BMG has secured Jean-Michel Jarre’s full recorded output, marking a deepening of the label’s existing arrangement with the French electronic music innovator. Under the agreement, Jarre’s sound recordings will be licensed exclusively through BMG across several territories.
BMG already held the publishing rights to Jarre’s work after acquiring his music publishing catalog in 2022, including seminal albums Oxygene and Équinoxe, along with his writer’s income stream. That deal was described as BMG’s biggest single transaction forged in France.
The label also took the sound recordings of Jarre’s first three LPs when it bought independent record label Francis Dreyfus Music in 2012.
Jarre on the Deal
“My relationship with BMG goes back many years, and I am very happy that today we are bringing our work even closer together,” Jarre said in a statement. He pointed to BMG’s European heritage as a key draw.
“As the only major international music company with European roots, BMG has a cultural identity that is deeply important to me,” he added. “This is an especially exciting moment for creators, as technology opens up new possibilities for imagination and expression.”
A Catalog Built on Firsts
Across a career that puts him among electronic music’s most important and influential figures, Jarre, who is now 78, has released 22 albums. His debut 1976 record Oxygene still stands as a landmark for listeners who follow electronic music closely.
The catalog includes:
- Oxygene (1976)
- Equinoxe (1978)
- Magnetic Fields (1981)
- Zoolook (1984)
It was in 1981 that he became the first Western musician to perform in China, and the double album The Concerts In China captured those historic shows. The album has sold over 85 million copies, and Jarre was made a Commander of the Légion d’Honneur in 2021, France’, France’s highest order of merit. President Emmanuel Macron presented the award.
BMG’s Existing Relationship
The partnership between BMG and Jarre started in 2012, after the label took over the sound recordings of his first three LPs through its purchase of independent record label Francis Dreyfus Music. In 2022, BMG expanded the arrangement by buying his music publishing catalog, which included the two seminal works Oxygene and Équinoxe, along with his writer’s income stream.
That 2022 deal was described as BMG’s biggest single transaction forged in France.
What Comes Next
Jarre has not slowed down as Oxygene marks its 50th anniversary. He has just finished a tour of summer shows across Europe, with a stop at Amnesia Ibiza for the club’s own half-century milestone.
In October, he will take part in Amsterdam Dance Event’s 30th edition as special guest of honor, with the duty of presenting the sold-out opening concert, “Oxygene & Beyond: A Sonic Journey Celebrating 30 Years of ADE.”.
That very month, he puts out the coffee-table book “Machines by Jean-Michel Jarre: A History of Electronic Music” through Thames & Hudson. It charts the century-long history of sonic experimentation, highlighting the ideas, technologies and cultural forces that helped shape electronic music as we know it today.
More information on how BMG intends to mark the anniversary will be released shortly. For further updates, go to jeanmicheljarre.com.
Our View
A veteran artist whose 1976 debut helped define electronic music is now at a notable point in his career. He has locked his entire recorded catalog to a single major label, and BMG gains stewardship of one of the most influential bodies of work in the genre.
The deal gives Jarre’s catalog a stable home with European roots, while BMG benefits from the full strength of its global reach. It is an arrangement that respects both sides, and it signals that Jarre’s legacy remains central to the industry.
See the video the story is built around at Billboard.
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