BMG has announced that it will “fully integrate” its new release and catalogue recordings businesses from today. How that will effectively work is that ‘catalogue’ music will now follow the same structure that BMG uses for ‘frontline’ recordings, “reporting locally as per its country of origin and then globally through EVP Global Repertoire Fred Casimir for all sales outside the owning territory.” The idea that “catalogue”, with its traditional 18-month definition, is outdated was floated last year by Chartmetric and BMG says it’s the first global music company to abandon the “outdated industry distinction” between new and older recordings. In a memo to BMG staff, CEO Hartwig Masuch said that this new approach reflects music fans’ rejection of “the music industry’s outdated privileging of new music over older music,” but also talked up a number of other streamlining features he believes the new approach will bring: “it empowers local leaders, it shortens reporting lines and it makes us more responsive for our artist and songwriter clients.” BMG recently announced impressive results for the 2022 period.
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