Jean-Michel Jarre, the French electronic music maestro, has expanded his relationship with BMG into one that now includes his recorded music catalog and future works.
Under the new arrangement, Jarre’s recorded catalog is represented by BMG on an exclusive licensing basis across various territories. Announced this week, the pact builds on the music company’s existing relationship with Jarre, which includes the sound recordings of his first three albums. In 2022, BMG acquired his music publishing catalog, including seminal works Oxygene and Équinoxe, alongside his writer’s income stream, in what is said to be BMG’s biggest single deal forged in France.
BMG previously acquired the sound recordings of Jarre’s first three LPs when it bought independent record label Francis Dreyfus Music in 2012.
“My relationship with BMG goes back many years, and I am very happy that today we are bringing our work even closer together,” Jarre comments in a statement. “As the only major international music company with European roots, BMG has a cultural identity that is deeply important to me. This is an especially exciting moment for creators, as technology opens up new possibilities for imagination and expression. I am proud to deepen our friendship and partnership as we embark on the future together.”
Jarre, now aged 78, is 22 albums deep in a career that places him at or near the head of the table for electronic music’s greatest and most influential artists.
Born in Lyon, France, Jarre has established numerous creative and cultural benchmarks. His debut 1976 album Oxygene, is timeless and a touchstone for electronic music connoisseurs everywhere, and is ground zero in a catalogue that’s stuffed with gems, including followup Equinoxe, 1981’s Magnetic Fields and 1984’s Zoolook. In 1981, he became the first Western musician to perform in China, landmark shows captured for the double album The Concerts In China. With album sales north of 85 million, Jarre was awarded the Commander of the Légion d’Honneur in 2021, France’s highest order of merit. President Emmanuel Macron was on hand for the presentation.
“Jean-Michel Jarre has influenced generations of electronic artists and continues to shape the culture today,” comments Alistair Norbury, senior creative advisor to the CEO at BMG. “Expanding our relationship across his recorded catalog gives us an even greater opportunity to support and celebrate his extraordinary body of work, while bringing the full strength of BMG to its long-term stewardship and global reach.”
As Oxygene celebrates its 50th anniversary, Jarre isn’t showing signs of slowing down. Following a pan-European run of summer concerts, including a performance at Amnesia Ibiza, for the club’s own half-century celebrations, Jarre will appear as special guest of honor at the 30th edition of Amsterdam Dance Event in October, where he will present the sold-out opening concert, “Oxygene & Beyond: A Sonic Journey Celebrating 30 Years of ADE.”
In the same month, he will launch the coffee-table book, “Machines by Jean-Michel Jarre: A History of Electronic Music” (via Thames & Hudson), in which he “traces the evolution of a century of sonic experimentation, underscoring the ideas, technologies and cultural movements that shaped electronic music as we know it today,” a statement reads.
Further details of how BMG plans to mark the anniversary will be shared soon. Visit jeanmicheljarre.com for more.
