight of the Top 10 UK albums.  Adele’s 14-times platinum album, ’21′, has returned to the Number 1 spot, and in doing so becomes the longest chart-topping album release in nearly 42 years, as confirmed by the Official Charts Company.  The album, which is now also the biggest selling album of the 21st century, contains BMG shares on four tracks via writers Fraser T Smith (now with Sony) and Dan Wilson. BMG also has shares on UK Top 10 albums by Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, Olly Murs, Jessie J and Rihanna.

Nashville, January 9, 2012 -  The David Nail single “Let It Rain”, co-written with BMG Chrysalis writer Jonathan Singleton, reached #1 on the Country music charts today. Congratulations to Jonathan, David & MCA Records on taking “Let It Rain” to the top. Check out the official music video and read an interview with Jonathan about the writing of “Let It Rain.”

Nashville, January 9, 2012 – Country superstars Rascal Flatts are set to release a new single, “Banjo”, co-written by BMG Chrysalis writer Neil Thrasher. The song will debut on Country radio on January 17^th and will serve as the lead single off the band’s new album, which will be released this spring.

New York, January 9, 2012  -  We are pleased to welcome the Brooklyn-based trio The Big Sleep to the BMG Chrysalis roster. The psych-rockers release their new full-length album, Nature Experiments, on January 31^st via Frenchkiss Records. Download the first single, “Ace”, and see more of The Big Sleep by clicking HERE.

Berlin, January 4, 2012 – BMG is pleased to announce that the production- and writing team The Amplifiers signed a worldwide exclusive songwriter agreement with BMG (Edition You CAN Buy Taste / BMG Rights Management).

The Amplifiers is composed of Tom Olbrich and Philipp Schardt, a highly creative duo whose credits include German gold-status “Nur In Meinem Kopf” by Andreas Bourani  as well as his song “Eisberg”. Recent works such as “Beating Like A Heart” by Bullmeister and the X-Factor Germany 2011 finals single “Build a Palace” by Nica & Joe let us look forward to the upcoming releases for early 2012: Eisblume’s second album Ewig (Universal Music) and Elif (Universal Music), a new exciting artist.
We are very excited to welcome them to the BMG Family and looking forward to this new cooperation.

From left to right: Florian Schrödter (A&R Manager Germany), Maik Pallasch (VP German Repertoire), Philipp Schardt, Sina Wahnschaffe (Repertoire Manager Germany), Tom Olbrich, Asterix Westphal, Lüder Castringilus (VP Business and Legal Affairs Germany)

Stockholm, December 8, 2011 – The album Solar by finnish indie rockers Rubik has made it to the final twelve nominees for the Nordic Music Prize, which is an award for the Best Nordic Album – where they will compete against the likes of Björk, Lykke Li, Ane Brun and The Field. The prize is a nordic equivalent to the Mercury Prize where influential people from the worldwide music industry select the nominees and winners.

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Stockholm, December 8, 2011 – Syket are rounding up nominations: After being nominated for The Music Publishers Prize for ‘Breakthrough of The Year’, now they also are one of the few acts who received a nomination in the category ‘Best Pop’ at the P3 Gold Awards. P3 is one of Swedens biggest national radio stations. The annual P3 Gold Award will be held for the tenth time, taking place in Gothenburg on January 21, 2012.

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES – DECEMBER 7^TH, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is proud to announce a joint venture agreement with Trauma 2 Publishing.  The three-year deal will be an opportunity for BMG Chrysalis to enter the AV content creation business by securing rights in film and television score. In addition, the joint venture will allow BMG Chrysalis to sign writers specifically for film and give the BMG-Chrysalis catalog preferred placement in films scored by Trauma 2.

“The potential to co-own the score in a hit film or television series is highly desirable” said BMG Chrysalis EVP, COO Laurent Hubert, “Also through this joint venture, we will be able to attract unique talents such as Christine Connolly, and create new opportunities for our BMG Chrysalis catalog within the TV and Film world.”

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Berlin, December 6, 2011 – Besides an extensive tour plan of the last few months, including live performances on renowned festivals and venues in Russia, France, Sweden and Italy amongst others, drumming legend Billy Cobham has been working on an online educating project, the Billy Cobham Drum School as part of the Artistworks Drum Academy. Musicians from all over the world get the chance to watch online lessons and receive tips and feedback here from Billy Cobham himself. Billy Cobham is known as a unique drummer in the Jazz and Jazz Fusion scene since decades: He has played with renowned musicians such as Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Peter Gabriel and Santana.

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London, December 6, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis has come top of the UK indie publishers in the album market shares of Q3 2011 with a 17.9% share. BMG Chrysalis have also come second, closely behind Kobalt, in the singles market share by controlling 20.6% of the Q3 singles. With the added acquisition of Bug Music, BMG Chrysalis look set to maintain a strong market share in Q4 and beyond.

