BMG acquires Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale’s publishing and recorded rights
BMG has acquired Andrew Stockdale‘s publishing, recorded music royalties, and neighboring rights pursuits within the catalog of Australian rock band Wolfmother.
The deal, revealed on Tuesday (August 4), brings all three rights varieties underneath BMG.
BMG has printed Stockdale globally since 2016, and the acquisition provides his recorded music royalties and neighboring rights to that relationship.
Stockdale co-founded Wolfmother in Sydney and is the band’s vocalist, guitarist and songwriter.
The band’s single Lady received the Grammy Award for Greatest Onerous Rock Efficiency in 2007.
Stockdale mentioned: “Heath Johns is a legend of the Australian music trade with an intensive attain throughout worldwide markets.
“His enthusiasm for Wolfmother‘s music has been there from the unique demos to Joker being performed at big sporting occasions.
“We recognize the wonderful syncs BMG has created through the years, serving to cement Wolfmother‘s music in standard tradition, and we’re wanting ahead to seeing what alternatives await with the good crew at BMG.”
Andrew Stockdale, Wolfmother
“I couldn’t consider a greater place to have my share of the catalog than BMG.
“We recognize the wonderful syncs BMG has created through the years, serving to cement Wolfmother‘s music in standard tradition, and we’re wanting ahead to seeing what alternatives await with the good crew at BMG.”
Heath Johns, BMG‘s President for Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, mentioned: “Few Australian bands have constructed a catalog with the worldwide attain, cultural impression and enduring affect of Wolfmother.
“I signed Andrew to his first publishing deal in 2005, earlier than the band took over the world and two years earlier than they received a Grammy. I nonetheless have that authentic demo CD with Lady, Joker And The Thief, Dimension and White Unicorn on my desk.
“Acquisitions with long-term shoppers are about greater than transactional investments, they’re a mirrored image of partnerships constructed on creativity, belief and constantly delivering past expectations.”
Heath Johns, BMG
“For Andrew to entrust BMG along with his publishing and recorded rights greater than 20 years later is a good honor and an extremely proud second for the crew. Acquisitions with long-term shoppers are about greater than transactional investments, they’re a mirrored image of partnerships constructed on creativity, belief and constantly delivering past expectations.”
The acquisition is BMG‘s newest underneath a catalog-investment technique funded by mother or father firm Bertelsmann‘s Enhance program.
BMG accomplished 30 catalog acquisitions in 2025, and has invested greater than USD $1.5 billion in music rights for the reason that Enhance program launched in 2021.
BMG describes its $250 million acquisition of Jason Aldean‘s recorded catalog, accomplished in September 2025, as its largest thus far.
Current purchases additionally embrace the publishing and recordings of UK new wave band A Flock of Seagulls in March 2026, and the catalog of German rock band Liquido in December 2025.
BMG reported income of EUR €900 million (USD $1.02bn) for 2025 in annual outcomes printed by Bertelsmann, a determine down year-over-year on a reported foundation following divestments in its Reside phase.
Its catalog funding rose to EUR €358 million ($405M) in 2025, up from €243 million ($263M) a yr earlier, whereas its EBITDA margin reached 31.5%.
“2025 was a transformational yr for BMG, outlined by disciplined execution underneath our BMG Subsequent technique,” mentioned CEO Thomas Coesfeld of these outcomes.
“We sharpened our concentrate on music publishing and recorded music, strengthened our digital capabilities, and supported that focus by way of our Enhance investments and cutting-edge expertise, together with the mixing of AI throughout our workflows.”
Below the BMG Subsequent technique, Coesfeld has introduced BMG‘s digital distribution in-house and shifted bodily distribution to Common Music Group.
BMG can also be merging with Harmony. Bloomberg first reported the talks in January; the businesses confirmed a definitive settlement in April, underneath which Bertelsmann will personal roughly 67% of the mixed firm and associates of Nice Mountain Companions roughly 33%, alongside a one-time money cost of $1.16 billion. US and German regulators cleared the merger in June, and it’s anticipated to shut in This fall 2026. MBW has reported the mixed entity is valued within the area of $15 billion.
Coesfeld is because of change into Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann in January 2027, whereas persevering with to steer BMG till the Harmony merger closes.
Wolfmother‘s 2005 self-titled debut was licensed five-times platinum in Australia and gold in the US, Canada and Germany.
Its 2009 follow-up, Cosmic Egg, debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.
The band received three ARIA Awards in 2006, together with Greatest Group and Greatest Rock Album, and the APRA Songwriter of the 12 months award in 2007.
Based on BMG, Wolfmother‘s music has appeared in movie, tv and video-game titles together with The Hangover, Ted Lasso, Guitar Hero and the Madden NFL sequence.
The band has toured with AC/DC and Weapons N’ Roses, and carried out at Led Zeppelin‘s 2006 induction into the UK Music Corridor of Fame.
BMG, based in 2008 and wholly owned by Bertelsmann, represents greater than 3 million songs and recordings.Music Enterprise Worldwide
