BMG nabs share in Whigfield’s Saturday Night as it buys Italy’s Off Limits

BMG has acquired the publishing catalogue of 1990s Italian dance music specialist Off Limits, including a share in Whigfield’s EU megahit Saturday Night.

Off Limits Music & Publishing was founded by Alfredo “Larry” Pignagnoli in the early Eighties. Pignagnoli was previously best-known for producing hits such ‘Easy Lady’, ‘Call Me’ and ‘Every Girl And Boy’ for Spagna.

The first song produced by Pignagnoli under the Off Limits banner was Saturday Night, which was a No.1 throughout Europe. It propelled Whigfield into the Guinness Book of World Records as the first non-English artist to go straight to No.1 in the Official UK Singles chart, selling over one million copies.

BMG’s acquisition also includes the Off Limits share in hits such as ‘Satisfaction’ (Benny Benassi), ‘2 Times’ (Ann Lee), ‘Tu es Foutu’ (In-Grid) and the Benassi Brothers tracks ‘Illusion’, ‘Hit My Heart’ and ‘Best friend’, performed by Madonna.

The titles add to BMG’s repertoire of dance hits which includes the Strictly Rhythm (‘I Like To Move It’, ‘King Of My Castle’) and Skint/Loaded (Fatboy Slim, X-Press 2) recording catalogues and the Talpa (Afrojack, Fedde Le Grand) publishing catalogue.

BMG Italy Managing Director Dino Stewart said, “We are delighted to welcome the Off Limits catalogue to BMG. Larry Pignagnoli is one of the pop maestros of Italy and songs like ‘Saturday Night” are part of the fun-DNA of an entire generation. After the recent acquisitions of Strictly Rhythm, Skint/Loaded and Talpa Music, we are proud to add a number of international dance classics from Italy to BMG’s growing dance/EDM repertoire.”

The Off Limits catalogue acquisition is the third buyout of BMG’s year so far. In the past few weeks it has swooped for Spain’s Tiempo Real Entertainment and France’s Tipping Music.

BMG EVP Continental European Repertoire Fred Casimir said, “With BMG achieving market share leadership in Germany for the first time, 2014 was a real breakthrough year for the company in Continental Europe.

“Just over six years after we launched, these three deals show our ambition to grow right across the Continent is undiminished.”Music Business Worldwide

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