BMG Acquires Tina Turner’s Music Interests
BMG is proud to announce it has acquired an extensive portfolio of rights in the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, one of the greatest and best-loved artists in popular music history, Tina Turner. Working hand-in-hand with Tina Turner, BMG will maintain and develop her musical treasure-trove and safeguard her inspirational legacy.
The deal means BMG will be a partner in all of Tina Turner’s music interests. The transaction includes Tina Turner’s artist’s share of her recordings, her music publishing writer’s share, neighboring rights and name, image, and likeness. Tina Turner´s solo works comprise ten studio albums, two live albums, two soundtracks, and five compilations, which together have sold over 100 million records. Warner Music continues to be her record company.
Tina Turner emerged as a solo artist in the early Eighties with worldwide hit albums such as Private Dancer, Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair and hit singles including ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Private Dancer’, ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)’, ‘Typical Male’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’, ‘The Best’ and ‘Goldeneye’.
Among her many accomplishments, Tina Turner has received 12 Grammy Awards, has been inducted twice into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame, was the first Black artist and the first female artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone, and was awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French Government.
Tina Turner’s life has been immortalized in at least three documentaries including HBO’s 2021 production Tina. Her story was also featured in the 1993 film drama What’s Love Got To Do With It and in the stage musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical which received a Tony Award and an Olivier Award.
Tina Turner said, “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and Warner Music my work is in professional and reliable hands.”
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Tina Turner’s musical journey has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world and continues to reach new audiences. We are honored to take on the job of managing Tina Turner’s musical and commercial interests. It is a responsibility we take seriously and will pursue diligently. She is truly and simply, the best.”
Tina Turner and her manager and husband Erwin Bach were advised in the transaction by the lawyers Torsten Siefert of Kiso Siefert Dropmann (Germany) and Bär & Karrer (Switzerland). BMG’s advisers included lawyers Lenz & Staehelin (Switzerland), Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (US), Simkins (UK), EY, and The Royalty Consultancy.
The transaction forms part of BMG’s long-term strategy to create a 21st century home for the most iconic music rights in popular music history.
BMG already represents or owns rights in the work of iconic artists including Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Mick Fleetwood, Roger Waters, Kurt Cobain, Blondie, David Bowie, Scorpions, The Kinks, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and more.
The company expects to announce further transactions in the coming weeks.
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About BMG
BMG – est. 2008 – is the world’s fourth-biggest music company, the first new global player in the music business of the streaming age, and a record label and music publisher in one. Named in 2020 one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, BMG’s pitch is unique – a relentless focus on fairness and transparency and service to its artist and songwriter clients. BMG’s 20 offices across 12 core music markets now represent over three million songs and recordings, including many of the most renowned and successful catalogs in popular music history. BMG’s fresh approach includes production music, films, books, artist management, merchandise, neighboring rights, and live as well as music publishing and recordings off the same service platform. BMG is owned by international media, services and education company Bertelsmann, whose other content businesses include the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House and the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr. With its multi-platform perspective, integrated technology platform and commitment to help artists maximize their income, BMG aims to be the best company in music to do business with. www.bmg.com
About Tina Turner
With a career spanning more than half a century, legendary singer, dancer, actress, and author Tina Turner is not only one of the world’s most popular and successful entertainers, but the beloved global icon widely regarded as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Among her many accomplishments, the revered singer has received 12 Grammy Awards, was the first Black artist and the first female artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone and was awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French government. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, her live performances have been seen by millions. First inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame as half of Ike & Tina Turner, she will be inducted in her own right as a solo artist in a ceremony on October 30, 2021.
Born as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner first rose to fame in the 60s, partnering with then-husband Ike Turner, as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, acclaimed for her live performances and catalogue of hits including ‘River Deep – Mountain High’ and ‘Proud Mary’. Turner’s well-publicized divorce and hardships ultimately forced her to virtually all but disappear from the music scene. By the 1970s, she began practicing Buddhism and rebuilt her life by tapping into her spiritual strength.
She celebrated her newfound freedom in 1975 with the role of the Acid Queen in the film version of The Who’s Tommy, delivering an outrageous, but all-too-brief performance.
She continued to release several albums during the late 70s, but it was in 1984 that her career went stratospheric with 1984’s Private Dancer going five times platinum in the US and selling 10m copies worldwide, spawning megahits including ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Better Be Good To Me’, the title track, and a cover of Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’. The album would earn her widespread recognition and numerous awards including three Grammys.
A string of hit albums followed, including Break Every Rule, Foreign Affair and What’s Love Got To Do With It. Hit singles included ‘Typical Male’, ‘The Best’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’, and ‘Goldeneye’. Successful duets with David Bowie and Mick Jagger showed her ability to perform on an equal footing with the greats of rock ‘n’ roll.
With another movie role in 1985, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, she found another hit in its theme song, ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’, establishing her high-profile status well into the 90s.
As an author, her bestselling memoir, I, Tina, became the 1993 Academy Award-nominated film What’s Love Got to Do with It, while her follow-up book, My Love Story, was a global success in 2018.Additionally, Turner’s eventful life has been immortalized in at least three documentaries including HBO’s 2021 production Tina, while her story has recently been staged as the biographical musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – becoming one of the most successful stage shows on Broadway and London and was honored by a Tony award and an Olivier award.
Tina resides with her husband, Erwin Bach, in Zürich, Switzerland.
