BMG Acquires Jet Catalogue In ‘Landmark Deal’

It’s been a huge year for Jet, between their second reunion, the 20th anniversary of their seminal debut album Get Born (and the tour they embarked on to celebrate it) and their impending induction into the ARIA Hall Of Fame. But the band aren’t quite done making headlines just yet, today (September 28) announcing they’ve inked a “landmark deal” with BMG Rights Management.

READ MORE: Why ARIA Should Induct TWO Jets This Year

As reported by Billboard, the new deal expands on a global publishing arrangement forged by the two parties in 2017. BMG now own the Australian and New Zealand publishing rights for Get Born (which was first released in 2003) and its 2006 successor Shine On, as well as the global royalty streams for both of those records. They’ve also acquired the global publishing rights and royalty streams for Jet’s third (and most recent) album, 2009’s Shaka Rock.

The financial minutia of the deal has not been made public.

The contract was reportedly negotiated by Heath Johns (president of BMG for the Australian, New Zealand and South-East Asian markets), who said the news reflected a “landmark deal” for both parties, and described Jet as “a generation-defining band who achieved global success of the rarest kind”.

According to Johns, BMG “has become the fastest-growing music company in Australia”, thanks in no short part to its “organic recordings and publishing growth”. As the company looks to “expand [its] scope via acquisition”, he added, Johns “can think of no bigger statement than the acquisition of the Jet catalog”.

The deal was acknowledged publicly by Jet drummer Chris Cester (who skipped out on the band’s current tour), noting in a statement: “With big decisions like this it comes down to personal relationships. We’ve known the BMG team for years. We’re already with BMG for our publishing and they do what they say they’re gonna do. That’s a rare thing in this business. Sooner or later you figure out that’s the only thing that matters, if you’re serious about what you do.”

READ MORE: Get Re-Born – Jet’s Classic Debut Two Decades On

Reviewing Jet’s Get Born anniversary tour stop in Naarm/Melbourne, Monique La Terra wrote for The Music: “New music or not, it’s comforting to know that in the shadow of a preliminary AFL Final, Melburnians will still turn out in droves to see live music. Sure, scores were monitored throughout, and black and white scarves waved at the final whistle, but for most of us, Friday night was about celebrating Jet and, more specifically, one of the greatest Australian rock albums ever recorded.”