This fantastic Q3 result is largely down to BMG Chrysalis having splits on 3 of the top ten selling singles of Q3 (Olly Murs feat Rizzle Kicks: ‘Heart Skipd A Beat’ | One Direction: ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ | Adele: ‘Set Fire To The Rain’) and 4 of the top 10 selling albums of Q3 (Various Artists: ‘Now 79!’ | Adele: ‘21’ | Beyonce: ‘4’ | Ed Sheeran ‘+’).

New York, December 2, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is proud to announce their 77 Grammy nominations this year. The 54^th awards ceremony will take place on February 12^th, 2012 in Los Angeles, California at 8:00pm EST/7:00pm CST on CBS. BMG Chrysalis is proud of all of its nominees, and with over 70 nominations, this shows the diversity of BMG’s catalog.

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NEW YORK, November 16, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is pleased to announce the appointment of Wendy Griffiths as SVP, Marketing, responsible for the US territory. Based at BMG Chrysalis’ Los Angeles office, Griffiths will oversee all US marketing initiatives effective immediately. She will report to Laurent Hubert, EVP, COO BMG Chrysalis North America. Griffiths also will be collaborating closely with the BMG Chrysalis A&R department and BMG international affiliates.

Laurent Hubert stated: “We are very excited to add Wendy Griffiths to our marketing team. She brings a wealth of experience through her prior career at one of the leading international music companies and her close work with many renowned artists. This will be invaluable in helping expand and grow BMG Chrysalis’ international roster.”

Griffiths brings a valuable expertise of the music industry with her after having spent 25 years at Warner Brother Records where she held the position of SVP, Video Promotion & Production and most recently SVP, Film & Soundtracks. Griffiths has played a key role in the career development of artists such as Alanis Morissette, Green Day, Michael Bublé, Michelle Branch, My Chemical Romance, Muse, and Linkin Park. She also collaborated with legendary acts such as Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, Neil Young, Cher, and Eric Clapton developing marketing campaigns on a global level. Most recently, Griffiths worked closely alongside Grammy Award winner, David Foster, and his successful PBS Series ‘HITMAN’ and ‘HITMAN RETURNS’, Executive Producing both.

“This job is the culmination of everything I have done previously in the music business. For me this is a great opportunity to work with Laurent, his dedicated team of professionals and the incredible artists whose music we all cherish.”, said Griffiths.

Berlin/Hilversum, November 29, 2011 – The music project “Bart Constant” will be presented along with its debut album during two special mini exhibitions in galleries in Berlin and Amsterdam in January, 2012. The album is entitled Tell Yourself Whatever You Have To, and is something that became more than just a record. It is set for release on January 13, 2012.

For the record’s packaging a special neon sculpture of the typography was created and then hung in a secluded forest for a day, running on a generator, and photographed with beautiful, melancholic results. Additionally, last March saw the release of the video for the song Do Better; a seven-minute short that recently won Best Music Video at the Dutch Film Festival, and was chosen as Video of the Week by New York based tastemaker blog Stereogum. Image and sound not only seem to be made for each other, but actually are.

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London, November 22, 2011 – Deaf Havana’s album ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’ stormed to the top of the UK rock chart this week, edging competition from Evanescence, Lou Reed & Metallica, Megadeth, You Me At Six and legendary influences of theirs, both Nirvana and Foo Fighters.

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New York, November 21, 2011 – The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) held its annual Awards Gala in Toronto, November 16, 2011, presenting awards to the following Bug/Windswept songs and songwriters:

K’Naan received the International Achievement Award (presented to SOCAN members who received International recognition in 2010 through their music)

Wavin’ Flag (K’Naan/Jean Daval/Philip Lawrence/Bruno Mars) received a Pop/Rock Music Award (songs that achieved the greatest number of performances on domestic radio during 2010)

Sarah Harmer received the Folk/Roots Music Award (presented to SOCAN members whose current repertoire of creative works in this genre achieved the highest number of performances in domestic radio, pay audio, and concerts during 2010)

Prairie Oyster received the National Achievement Award (Presented to SOCAN members who have had outstanding success, predominantly in the Canadian music industry, over the span of their career)

Congratulations to all of our award winners!

London, November 15, 2011 – We are proud to announce that Alex Reid signed a worldwide exclusive songwriter agreement with BMG Chrysalis on November 2, 2011.

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Paris, November 11, 2011 – BMG is pleased to announce the signing of a worldwide co-publishing agreement with the French HipHop act “1995”. The six-member group has quickly attracted both a huge number of fans and significant buzz.

