Oz Music Institution Alberts Has Been Bought By BMG

Widely respected, long-serving Australian music publishing and recording house Alberts Music has reached an agreement for acquisition with global juggernaut BMG, the companies have announced.

The massive deal will see Alberts' operations be brought under the umbrella of BMG's nascent Australian operations, which only launched locally three months ago. Despite that relatively short lifespan, they've already accrued an impressive early roster comprising the likes of Peking Duk, L D R U, Chris Cheney (The Living End) and Wave Racer.

Now, thanks to their acquisition of Alberts, the company will gain access not only to the local organisation's impressive list of contemporary artists (which includes Montaigne, Megan Washington, Josh Pyke, Urthboy, San Cisco, The Cat Empire and more) but the majority of their sizeable back catalogue. BMG will also act as Alberts' sub-publisher for several European territories.

All parties expressed their enthusiasm for the prospects of the deal in a joint statement, with BMG chief executive Hartwig Masuch describing the development as "an incredible opportunity to create a new leader in Australian music".

"As of today, Australian artists and songwriters wishing to tap into the world market have a genuine alternative to the established majors," Masuch said. "BMG is very serious about the Australian market and this deal is an indication of our commitment."

Alberts chief executive David Albert echoed Masuch's sentiments, explaining that, although the decision to sign off on the deal was "difficult", the company nonetheless believes BMG "is in the best position to take the business forward".

"BMG has a global presence, an artist-friendly approach to business and a genuine desire to invest in and support the Australian music scene, Albert said.

The exception — understandably — will be the valuable catalogues of Easybeats songwriters Harry Vanda, George Young and Stevie Wright, as well as that of veteran rockers AC/DC, all of which will be retained by the Albert family themselves. The relationship between the company and those artists is a long and storied one, and chairman Robert Albert was intent on maintaining the legacy laid down by his brother, Ted:

"These songwriters were an integral part of my late brother Ted Albert's vision to take Australia's music to the world," Albert said in a statement. "Retaining these catalogues will allow us to stay connected with an industry that has been an integral part of our lives for the last 131 years.

"The family will also continue to maintain its lifelong connection with music through our philanthropy, which is focused on achieving positive outcomes through music."

The company's faithful and artists' fans can rest easy in the knowledge that said lifelong connection is not at all lost on the corporate types at BMG, with Australian managing director Heath Johns acknowledging in a statement that "no company has left a mark on Australian music like Alberts".

"It is an honour for BMG Australia to protect this profound legacy and also work with its exciting contemporary roster to further build their careers at home and abroad," Johns said.  

"This is a big vote of confidence in Australian talent and a recognition of Australia's status as the biggest international exporter of recording talent after the US and UK."