The band has entered into a multi-year, worldwide licensing agreement with Concord Bicycle Music for their catalog recorded from 1988 to 2011.
“The band and all at REMHQ are very happy to be joining with Concord Bicycle Music for this next phase of curating and extending R.E.M.’s recorded legacy,” said longtime R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs in a statement. “The albums covered by this agreement are some of the band’s most successful, both artistically and commercially, and we know the people at Concord share our enthusiasm about this partnership. We leave the Warner Bros. family, a great label where we are certainly grateful for some of our career highlights. But moving forward, we knew this was the right time to change it up and Concord is the right home for this key part of R.E.M.’s catalog.”
Billboard.com broke the news earlier today on the agreement.