Looking back at the pivotal junctions in the music industry, we can’t overlook the strategic partnership between BMG and renowned manager Carl Stubner’s Shelter Music Group in 2022. This alliance marked BMG’s significant move into the management business, heralding a new chapter of innovation and expansion. Fast forward to 2025, the partnership has been a resounding success, with Shelter Music Group gaining a global presence and continuing to make waves in the industry. This post reflects on the journey of this partnership, its objectives, and the positive impacts it has had on artists and the music industry as a whole.
BMG’s Strategic Move into Management: Partnering with Carl Stubner’s Shelter Music Group
BMG ventured into the ” target=”_blank”> management business in 2022 by partnering with Carl Stubner, the esteemed manager of music legends like Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, Crowded House, and Neil Finn. This move saw BMG backing Stubner’s Shelter Music Group, establishing it as a music management company with a global reach. Stubner took the helm as Chairman of Shelter Music Group, with Dino Paredes as President.
BMG had already collaborated with Shelter artists including ZZ Top, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle, whose “Eat The Elephant” debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in the year prior to the partnership. Shelter maintained full independence to sign artists to other labels and music publishers under this arrangement.
This strategic alliance added another service option for BMG clients, supplementing its existing music publishing, recordings, production music, film, and book interests. Shelter even relocated its Nashville operation into BMG’s new office in the city as part of the deal, leveraging BMG’s global resources and networks its 15 offices worldwide.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “Carl Stubner is a force of nature and we are delighted to partner with him. 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. We believe that combining resources and expertise on certain projects will benefit artists.”
BMG and Shelter have collaborated on numerous projects since the inception of their partnership, including Mick Fleetwood’s all-star tribute to Peter Green and the early years of Fleetwood Mac, which was a sold-out event at the London Palladium in February 2020.
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