BMG has acquired the Dope Lemon recordings catalogue from its Platinum-selling, ARIA and APRA award-winning creator Angus Stone.
The deal sees BMG acquire global rights to Dope Lemon’s three studio albums (2016’s Honey Bones, 2019’s Smooth Big Cat and 2022’s Rose Pink Cadillac) and the 2017 EP Hounds Tooth. This includes hits ‘Marinade’ (certified Platinum), ‘Rose Pink Cadillac’ (certified Gold), ‘Uptown Folks’ (certified Gold), ‘Home Soon’, ‘Hey You’ and more. BMG released Dope Lemon’s fourth studio album, Kimosabè, just last Friday (September 29) via a new recordings deal.
Angus Stone said of the deal and his relationship with BMG, “Upon meeting the BMG team, I was captivated by their dedication and eagerness to embrace the unconventional ideas and adventures we wanted to embark on with building this project. This is precisely what any company should do – stand by the artist and enable them to bring to life the unique universe that complements their music. They've exhibited a remarkable level of proactivity and genuine support for my work as an artist. It's been a truly remarkable experience witnessing the company's culture and their enthusiastic approach to rolling out these records. The creation of an album should never be confined by expectations. The freedom to explore is crucial, and BMG understands this. This is where the real magic can be found. By granting artists the liberty to be themselves and be creative, it establishes a symbiotic relationship that rewards patience, making it a trade well worth pursuing. From the moment I met them, I could sense that they shared these values, and that's incredibly important.”
Heath Johns, BMG President, Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, said, “Since signing Dope Lemon to BMG we’ve worked together to sell well over 250,000 albums globally as Dope Lemon continues an incredible international growth story. While acquisitions can sometimes seem transactional and impersonal, this is a deeply personal relationship with Angus and it was important to BMG that we established our acquisition strategy with existing relationships that also made sense on a creative level. It’s an honour to be trusted to look after this incredible catalogue and equally exciting to continue working on new Dope Lemon music.”
Dope Lemon’s debut album Honey Bones, released in 2016, reached number 11 on the ARIA Albums chart and saw the huge success of singles ‘Marinade’ and ‘Uptown Folks’. Follow-ups Smooth Big Cat (2019) and Rose Pink Cadillac (2022), released via BMG, both debuted at number two on the ARIA chart (Number One ARIA Australian Album and Number One AIR Independent Label Album) and charted in Germany and Switzerland. Rose Pink Cadillac won the 2023 AIR Award for Best Independent Blues and Roots Album and was voted number 18 in triple j’s Top 20 Albums of 2022 poll, with the title track coming in at number 27 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2021. Together, Dope Lemon and BMG have sold over 250,000 albums globally, amassing over 450 million streams and securing significant international synchs, including a French campaign for Chloe perfume.
Dope Lemon released their fourth studio album Kimosabè last Friday 29 September, with the title track being co-written with Will Ferrell via a sample from comedy film Step Brothers. Angus and the band recently played sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House and Forum Melbourne, after performing at Lollapalooza in August and touring throughout Europe and the UK earlier this year, with further US dates starting this week.
The news comes just a week after BMG announced the acquisition of the recording catalogue of multi-Platinum award-winning Australian rock band Jet.
Dope Lemon joins a BMG label roster of Australian and New Zealand talent including Jet, Chet Faker, Angus & Julia Stone (ANZ), Daniel Johns, Hockey Dad, Julia Stone, The Living End, Pacific Avenue, Ladyhawke, Dune Rats, Winston Surfshirt and CHAII. BMG also represents or owns rights in the work of iconic artists including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Iggy Pop, Blondie, David Bowie, The Kinks, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and many more.
