Tomorrowland Music, the music division of the electronic dance music festival Tomorrowland, has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with BMG to manage and administer its music publishing rights and jointly sign new songwriters and producers.
The partnership marks an expansion for Tomorrowland Music, which has already established itself in the recorded music sector with releases from electronic artists including Vintage Culture, Martin Garrix, Alok, Timmy Trumpet, Jengi, Denis Sulta and more.
Tomorrowland launched its own record label in August 2021 and inked a global distribution deal with Universal Music. The label partnered with Virgin Records Germany, with global distribution through Virgin Music Label & Artist Services.
Tomorrowland Music has since developed into a full-service music operation, maintaining a team of A&R professionals, marketing specialists, DSP experts, and legal support staff. The BMG partnership adds publishing expertise to their existing team, enabling enhanced support for the electronic music community, particularly in music creation and sync opportunities, a press release on Friday (October 18) said.
“Tomorrowland Music aims to collaborate with the world’s best electronic music producers and writers, helping them create exceptional music that resonates globally. Leveraging the power of the broader Tomorrowland and CORE ecosystems.”
Michel Van Buyten, Tomorrowland Music
“Tomorrowland Music aims to collaborate with the world’s best electronic music producers and writers, helping them create exceptional music that resonates globally. Leveraging the power of the broader Tomorrowland and CORE ecosystems, the partnership with BMG will push the boundaries of what electronic music can achieve,” said Michel Van Buyten, Head of Tomorrowland Music.
Levy Isabella, BMG Managing Director Benelux added: “Partnering with Tomorrowland Music unites some of the world’s biggest names in electronic music with BMG’s expertise to discover and nurture new talent.
“Together we aim to build a bridge between our world class songwriters and next-gen, top tier talent. As we co-host our next songwriting SoundLab during ADE in Amsterdam, we’re sure to create some of the most innovative new music fans have yet to hear.”
The collaboration has already yielded results through the first Lab of Tomorrow writing camp in Belgium. The initiative brought together 32 artists and songwriters across three studios.
“Goodboys and Blazey performed a song they wrote during the camp on the Tomorrowland main stage; Henri PFR, Repiet and Julia Kleijn, performed a song they wrote and recorded in just two days at The Gathering, Tomorrowland’s campsite. Tomorrowland Music and BMG have the capability to bring the most inspiring people together at exactly the right time,” said Erroll Antonie, BMG Senior Director of A&R.
The next phase of the partnership was showcased during the Amsterdam Dance Event between October 16 and October 20, where both companies co-hosted a songwriting SoundLab.
The partnership with Tomorrowland Music marks BMG’s latest after striking a strategic alliance with Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group to manage the company’s music catalog. As part of that deal signed in July, BMG will serve as the record label home for Cirque du Soleil’s catalog of original scores, soundtracks, and new album releases.
In the first half of 2024, BMG’s turnover hit EUR €459 million (USD $499m), up 11.1% YoY, or up 12.5% YoY on an organic basis.
Music Business Worldwide