Janet Jackson’s will release her first album in seven years on her own label, Rhythm Nation, via BMG this autumn.
BMG says it has agreed a “commitment to pursue the full range of options” within the broader group of parent Bertelsmann.
Rhythm Nation won’t just be a vanity project, either: Jackson says that she plans to use it to offer a home to both new and established recording artists.
The deal represents one of the biggest so-called artist services deals in history – under which Jackson retains ownership of her recordings and full oversight of all costs and revenues.
With sales of over 160 million records worldwide, Janet Jackson stands as one of the best-selling artists of all time.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Janet is not just a supreme artist, she is a unique cultural force whose work resonates around the world.
“It is an honor that she has chosen BMG to release her long-awaited new album. We look forward to collaborating with her across every platform.”
Janet commented, “Thank you to the talented team at BMG, my new artistic home. The opportunity to be creative in music and every form of entertainment has great potential here.”
“Thank you to the talented team at BMG, my new artistic home.”
Janet Jackson
Jon Cohen, EVP of Recorded Music at BMG Chrysalis US said, “Janet is a cultural icon and pop star like no other. The release of her long-awaited new album will undoubtedly be one of the musical highlights of 2015. It is an honor to work with her.”
Jackson began her career at the age of seven when she first performed with her family at the MGM in Las Vegas.
Her worldwide breakthrough came with her third album Control in 1986, which won four American Music Awards out of twelve nominations and was nominated for an Album of the Year at the Grammys.
Next came Rhythm Nation 1814, a socially-conscious album critiquing injustice, illiteracy, crime, drugs, and racial intolerance, which last year celebrated its 25th anniversary.
It remains the only album yet to have launched number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in three separate calendar years
1993 brought the worldwide smash ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’, followed in 1995 by Design Of A Decade and subseqeunt studio albums The Velvet Rope, All For You and Discipline.
Zach Katz, Chief Creative Officer, BMG Chrysalis US, said: “Janet’s list of achievements and accomplishments is truly staggering. She is a global artist whose career has touched on virtually every area of popular culture.
“Her new album will undoubtedly have a significant impact. We look forward to collaborating with her and Rhythm Nation to nurture a new generation of artists.”
Venus Brown, for BMG Chrysalis US added: “As die-hard fans of her work and of the musical jewels that Janet Jackson has bestowed upon the world, we are beyond thrilled that she has chosen BMG to be her new partner.
“Her music and her video and concert styling, particularly Rhythm Nation 1814, changed the course of pop music.”
Over the past year BMG has released albums by the likes of alt-J, The Smashing Pumpkins, Anastacia, Backstreet Boys, Nena, Bryan Ferry, You Me At Six and The Charlatans.
Janet Jackson is represented by William Morris Endeavor, Sterling Winters Company, attorneys Tom Hoberman and Don Steele, and JDJ Entertainment.Music Business Worldwide
