Umn grabs giant German pop catalog
Berlin-based entertainment company umn has completed its first major acquisition, partnering with Kobalt to secure the publishing rights and authors’ share of German songwriting duo Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer. The deal, described as Germany’s largest music rights transaction to date, covers their entire catalog—including work as the pop act Rosenstolz, hits for artists like Sarah Connor and Roland Kaiser, soundtracks for the Bibi & Tina film series, and songs from hit musicals staged at Berlin’s Theater des Westens. Their combined streams approach 3 billion.
Founded in September 2024 by former BMG executives Dominique Casimir, Maximilian Kolb, and Justus Haerder, umn said the acquisition honors a cultural legacy while creating new opportunities for the catalog’s future. Kobalt will handle global administration with a focus on transparency and long-term relevance.
Plate and Sommer said the sale allows them to concentrate fully on theater, including their upcoming original musical Wir sind am Leben, set in 1990s Berlin. Proceeds from the deal will fund new stage productions. The duo emphasized that this marks a new creative chapter, not an endpoint.
Rosenstolz sold over 4 million records in Germany, blending pop, chanson, and socially conscious lyrics to build a cross-generational fanbase. Their songwriting also powered Sarah Connor’s platinum album Muttersprache. umn’s co-founders called the partnership a defining start to their mission of preserving and reimagining influential musical works.
