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REM sign with Concord Bicycle

By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 17 December 2015

REM have announced a new licensing deal with independent music firm Concord Bicycle Music, which will now rep some of the band’s most famous albums, LPs like ‘Out of Time’, ‘Automatic For The People’ and ‘New Adventures In Hi-Fi’, all originally released by Warner Bros.

Concord Bicycle will handle physical and digital releases of the records worldwide, with a number of deluxe re-issues complete with the mandatory bonus material in the pipeline. The deal will see the band working with the indie’s SVP Of Catalogue Management & Development Sig Sigworth, who worked with Michael Stipe et al in the early years of their respective careers when he was at REM’s original label, IRS Records.

Confirming the new arrangement, REM manager Bertis Downs said: “The band and all at REM HQ are very happy to be joining with Concord Bicycle Music for this next phase of curating and extending REM’s recorded legacy. The albums covered by this agreement are some of the band’s most successful, both artistically and commercially, and we know the people at Concord share our enthusiasm about this partnership”.

On ending the band’s alliance with Warner Music, he added: “We leave the Warner Bros family, a great label where we are certainly grateful for some of our career highlights. But moving forward, we knew this was the right time to change it up and Concord is the right home for this key part of REM’s catalogue”.

Meanwhile Sigworth added: “After starting my career at IRS Records and having the pleasure to work with REM, it was disappointing when the band left to go to Warner Bros. I’ve had the good fortune to consult with the band on their catalogue for the past several years, but to now, all these years later, be able to bring the band and their incredible post-IRS legacy to the Concord Bicycle Music family is very rewarding”.