From music libraries to production music. From 33 RPM vinyl to compact discs 

Just as 1976 was a pivotal year for American law, 1985 was a decisive year for music production in France. Indeed, the law of July 3, 1985, known as the Lang law, established neighboring rights, meaning the recognition of the rights of performers and producers to receive royalties when their recordings are broadcast. Already outlined in the 1957 Rome Convention, this right allowed music producers in many countries, including Germany and Austria, to receive royalties during broadcasts. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droits_voisins_du_droit_d’auteur_en_France 

In 1982, Frédéric Leibovitz and Jean-Michel Gallois-Montbrun, in partnership with the American multinational RCA, created the label RCA Media, which became Koka-Media after RCA’s withdrawal in 1985. Koka-Media quickly became a reference for French production music in many European countries. The innovation brought by this young label was a decidedly modern aesthetic, meeting the expectations of a new generation of audiovisual professionals who had grown up with the musical effervescence of the 1960s. At the same time, John Lee founded Atmosphere Music in the UK. In a spirit similar to that of Koka-Media, Atmosphere Music, led by Duncan Schwier and Simon Mortimer, quickly became a production music reference.

In addition to their modernity, the significant contribution of Atmosphere and Koka-Media was the systematic involvement of several composers in the creation of an album, allowing for different approaches to the same theme. Previously, albums were mostly created by a single composer under commission from a publisher. The artistic approach of thematic concept albums was adopted by many publishers starting in the 1980s and became a standard.

In Germany, Uwe Buschkötter founded UBM Production Music in 1980. This company was acquired by BMG in 2003, but Uwe Buschkötter continued his independent production music activity under the UBM Media label.

In 1985, KPM released the first compact discs for production music.

Zomba Production Music, founded in the mid-1970s by Clive Calder, acquired Bruton Music in 1985, then Chappell Recorded Music Library in 1988, forming, under the leadership of Steve Cole, the Zomba Production Music Group.

In the early 1980s, KPM and Bruton Music, two of the leading European players, founded APM Music (Associated Production Music) in the United States, which is now managed by Adam Taylor. In 1990, Zomba acquired FirstCom, a company founded by Jim Long, as well as France’s L’Illustration Musicale and MCT (Musique Cinéma Télévision), created by René Taquet.

Although Zomba is not strictly a major player, these successive acquisitions made it a significant editorial force in the sector, equipped with a true international strategy. In 1988, Eric Mallet founded Kosinus, in partnership with Koka-Media.

That same year, Nick Farries founded Carlin Production Music in the UK. Carlin Music is now part of the Warner-Chappell Production Music group.

Sam Trust launched Killers Tracks in 1989. This company was acquired by BMG in 1992, and Sam Trust managed it until 1997. It was later led by Gary Gross until 2016. Gary Gross also served as the global president of BMG’s production music group and then of Universal Publishing Production Music (Unippm) from 2007 to 2017.