BMG acquired key music interests of Scottish rock band Simple Minds. The agreement, reached with frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist/keyboardist Charlie Burchill, includes publishing rights to over 240 songs across five albums, as well as neighboring rights and royalties from their entire recorded catalog. BMG had previously administered the band’s publishing catalog and, on the label side, released their 2018 album Walk Between Worlds; the company will also release their next studio album, Direction of the Heart, on Oct. 21. According to a press release, the band has sold over 60 million albums, with releases including Sparkle in the Rain (1984), Once Upon a Time (1985), Live in the City of Light (1987), Street Fighting Years (1989) and Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992). Key songs from the group include “Love Song,” “The American,” “Promised You A Miracle,” “Glittering Prize,” “Waterfront,” “Someone Somewhere in Summertime,” “Alive And Kicking” and “Belfast Child.” Their biggest U.S. hit, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” was written by Keith Forsey, meaning it does not fall under the publishing acquisition, though BMG will collect recorded and neighboring rights royalties for the track.

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Virtual reality concert platform AmazeVR signed a joint venture deal with South Korean entertainment group SM Entertainment and its metaverse content production arm Studio KWANGYA. Together, the companies will launch Studio A, a Seoul, South Korea-based joint venture that will produce immersive VR concerts for artists on SM’s roster (Aespa, NCT, Super Junior and more) and beyond using AmazeVR’s VR concert creation tools. Concerts will be distributed via AmazeVR’s VR music metaverse service and SM’s VR metaverse service.

Universal Music Thailand (UMT) reached an expanded partnership with Thailand music label Hype Train Group. In addition to distribution, Universal will now also provide label support, including servicing digital partners, new business and marketing and developing Hype Train projects, while helping introduce Hype Train artists to audiences across the globe. Launched in late 2020 by Thai hip-hop producer Krerg Chankwang (a.k.a. Nino), the label’s roster includes Seedaa The Villain and Sprite.