BMG - The New Music Company

Welcome KT Tunstall to BMG! Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall has been awarded with one of the global music industry’s most prestigious honours, the Ivor Novello Award for Oustanding Song Collection. And she celebrated the award by signing a new music publishing deal with BMG and announcing it from the legendary stage of the Ivors at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. In a heartfelt acceptance speech, Tunstall acknowledged the support she has received in her career and revealed, “I am starting a new era with the amazing Alistair Norbury and his team at BMG, and I am so excited for what’s coming next.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/enGmPiPw

Today we mark the first anniversary of Tina Turner’s passing. We are proud to continue the legacy of this exceptional woman, the game-changing, change-making, one and only Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Photo: Hugo Glendinning

BMG is pleased to announce the appointment of Marc Johlen as Managing Director for its operations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA). It means he will lead BMG’s integrated music publishing and recording business in its largest operation outside the U.S. and U.K. with a brief to drive growth and innovation in the region. Johlen, previously Vice President A&R Publishing, joined BMG in 2020 to lead the GSA publishing team, where he has made significant contributions to the company's roster. Under his leadership, BMG has signed top-tier songwriters and producers including Robin Schulz, Montez, Lucry, Céline, Esther Graf, Bunt., Michael Schulte, 1986zig, AVAION, Boris Brejcha, YouNotUs, Aside, UFO361 and more. Maximilian Kolb said, “Marc is a forward-thinking leader with a proven track record in publishing, artist management and career development. His global perspective and local expertise make him an ideal fit for this role within our new organizational structure. I am confident that our GSA operations will thrive under his leadership. The combination of Marc and Ken means we have a strong leadership team in the German market.” Marc Johlen said, “I am thrilled to embark on this exciting journey as Managing Director for BMG's GSA region. BMG's unwavering commitment to nurturing talent and fostering innovation resonates deeply with me. I look forward to leading our exceptional teams as we break new ground, amplify voices and shape the future of music in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Together, we will continue to empower artists, elevate their careers and redefine industry standards.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dcpbfCfH

BMG has appointed Kristal McKanders Dube to lead its Global Corporate Communications. An accomplished communications executive and media strategist with close to 20 years' experience, McKanders Dube joins BMG after nearly six years at Warner Music Group (WMG). There, she led the global communications function at Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the publishing arm of WMG, including overseeing executive and songwriter communications, corporate events and philanthropic initiatives at WMG’s West Coast headquarters in Los Angeles.    Based in LA, McKanders Dube will report to BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld, and in her new role, she will handle BMG’s corporate communications worldwide, spearheading internal and external communications efforts, and liaising with BMG’s parent company, Bertelsmann.    BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld said, “It’s an exciting time at BMG with the company uniquely positioned for growth in a rapidly evolving music landscape, and we’re happy to have Kristal join us at such a pivotal moment and bring a fresh perspective to our business. Kristal’s innate storytelling ability, coupled with her expertise in corporate and music publishing communications, makes her an invaluable addition to our team.”     Kristal McKanders Dube said, "Sharing the unique stories and perspectives of the artists, songwriters and the executives behind the music we love has always been a passion of mine. As BMG, a rising innovator in the music industry, embarks on this next chapter with a new CEO, I’m eager to help evolve and amplify the company’s brand narrative, along with continue to tell the remarkable stories of the people who propel the music business forward.”     Read more: https://lnkd.in/dyqacc5x 📷 Jonathan Weiner 

BMG has appointed operations and customer service leader Sarah Mitchell to be responsible for its Rights and Royalties operations across both music publishing and recordings in Europe and the UK. As SVP Rights and Royalties UK and Europe, the London-based executive will head rights and royalty management for most of the world outside the U.S., including the UK, Continental Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Among her responsibilities will be client onboarding and service, royalty accounting, copyright administration, and analytics across both publishing and recordings. She will retain her responsibilities for neighboring rights. Sebastian Hentzschel said, “Sarah is an excellent operations and client services professional used to leading large teams who has now built a significant reputation over the past decade in the music industry both at BMG and before that, PPL. I am looking forward to her leading our European and UK rights and royalties teams to new heights.” Alistair Norbury said, “Over the past two years Sarah Mitchell has proven to be a significant addition to BMG’s London-based leadership with an incredible network in the artist and business communities and an impressive ability to think differently and make things happen. I am very happy to congratulate her on her promotion and wider remit.” Sarah Mitchell said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to take on this new role. Serving songwriters and artists lies at the heart of BMG’s mission and our integrated rights and royalties operation across both music publishing and recordings gives us a unique position in the market. I am excited to be able to work with our teams in the UK and across Europe as we seek to further maximize the benefits of this moving forward.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/dDJ4XmJr

