Bertelsmann Reportedly Explores $7B Concord Acquisition

Photo Credit: Steffen Krinke

Is Bertelsmann buying Concord? It’s a possibility – at least according to a new report highlighting ongoing talks about a potential multibillion-dollar acquisition.

Said report came from Bloomberg and, unsurprisingly, cited anonymous and purportedly well-informed sources. According to these individuals, the German media conglomerate is exploring (via BMG Rights Management) a deal that would value Concord at up to $7 billion.

Per the same brass-tacks breakdown, the transaction would see Bertelsmann (which reported roughly $16 billion in revenue for 2025’s first three quarters) put up a combination of cash and stock.

In keeping with the anonymous-sources angle, Concord and Bertelsmann themselves have yet to weigh in on the matter; negotiations are reportedly unfolding. Among other things, this means time will tell whether the rumored sale actually materializes.

But in general, the current climate, complete with plenty of capital and a growing pile of already-wrapped plays, certainly appears conducive to M&As.

The major labels’ many recent investments (and, as of Wednesday, Sony Music’s fresh catalog fund) come to mind here.

As currently scheduled, the European Commission is weeks away from issuing a final decision on Universal Music’s proposed Downtown purchase. And it hasn’t been all that long since Warner Music considered (and proceeded to decide against) pursuing a Believe takeover.

Furthermore, while it doesn’t really need saying, uniting Concord and BMG would place quite a lot of music firepower, including but not limited to intellectual property, under one roof.

By the numbers, BMG reported north of $1 billion in 2024 revenue; ballpark a total valuation based on the figure, add it to the reported $7 billion Concord price tag, and you’re left with a decidedly large sum from the vantage point of Warner Music’s current $15.7 billion market cap.

Running with the song-rights point, the possible deal is also a good reminder that catalog assets, once divested in the first place, can be bought and sold indefinitely.

Of course, in most cases, professionals are compensated handsomely when they part with control over their catalogs.

Nevertheless, IP’s eventual ownership status, not just where it initially lands, could take center stage in the approaching years. That’s especially true given the ongoing rise of AI, which wasn’t on the radar (or, at a minimum, wasn’t nearly as big a focus as it is now) when the catalog craze kicked off in earnest.