BMG has signed a deal to begin development of a new full-service music facility in Los Angeles, which will become home to its biggest-grossing operation worldwide.
The location will be a two-floor, 30,000-square-foot space at 5670 Wilshire Blvd, just seven blocks east from BMG’s current facility at 6100 Wilshire Blvd. BMG currently employs around 135 staff in Los Angeles with plans for further expansion in the new year.
The announcement comes two months after BMG officially launched its new Nashville facility, bringing together BMG’s Nashville recordings business BBR Music Group, its publishing business, and its copyright and royalty operations all under one roof at 1 Music Circle South.
The news of the L.A expansion also comes 18 months on from the opening of BMG’s new office location in New York at 1 Park Avenue.
The proposed new space will consolidate BMG’s west coast publishing and recording teams, together with synch and licensing, film and books, and BMG Production Music.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Los Angeles is our largest-grossing operation in our largest market and this marks another significant investment in our fast-growing US business. It is consistent with BMG’s philosophy – all our services under one roof, operating off the same platform, and taking a global perspective.”
“Los Angeles is our largest-grossing operation in our largest market and this marks another significant investment in our fast-growing US business.”
Hartwig Masuch, BMG (pictured)
BMG’s L.A-sourced successes during 2019 include, in publishing, 21 Savage, Juice WRLD, Tool, The Raconteurs, and the worldwide success of Lewis Capaldi and Blanco Brown, and, in frontline recordings, Avril Lavigne, Godsmack, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, The Glorious Sons, Lindsey Stirling, Zac Brown Band, 311.
In catalog, its seen recent success with the successful re-release of Motorhead’s Overkill and Bomber, Keith Richards’ Talk Is Cheap, The Kinks Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), and the ongoing reissue campaign of Iron Maiden. There’s also been critical and box office successes in feature-length documentaries Echo In The Canyon and David Crosby: Remember My Name.
BMG EVP Repertoire & Marketing LA Thomas Scherer said, “It is just 10 months since the re-organization of BMG US and I am glad to say we are enjoying success across the board.
“The move into a new, even bigger, facility is a significant development for BMG in L.A. As with all our initiatives, everything is being designed to optimize service to our songwriter and artist clients.”
“The move into a new, even bigger, facility is a significant development for BMG in L.A.”
Thomas Scherer, BMG
BMG revamped its US company in January 2019, splitting its operation into three standalone teams in LA, Nashville and New York, each reporting direct to CEO Hartwig Masuch. That move came amid the departure of Zach Katz, who became a founding member of Scooter Braun-backed Raised In Space.
That move led BMG to reveal that, in terms of scale, if it was a country, its Los Angeles operation would be its biggest territory – some way ahead of the UK. Nashville would be its third biggest territory, just ahead of Germany and New York would be sixth biggest, just behind France.
The new increased space in L.A will also enable BMG to fully integrate rock label Rise Records, acquired in 2015, into the West Coast recorded music team.
Sean Heydorn, VP of Rise Records, who will continue to run the label from its new home in Los Angeles, said: “This is an exciting strategic move for Rise, offering the best opportunities available to our artists, managers, and partners.
“This will allow the label to be fully immersed into both the US and global recorded music team and infrastructure, with direct lines to synch & licensing, frontline publishing, investments, business & legal, digital sales & marketing, catalog, and administration.”
BMG launched in 2008 in the same week as Spotify. From an initial team of just three people in a shared office. In 2019, that team has grown to more than 850 across 15 offices in 12 countries.Music Business Worldwide