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Nasville, November 10, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is proud to announce that its songwriters have been awarded no less than seven awards during the 59th annual BMI Country Awards ceremony that took place in Nashville, November 8, 2011. BMI celebrated the songwriters and publishers behind country music’s most-performed songs of the past year during the evening. The event was staged in BMI’s Nashville offices, located in the heart of Music Row, where behind-the-scenes hit-makers and center stage superstars came together to toast one another as songwriters.

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Nashville, November 10, 2011 – This year’s Country Music Awards (CMA), taking place on November 9, 2011, featured several BMG Chrysalis artists and writers on both the performance and award stages:

Matt Nathanson performs his song “Run” with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland

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London, November 8, 2011 – Yesterday, UK rock band Deaf Havana released their debut album Fools And Worthless Liars, consisting of 13 tracks. On the 6th of November 2011, the album rocketed straight to the top of the rock iTunes charts after just ten minutes, following major demand from the public. The title has picked up some unbelievable press and reviews and has also trended internationally on Twitter, meaning it is one of the most talked-about things worldwide on Twitter.

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Berlin, November 7, 2011 – BMG invited the advertising and production industry to a presentation of the 2011 Lions Cannes-Reel at Berlin’s former Hungarian cultural center ‘.HBC’ on November 1, 2011. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s biggest and premier showcase and celebration of creativity in communications. This year, more than 24,000 entries from all over the world were showcased and judged.

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New York, November 3, 2011 – At her sold-out Los Angeles concert at Largo Theater last night, November 2, 2011, LA-based singer-songwriter and recent MTV Award-winner Kina Grannis unveiled her “Secret Crazy Project” (SCP). More than 22-months in the making, the SCP was revealed to be a one-of-a-kind music video for her song “In Your Arms” – a video shot entirely using stop motion animation and constructed using more than a quarter-million Jelly Belly jelly beans. More specifically, “In Your Arms” was made from 288,000 Jelly Belly jelly beans, spread throughout 2,460 frames, filmed across 1,357 hours.

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New York, November 2, 2011 – Indie rock band The Dear Hunter, who have recently joined forces with BMG Chrysalis, are currently on a US tour with, Manchester Orchestra (also signed to BMG Chrysalis), ending with a final show in Atlanta, Georgia on November 23, 2011.

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Stockholm, October 27, 2011 – Syket’s critically acclaimed debut album With Love has awarded the six piece band a place as one of the four nominees for Best Newcomer at this year’s Music Publishers Prize. The ceremony will be held at Berns Salonger in Stockholm, November 11th, 2011. The award show honors Swedish songwriters, lyricists and composers of both popular and classical music. We’re keeping our finger’s crossed.

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New York, October 27, 2011 – Adele’s chart-breaking album ‘21’  returns to #1 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, rising from #2 back to the chart’s peak and marking its 13th week atop the tally. That is the most weeks at #1 since the soundtrack to “Titanic” set sail in 1998 and spent 16 weeks at the top.
Congratulations to Adele and our writers who feature on the album, Dan Wilson and Fraser T Smith!

London, October 25, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis UK is proud to have completed an exclusive songwriter agreement as well as a recording and exploitation deal with UK rock band Deaf Havana on October 20, 2011. The band marked the signing of the contracts with a performance in front of 5,000 people at Brixton Academy.

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Berlin, October 24, 2011 – BMG is delighted to announce the new releases of BMG songwriter and producer Toby Gad.

Kelly Clarkson`s brand new album Stronger is availbale in US stores now, contributing two songs by Gad: “The war is over” and “Einstein”. Also released in the US today was The Awakening from James Morrison, which already topped the UK album charts at #1. Morrison`s album includes three songs by Gad: “Slave to the rhythm,” “One life” and “Up”.

Multi-Platinum songwriter Toby Gad, known for his success with hits like “If I were a boy” by Beyonce and “Big Girls don’t cry” by Fergie has also written and produced the new UK Jessi J single “Who you are”, Demi Lovato´s “Skyscraper” and written Nicole Scherzinger`s “Don’t hold your breath”. With a great success – they are all climbing the charts.

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Berlin, October 18, 2011 – BMG hosted its annual Administration Meeting at the Head office in Berlin on October 10-13, 2011. Focal points of the meeting were current issues of Copyright Administration and Royalty Accounting, under which several lectures of the 35 participating BMG employees were held. The attendees, who were from each territory a BMG office is located in – Germany France, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, UK, US and the Benelux – worked together during the meetings in order to improve all BMG service processes to better serve the needs of copyright owners.

New York, October 18, 2011 – The annual CMJ Music Marathon Festival, headquartered in downtown Manhattan, will begin its events of panel sessions, seminars and music showcases this Tuesday, October 18th.
BMG Chrysalis artists featured in this year’s festival include Torpedo Boyz, Penguin Prison, Aunt Martha, Little Red, Nikki Lane, CSS, Death Letters, De Staat and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

London, October 11, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis collected no less than six BMI Awards at this year’s annual music awards ceremony held at the Dorchester Hotel in London, October 4, 2011.

