FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 17, 2019 – Top children’s music artist Laurie Berkner is pleased to announce the partial acquisition of her recording and publishing catalogs by Concord. Previously distributed by Concord, Berkner has struck a deal to bring her full catalog to the independent Concord, forming a long-term partnership with the company.
Under this new arrangement, Concord will continue to help drive the growth of Berkner’s recording and publishing catalogs, managed by the teams at KIDZ BOP and Concord Music Publishing, by investing significant resources across all digital and traditional platforms.
Called “The queen of kids’ music” by People Magazine and “The Adele of the preschool crowd” by The New York Times, Laurie Berkner has long been regarded as one of the most prominent children’s songwriters and performers in North America. Concord has established itself as a leader in this genre with such brands as KIDZ BOP making Berkner’s catalog a natural fit for Concord and a key component in the active growth of the company’s children’s business.
“I am honored that such an important force in the music industry as Concord values my work as an independent artist enough to partner together,” says Laurie Berkner. “I am very much looking forward to working with their KIDZ BOP team to create new opportunities to share my music!”
Vic Zaraya, President of KIDZ BOP, comments, “Laurie Berkner is one of the best children’s recording artists in the history of the genre. Her connection to children is unique and we look forward to working together to bring her music to fans everywhere.”
ABOUT LAURIE BERKNER & TWO TOMATOES RECORDS
Recognized as “the queen of kids’ music” (People magazine), bestselling, award-winning independent children’s recording artist Laurie Berkner is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, author, and founder of Two Tomatoes Records, LLC. Laurie’s albums, released on her own Two Tomatoes label, have been best sellers on a chart typically dominated by movie soundtracks and major label compilations. With an average of nine million monthly streams and millions of albums, songs, and DVDs sold, Laurie’s songs have become beloved classics for children worldwide. Her debut DVD, which went quadruple platinum, was the first-ever indie children’s music DVD to enter Billboard’s Top Music Video chart at #1. Laurie’s top five music videos on her YouTube channel have garnered more than 32 million views. Laurie has released twelve albums, with a thirteenth album, Waiting for the Elevator, set for release in October 2019.
A longtime fixture on TV’s Nick Jr. and Sprout channels, Laurie was the first recording artist to ever appear in a music video interstitial on Nick Jr. and was featured in nearly all the episodes of the channel’s Jack’s Big Music Show. Laurie’s music videos now appear on NBCUniversal’s Universal Kids channel. She is a familiar radio presence on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live channel and other children’s broadcast outlets around the world. Laurie can also be heard in a ten-chapter Audible Original Series she created, Laurie Berkner’s Song & Story Kitchen.
Laurie wrote the music and lyrics for three children’s musicals originally produced Off-Broadway by New York City Children’s Theater and now performed regionally: Wanda’s Monster, The Amazing Adventures of Harvey and the Princess, and Interstellar Cinderella. She has authored a number of picture books based on her songs, the most recent of which were We Are the Dinosaurs, Pillowland, and Monster Boogie, all published by Simon & Schuster.
As one of the most popular children’s entertainers in the US, Laurie has filled numerous performance spaces nationwide with adoring fans. She maintains a busy touring schedule, both solo and with The Laurie Berkner Band, and counts Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the White House among the many prestigious venues at which she has appeared.
What sets Laurie apart? She displays an instinctive understanding of children’s natural rhythms and energy, which keeps kids enraptured and brings parents and caregivers happily along for the ride. Laurie finds inspiration in her audience. “I want to create songs that matter for children,” she says. “I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music. I thought, ‘That’s the reason I got into music.’ It keeps me wanting to do more.”
ABOUT CONCORD
Concord is the independent, worldwide leader in the development, management and acquisition of sound recordings, music publishing and theatrical performance rights. Concord has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London, Berlin and Miami and operates via three primary operating divisions:
Concord Recorded Music is comprised of five active labels across many musical genres: Concord Records, Fantasy Records, Fearless Records, Loma Vista Recordings and Rounder Records. Concord is also home to the #1 kids’ music brand, KIDZ BOP.
The company’s historical labels are managed by its Craft Recordings team, and include such storied imprints as Fania, Fantasy, Independiente, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Pablo, Prestige, Riverside, Savoy, Specialty, Stax, Telarc, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Wind-up. Concord’s master recording portfolio contains more than 16,000 active albums and includes no less than 273 GRAMMY® winners (representing approximately 6.3% of all the GRAMMYs® ever awarded) and over 400 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond RIAA certifications across 215 titles.
Concord Music Publishing represents more than 390,000 copyrighted works spanning all musical genres and including many of the world’s most celebrated compositions by its most legendary creators. Concord Music Publishing is also home to a diverse group of contemporary songwriters and composers creating important and commercially-successful new songs and musical works. Boosey & Hawkes, the world’s leading classical music publisher, and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization are also business units of Concord Music Publishing.
Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical agency, comprised of R&H Theatricals, The Musical Company, Tams-Witmark and Samuel French. Concord Theatricals is the only firm that provides truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals under a single banner, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production.
Concord is a private company funded by long-term institutional capital and members of Concord’s management team. At the forefront of intellectual property valuation, acquisition and utilization, the Concord investment underscores the partners’ belief in the lasting and appreciating global value of superior original creative content.
For Laurie Berkner inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Waldman Frazier at Waldmania PR: 415.334.2787 (o); 415.203.0220 (m); elizabeth@waldmaniapr.com.
For Concord inquiries, please contact Kelly Voigt, VP, Corporate Communications: 629.401.3906 (o); 646.346.3330 (m); kelly.voigt@concord.com.
