BMG SETS UP IN OZ

Having conquered Europe, BMG is expanding into Australia, the 11th market the record label/music publisher has set up an operation in since 2008.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said the move is “a logical step… giving Australian songwriters and artists a genuine alternative to the established companies.” BMG has Tame Impala and AC/DC on the publishing side, and most of Nick Cave’s recordings at the label.

Heath Johns, who worked with Wolfmother, Jet, The Veronicas, Passenger and other Aussie acts during his time at Universal Music Publishing Australia, will be Managing Director of BMG Australia.

“What BMG has achieved in just seven years is extraordinary,” he said of his new employers. “They have created a new kind of business designed to cater for what songwriters and artists want today.

Having met the BMG teams in LA, London and Berlin and having seen the company’s values in action, I am convinced BMG will prove very appealing to Australia’s creative community.”

Besides Tame Impala and AC/DC, BMG publishes the music of Missy Higgins and will release the next album from The Temper Trap.

“We are proud to be the only music company in history to set out its stall from day one to offer transparency and service to the people who make the music,” Masuch said. “A commitment to fairness is in our DNA. We believe these values are as important to Australian music-makers as they are to our clients in the rest of the world.”

Masuch then commanded his underlings to bring him a vegemite sandwich.