LONDON, (CelebrityAccess) — International music company BMG announced that it has acquired leading UK record company Union Square Music and its sister music publishing companies Union Square Music Publishing and USM Songs.
Following the acquisition, Union Square founder Peter Stack will continue to run the business from the company’s West London base reporting through BMG’s UK operation, BMG Chrysalis UK.
Primarily known as a catalog marketing specialist, Union Square releases approximately 150 artist and compilation albums each year, and owns or exclusively licenses rights to artists including Madness, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Sandie Shaw, Nazareth, Marmalade, Michael Crawford, Barbara Dickson, Richard Clayderman, Procol Harum, Kirsty MacColl, the Original Rocky Horror Picture Show, M, and the Belle Stars.
It also represents labels such as ZTT (Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Art Of Noise & Propaganda), Stiff (Tenpole Tudor, Jona Lewie, Tracey Ullman), Peer Music (The Flowerpot Men, First Class), Cuban state-owned label Egrem (Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez and Compay Segundo), be-bop label Savoy Jazz, Denon Classics, Tappan Zee (home to smooth-jazz king Bob James), Skye Gryphon jazz, as well as its own range of original musical theatre recordings, smooth jazz, world-beats, relaxation music and children's recordings.
Union Square’s music publishing interests include the Nazareth catalogue, Russ Ballard (‘Since You've Been Gone’, ‘So You Win Again’), Charles Mingus, Swing Out Sister's Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell (‘Breakout’), The Farm (‘All Together Now’) and songs from Syd Barrett, Nick Lowe, Hawkwind, The Damned, Captain Sensible and Eddie & The Hot Rods. USM Songs also represents the Plangent Visions Music catalogue worldwide including The Specials/The Specials AKA (‘Ghost Town’, ‘Free Nelson Mandela’) and hits such as ‘Over My Shoulder’ (recorded by Mike & The Mechanics) and ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ (Fun Boy Three, The Go Go’s). – Staff Writers
