Cirque du Soleil Inks BMG Partnership Deal Amid Country Music Foray — Label Services, Publishing Admin, and More

Photo Credit: BMG

Amid a foray into country music, Cirque du Soleil has unveiled a far-reaching strategic partnership with BMG.

The Bertelsmann-owned music company and Montreal-headquartered Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group formally revealed that tie-up today. As described by the involved parties, BMG is now set to manage Cirque du Soleil’s catalog and provide support for “a range of music-oriented collaborative initiatives.”

All told, this refers specifically to BMG’s serving as the label home for future Cirque du Soleil albums, administering the company’s publishing catalog, and “jointly creating new songs and releases.”

Meanwhile, Cirque du Soleil has established an in-house music division called Studio as part of the union; the business indicated in general terms that the unit will “serve the company’s existing fanbase and attract new fans to the brand,” which has racked up north of 250 million U.S. streams to date.

Running with the point, the first release under the BMG-Cirque du Soleil pact is the already-available soundtrack for the latter’s country-focused Songblazers. As we reported in March and earlier in July, that theatrical production was created with Universal Music Nashville.

For background, the overarching Universal Music Group finalized a sweeping “alliance” with Thomas Coesfeld-led BMG, focusing initially on physical distribution, in October of 2023.

But with Universal Music Nashville having developed a Cirque du Soleil show and then handed off label and publishing duties to BMG, the cozy relationship could well drive further collaborations moving forward.

Closer to the present, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group chief customer experience officer Anne Belliveau in a statement touted BMG’s “fresh vision” for the industry.

“The power of music has long been a force uniting cultures and peoples in Cirque du Soleil productions around the world,” said the Cirque exec of about seven months. “As music plays an integral part in our productions, we’re proud to finally dive into the music industry and explore this new avenue.

“Over the last few years, BMG has brought a fresh vision to the music business, and we look forward to partnering with BMG on a variety of music-related opportunities,” concluded Belliveau.

And in separate comments, Marian Wolf, BMG’s SVP of publishing for North America, praised Cirque as “one of the most innovative and creative entertainment companies in the world.”

“We are thrilled to be the new publishing and recorded music home for Cirque du Soleil and to collaborate on upcoming new releases,” proceeded the longtime BMG higher-up.

“This will provide unparalleled opportunities for BMG’s diverse roster of artists, songwriters, and catalogs. Together we aim to celebrate and elevate global culture by showcasing diverse music releases and transforming the way global audiences discover new music,” finished Wolf, whose company reported nearly $1 billion in 2023 revenue.

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