German music management group BMG announced on Thursday that it had acquired the rights to electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre’s landmark repertoire. The acquisition, the amount of which has not been disclosed, “is the largest contract concluded by BMG in France,” the group said in a press release.
The key to this transaction is for BMG, which already owns the rights to the sound recordings of the artist’s first three albums, classics such as the album Oxygenthe artist’s first worldwide success, or Equinox. The group already controls the property rights of several prominent artists, such as Lenny Kravitz or Kylie Minogue.
spectacular concerts
Jean-Michel Jarre, 73, has sold 85 million records throughout his career and has broken several records with spectacular concerts around the world such as the one organized in Paris-La Défense in 1990, which brought together 2.5 millions of people.
More recently, the broadcast of his concert in computer graphics, held in the heart of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral to celebrate the transition to 2021, attracted 75 million people, recalls BMG.
“I am happy that my catalog fund is housed here in Europe and that my work continues to develop in such good hands,” said Jean-Michel Jarre, quoted in the press release. “It’s a fresh start that allows me to develop new ideas and gives me the means to explore new territory. Together we will prosper”, he concludes.
The artist, fond of new technologies, continues to compose and invest in the metaverse. The release of his new album “in immersive mode” is scheduled for September, his entourage told AFP.
This sale to BMG is part of a strong trend of buying music rights by the heavyweights in the sector, attracted by the profits generated by streaming. Before Jean-Michel Jarre, it was Bob Dylan and Sting who sold their catalogs to Sony and Universal, respectively.
Source: BFM TV
