Hartwig Masuch

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Hartwig Masuch

Hartwig Masuch (born July 20, 1954 in Hagen ) is a German music manager . As Chief Executive Officer , he heads BMG Rights Management , a division of Bertelsmann . Under his leadership, the music publisher developed into a leading international company in the music industry . Billboard counts him among the most influential representatives of the industry worldwide. Masuch himself was a musician and producer and is considered a pioneer of the Neue Deutsche Welle .

origin

After graduating from high school, Masuch began studying economics at the Ruhr University in Bochum in 1974 . At the same time he worked at the chair for monetary theory and stood under the pseudonym Christian Schneider as the front man of the punk and new wave band The Ramblers himself on stage. To finance his livelihood, he worked as a taxi driver at times . At the age of 20, Masuch signed his first recording deal . In 1980 he finished his studies without a degree in order to concentrate on his career as a musician.

Masuch founded Wiehagen & Masuch Musikverlag with Ulrich Wiehagen , signed The Stripes (with their singer Nena ) as the first artist and produced, among other things, Extrabreit's debut album . Since then he has been considered a pioneer of the Neue Deutsche Welle. He later founded his own music label and was responsible for hits such as Ina Deter's "New Men Needs the Land" before he sold it in 1984.

Career

In 1985 Masuch joined Warner Music Publishing as General Manager Repertoire . After two years he was promoted to the position of General Manager & Vice President Creative Affairs . During this time he signed nationally and internationally successful bands. In 1991 Masuch moved to BMG Music Publishing , a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, as Managing Director & Senior Vice President . There he was largely responsible for business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Against the background of the sale of BMG Music Publishing to Universal Music , Masuch left the company in 2007. From then on he advised Bertelsmann on the separation from Sony BMG and the reorganization of activities in the music industry.

Masuch coordinated the administration and marketing of the music rights remaining in the group to works by around 200 European artists. The catalog formed the cornerstone for the establishment of BMG Rights Management in 2008. Masuch managed the business from the start and positioned the company as a fair and service-oriented service provider for artists. He also relied on digital marketing, in particular via streaming services . With the support of Thomas Rabe , CEO of Bertelsmann, Masuch organized the temporary participation of the financial investor KKR . From 2009 to 2013, this funded the international expansion and numerous acquisitions of BMG Rights Management.

Masuch has been a member of Bertelsmann's Group Management Committee since 2013 . It is the top management body below the board of directors.

criticism

The 2018 Echo Awards were overshadowed by a controversy over supposedly anti-Semitic texts by Kollegah and Farid Bang . Masuch also had to justify the release of the album in question at BMG Rights Management. He emphasized the principle of artistic freedom, which the company takes seriously. BMG Rights Management ended the collaboration with both rappers and initiated a campaign against anti-Semitism .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hartwig Masuch - world stars under contract. City of Hagen, accessed on June 6, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Hartwig Masuch. In: Mediabiz. Retrieved June 6, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Christian Meier: "Pop music has become less frictionless". In: The world. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Caspar Busse: From taxi driver to music manager. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. March 14, 2016, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b Catrin Bialek: The guitar always at hand. In: Handelsblatt. April 4, 2017, Retrieved June 6, 2019 .
  6. ^ Tim Ingham: How to Revolutionize the Music Business: Rip It up and Start Again. In: Music Business Worldwide. May 28, 2015, accessed June 25, 2019 .
  7. ↑ 2019 Power 100 List. In: Billboard. February 7, 2019, accessed June 25, 2019 .
  8. ↑ a b c Henrik Mortsiefer: “We want to be the good guys” . In: Der Tagesspiegel . October 15, 2018, p. 14 .
  9. ↑ a b c Hartwig Masuch in conversation. Ruhr University Bochum, accessed on June 6, 2019 .
  10. ↑ a b Michael Koch: “I don't see a city in Hagen's footsteps”. In: Westfalenpost. September 27, 2018, accessed October 20, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Henrik Mortsiefer: Driving a taxi with Nena . In: Der Tagesspiegel . August 9, 2010, p. 15 .
  12. ↑ "I have always been suspicious of all-rounders" . In: Berliner Zeitung . February 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ Henrik Mortsiefer: "The game has changed" . In: Der Tagesspiegel . July 26, 2010, p. 14 .
  14. ↑ Masuch still likes to listen to Extrabreit and Nena , Westfalenpost , September 27, 2018, accessed on February 3, 2020
  15. ↑ https://muzikquest.de/?p=130 Once upon a time in Hagen , musziquest.de, accessed on February 3, 2020
  16. ↑ Hartwig Masuch. Bloomberg, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  17. ^ Margit Mair: Bertelsmann expands Group Management Committee. In: New Business. June 3, 2013, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Arndt Ohler: Bertelsmann is pushing ahead with a plan for music publishing . In: Financial Times Germany . September 28, 2007, p. 3 .
  19. ↑ Bertelsmann exploits the princes. In: Der Tagesspiegel. October 15, 2008, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Arndt Ohler: Bertelsmann offers musicians a new service . In: Financial Times Germany . October 9, 2008, p. 5 .
  21. ↑ Martin Krause: The artist is king: Bertelsmann re-enters the music business with a new company . In: New Westphalian . October 15, 2008.
  22. ↑ Stefan Betschon: Online music on the rise . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . October 17, 2008, p. 59 .
  23. ↑ The visionary with the bass guitar. In: Handelsblatt. October 10, 2011, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Bertelsmann: Duet with grasshopper . In: Der Tagesspiegel . July 9, 2009, p. 20 .
  25. ↑ Wolfgang Spahr: BMG Is Back: Buying Songs With KKR Cash . In: Billboard . August 15, 2009, p. 17 (English).
  26. ^ Gerrit Wiesmann: Bertelsmann Takes Control of BMG. In: Financial Times. March 1, 2013, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  27. ↑ Masuch is promoted to Bertelsmann. In: Mediabiz. June 3, 2013, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  28. ^ Anti-Semitism debate about Kollegah and Farid Bang overshadows the Echo Award. In: Handelsblatt. April 10, 2018, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  29. ^ Criminal charges against BMG boss . In: The bell . April 25, 2018, p. 17 .
  30. ↑ Carsten Germis: Why BMG is stopping the cooperation with Kollegah and Farid Bang. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. April 19, 2018, accessed June 6, 2019 .
  31. ↑ BMG plans campaign against anti-Semitism. In: Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. April 23, 2018, accessed June 25, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Masuch, Hartwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German music manager and former music producer
DATE OF BIRTH July 20, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Hagen