COLOGNE (CelebrityAccess) — BMG announced that it has acquired the music catalogue of the noted German indie label Coconut Music, including the recorded rights of Haddaway, best known for his iconic hit ‘What Is Love’ which has been streamed more than a billion times.
Coconut’s music catalogue also includes tracks by artists such as Bad Boys Blue, London Beat and Wolfgang Petry.
BMG previously acquired Haddaway’s recorded royalties, giving the company 100% control of one of the biggest songs of the 1990s. The song has been sampled by a huge swath of musicians, including Eminem, who included elements of the song in his track ‘No Love’ with Lil Wayne.
The song has also been sampled by the likes of David Guetta for his 2023 hit “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me” with Anne-Marie and Coi Leray, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Dance Recording.
Founded by Karin Hartmann and Tony Hendrik in Cologne in 1981, the label Coconut Records, later changed to Coconut Music, achieved success across multiple genres.
Coconut Music was advised in the transaction by the lawyers Karsten Dropmann and Bettina Strehl of Kiso Siefert Dropmann (Germany).
“Building Coconut was a labor of love. Every track holds its memories and of course ‘What Is Love’ was a global success beyond our wildest dreams. It’s no surprise then when we decided to sell, there was a lot of interest. What was most important to us is that we would find a buyer which understood and respected what we achieved and would do this catalogue justice. We are delighted to have been able to conclude a deal with the BMG team,” stated label co-founder Karin Hartmann.
“We are delighted to become custodians of Coconut’s 2,500 track catalogue and especially ‘What Is Love’. It is one of the most influential tracks in the whole Europop movement and as seen in David Guetta’s successful homage last year, it still very much resonates with music fans today. We look forward to ensuring its place in music history,” added Maximilian Kolb, BMG’s EVP of Repertoire & Marketing Continental Europe.