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Nashville, October 6, 2011: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will honor The Civil Wars with the Vanguard Award, which recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music.  The duo will be honored during the 49^th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, taking place Sunday, November 6, 2011 at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland.  The event will also honor the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed country songs from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

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Berlin, September 21, 2011 – We are very proud to continue this week with another outstanding charts presence all around the world:

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New York/London/Berlin, September 12, 2011 – BMG is proud to congratulate our artist/songwriters to this week’s top single charts positions in the US, UK, and Germany!

Adele is back at #1 in the US single charts with “Someone Like You,” co-written by BMG songwriter Dan Wilson. In the UK, “All About Tonight” co-written by Tommy Lee James and Tebey Ottoh with Pixie Lott sits at the top of the single charts at #1, and in Germany Marlon Roudette has a #1 hit with his single “New Age.”

Congratulations to everyone on this great success!

Berlin / Los Angeles, September 12, 2011 – BMG Rights Management (BMG) and Spectrum Equity Investors (Spectrum) announced today the execution of a definitive agreement under which BMG will acquire Bug Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bug Music, Inc. (Bug Music), which are controlled by Spectrum and Crossroads Media, Inc. (Crossroads).

Bug Music is a leading independent music publisher. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Bug Music currently owns and/or manages copyrights, including evergreen classics and contemporary hits such as “Fever”, “What a Wonderful World”, “I Walk the Line”, “Summer in the City”, “The Real Slim Shady”, “Who Are You?”, “Under the Boardwalk” and “The Passenger”.

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Nashville/New York, September 8, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is proud to announce that writer and artist John Paul White has been nominated for a CMA award for his band The Civil Wars. On Tuesday, September 6^th the Country Music Association (CMA), announced their 2011 nominations, giving The Civil Wars a nod for Vocal Duo of the Year. The CMA Awards will air live on ABC November 9^th, 2011 at 8/7c.

The Civil Wars is composed of BMG Chrysalis writer John Paul White and female vocalist, Joy Williams. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee the indie folk, alternative country duo, have been working together since meeting in 2008 at a songwriting retreat. Their first studio album, Barton Hollow, was released on February 1^st, 2011 on Sensibility Music. Their video “Barton Hollow” was also nominated for a CMT Award for Duo Video of the Year.

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New York, August 21, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is happy to announce the signing of drumming legend Billy Cobham to a worldwide sub-publishing deal covering his entire repertoire.

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Nashville, August 18, 2011 – For her work on “Coming Home” from the film Country Strong, songwriter Hillary Lindsey has been nominated for a 2011 World Soundtrack Award. The song is nominated in the category of Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film. The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 22^nd.

The World Soundtrack Academy was founded in 2001 by the Ghent International Film Festival to honor film composers and celebrate the role of music in film. We congratulate Hillary on this great honor and cross our fingers for her!

Nashville, August 15, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis songwriter Stephanie Lambring performed at this year’s second East Side Sounds showcase that took place in Nashville, August 10, 2011.

Rumours East Wine Bar hosted the latest installment of the event organized by BMI, an ongoing series that features eclectic acts in an intimate, outdoor setting in one of the area’s most musically rich neighborhoods. Besides Lambring, singer/songwriter Jimmy Robbins, Robert Kelly and Julia Sinclar contributed with finely crafted songs to the event that consists of acoustic in-the-round sets by indie up-and-comers.

New York, August 10, 2011 – Songwriter and producer Toby Gad is featured this week in Billboard Magazine for “6 Questions with Toby Gad.” The article also mentions Toby’s relationship with BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch.

After more than two decades in the music business, Toby Gad has built up an impressive body of work, including such hits as Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy”. His most recent project, “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato, debuted at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a summer hit. We are excited to see what he is up to next…

We are delighted to serve Toby’s publishing needs, helping to support him as an internationally successful songwriter. Toby, it is great to be part of the team!

New York, July 21, 2011 – Today, MTV announced the nominees for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, proving to be great news for BMG! Adele, Cee-Lo Green and Lil Wayne received nominations for their hit videos from this past year.

To add to her incredibly successful year so far, Adele is up for an impressive seven awards, including Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing. Cee-Lo Green is nominated in the Best Male Video category for his smash hit, “F*** You”. “6’7′” by Lil Wayne featuring Cory Guns is also up for the Best Hip Hop Video award. The annual awards show is to take place Sunday, August 29, 2011 at 9 p.m. We wish Adele, Cee-Lo and Lil Wayne the best of luck!

New York, July 13, 2011 – This week’s US charts are a great showing for BMG Chrysalis artists and writers! We currently hold five out of the top six albums on the Billboard 200 chart.

