BMG Rights Management (BMG) has acquired French independent music company Francis Dreyfus Music (Dreyfus).
Founded in 1970 by Francis Dreyfus – who sadly died in 2010 – and headquartered in Paris (France), Dreyfus is an independent French music publishing and recording company.
The Dreyfus catalogue (Disques Motors, FDM, Dreyfus Jazz), includes the publishing and master rights of iconic French artists such as Christophe, whose classic songs include “Les mots bleus”, “Aline”, “Succes fou”, “Les Paradis Perdus”, and Jean-Michel Jarre including his hit albums “Oxygène”, “Équinoxe” and “Chants Magnétiques”.
The remarkable publishing catalogue – which includes the renowned Labrador Éditions started in the 1960s – reflects the eclectic tastes and the artistic instinct of Francis Dreyfus, who died in 2010, and in addition to those mentioned above, includes many classic songs spanning four decades, notably:
– the 1960s (“Pour moi la vie va commencer” and “Cheveux longs et idées courtes” recorded by Johnny Hallyday),
– the 1970s (“Où sont les femmes” recorded by Patrick Juvet, “Faut pas pleurer comme ça” recorded by Daniel Guichard, the first 2 albums by Bernard Lavilliers),
– the 1980s (“À cause des garçons”, “Boule de flipper”, “Bonne bonne humeur ce matin”, “Madrid Madrid” recorded by Nilda Fernandez, and “En résumé en conclusion” recorded by Françoise Hardy), as well as Original Soundtracks composed by Philippe Sarde, Francis Lai, François de Roubaix and Jean-Michel Jarre, TV themes like “PJ” written by Richard Galliano, “Le manège enchanté” or the cult French theme song of the “Dallas” series.
More recent highlights in the catalog include “Madame rêve”, recorded by Alain Bashung and co-written by Pierre Grillet and several David Guetta songs co-written by Peter Kitch such as the hit single “People Come People Go”.
In 1991, Dreyfus started and created prestigious contemporary jazz label, Dreyfus Jazz, producing and releasing recordings of celebrated Jazz Artists like Michel Petrucciani, Eddy Louiss, Richard Galliano, Aldo Romano, Philip Catherine, Didier Lockwood, Bireli Lagrène, Sylvain Luc, Rosario Giuliani, Geraldine Laurent, and Adrien Moignard.
Focusing not only on French repertoire, Dreyfus produced and released recordings of distinguished American artists such as Roy Haynes, Ahmad Jamal, Marcus Miller, The Mingus Big Band, Jean-Michel Pilc, Steve Grossman and Lucky Peterson, among others.
The acquisition adds contemporary songs as well as excellent jazz recordings to BMG’s master rights catalog. Expanding its position as a leading music rights manager, BMG continues to pro-actively serve a wide range of music customers across a global platform.
“We are very happy to be able to represent Dreyfus’s outstanding songwriters and artists,” said Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG Rights Management. “The Dreyfus jazz catalogue in particular is well-renowned and we see tremendous licensing potential in it.”
Stéphane Berlow, Managing Director BMG France: “The publishing and recorded music roster put together by Francis Dreyfus over several decades contains truly iconic songwriters, artists and songs. We feel proud now to represent this fabulous catalogue and label, and continue the Dreyfus saga going forward.”
Hélène Dreyfus, widow of Francis Dreyfus: “This was an important decision for my daughters, Laura, Chloe, Julie, and me. It was paramount for us to find a potential suitor who would continue the work of Francis with the same spirit of courage, fidelity and generosity that was always his way. After many months of conversation, we believe and trust that BMG will continue in this same manner. We are pleased to make this announcement.”
“We also want to acknowledge our small but dedicated family of long time employees for their hard work and continued loyalty, especially during a difficult period.”
Financial terms of the transaction were not be disclosed.Music Business Worldwide
