Bertelsmann AG is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. The company is situated in 63 countries and employs over 75,000 workers. In 2004 the revenues were € 17 billion. 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Gütersloh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The euro (€; ISO 4217 code EUR) is the currency of twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, collectively known as the Eurozone. ...

Businesses

Corporate divisions are the European broadcaster RTL Group, the Gruner and Jahr (G+J) magazine publisher (biggest in Europe and second biggest world wide), the Bertelsmann Music Group, the world's largest trade book publisher Random House (popular literature), the world's largest book and music club group DirectGroup Bertelsmann, and arvato, an international media service provider. RTL Group is Europes largest TV, radio and production company. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, which acquired it in 1998. ...

As of August 2004, a 50-50 merger between the music groups of BMG and Sony has been completed, reducing the Big Five of music companies to the Big Four. Sony BMG and Universal control over 60% of the global music market. [1] 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: August 2004 in sports Deaths in August 2004 • 30 Fred Whipple • 26 Laura Branigan • 24 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross • 18 Elmer Bernstein • 15 Amarsinh Chaudhary • 14 CzesÅ‚aw MiÅ‚osz • 13 Julia Child • 8 Robert... Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758), NYSE: SNE is a global consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ... The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a special interest group representing the U.S. recording industry, and the body responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in the USA. For more information about sales data see list of best selling albums and list of best selling... The phrase Big Four has multiple meanings: Big Four can refer to: The Big Four auditors, the four largest international public accountancy firms. ... Sony BMG Music Entertainment is the result of a 50/50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (part of Sony) and BMG Entertainment (part of Bertelsmann AG) completed on August 5, 2004. ... Note: This page should be merged with Music Corporation of America. ...

Bertelsmann made headlines on May 17, 2002, when it announced it would acquire the assets of Napster for $8 million. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Second version (revised 2001) of Napster logo: Cat wearing headphones. ...

History

The C. Bertelsmann Verlag was founded as a print shop cum publishing house in July, 1835 by Carl Bertelsmann. At first Bertelsmann concentrated on Christian songs and books. In 1851 led by Carl Bertelsmann's son, Heinrich, the publishing programme was extended into the area of novels. During the following years Bertelsmann expanded steadily. By 1939 the publishing house employed 400 people. 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Hey. ...

After World War II, in which the publishing house was closed for some time, but nevertheless published books by national-socialistic authors like Will Vesper (who did the commemorative speech at the 1933 book burning) or Hans Grimm, the company was re-founded by Reinhard Mohn, fifth generation of the Bertelsmann family. In the 1950s, Bertelsmann expanded with the Bertelsmann Leserring (readers ring) and the founding of the LP label Ariola Records in 1958, which marks the entry in the music market. In 1964 Bertelsmann bought the Ufa Filmproduktionsgesellschaft as entry in the movie market. Ufa was sold in the 1970s. In 1969, Bertelsmann bought into the Gruner und Jahr publishing house (newspapers, magazines), in 1973 becoming majority owner. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ... Book burning is the practice of ceremoniously destroying by fire one or more copies of a book or other written material. ... Reinhard Mohn (born June 29, 1921). ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning... Ariola Records is a daughter of BMG. Acquires Arista Records at the end of the seventies. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Since the 1980s, Bertelsmann has expanded internationally: in 1979 it bought the American Arista Records label, in 1980 Bantam Books, in 1986 the label RCA Victor and the publishing house Doubleday. It has distributed Windham Hill Records since 1989. In 1992 it acquired 50% of Windham Hill Records and in 1996 it takes full control. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Arista Records was founded in 1975 by Clive Davis, and named after his secondary school honor society. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Bantam Books (established 1945), owned by Random House, is a member of the Bantam Dell Publishing Group. ... RCA, formerly an initialism for the Radio Corporation of America, is now a trademark used by two companies for products descended from that common ancestor: Thomson SA, which manufactures consumer electronics like RCA-branded televisions, DVD players, video cassette recorders, direct broadcast satellite decoders, camcorders, audio equipment, telephones, and related... Doubleday is one of the largest book publishing companies in the world. ... Windham Hill Records is a record company, founded in the 1976 by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and wife Anne Robinson (They have since divorced). ...

During this period the activities in the music market are bundled into the label BMG. Bertelsmann is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. ...

In 1993, Reinhard Mohn as owner of Bertelsmann moves 68,8% of his Bertelsmann AG stock over to the Bertelsmann Foundation. 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

From 1995 to 2000 Bertelsmann had a major Internet Service Provider (and associated content) joint venture with AOL that operated throughout Europe. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... An Internet service provider (ISP) is a business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. ... America Online, or AOL for short, is a U.S.-based online service provider and Internet service provider that is owned by Time Warner. ...

In 1995 the Ufa Film- und Fernseh-GmbH merged with CLT, Luxembourg. The result was known as RTL Group, the biggest private radio and TV broadcaster in Europe. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CLT can refer to: Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion the Airport Code for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... RTL Group is Europes largest TV, radio and production company. ...

In 1998 Thomas Middelhoff become CEO of Bertelsmann. He buys the Random House publishing house and concentrates book publishing in the USA under this label. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Thomas Middelhoff (born May 11, 1953) is a German corporate manager. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, which acquired it in 1998. ...

In February 2001, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert purchased 25% of Bertelsmann AG. André Desmarais, President and Chief Executive Officer, Power Corporation of Canada, was named to the Board. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... André Desmarais - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

2003, the new CEO Gunter Thielen expands the music branch BMG with the buying of Zomba Records. 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zomba Records was started in 1977 by Clive Calder as a book publishing venture and moved into the recording business in 1981. ...

In 2004, BMG merged with Sony Music to create Sony BMG. 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... Bertelsmann is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in G tersloh, Germany. ...

Also in 2004, the London Borough of Camden, England brought anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) against Sony Music UK and BMG for alleged fly posting. Illegal fly posting by the two companies is thought to save them £8 million a year in advertising costs in Camden and cost the Borough £250,000 to clean up. Falling to comply with an ASBO can result in a jail sentence of up to 5 years. 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The London Borough of Camden is an inner-London borough created in 1965 to replace the metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, St Pancras. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... In the United Kingdom an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) is a civil order made against a person, as a result of persistent anti-social behaviour. ... Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758), NYSE: SNE is a global consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ...    This article is a stub. ...

External links

• Official site
• Ketupa - Bertelsmann extensive profile