Two long-standing Boyle Software clients in the Media and Entertainment space, Bertelsmann Music Group Direct (BMG Direct) and Columbia House, merge. After years of negotiating, up and down markets and the changing landscape of new media such as MP3s and the Internet, these two companies finally agreed on merger terms earlier this year and completed the deal this month.
“This is an exciting time for Boyle Software and our two clients Bertelsmann and Columbia House,” says President Dan Boyle. “We have an especially unique perspective on this deal, having serviced both clients for almost a decade.”
Boyle continues, “Its only natural for these two to combine their efforts. Music sales have stagnated seven years in a row across the entire industry; on-demand video services via cable and satellite are eroding DVD and VHS sales. It was time for these two to join forces.”
Technologies for these companies are extensive, including Java/J2EE, WebLogic, Informix, Oracle, MySQL, DB2, struts, JSPs, Hibernate, Tomcat, JBoss, ATG Dynamo, Solaris, Linux and Windows.
About BMG Direct
BMG Music Service has been bringing people and music together for over 50 years. Launched in the mid-1950s, the Club was part of the RCA family of music until it was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1987. The company is the largest direct-to-customer distributor of music in the world and has millions of members across its various genre-based music clubs.
Today, the Club offers a wide variety of listening choices including pop, rock, R&B, adult alternative, easy listening, jazz, blues, classical, Latin, hip-hop, country, Christian and many more. Members can choose from thousands of titles — produced by major music companies as well as hundreds of independent labels — through BMG Music Service’s member magazines or by visiting their website.
BMG Direct includes the BMG Music Service, BMG Jazz Club, Encore, Sound and Spirit and Ritmo y Pasion clubs.
About Columbia House
The Columbia House Music Club was first launched in 1955. Over the past 50 years, Columbia House has grown to become the world’s largest direct marketer of not only music, but DVDs and videos.
Throughout the company’s rich history, an enthusiastic embrace of emerging technology has become an enduring corporate trademark. From cassettes and CDs to videos and DVDs, Columbia House has created a club that has consistently met the public’s demand for the latest advancement in entertainment products.