Alfred to purchase Warner Bros. Publications

American Music Teacher, April-May, 2005

Alfred Publishing Company has purchased Warner Bros. Publications, one of the world's largest publishers of printed music, from Warner Music Group.

Under the agreement, Alfred will acquire the entire Warner Bros. Publications business, which is based in Miami, Florida, and in the U.K. In addition, Alfred will enter into a long-term exclusive license agreement with Warner Music Group's Warner/Chappell music publishing division, under which Alfred will have the right to continue to print and distribute editions of musical compositions administered by Warner/Chappell.

Warner/Chappell, one of the world's leading music publishers, remains a division of Warner Music Group (WMG). In addition, Word Music, the print music business of WMG's Word Entertainment, was not included in the sale.

"We're very excited to combine Warner's extensive pop and educational catalog with Alfred's expertise in educational music publishing to further our mission of helping people experience the joy of making music," said Steven Manus, Alfred's chief executive officer. "Together, we will offer exciting new products to consumers and we'll enjoy a strong leadership position in the print music industry."

"This is the perfect marriage of education and pop," said Ron Manus, co-owner and vice president of Alfred. "People are what make us strong, and this combination of talent will add up to much more than the sum of its parts. We are very excited to begin this journey together as one dynamic company."

"It is rare for a family business to make it through the second generation," said Alfred President Morty Manus. "Here we are into the third generation and we are not merely surviving but growing rapidly."

With offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Singapore and Australia, and a roster of renowned authors and composers, Alfred is a global operation that has enjoyed eighty-plus years of uninterrupted growth.

Warner Bros. Publications prints and distributes a broad selection of sheet music, books, educational materials, folios, orchestrations and arrangements, as well as tutorials and methods.