• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Events
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • THE SPORTS CREDENTIAL
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album/EP Releases
    • Single/Track Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • SIGN UP (FREE!)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Curb Records Acquires Warner Music Group’s Stake In Word Entertainment

March 2, 2016/by Jessica Nicholson

Curb-WordCurb Records has acquired WMG’s stake in Word Entertainment, the Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville. Word Entertainment has become a wholly owned division of Curb, expanding on the long partnership between Curb and WMG.

Since 2002, Word Entertainment has been owned 80 percent by WMG and 20 percent by Curb. Under the terms of the transaction, Curb will purchase WMG’s share in Word’s recorded music, distribution, publishing, film, and live events divisions, as well as Word’s building in Nashville. Word’s printed music division remains jointly owned by WMG and Curb.

Rod Riley, President and CEO of Word, will continue to run Word Entertainment. WMG will continue to distribute Word releases to the general market, and Word will continue to distribute WMG releases to the Christian market. Word’s publishing catalog will continue to be administered by Warner/Chappell.

Curb Chairman and Word Chairman Mike Curb said, “We are proud to continue our relationship with the Warner Music Group that started 50 years ago when my own musical group was signed by Warner Reprise and later signed by Word Records when it was still located in Waco, Texas and operated by its original founder Jarrell McCracken. We’ve had a long, successful relationship with Espo and Paul Robinson and more recently with Stephen Cooper, Cameron Strang, Matt Signore, Jeremy Sirota and Tom Marcotullio. For almost 15 years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as Chairman of Word Entertainment as well as being a minority shareholder in the company. During that time I’ve had a chance to work with great leaders such as Jim Van Hook and that led to the merger of Word with Fervent Records, which was the label that was started by Rod and Susan Riley and it turned out to be the most important moment for the future of Word. Rod Riley had led the transformation of Word into this century by developing some of the greatest contemporary Christian artists of our time. We look forward to working with Rod for the future leadership as we bring together Word Entertainment, Fervent Records and Curb Records, which have all had a long history in contemporary Christian music.”

“It has been an honor for me to be part of the Word and Warner families for the past decade,” said Word Entertainment President & CEO Rod Riley, “and so I am excited that our companies will be continuing to work closely together. I am grateful to Espo for his support and collaboration as we worked to continue to transform Word both creatively and commercially. Mike Curb has simultaneously served as a wise and thoughtful mentor to me for more than a decade, and I am thrilled that Word and Curb will continue on our journey to take Christian music to new heights. Our mission remains constant – to continually serve our artists and songwriters while we forge new ground as one of the preeminent faith-based entertainment companies.”

“Mike Curb is a legend in our business, with over five decades of discovering outstanding talent and making great music,” said Warner Music Nashville President & CEO John Esposito. “Since Curb and WMG became partners in the ownership of Word 14 years ago, we have been at the forefront of the Christian Music movement. Rod is a tremendously talented, motivating leader, and I join him in saying how excited we are that we will remain partners. This move is a great opportunity for Word’s artists, songwriters, and employees, and the ongoing combination of our amazing teams ensures that Word’s future is very bright.”

Founded in 1951, Word Entertainment has grown into an artist services company active in recorded music, publishing, film, live events, and church resources. Word’s roster of popular and influential artists and songwriters includes for KING & COUNTRY, the duo who won two Grammy awards in 2015, and Francesca Battistelli, who won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at this year’s Grammys.

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
Jessica Nicholson
Latest posts by Jessica Nicholson (see all)
  • CMA Honors Robert Deaton With Chairman’s Award - December 4, 2020
  • Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement - December 4, 2020
  • Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker” Is Most-Added On ‘MusicRow’ CountryBreakout Radio Chart - December 4, 2020
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Curb-Word.jpg 260 390 Jessica Nicholson https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Jessica Nicholson2016-03-02 13:21:042016-03-02 13:21:04Curb Records Acquires Warner Music Group’s Stake In Word Entertainment
You might also like
The Producer's Chair: Jim Catino
Charlie Cook On-Air
Gary Allan Concert Plays Like An Autobiography
DISClaimer: Steven Tyler Is Tops
DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/16/12)
Weekly Register: Chesney, Eldredge, Swindell Make Top Debuts
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

RECENT NEWS

  • Weekly Register: Zach Bryan Scores Top Country Album Debut October 2, 2023
  • Oliver Anthony Re-Enters Top 5 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart October 2, 2023
  • Parmalee Notches 4th No. 1 Single With ‘Girl In Mine’ October 2, 2023
  • Colin Stough To Release Debut EP, ‘Promiseland’ October 2, 2023
  • Thomas Rhett Brings Bridgestone Arena Together For A Fun Night Of Music October 2, 2023
  • Dallas Smith Shares Two Tracks From Forthcoming Self-Titled Project October 2, 2023
  • ACM LEVel Up Program Opens Applications & Nominations For 2024 October 2, 2023
  • Mark Your Calendar—October 2023 October 2, 2023
  • BFD / Audium Nashville Acquires Rights To Release Louisiana Hayride Series October 2, 2023
  • Headliners Set For ‘New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash’ October 2, 2023
  • Jon Pardi Announces Christmas Album, Special New York Holiday Show October 2, 2023
  • Brad Paisley Releases ‘Son Of The Mountains: The First Four Tracks’ October 2, 2023
  • New IRS Rule Affects Concert Ticket Resellers September 29, 2023
  • Neil Medley Shares His Stories On Debut Project, ‘South End Kid’ September 29, 2023
  • Worldwide Stages Announces Investment Opportunity In Its Production Campus September 29, 2023

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2023 Music Row Enterprises, LLC – All rights reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top