Vivendi Buys BMG -- Becomes World's Biggest Music Publisher
Ram Stone  |  by media.seekingalpha.com. All rights reserved. 10.11 | 17:09

  • Summary: Vivendi outbid six competitors to buy Bertelsmann AG's BMG Music Publishing business for $2.1 billion, making it the world's biggest music publisher, pulling ahead of rivals EMI Group PLC and Warner Music Group ( ). It also puts the conglomerate in a position to dictate terms when it comes to licensing music for TV shows, commercials and movies.

    Music publishers control the rights to melodies and lyrics, and earn steady, low-cost revenues by licensing them to record companies, film and TV producers, as well as ringtone and videogame makers. The deal is subject to U.S.

    and European Union regulatory review; music publishing is generally held to a less-stringent standard than recorded music, because it doesn't do business directly with consumers.

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    Keywords: Biggest Music Publisher, Music Publisher, Music Publishing, Biggest Music
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