BMG

BMG is the music company that, since 1 September 2026, has been owned 67 per cent by Bertelsmann and 33 per cent by affiliates of Great Mountain Partners, following the completion of its combination with Concord. Its own announcement of that completion puts the combined catalogue at more than four million works, sets a global headquarters in Nashville and a European headquarters in Berlin, and states that affiliates of Great Mountain Partners received a one-time cash payment of 1.16 billion US dollars.

The company’s documented African operation is a publishing partnership. On 15 December 2023 BMG UK announced a partnership with Nooks Recordings, which it described as an independent Lagos-based music publishing company. The described division of labour is specific: Nooks uses local resources to find Nigerian producers and composers below the mainstream radar, and those writers then get “the global administrative resources of BMG”. That is administration, not acquisition. The announcement names no equity stake in either direction, no consideration, no territory and no term, and it does not say who owns the resulting copyrights.

The first joint signing named is the producer BMH, credited for CKay’s “Emiliana”. Lisa Cullington, then Vice President Creative (Publishing) at BMG UK, is quoted in the announcement.

On the UK register, BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited, company number 06705101, was incorporated on 23 September 2008, is active, files under SIC 70100 for activities of head offices, and sits at Floors 1 to 3, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA. It was previously named Barracuda UK Limited and, before that, DWSCO 2759 Limited. A second active company at the same address, BMG Rights Management Services (UK) Limited, number 00946978, was incorporated on 29 January 1969 and was previously Chrysalis Group Limited, Chrysalis Group plc and Management Agency and Music Public Limited Company. The announcement’s “BMG UK” is not tied to either number in any document this desk read.

The persons with significant control register for 06705101 changed on 15 June 2026. Bertelsmann UK Limited, registration 3185285, ceased to be a person with significant control on that date, and Christoph Mohn was notified as the sole active controller on the same date, holding more than 75 per cent of shares and more than 75 per cent of voting rights, with the right to appoint and remove directors. His correspondence address on the register is Carl-Bertelsmann-Strasse 270 in Guetersloh. That is 78 days before the Concord combination completed.