The top albums include Beyonce’s 4 at #1, Adele’s 21 at #2, Big Sean’s Finally Famous: The Album at #3, Selena Gomez & the Scene’s When the Sun Goes Down at #4, and Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party at #6. A big congratulations goes out to all our artists and writers for their success on the charts!

New York, July 11, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis is happy to announce that on the recently-released Nielson SoundScan mid-year reports, two BMG Chrysalis songs made it into the top ten on the digital downloads list. These songs are “F**k You (Forget You)” by Cee Lo Green and “Just Can’t Get Enough” by The Black Eyed Peas.

“F**k You (Forget You),” written by Thomas Callaway, has been one of the most popular hits of the year. It sits at #3 on the list, with 3,229,000 in sales to date. “Just Can’t Get Enough,” a brilliant collaboration between will.i.am and Jean Baptiste, holds the #7 spot with 2,462,000 in sales. Although the year is far from over, we congratulate our artists and writers on their success thus far!

Nashville, June 27, 2011 – BMG Chrysalis songwriter Allen Shamblin, best known for his songs in the country music genre, has recently been nominated for one of the United States’ highest songwriting honors– induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame!

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Berlin, June 8, 2011 – Several of BMG songwriter Leonidas “Freakchild” Chantzaras’ works on records for various artists have recently been certified gold or platinum albums.

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Dublin/Berlin, 23 May 2011 – Mary Ann Slim has been appointed to the position
of Managing Director of BMG Rights Management (Ireland) Ltd.

In her new role, Slim will run the Dublin-based S1 Songs business (acquired by BMG
through its acquisition of Chrysalis), represent the overall BMG Chrysalis roster and
catalogue in Ireland, sign new writers and seek further catalogue acquisition
opportunities.

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Nashville, May 3, 2011

Berlin, 22 April, 2011 – He was the coolest cat in town! A voice like velvet, dark sunglasses and an otherworldly range made Roy Orbison unique among a sea of performers.
BMG is looking foward to his upcoming 75th Birthday tomorrow with celebrations all over the world!

Watch the Birthday Video here!

New York / Berlin – March 21, 2011- BMG Chrysalis, one of the world’s leading music rights companies, announced that its North American division has signed an exclusive US/Canada agreement with Carly Simon. The agreement sees BMG Chrysalis handling all of the artist’s administration, collection and exploitation in the US and Canada on both back catalogue and futures.

Ms. Simon is a multi-platinum singer/songwriter and recording artist, a Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, and the first artist to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy for a song that was composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist. Her extensive body of work includes the chart-topping, multi-platinum albums Anticipation (1974), and No Secrets (1972), and the smash hit singles “Anticipation”, “You’re So Vain,” “Loving You’s the Right Thing To Do,” “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” “Mockingbird” and “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain.” She has also authored and performed a string of international hits scored for film, including “Coming Around Again” and “Let the River Run.”

“Over the years, Carly Simon has taken us on an irresistible musical journey. She has captured our hearts through so many of her soulful hits and we are thrilled that she has chosen to continue that journey with BMG,” said Richard Blackstone, Chief Creative Officer, BMG Chrysalis North America.

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BERLIN/NEW YORK, February 21, 2011 – BMG, a leading music rights company, announces the appointment of Steven Moran as its global Chief Operating Officer. Moran will join the Executive Team and will be based in the company’s headquarters in Berlin. In this newly created role, he will oversee the rights administration group, the company’s worldwide integration and technology operations, and be responsible for the human resources function as BMG executes on its extraordinary growth strategy.

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Berlin/Los Angeles, 15 February, 2011 – BMG is proud of its songwriters and artists who were awarded twelve GRAMMY Awards altogether at this year’s ceremony. The 53rd GRAMMY Awards took place February 14, 2011 in Los Angeles.

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Arlington, 07 February, 2011 – The Black Eyed Peas provided the half time entertainment during the Super Bowl and presented a 10 minute long Best-Of-Selection. What a great show!

New York, January 31, 2011 – Wilmot NH based indie folk trio Aunt Martha is set to release their new EP “Bloodshot” on February 1st.  Originally based out of New York City beginning at the end of 2008, the band relocated to Wilmot NH during the summer of 2010 shortly after the departure of one of the original members.  With a new trio lineup, their days were soon occupied by nothing other than rehearsing and writing, and they soon had more than enough material to pick from for a new recording.

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New York, January 28, 2010 – BMG has successfully placed an unprecedented 7 songs in last night’s American Idol Show!

“Sweet Emotion”
(Tyler/Hamilton)
Made popular by Aerosmith

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New York, January 26, 2011 – BMG, one of the world’s leading music rights companies, announced that its North American division has extended its exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Songwriter Hall of Fame member Irving Burgie. Author of numerous chart-topping hits for Harry Belafonte, he is long been acknowledged as one of the greatest composers of Caribbean music.

