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BMG Partners With Fleetwood Mac Manager Carl Stubner
– Carl Stubner
Manages Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, Crowded House, and Neil Finn, among others
BMG is moving into artist management with Carl Stubner, the manager of Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, Crowded House, and Neil Finn, among others.
BMG is backing Stubner’s new Shelter Music Group, described as “a music management company with a global presence.”
Stubner serves as chairman of Shelter Music Group, with Puscifer manager Dino Paredes as president. BMG already works with Shelter artists including ZZ Top, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle.
Shelter will retain full independence to sign artists to other labels and music publishers.
The deal adds another service option for BMG clients alongside its existing music publishing, recordings, production music, film and book interests.
As part of the deal Shelter has relocated its Nashville operation into BMG’s new office in the city. It gives Shelter access to BMG’s global resources and networks through the company’s 15 offices worldwide.
It also gives BMG artists and songwriters located outside the U.S. the ability to receive management support and expertise in the North American market.
According to BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch, “artist managers are more important in the music business than they have ever been. You want to stick close to the ones who get things done.
“Our key insight has been to understand that the same kind of revenue share deal BMG has pioneered for artists could be extended to managers, all while guaranteeing their independence.
“BMG has consistently pioneered fresh approaches to the music business from our insistence on fairness and transparency, to our revenue share approach to records to our early recognition that streaming favours established artists.
“Our approach to the artist management business is equally new and will yet again set the pace for the industry.”
Carl Stubner said, “We have ambitions to move into both records and publishing with BMG and are already in advanced discussions to recruit other managers to join us.”
He described BMG as “the first new music major of the streaming age,” adding, “this is an opportunity not just to work more closely with the most innovative company in music, but also to build a new kind of management company with a presence in every significant music market.”
Masuch described Stubner as “a force of nature.” He said, “as the lines blur between the services provided by labels and those provided by managers, it is inevitable that these previously separate parts of the business will come together.
“Ultimately we are both in the business of serving artists and have complementary interests. We believe that combining resources and expertise on certain projects will benefit artists.”
BMG and Shelter are collaborating on Mick Fleetwood’s forthcoming sold-out all-star tribute to Peter Green and the early years of Fleetwood Mac, due to take place Feb. 25, 2020 at the London Palladium.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images – British musician Peter Green
Guitarist and co-founder of rock band Fleetwood Mac, circa 1968
Special guests on the night will include Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Jonny Lang, Andy Fairweather Low, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Zak Starkey, Steven Tyler and Bill Wyman.