National Geographic Ventures (NGV) CEO Tim Kelly announced the creation of National Geographic Music and Radio (NGMR) to reach people and inspire them to care about the planet through music and the power of radio. Kelly also announced the appointment of industry vet David Beal as president to oversee the music labels, publishing and radio operations. Mark Bauman, currently a VP of Nat Geo's Mission Programs, will serve as EVP and spearhead radio and video production. NGMR launches with several distribution partners, including Clear Channel, Salem Communications and NPR. It will distribute and promote its music offerings throughout all of National Geographic's media platforms, including the National Geographic Channels, Films, Giant Screen Films and Kids Entertainment, as well as its magazines and digital media divisions. NGMR will also oversee the production of projects from today's hottest artists who are actively involved in environmental and cultural issues.
The Music and Radio group is focused on seven areas
Music Supervision Services – supervising music services for all National Geographic divisions, including feature films, giant-screen films and kids' programming
Live Events – featuring some of the world's greatest performers
WorldMusic.NationalGeographic.com – critically acclaimed consumer music site offering 99-cent MP3s, media-rich features, breaking music news and celebrity DJ playlists
Radio – launching syndicated radio shows and HD/Internet channels
Record Label – investing in new projects with three imprints: artist releases, soundtracks and kids
Music Publishing – managing the music publishing assets of the Society, representing over 12,000 copyrights
Music TV – overseeing music programming for the National Geographic Channel
