Music M&A on the rise again: Ministry Of Sound and Century Media's pricetags unveiled, Live Nation buys BottleRock Napa Valley festival

Music M&A on the rise again: Ministry Of Sound and Century Media's pricetags unveiled, Live Nation buys BottleRock Napa Valley festival

As reported by "Music Business Worldwide", Sony Music bought Ministry Of Sound Recordings Ltd. for  £67m on August 9 last year. The figure, found in Ministry Of Sound Group Ltd’s latest accounts, is significantly higher than previously rumored pricetags. At the exchange rate of the time, the sale price equates to US $104m. Today, that figure works out to the equivalent of $81m.

Other More fresh financial filings for the major in the UK, also uncovered "Music Business Worldwide", have revealed some other key sale prices. First, Century Media – the Dortmund-based hard rock and metal label/distributor - was acquired by Sony for £12.156m in July 2015. Then there was Essential Music & Marketing – the label services company which later helped create Sony’s RED Essential business in London - purchased that company from Cooking Vinyl Group for a total consideration of £3.661m in March 2016. Moreover, Sony snapped up 50% in Simon Cowell’s Syco Holdings Ltd. for a total consideration of £86.456m in July 2015.

Across all four of these acquisitions – Ministry, Century, Essential and Syco – Sony Music spent just under £170m ($207m) in less than two years.

Switching topic, live music giant Live Nation has acquired a majority interest in the BottleRock Napa Valley music, wine, craft brew and culinary festival. The festival will remain under the leadership of producer Latitude 38 Entertainment (whose founders will continue to be significant shareholders and owners).

As "Music Business Worldwide" reports, Live Nation during 2016 buught into seven companies and it looks like 2017 will be another highly acquisitive year.Live Nation already has more than 80 festivals in its global festival portfolio including Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Reading, Leeds, Governor’s Ball, Electric Daisy Carnival and Rock Werchter.