BMG has acquired Mötley Crüe‘s entire recorded music catalog in a deal that marks the company’s largest single-artist deal since its founding in 2008, it was announced Tuesday (Nov. 30).
The deal covers the heavy metal icons’ nine studio albums, starting with the 1981 debut Too Fast for Love to the latest release, 2008’s Saints of Los Angeles.
BMG’s global catalog team plans to work closely with the band and its management to re-promote the releases starting next year.
“It feels amazing to be collaborating with our new partners at BMG,” Mötley Crüe said in a statement. “Their extensive track record of success in Rock made them the perfect home to continue preserving and growing our musical legacy, ensuring we always stay at The Top.”
Mötley Crüe’s manager Allen Kovac added: “After working side by side with BMG for well over a decade, the relationship we have developed and success we’ve accomplished over the years made this a very easy transition to entrust with this treasured Rock catalog. Working with BMG in any capacity, whether that’s publishing or records, has always been a great experience.”
Mötley Crüe’s most popular recordings, spanning from Too Fast for Love to 1997’s Generation Swine, and including the singles “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” and “Dr. Feelgood,” among others were all released on Elektra Records, which the band signed with in 1982. In the 1990s, Kovac helped the band acquire those masters from Elektra was part of a contract renegotiation.
In June 2022, Mötley Crüe plans to kick off their headlining U.S. stadium tour, which was previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The more-than-30-date tour marks the band’s first major concert run since 2015.
“This is more than just a significant transaction. It’s a new chapter for an extraordinary catalog,” said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch in a statement. “Few bands understand the myth and the magic of Rock like Mötley Crüe do. In an increasingly competitive rights acquisition market, artists need to be convinced that a buyer will do the right thing with their work. I am delighted that Mötley Crüe have decided BMG will be the best custodians of their musical career.”
This story is developing.
