Warner Music Group’s enlargement in South East Europe has been quick and aggressive sufficient virtually to be labeled a spree.
Earlier this 12 months, Warner Music South East Europe (WM SEE) launched Balkan Electro, an EDM label targeted on artists from the Balkans and Ukraine. A month earlier, it had acquired a minority stake in Slovenia-based indie label NIKA.
That adopted WM SEE’s 2022 funding in Serbian label Mascom Data.
(The corporate has additionally been lively in different components of Jap Europe, as an illustration with its acquisition of a stake in Hungarian label Magneoton, and a stake in Czech hip hop label Mike Roft, each in 2023.)
Now the corporate has taken one other step in establishing a presence within the Balkans with the acquisition of a minority stake in Croatian indie music firm Dancing Bear.
Beneath the deal, Dancing Bear artists will have the ability to signal to Warner’s international roster, and benefit from companies from ADA Worldwide, Warner’s international distribution arm.
The deal additionally contains an extension of the licensing deal between Warner and Dancing Bear, which covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and North Macedonia.
Dancing Bear has been Warner’s licensee in Croatia since 1996, and its publishing arm, Dancing Bear Publishing, is Warner Chappell Music’s native consultant.
Based in 1990, Dancing Bear is “one of many longest-standing and main document firms in Croatia,” Warner stated in an announcement issued on Friday (June 21).
The corporate additionally runs a sequence of document shops and an on-line retailer, the place it promotes the sale of bodily music codecs akin to vinyl and CDs.
Dancing Bear has signed a few of the most distinguished artists within the area, together with Dalmatino, Dino Dvornik, Daleka Obala, Darko Rundek, Hladno Pivo, Kojoti, Kawasaki 3P, Zdenka Kovačiček, Goribor, Vlado Kalember & Srebrna Krila, Alen Vitasović, Ibrica Jusić, Majke, Gustafi, The Bambi Molesters, and Baba Yaga.
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“A number of releases by these artists are deemed to be a few of the most vital and iconic data in Croatian and regional music historical past, and their success has helped form the expansion of the business there during the last 4 many years,” Warner stated.
A few of these artists, akin to The Bambi Molesters and The Unusual, together with newcomers Bruno Pietri and Pete Spruce, have constructed fan bases outdoors the Balkans, however Dancing Bear’s largest act is the pop duo Dalmatino, a Cut up, Croatia-based act that commonly outsells main worldwide artists in its dwelling nation, and has amassed greater than 250 million streams.
“This funding by Warner Music is a vote of confidence in the way forward for music from the West Balkans,” stated Silvije Varga, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Dancing Bear. “We sit up for working collectively to take music from our present roster to the broader world, and to uncover the subsequent technology of native expertise.”
“I’m so happy we’re increasing our settlement with Dancing Bear, which has an unbelievable fame within the area as a key business participant. We’re already engaged on joint releases within the EDM area and plan to broaden our collaboration within the months forward,” added Izabela Ciszek-Podziemska, Normal Supervisor of WM SEE.
In comparison with Western Europe, the West Balkan music market is small, however presents vital progress alternatives.
Croatia’s GDP grew by 3.9% YoY within the first quarter of 2024, one of many quickest progress charges within the European Union. Family consumption grew by 6% in that point, and the nation has seen 14% wage progress over the previous 12 months.Music Enterprise Worldwide
