UNIVERSAL MUSIC GERMANY ACQUIRES THE CATALOGUE OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNO ICONS SCOOTER
Berlin, Germany, 06/03/2023 – Universal Music Germany, a division of Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the acquisition of the master rights to the catalogue of Germany’s most commercially successful dance music hit-makers, Scooter. As part of the deal, the catalogue, acquired in its entirety, includes all 23 top-10 singles, 20 studio albums and additional releases – including their 1994 hit single “Hyper Hyper” and the band’s most successful songs, such as “Nessaja”, “How Much Is the Fish?” and “Maria (I Like it Loud)”, as well as the UK #1 album “Jumping All Over the World”. Their latest LP “God Save The Rave” saw the band return to the German album charts, with the project climbing to #4.
The agreement includes a multi-year cooperation, with Universal Music Germany becoming the exclusive worldwide recorded music partner for future Scooter releases. The first joint project is the release of a new album in autumn 2023. The first single from this album, “Waste Your Youth”, is already available via Universal Music’s Zeitgeist label; coinciding with the film premiere of the Scooter documentary FCK 2020. Preparations for their 2024 tour, the biggest Scooter has ever played, are also underway. On this tour, Universal Music’s leading brand management and merchandise division, Bravado, will once again serve as Scooter’s exclusive merchandising partner.
Scooter, fronted by H.P. Baxxter, has spent around 600 weeks in the charts over the course of the band’s 30-year history and has sold more than 30 million album units globally. This phenomenal success has been recognized with multiple accolades, including upwards of 100 Gold and Platinum certifications, two Echos and three Comet Awards. They are also one of Germany’s most well-known and successful bands internationally and undisputed icons of the techno scene.
The wide-ranging partnership will provide new marketing and fan engagement opportunities in relation to their music catalogue and new releases, as well as the development of complementary business areas, such as fashion and brand partnerships.
Jens Thele, Managing Director of Kontor Records and Scooter’s manager: “I would like to thank everyone involved very much for their hard work over the last few months to get this deal done. With Universal Music we have found the best partner for our catalogue. Frank and his team stand for longevity and sustainability, values we share. There are still quite a few employees at Universal who I remember and value from my time there. Personal aspects have played an important role for us. And the launch with the new Scooter single in cooperation with Kontor Records has also been a great success. We are very much looking forward to what’s in store.”
H.P. Baxxter: “With this deal, our songs are in the best hands. We share the same enthusiasm for techno and dance music with Universal Music as well as the vision of how to best reach our fans with our past and future hits. I wish us all a real hyper success!”
Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO Universal Music Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon: “Scooter has been one of Germany’s most successful bands for 30 years – a status that they underscore time and again with every new release. At the same time, many of their hits have long held cult status, much like the band itself: they remain a firm fixture on every electro party playlist. We are delighted that H.P. and Jens have decided to put their trust in us and are thrilled that they have chosen to place their music catalogue in our hands. We will draw on our passion and expertise to bring even more people into the Scooter camp to enjoy their catalogue and their new music.”
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At Universal Music Group (UMG), we live to shape culture through the power of art. UMG is the global leader in music entertainment, serving a wide variety of business areas from recorded music and music publishing to merchandising and audio-visual content. UMG has the most comprehensive music catalogue in the world with recordings and songs of all genres. The company discovers artists and builds them up, producing and distributing music of the highest artistic acclaim and commercial success. With its commitment to art, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG promotes the creation and development of services, platforms and business models to open up new creative and economic perspectives for its artists and create novel experiences for its fans. For more information, visit www.universal-music.de
