BMG and the Albert family have announced that they are pleased to have reached an agreement for BMG to acquire the 131 year old Australian music publishing and recording company, J Albert & Son Pty Ltd, better known as Alberts. Alberts has published songs and released records from many of the greatest names in Australian music. This includes The Easybeats and their songwriters Harry Vanda, George Young & Stevie Wright, AC/DC, John Paul Young, Rose Tattoo and a roster of contemporary writers including; Montaigne, Megan Washington, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Pyke, Urthboy, the Cat Empire and San Cisco. Alberts is a member of AMPAL, and was a founding member of AMPAL in 1956.
Alberts will now form part of BMG Australia, the Sydney-based operation of BMG launched just three months ago. Alberts CEO and AMPAL board director David Albert said, “This was a difficult decision to make, but as music grapples with its digital future, with new distribution models and the influence of global technology companies, we believe BMG is in the best position to take the business forward. BMG has a global presence, an artist-friendly approach to business and a genuine desire to invest in and support the Australian music scene.”
BMG Australia Managing Director Heath Johns will run the newly-enlarged company, which will take on a number of the Alberts team. "No company has left a mark on Australian music like Alberts,” he said. “It is an honour for BMG Australia to protect this profound legacy and also work with its exciting contemporary roster to further build their careers at home and abroad. This is a big vote of confidence in Australian talent and a recognition of Australia’s status as the biggest international exporter of recording talent after the US and UK."
The deal means ownership of most of the Alberts music publishing and recordings catalogue transfers to BMG. The Albert family will retain their interests in the catalogues of AC/DC and Vanda, Young & Wright given their long-standing relationships. BMG will administer the music publishing catalogues worldwide on behalf of the family. BMG is a music company representing music publishing and recording rights, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of international media company Bertelsmann, founded by Bertelsmann in 2008. BMG has 12 offices across 10 core music markets representing over 2m songs and recordings.
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