Universal Music has launched a new unit within its publishing company in America to be called Capitol CMG Publishing, which will bring together the music publishing interests of the former EMI Christian music division with those of Brentwood Benson, the Christian music publisher Universal acquired when it bought the original BMG publishing business back in 2007.
Universal, of course, bought the EMI record company last year, while EMI Music Publishing was acquired in a separate deal by a Sony-led consortium. However, for legacy reasons (well, God does move in mysterious ways), EMI’s publishing interests in a catalogue of Christian music sat within its recorded music business, as part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and so those publishing copyrights were acquired by Universal rather than Sony/ATV.
The newly combined Christian publishing unit, which will operate under EMI’s American brand Capitol, will be headed up by Eddie DeGarmo, previously of the EMI Christian Music Group. Brentwood Benson President Dale Mathews is leaving the major as part of the rejig. In his new role, DeGarmo will have two bosses, Bill Hearn within what will now be known as the Capitol Christian Music Group and Evan Lamberg within Universal Music Publishing.