Irving Burgie’s classic Caribbean standards include such familiar hits as “Day-O,” “Jamaica Farewell,” “Island In the Sun,” “Angelina,” “Yellow Bird,” and he was co-writer of “Mary’s Boy Child.” “Day-O,” written in 1955, has seen many reincarnations through various samplings, including “We Are the World,” and most recently, in Lil’ Wayne’s “Six Foot Seven Foot” which was performed live on NBC’S Saturday Night Live on Dec. 18th.

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Nashville, January 25, 2011 – Hillary Lindsey is nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Original Song for her song “COMING HOME” (from the film “Country Strong” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw & Leighton Meester). This was the only repeat nomination in this category that also received a nomination at the golden globes. BMG congratulates Hillary on this huge accomplishment!!

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New York – January 24, 2011- BMG, one of the world’s leading music rights companies, announced that it has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Notable Music Co., the entity founded by the Great American Songbook legend, Cy Coleman. In addition to Cy Coleman’s prestigious catalogue, BMG will represent the rights of Notable Music Co.’s full catalogue including the works of Bobby Hebb, Clifton Davis, Rosanne Cash, Wax Poetics, Chico Mann, Adriane Young, Aja West/The Mackrosoft and new masters by critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Sam Phillips.

Cy Coleman first burst onto the New York music scene in the 1940’s as a jazz piano prodigy. In the mid- and late 1950’s, as leader of the popular Cy Coleman Trio, he enjoyed major success by penning “I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life” for Nat King Cole, “Why Try To Change Me Now” and “Witchcraft” for Frank Sinatra, “The Best Is Yet To Come” for Tony Bennett and “The Playboy Theme” for the popular TV series, Playboy’s Penthouse.

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New York/Berlin – January 20, 2011 – BMG, one of the world’s leading music rights companies, announced that its North American division has signed an exclusive worldwide agreement with Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) which sees BMG handling all of the artist’s administration, collection and exploitation efforts worldwide on both back catalogue and recent releases.

Performing as Cat Stevens in the 1970’s, Yusuf’s discography reads like an anthology of pop music’s most iconic, unforgettable songs. His albums Tea for the Tillerman (1970), and Teaser and the Firecat (1971) were both certified as Triple Platinum in the United States. His 1972 album Catch Bull at Four sold one-half million copies in the first two weeks of release and was Billboard’s number-one LP for three consecutive weeks. Tea for the Tillerman, considered his international breakthrough album, has been included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, is featured in Robert Dimery’s reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and has been included in the list of The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time, released by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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New York – January 18, 2011 – BMG, one of the world’s leading music rights companies, announced that it has signed a worldwide deal, excluding Japan and South East Asia, which sees BMG North America handling all of the administration, collection and exploitation efforts on behalf of Fuji Entertainment America’s iconic catalogues ARC Music, Six Palms Music, and Third Story.

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The Civil Wars performed “Barton Hollow” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno YESTERDAY! See pictures from the duo featuring Nashville songwriter John Paul White and Joy Williams.

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Berlin/New York, January 6, 2011 – BMG is pleased to finish its first full year in the US with a strong presence on Billboard’s “Year-End Charts.” 2010 was a collaborative effort, and the year-end charts show strengths from the BMG catalog as well as the recent acquisitions through Crosstown Songs, Cherry Lane Music Publishing, Stage Three Music, and Evergreen Copyrights.

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New York, January 5, 2011- BMG, a leading music rights company, announces the appointment of Billy Mann as its President of Creative, BMG North America. He will be based in the company’s New York headquarters and will report to Richard Blackstone, Chief Creative Officer of BMG North America. Billy Mann will work closely with Richard Blackstone in overseeing the creative staff, and roster integration of recently acquired companies as well as leading efforts to attract, develop and sign new talent. Mann, a veteran hit songwriter/producer, is EMI Music’s former President of International, New Music and President of Global Artist Management.

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New York, December 16, 2010 – Writer/Producer Jean Baptiste who is signed to Will.I.Am’s 315 Music through BMG continues his strong alliance with the Black Eyed Peas contributing five songs to their most recent album “The Beginning”. The album was released November 29, 2010.

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New York, December 16, 2010 – The leadsingers of the indie bands Delta Spirit, Deer Tick and Dawes have joined forces and announce the release of a debut-record. The three songsmiths, who played their debut-show at SXSW this year tentatively known as MG&V, changed their name to “Middle Brother” just now. Their self-titled offbeat-record is set for realease March 1, 2011 on Partisan Records.

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December 09, 2010 – BMG is proud to register 28 GRAMMY nominations on the final nominations list of the 53rd GRAMMY Awards. The ceremony will take place February 13, 2011.

