BMG Acquires Rights To Pointer Sisters
It's a whole series of songs with which the pop group The Pointer Sisters made music history: "I'm So Excited" and "Jump (For My Love)" from the 1980s are still played on the radio today and increasingly streamed. Now BMG has acquired the rights to songs by The Pointer Sisters, continuing its growth.
BMG has acquired a number of rights to the music of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning pop group The Pointer Sisters. According to Bertelsmann's music division, this represents the latest step in its growth plan, which is being accelerated by Bertelsmann's Boost program. One of the most active music groups in the acquisition market, BMG completed 45 acquisitions last year alone. The Pointer Sisters rights join recently acquired works by renowned music artists including Mick Fleetwood, Tina Turner, Motley Crue, John Lee Hooker, Harry Nilsson, Peter Frampton, and many more.
BMG's CEO-designate Thomas Coesfeld said: Boost is enabling us to make significant strides in our growth plan, underpinned by BMG’s global platform to ensure we make the most of the opportunity. The Pointer Sisters count among the first families of American music and we are delighted to add them to our growing catalog.”
The new deal includes The Pointer Sisters’ share of artist royalties for nine albums the group released during the years 1978 to 1988, including their 1983 multi-Platinum album “Break Out”and its Grammy Award-winning tracks “Jump (For My Love)” and “Automatic,” as well as “Neutron Dance,” which was featured prominently on the soundtrack of the motion picture “Beverly Hills Cop.” BMG has also acquired rights to some of The Pointer Sisters’ most popular songs, including their share of the U.S. publishing rights to the 1982 Top 10 hit song “I’m So Excited.” Additionally, BMG has acquired the group’s share of U.S. publishing and their co-publishing royalties in the rest of the world for “I’m So Excited,” the copyrights for the group’s re-recordings, and neighboring rights
‘Anita Pointer would have been pleased’
“I am so excited and the whole company is so excited to have a chance to work with these incredible copyrights and beautiful music,” said Thomas Scherer, BMG’s President, Repertoire & Marketing, New York and Los Angeles. “We have the incredible opportunity to explore the works of the Pointer Sisters songs in other languages in markets where they have a significant presence, including Germany and Brazil. From exploring book deals, to an exhibition of the performance outfits worn by the group, to a documentary, The Pointer Sisters are an excellent example of the type of creative projects BMG can do with our clients.” William Briggs II, long-time family attorney for the estate of Anita Pointer and a driving force behind the deal with BMG, said: “On behalf of the Anita Pointer estate, she would have been pleased to be in partnership with BMG so that The Pointer Sister legacy would live on long past her. BMG was the best partner available to carry forward Anita’s legacy and that of The Pointer Sisters because their visions aligned.” Ross Charap, a Partner at ArentFox Schiff, who is responsible for representing The Pointer Sisters and overseeing the deal, added: “From the moment BMG emerged on the music scene more than 10 years ago, we have been impressed with the company’s devotion to popular music. It was plain to every observer that BMG was committed to honoring the legacy of the writers and artists with which it partnered.”The Pointer Sisters earned commercial success and critical acclaim with three Grammys — the first in 1974 for their song “Fairytale,” awarded Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. A rarity at the time, a country hit written by two Black songwriters, Anita and Bonnie, led to The Pointer Sisters becoming the first African American group to perform on the Grand Ole Opry program. The Pointer Sisters won two more Grammys in 1984, with “Jump (For My Love)” winning Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and “Automatic,” winning Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices. With 13 U.S. Top 20 hits, The Pointer Sisters rank among the most successful music groups of all time, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