For the third consecutive year, BMG welcomed girls aged 12-16 to its Berlin headquarters for Girls' Day - a day when schoolgirls are able to visit participating companies in industries they may be considering joining in the future. In addition to a day of discussions and showcases at BMG's office including a session with GEMA on music rights and licenses, the girls spent a further day at Riverside Studios | eisBER Multimedia GmbH with BMG songwriters learning about songwriting and music production. Thank you to everyone involved in putting together the program and for their support on both days. A particular thanks to our partners at GEMA, to Riverside Studios, and to our songwriters Lili Pistorius and her manager Dannii Maree Morris, Lori Wav, Sheyda, Neith, Ylva, and Lucy. 📸 BMG / Dannii Maree Morris

Rebel Country has been selected to have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. 🎬 🪕 The feature-length documentary from Fremantle, BMG - The New Music Company and whynow Studios explores a new squad of rising stars – including Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and BRELAND – rewriting the rules and challenging the culture of the U.S. country music scene, amidst the ever-present tensions of race, poverty, gender, sexuality. Directed by Francis Whately (Five Years, Dolly Parton: Here I Am), #RebelCountry premieres 10 June at #Tribeca2024. Read the full Variety exclusive. 🔗 ⬇

BMG's teams from the UK have been recognised as finalists in three categories for the 2024 Music Week Awards set to take place in London on May 2. The Music Week Awards celebrate the best in the music business with a focus on the people working behind the hits. BMG received nominations this year for: 👉 Artist Marketing Campaign for Kylie Minogue's Tension which saw the artist not only reach Number One but also win a Grammy Award; 👉 Catalogue Marketing Campaign for The Kinks' 60 anniversary project celebrating 60 years of the band; 👉 Sync Team of the Year following numerous high calibre sync placements including the Gregg Alexander-written Sophie Ellis-Bextor-hit 'Murder on the Dancefloor' in Saltburn which has since become a cultural phenomenon. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ed-E5UEP

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its 2024 inductees with BMG publishing clients Peter Frampton and Ozzy Osbourne among the honorees in the Performers category as “artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll”. Congratulations to Peter Frampton and Ozzy Osbourne! Read in full: https://lnkd.in/ezexA-7p

𝗠𝗲𝗵𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗻𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲   Einmal im Jahr trifft sich das be.queer Kernteam in Gütersloh zum offenen Austausch mit Thomas Rabe, dem Vorstandsvorsitzenden von Bertelsmann und Immanuel Hermreck, unserem Personalvorstand. Doch auch unterjährig haben die beiden immer ein offenes Ohr für uns und so kam es, dass sich ein Teil des Kernteams diese Woche mit Letzterem im Corporate Center traf. Gemeinsam mit dem Corporate Responsibility Team brachten Michael Lauk (he/him), Michael Wagner, Marie Kellner und Martin Masson verschiedene Themen vor und konnten so ein sehr konstruktives Gespräch führen. 💬   Wir wissen, dass es nicht selbstverständlich ist, dass sich Vorstandsmitglieder so sehr für queere Mitarbeitendennetzwerke einsetzen und sind daher sehr dankbar für die große Unterstützung, die wir von unserem Vorstand erfahren. An dieser Stelle möchten wir uns daher für die langjährige Unterstützung bedanken! 🙏 ---------------   𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 Once a year, the be.queer core team meets in Gütersloh for an open exchange with Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann's CEO, and Immanuel Hermreck, our CHRO. However, both of them are always willing to listen to us during the year as well, which is why part of the core team met with the latter at the Corporate Center this week. Together with the Corporate Responsibility team, Michael Lauk (he/him), Michael Wagner, Marie Kellner, and Martin Masson presented various topics and were able to have a very constructive discussion. 💬 We know that it is not a given that board members are so committed to queer employee networks and are therefore very grateful for the great support we receive from our board. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank you for your long-standing support! 🙏 #bequeer #bertelsmann #netzwerk #queer