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Nashville, December 07, 2010 – BMG Songwriter Neil Thrasher scores #1 with “Why Wait” performed by Rascal Flatts in this weeks Country Charts. Only 3 months ago, Neil won an ASCAP Country Award for his song “Strange” sung by legend Reba McEntire

Thrasher has written several singles for other country music artists, such as Kenny Chesney, Diamond Rio, and Montgomery Gentry. He has also received an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award in 2004.

Congrats, Neil and congrats, Rascal Flatts – we are proud to have you on board!

New York, NY – Famously independent singer-songwriter Kina Grannis has entered into a
worldwide partnership with One Haven Music with whom she will release a redux version of her debut album Stairwells. The deal encompasses both a record deal with One Haven Music Records, distributed by The Orchard, and a publishing deal with One Haven Music Publishing, a joint venture with BMG Rights Management.

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Nashville, TN, 6 December, 2010 – ‘The Civil Wars’ have been named Paste Magazine’s “Best of What’s Next.”

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Berlin, 11.11.2010 – BMG songwriters Greg Becker and Steve Robson have successfully placed their song “Words I Couldn’t Say” in the Musical-drama “Country Strong” which stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. In the movie, the song is performed by ‘Gossip-Girl’ Leighton Meester. Paltrow and McGraw themselves besides well-known artists such as Faith Hill have contributed to the movie’s soundtrack.

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Former Chairman And CEO Of Warner/Chappell Music Will Lead US Company’s Creative Efforts To Grow BMG’s Expanding Portfolio

New York, October 27, 2010 – BMG, a leading music rights company, has announced the appointment of Richard Blackstone as its Chief Creative Officer, BMG US.

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Berlin / New York, September 20, 2010 –  BMG Rights Management (”BMG”) announced today the signing of a Purchase Agreement with funds managed by Trilantic Capital Partners and other sellers under which BMG has agreed to acquire Evergreen Copyright Acquisitions LLC.

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Nashville, September 16, 2010 –  BMG is proud to take home nine awards at the 2010 ASCAP Country Music Awards. The winners are Brett James, Neil Thrasher, Jonathan Singleton, and busbee. BMG, which has recently acquired Stage Three Music, has become in less than one year in operation in the US, a huge force in the music industry, specifically Nashville.

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Los Angeles, August 17, 2010 – BMG Rights Management has signed hit songwriter/producer Clarence McDonald and his related music publishing companies to a North American publishing administration agreement.

NEW YORK, NY, JULY 13 2010 – Cherry Lane Music Publishing (part of BMG), home to writer/artists including will I am, John Legend, Warren Haynes, and the catalogs of Elvis Presley, Quincy Jones and John Denver has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with pop songstress Katt Rockell.

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NEW YORK, NY, JULY 13, 2010 – Cherry Lane Music Publishing (part of BMG), home to writer/artists including will I am, John Legend, Warren Haynes, and the catalogs of Elvis Presley, John Denver and T-Bone-Walker, has signed a multi-year worldwide administration deal with legendary Texas bluesman Johnny Winter.

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“The Marvelous Toy,” the classic children’s classic song written fifty years ago by folk legend Tom Paxton, and one of the first songs published by legendary indie Cherry Lane Music Publishing (part of BMG) is now available as a digital children’s book mobile app for the iPhone and iPad.

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New York, June 30, 2010 – BMG, the international group of companies related to the management of music rights, who recently joined forces with Cherry Lane Music, has signed an exclusive and world-wide publishing deal with 23 year-old singer-/songwriter Jesse Ruben.

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NEW YORK, NY, JUNE 14 2010 – Cherry Lane Music Publishing (part of BMG), home to writer/artists including will I am, John Legend, Warren Haynes, and the catalogs of Elvis Presley, Quincy Jones and John Denver, has signed worldwide multi-year publishing deals with the widely acclaimed funkadelic gospel songstress Alysha Brillinger and Throwing Gravity frontman Nick Newhouse.

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Berlin / Los Angeles, June 3, 2010 – BMG Rights Management announced the acquisition of the Adage IV catalog. Adage IV consists of rights in a number of classic compositions performed by artists including John Mayer, Ray Charles, Rob Thomas, Joni Mitchell, Faith Hill, Elvis Presley, Frankie Lymon, Joe Cocker, The Beach Boys and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

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New York, May 11, 2010 – BMG Rights Management has announced a joint venture with veteran music industry executives Steve Backer and Michael Caplan to create One Haven Music Publishing, LLC.

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New York, April 19, 2010 – BMG Rights Management, the international group of music publishing companies which recently purchased Crosstown Songs and is in agreement to acquire Cherry Lane Music Publishing, today announced the formation of a full service publishing company, BMG Rights Nashville – a partnership of BMG Rights Management, producer Dann Huff, and publishing executive Darrell Franklin.

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Berlin/New York, March 26, 2010 – BMG Rights Management (BMG) and Cherry Lane Music Publishing have entered into a Definitive Agreement under which BMG has agreed to acquire Cherry Lane.  ‪ ‪

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NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 15, 2010: Cherry Lane Music Publishing has signed on legendary Australian indie Mushroom Music Publishing as their sub publisher in Australia and New Zealand.

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NEW YORK, NY, March 8, 2010- Cherry Lane Music celebrates its 50^th anniversary with a party, May 19, at trend-setting Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The event will include performances by many of the company’s current roster, which includes the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Warren Haynes, Quincy Jones, Delta Spirit, David Cook, Jordin Sparks, as well as the first-signed writer to Cherry Lane, folk legend Tom Paxton.  

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SANTA MONICA, CA, VANCOUVER, BC, and NEW YORK, NEW YORK, November 19, 2009 – Lionsgate Music Publishing LLC, the music publishing arm of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, and Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc, a leading independent music publishing company, have entered into a multi-year administration agreement for the US and Canada, it was announced today by Lionsgate Music President Jay Faires and Cherry Lane CEO Peter Primont. 

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NEW YORK, NY, November 9, 2009 – Cherry Lane Music Publishing, home to writer/artists including will.i.am, John Legend, and David Cook, as well as the Elvis Presley and Quincy Jones catalogs, has signed a multi-year publishing agreement with Grammy nominated artist Jordin Sparks. Cherry Lane will administer Sparks’ publishing worldwide for her self-titled debut album and the current Battlefield as well as future endeavors during the term.

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SAN FRANCISCO AND NEW YORK, September 21, 2009- Cherry Picked Records, the record division of Cherry Lane Music Group, has aligned with Digital Distributor INgrooves, a leading provider of digital distribution, marketing and promotion services to the independent music community.

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Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals helped secure the international success of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, passed away September 16 at the age of 72.

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New York, New York: Sept. 15, 2009: LAVA Music Publishing Co. Inc., the joint venture between Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company and Jason Flom, has signed British phenomenon Joe Brooks to a publishing deal covering North and South America.

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New York, NY, August 25, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc. has signed a multi-year music administration agreement with Summit Entertainment. The deal includes all territories of the world excluding the U.S. and Canada.

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New York, NY, June 26, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., has extended their publishing deal with Grammy winning, multi-platinum recording artist John Legend. The deal will cover all songs in Legend’s current catalog as well as future works.

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New York, NY, June 18, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., whose roster includes the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Wolfmother, has signed a worldwide, long term publishing agreement with 2008 American Idol Winner and songwriter David Cook.

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New York, New York: June 1, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., home to The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Wolfmother and Delta Spirit has signed rising grunge-rock band Pop Evil of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Recently Cherry Lane signed a joint venture publishing deal with renowned music executive Jason Flom and Pop Evil is the first signing through that deal. 

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New York, NY, May 19, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. who represents Broadway writers including Maury Yeston, Leslie Bricusse and Jason Howland, has announced a multi-year, worldwide administration agreement for the score from Shrek The Musical, the first theatrical production from DreamWorks Theatricals.

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New York, NY, May 11, 2009:  Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., whose roster includes The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Delta Spirit and Wolfmother, has announced a joint venture publishing agreement with renowned music executive Jason Flom. 

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New York, NY, April 28, 2009:  Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. has signed Allan Pineda Lindo to a long-term, worldwide publishing agreement. Well known as Apl.de.Ap, Allan is a hip hop musician, record producer, and founding member of the Grammy Award winning group, The Black Eyed Peas.  

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New York, NY, March 31, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., whose roster includes the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Wolfmother, has signed a worldwide, long term publishing agreement with Jeremy Smith of pop band Days Difference.

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New York, NY, March 13, 2009:  Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. has signed a sub-publishing agreement with Fairwood/BKP Music (Arabia) fz-llc for representation in the Middle East region.  Dubai-based Fairwood/BKP Music is an aggressive independent music publishing company and a joint venture between UAE based music production leader, BKP Music and the UK’s Fairwood Music (International).

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New York, NY, March 3, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc., home to artists such as moe., Wolfmother and Warren Haynes, has signed rising indie rockers Delta Spirit to a long term, co-publishing agreement.

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New York, NY, February 9, 2009 – Cherry Lane is proud to congratulate their writers and producers on their 2009 Grammy Awards!

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Nashville, TN, February 2, 2009: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. has signed songwriters Sam and Annie Tate to a long-term, worldwide co-publishing agreement.  The deal was announced today by Michelle Berlin, Director of Creative & Marketing and head of the Cherry LaneNashville office.

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